PA: Philadelphia Atheists–DVAU: Church-State Issues Symposium

9:00 AM-5 PM

DVAU Third Church/State Issues Symposium sponsored by the Delaware Valley Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church & State.
Program:

9:00 – 9:20 INTRODUCTION, Ed Joyce, President, Delaware Valley Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church & State

9:20 – 9:45 THE USE AND ABUSE OF RELIGION IN POLITICS AND THE 2012 ELECTIONS, J. Brent Walker, Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee, Washington, D.C.

9:50 – 10:15 THE PROPER ROLE FOR RELIGION IN THE PUBLIC SQUARE, Sara Hutchinson, Domestic Programs Director, Catholics for Choice, Washington, D.C.

10:15 – 10:25 Break

10:25 – 10:50 CONTRACEPTION AND THE COURTS, Greg Lipper, Senior Litigation Counsel, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, D.C.

10:55 – 11:20 GOD V. SEBELIUS: HOW THE SHIELD OF LIBERTY BECAME A SWORD, Rev. Nathan C. Walker, Columbia University and First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia

11:25 – 12:30 KEYNOTE ADDRESS: THREE 800 POUND GORILLAS HAVE ATTACKED CHURCH/STATE SEPARATION, Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director, Americans United for Separation of Church & State, Washington, D.C.

12:30 – 1:15 Lunch

1:15 – 1:40 ABORTION, PERSONHOOD AND CHURCH-STATE SEPARATION, Lloyd Steffen, Professor, Department of Religion Studies, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

1:45 – 2:10 THE CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER MOVEMENT: TAXPAYER-FUNDED PROSELYTIZATION?, Sofia Resnick, Investigative Reporter, The American Independent, Washington, D.C.

2:15 – 2:40 THE DECLINE OF THE REAGAN COALITION AND STRUGGLES OVER RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor, Political Science Department, University of Pennsylvania

2:40 – 2:50 Break

2:50 – 3:15 ARE WE ALL REALLY MOSTLY RELIGIOUS?, Bruce Ledewitz, Professor, Duquesne Law School, Pittsburgh, PA

3:20 – 3:45 FREEDOM OF, FOR, AND FROM RELIGION, Rev. Thomas Beers, Pastoral Partner, Central Baptist Church, Wayne, PA

3:50 – 4:15 RECLAIMING THE FOUNDERS, Michael Meyerson, Wilson H. Elkins Professor of Law and Piper & Marbury Faculty Fellow, University of Baltimore School of Law, Baltimore, MD

4:15 – 5:00 Open Discussion with the Speakers

Read the full Program with Abstracts on our site, http://dvau.org/?p=2618

Parking: Onsite garage located on Race Street between 5th and 6th. Cost: $9. Accessible by SEPTA, the 6th and Race stop is right across the street.

Lunch: Cafeteria available onsite

Free and Open to the Public