Cultured Media

Even outside faith, I haven’t seen non-sound byte interviews with both candidates recently. Personal faith, abortion, stem-cells, adoption, patriotism, economics and more are discussed.  Always skeptic, I was pleasantly pleased by the candidness of the impromptu questions and answers (for the most part). As Rick Warren, interviewer and pastor of Saddleback Community Church, said afterward, they displayed their personalities, the straight-talking warrior and the nuanced professor. You can view the four part video online at CNN.com. Here is a link to the first part. You may have to locate the rest.

Obama, McCain interviewed by Rick Warren at Saddleback Church

Jim Lehrer hosts By the People: Citizenship in the 21st Century, a documentary to air on PBS this month, featuring some of America’s most talented and influential leaders debating the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The one-hour special will show highlights of the dialogues in Democracy project that By the People is undertaking in partnership with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. A major focus of the broadcast is the By the People convocation that took place in Williamsburg, Virginia, from November 8 through 11, with the goal of creating thoughts for a new Declaration of Citizenship in the 21st Century.

The convocation brought together a diverse group of approximately 50 influential Americans, reflecting diverse perspectives. Among the participants were: Nathan Baxter, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania;David Davenport, former president of Pepperdine University; Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General; Leo Melamed, Chairman Emeritus, Chicago Mercantile Exchange; Robert Moses, founder of The Algebra Project; Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist; and Indianapolis 500 driver Janet Guthrie.

Watch over an hour’s worth of the documentary at By The People: A National Conversation about America in the World.

The spiritual is celebrated in American culture and beyond. It is the source from which gospel, jazz, blues, and hip-hop evolved. It was born in the American South, created by slaves, bards whose names history never recorded. The organizing concept of this music is not the melody of Europe, but the rhythm of Africa. And the theology conveyed in these songs is a potent mix of African spirituality, Hebrew narrative, Christian doctrine, and an extreme experience of human suffering.

We celebrate the life of Joe Carter, who explored the meaning of the Negro spiritual in word and song through its hidden meanings, as well as its beauty, lament, and hope.

Speaking of Faith Interview with Joe Carter