Since 1999, the Ethics and Public Policy Center has hosted six conferences for national journalists to help raise the level of their reporting by increasing their understanding of religion, religious communities, and the religious convictions. This book contains the presentations and conversations that grew out of those conferences.

As religiously grounded moral arguments have become ever more influential factors in the national debate--particularly reinforced by recent presidential elections and the creation of the faith-based initiative office in the White House--journalists' ignorance about theological convictions has often worked to distort the public discourse on important policy issues. This timely book presents a series of conversations that will help policy makers and observers increase their understanding of religion, religious communities, and the relgious convictions that inform the political activity of devout believers. This book is published in cooperation with the Ethics and Public Policy Center.