April 20: Church/State Issues Symposium in Philadelphia

The Delaware Valley chapter of American United for Separation of Church and State will be presenting its third annual Church/State Issues Symposium on April 20, 2013 from 9:00AM to 5:00PM at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

This one-day event includes a diverse array of speakers — some atheistic, Catholic, Unitarian, Baptist — who will share their thoughts concerning religion and the separation of church and state.

Presentations include:

THE USE AND ABUSE OF RELIGION IN POLITICS AND THE 2012 ELECTIONS –
J. Brent Walker, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee, Washington, D.C.

THE PROPER ROLE FOR RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE –
Sara Hutchinson, Domestic Programs Director, Catholics for Choice, Washington, D.C.

CONTRACEPTION AND THE COURTS – Greg Lipper, Senior Litigation Counsel, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, D.C.

GOD V. SEBELIUS: HOW THE SHIELD OF LIBERTY BECAME A SWORD – Rev. Nathan C. Walker, Columbia University and First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

THREE 800 POUND GORILLAS HAVE ATTACKED CHURCH/STATE SEPARATION –
Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director, Americans United for Separation of Church & State, Washington, D.C.

ABORTION, PERSONHOOD AND CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION –
Lloyd Steffen, Professor, Department of Religion Studies, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

THE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER MOVEMENT: TAXPAYER-FUNDED PROSELYTIZATION? – Sofia Resnick, Investigative Reporter, The American Independent, Washington, D.C.

THE DECLINE OF THE REAGAN COALITION AND STRUGGLES OVER RELIGIOUS FREEDOM –
Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor, Political Science Department, University of Pennsylvania

ARE WE ALL REALLY MOSTLY RELIGIOUS? –
Bruce Ledewitz, Professor, Duquesne Law School, Pittsburg, PA

FREEDOM OF, FOR, AND FROM RELIGION –
Rev. Thomas Beers, Pastoral Partner, Central Baptist Church, Wayne, PA

RECLAIMING THE FOUNDERS –
Michael Meyerson, Wilson H. Elkins Professor of Law and Piper & Marbury Faculty Fellow, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, MD

Find more information for this event — including speech abstracts and location details — on the Delaware Valley Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s website.