Political, interfaith and education leaders will offer provocative insights and views during the discussion on Civil Discourse in America: Finding Common Ground for the Greater Good on October 22.

Produced by The Episcopal Church, the 90-minute live webcast will originate from historic Christ Church, Philadelphia (Diocese of Pennsylvania), the birthplace of the Episcopal Church and the home of our country’s beginnings. In partnership with the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Civil Discourse in America will begin at 2 pm Eastern (1 pm Central, noon Mountain, 11 am Pacific, 10 am Alaska, 9 am Hawaii).

Forum Participants

The forum will be moderated by well-known journalist and commentator Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Executive Religion Editor for the Huffington Post.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will present the keynote address.

Two panel discussions will focus on main themes: Civil discourse and faith; and Civil discourse in politics and policy. Panelists include:

• David Boardman, Dean of the School of Media and Communication at Temple University in Philadelphia. He serves as president of the American Society of News Editors and chairs the National Advisory Board of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in Florida. He is an accomplished investigative journalist, past Executive Editor of the Seattle Times, and a four-time Pulitzer Prize jurist.

• Dr. John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University, Washington DC.   Dr. DeGioia is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Forum for the Future of Higher Education and among other board endeavors, serves on the Boards of the Carnegie Corporation, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and the Executive Committee of the Council on Competitiveness. He has received national recognition as an advocate for civil discourse and a commitment to the common good.

• Rabbi Steve Gutow, President and CEO of the Jewish Council on Public Affairs, Washington DC. A trustee of Faith in Public Life, which helps shape public debates and advance faith as a positive and unifying force for justice, compassion and the common good, he has been recognized as one of the country’s most influential Jewish leaders.

• Hugh Forrest, Director of the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which each year brings together more than 30,000 creative professionals from around the world to foster a global community of ideas and creativity. TIME Magazine refers to him as an “interactive agent,” ushering new, groundbreaking technology into the popular culture that changes the way we share, learn and think.

• Dr. Carolyn J. Lukensmeyer, Executive Director of the National Institute on Civil Discourse and a leader in the field of deliberative democracy.  She founded AmericaSpeaks, which promotes nonpartisan initiatives to engage citizens and leaders through innovative public policy tools and strategies. Dr. Lukensmeyer also has served as a consultant to the White House Chief of Staff and as a chief of staff for Ohio’s governor, the first woman in this capacity.  

• Dr. Elizabeth McCloskey, President and CEO of The Faith & Politics Institute, a national organization devoted to advancing reflective leadership among members of Congress and congressional staff to bridge the divides that arise in a thriving democracy.  She has taught and published numerous articles and book chapters on faith, ethics and politics, and is a former columnist for Commonweal magazine.

• Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, NY.  Bishop Singh is a frequent contributor to regional and national publications on topics related to accepting and embracing people with views and beliefs other than his own.

(Additional panelists will be announced later).

The Forum

• There is no fee to view the live webcast. The webcast will be viewable here as well as YouTube.

• Registration is not required for the live webcast.

• Questions can be emailed prior and during the live webcast; send questions to publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org.

• The forum will be available on-demand following the live webcast.

• The forum is ideal for live group watching and discussion, or on-demand viewing later.  It will be appropriate for Sunday School, discussions groups, and community gatherings.

• Resources such as bibliography, on-demand video, materials for community and individual review, discussion questions, and lesson plans will be available.

Information is located here

For more information contact Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer, publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org.

Christ Church Philadelphia

Diocese of Pennsylvania