The Purpose Driven Gospel of America

Couple of posts on America, American religion, conservatism in America that I've been working on.

As an introduction, a really fine chat on American religious belief with Rick Warren and Jon Meacham on the Meet the Press. Warren author of the best-selling hardback book in the history of the US(!!!), The Purpose Driven Life. Meachem, religion editor at Newsweek, and author of American Gospel.

I don't agree with Warren on all isues (esp. gay and lesbian issues), but the man is a genuine human being and Christian. He really loves and really is setting the stage for the future of progressive evangelism. Evangelical Americans are on the cutting edge of AIDS, poverty, justice, and security for Africa.

Warren has taken a lot of heat from more conservative evangelical elements for his work on AIDS--because and his wife have the temerity to want to treat sick people without from the beginning telling them ethically how to live. As in: I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was dying of AIDS and you gave me medicine.

They discuss a number of issues--Meacham is very good on the Founders vision of dis-establishment, their religious values, their belief in the moral upkeep of the nation, etc. Worth a listen.