Religion and Ethics Newsweekly
HEADLINE: President Bush's Religious Rhetoric
BYLINE: Kim Lawton (reporter), Bob Abernethy (anchor)

This Feb. 7 transcript from the PBS television program Religion and Ethics Newsweekly details the debate over whether President Bush's use of religious language unites or divides the country. Dr. Pagels is quoted repeatedly in the piece.

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The New York Times
HEADLINE: The Nation; A President Puts His Faith in Providence
BYLINE: Laurie Goodstein

In this Feb. 9 piece in the New York Times, Laurie Goodstein explores how President Bush has turned increasingly to religious language in the past several weeks to describe domestic and foreign policy goals. Goodstein quotes Dr. Pagels as saying that such language, while it can be unifying, could also be divisive and dangerous.

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The Baltimore Sun
HEADLINE: Bush turns increasingly to language of religion
BYLINE: David Greene

Article also appeared on the Common Dreams website.

In this Feb. 10 article, David Greene of the Baltimore Sun explores the implications of - and the risks behind - President Bush's use of religious language in relation to U.S. foreign and domestic policy.

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Religion News Service
HEADLINE: An Evolving Faith: Does the president believe he has a divine mandate?
BYLINE: Deborah Caldwell

Article also ran on the Beliefnet, Baptist Standard and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life website.

This article, one of two on the topic released by Religion News Service on February 11, focuses on a perceived shift in President Bush's theology and theological rhetoric -- from one of personal transformation to describing a Calvinist "divine plan" laid out by God. The reporter, Deborah Caldwell, quotes Rev. Gaddy in the piece.

Article also ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and was excerpted in Hotline, a Capitol Hill newsletter.

This Religion News Service article, released on Feb. 11, details the content of the President or Preacher audio news conference, and quotes both Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels extensively.

In this Feb. 11 opinion piece, Jane Eisner of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes that President Bush has forgotten that he's talking to mixed company when incorporating religious terminology into his public remarks. Eisner goes on to write that Bush seems to have decided that all people of faith believe in the "same kind of God, the same definition of history, and the same trust in grace and Providence." She urges the President to find a language that includes, not excludes, people.

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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HEADLINE: Religious Leaders Uneasy with Bush's Rhetoric
BYLINE: Ann McFeatters

Article also ran in syndication in:
Topeka Capital-Journal
Pittsburg Post-Gazette
Toledo Blade (OH)
Bradenton Herald (FL)
Boulder Daily Camera (CO)
Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX)
San Angelo Standard-Times (TX)
Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN)
Redding Record Searchlight (CA)
Wichita Falls Times Record News (TX)

This article, which covered the audio news conference in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, focuses on the concerns of religious leaders that President Bush is usurping the role of preacher or even inciting Islamic fundamentalists with his use of religious "good versus evil" references.

In this Feb. 12 opinion piece, "Faith Matters" columnist David Waters of the Commercial Appeal in Memphis writes that judging by the amount of religious rhetoric, one would think we were heading into a holy war. Waters quotes Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels several times. Although he also writes that every President has used religious language, he cites Rev. Gaddy's contention that Bush's use is "too political and too particular" for someone who is a leader of all Americans.

The Star Tribune
HEADLINE: Bush religious rhetoric blurs Iraq debate, critics say
BYLINE: Martha Sawyer Allen

In this Feb. 12 article from the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Martha Sawyer Allen focuses on how Dr. Pagels and Rev. Gaddy said during the news conference that President Bush has polarized the nation and prevented any serious debate about a war with Iraq. The article also quotes Richard Land, a Southern Baptist leader with close ties to the White House, as saying that the President's "sense of divine oversight is part of why he has become such a good wartime leader."

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The Charlotte Observer
HEADLINE: As he ponders war, Bush leans on faith
BYLINE: Ron Hutcheson

In this Feb. 13 article in the Charlotte Observer, Ron Hutcheson explores how President Bush has spoken of his religious convictions in public and notes that some critics worry such convictions are blinding him to the risks of war with Iraq. He goes on to provide several examples of Bush's discussion of religious principles, and quotes former White House speech writer David Frum and chief of staff Andrew Card, who explain the influence that religion has played in the President's life and administration.

The Nando Times
HEADLINE: Bush oblivious to the faithless
BYLINE: Gary Sloan

Article also ran in the Sacramento Bee.

In this Feb. 13 opinion piece which appeared in the on-line Nando Times and in the Sacramento Bee, retired English professor Gary Sloan writes that President Bush revealed his insensitivity to the 30 or 40 million Americans who don't believe in God during a recent speech at the 51st Annual National Prayer Breakfast. Sloan contends that only 54 percent of Americans said they belonged to a church -- including non-Christian congregations -- in a recent poll. He concludes that Bush is certainly free to express his beliefs, but should not try to foist his religious faith on anyone.

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Washington Post
HEADLINE: When Presidents Talk of God
BYLINE: E. J. Dionne Jr.

In this Feb. 13 column from the Washington Post, E.J. Dionne writes that President Bush's use of religious rhetoric in speeches does not necessarily mean that he is a religious fanatic. He notes that Bush should be more careful, given the potential conflict with Iraq, than his predecessors in invoking the Almighty, but concludes that his penchant for mentioning God in speeches is not a troublesome quality.

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The Deseret News
HEADLINE: Is Bush's religious rhetoric too religious?
BYLINE: Carrie Moore

Carrie Moore contrasts the assertions made by Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels during the news conference and the analysis offered by two local political scientists in this Feb. 15 piece from Salt Lake City's Deseret News. Valerie Hudson, a political science professor at Brigham Young University, is quoted as saying she never heard or read of Bush holding himself up as a religious leader with the right to impose his moral view on the nation. Ted Wilson, director of the Hinkley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, notes in the article that President Bush is facing challenges no previous administration has had to face, and that even if Bush said "something a little weird," he deserves a break from criticism -- at least right now.

The Ledger
HEADLINE: Bush's Words of Faith Criticized
BYLINE: Cary McMullen

Article also appeared in syndication in these outlets:
Lakeland Ledger (FL)
Charlotte Observer (NC)

In this opinion piece, which appeared in the Ledger (Lakeland, Florida) on Feb. 15, Cary McMullen characterizes the criticism of Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels as "a little over the top." McMullen asserts that while President Bush is a conservative Christian, he is not a fundamentalist, and that his unabashed use of religious language is typical of evangelical Christians. He repeats a question that he posed to Rev. Gaddy during the news conference regarding Abraham Lincoln's use of religious terminology in his inaugural address, and concludes his piece by writing that no-one should have to relegate his faith "to an unused back room."

The Times-Picayune
HEADLINE: Bush's religious allusions cause stir
BYLINE: Bruce Nolan

Article also appeared in syndication in these outlets:
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Biloxi Sun Herald
New Orleans Times-Picayune

In this Feb. 15 feature article from the Times-Picayune in New Orleans, Bruce Nolan examines President Bush's use of religious allusions from several different viewpoints. In addition to Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels, he quotes Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, who believes that the American people expect and respect the use of such language. Richard Land, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Liberty Commission and a personal friend of President Bush, is quoted as saying Bush believes that "there is a divine providence at work in the history and purpose of the United States." The Rev. Gabriel Fackre of the Andover Newton Theological School and Stephen Chapman of Duke Divinity School express similar concerns to that of Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels in the article.

In this Feb. 15 opinion piece from Denver's Rocky Mountain News, Vincent Carroll opens his article by detailing the concerns of Dr. Pagels and Rev. Gaddy. He goes on to write that even "progressive" presidents such as Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and John Kennedy "deployed the language of moral evangelism" when the nation was confronting issues of war and peace. He concludes that those bothered by such references to religious faith are justified in voting against a candidate that employs such language, but that they will never find a candidate who avoids morally charged phrases, especially during a time of war.

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The Boston Globe
HEADLINE: Some Voice Concern Over President's Religious Rhetoric
BYLINE: John Donnelly

Boston Globe reporter John Donnelly explored Bush's use of religious rhetoric in this Feb. 16 piece, which quotes Rev. Gaddy on the subject. Donnelly also quotes Melissa Rogers, the executive director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, and National Association of Evangelicals president Richard Cizik in the piece. Several theology professors are also quoted, and Donnelly provides detailed examples of how President Bush has used religious terminology in his public speeches and remarks.

This Feb. 16 column by Paul Vitello in New York's Newsday criticizes Bush's use of religious language in speeches because such terminology causes him - whether intentionally or not - "to chip away at the secular underpinning of our uniquely democratic country." Vitello goes on to quote Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels, citing her statement that framing events as "God's people versus Satan's people" can only end in one side annihilating the other.

San Antonio Express-News
HEADLINE: From the lips of our preaching president fall fighting words
BYLINE: Jan Jarboe Russell

This Feb. 16 column in the San Antonio Express-News focuses on President Bush's use of religious language. Dr. Pagels is quoted as saying that his particular use of the terminology is destructive, as it "bypasses the brain and goes straight to the gut."

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The Associated Press
HEADLINE: Bush talking more about religion
BYLINE: Jennifer Loven

Article also ran on the CNN website, the Yahoo! News website, the New York Times website, the San Francisco Chronicle website, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life website, the Canadian Press/Canada.com website, and the website of WTEV-TV -- a CBS affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida.

This Feb 18 piece from the Associated Press details numerous examples of President Bush's use of religious allusions in his public remarks, and quotes Rev. Gaddy as saying that the President is coming out of a very particular religious tradition -- evangelical Christianity. As such, Bush's rhetoric "implies a lack of appreciation for the vast pluralism of religion" in America, according to Gaddy.

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The Indianapolis Star
HEADLINE: Bush is blasted for calling on faith during hard times
BYLINE: Andrea Neal

In this Feb. 19 opinion piece, Andrea Neal of the Indianapolis Star criticizes the remarks of Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels, saying that anyone offended by President Bush's religious rhetoric might take offense at the motto on the US penny. Neal writes that Bush's use of religious language is "typical for an American president, from George Washington's time on."

The Shelbyville News
HEADLINE: Fighting Words

This Feb. 19 editorial from the Shelbyville News in Shelbyville, Indiana quotes Rev. Gaddy and notes that President Bush needs to be more careful in observing the separation of church and state, especially with respect to foreign policy given current tensions in the Middle East.

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Chicago Tribune
HEADLINE: Some find offense in Bush God references;
The president's use of religious expressions in seeking support for war is seen as alienating to world's non-Christians
BYLINE: Julia Lieblich

Julia Lieblich details how President Bush's use of religious language is alienating to Americans and others who don't share his evangelical views in this Feb. 21 piece from the Chicago Tribune. Lieblich approaches the issue from a variety of religious perspectives. In addition to quoting Rev. Gaddy and Dr. Pagels, she offers thoughts on the subject from a Southern Baptist leader, a religious scholar from the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and the president of the Anti-Defamation League.

This Feb 17 piece from Beliefnet ran on the ABC News website on Feb. 21. In the piece, Gregg Easterbrook argues that while many are pleased or upset that President Bush continues to use religious language in speaking about the war on terrorism and other matters, his beliefs would seem quite conventional compared to those of past presidents such as Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln.

This Feb 21 editorial from the Northern Star, the student newspaper at Northern Illinois University, points out how President Bush has used his religious background to "soothe America's grief." The editorial writers note that while Bush's use of religious language should not shock anyone, he should remember that there is a portion of the American population that won't be able to follow him.

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Austin American Statesman
HEADLINE: Bush talking more about religion
BYLINE: Jennifer Loven (AP)

This Feb 18 piece from the Associated Press was in the last Religion in the Media summary, but was reprinted in the Austin American Statesman and Tallahassee Democrat on Feb. 22. Loven's piece was also excerpted on the Mother Jones website this past week. The article also ran on the CNN website, the Yahoo! News website, the New York Times website, the San Francisco Chronicle website, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life website, the Canadian Press/Canada.com website, and the website of WTEV-TV—a CBS affiliate in Jacksonville, Florida.

Article also ran in syndication in these outlets:
Los Angeles Times
Fox Market Wire
Fox News.com
ABC News.com
CNN.com
Yahoo.com
Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (PA)
Tallahassee Democrat
Aiken Standard (SC)
Tucson Arizona Daily Star
Kansas City Star (MO)
Sacramento Bee (CA)
Seattle Times
Tacoma News Tribune (WA)
Indianapolis Star
Henderson Gleaner (KY)
Akron Beacon Journal (OH)
KGPE-TV CBS 47 Fresno (CA)
KCRG-TV ABC 9 Cedar Rapids (IA)
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA)
Lorain Morning Journal (OH)
Ocala Star-Banner (FL)
Lexington Herald-Leader (KY)
Bremerton Sun (WA)
Canton Repository (OH)
Shelby Star (NC)
Lorain Morning Journal (OH)
Wilmington Morning Star (NC)
Long Beach Press-Telegram (CA)
Houston Chronicle
Bakersfield Californian
AL.com (AL)
Boston.com (MA)
Newark Star-Ledger (NJ)
Myrtle Beach Sun News (SC)
Grand Forks Herald (ND)
Bradenton Herald (FL)
Levittown Bucks County Courier Times (PA) Beaufort Gazette (SC)
Belleville News-Democrat (IL)
Raleigh News & Observer (NC)
Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Philadelphia Daily News (PA)
San Diego Union-Tribune

This Feb. 11 opinion piece by Jane Eisner of the Philadelphia Inquirer was in the last Religion in the Media summary and also appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat during that week. It ran again in the Charlotte Observer on Feb. 22.

This Feb. 13 column from the Washington Post appeared in the last Religion in the Media summary, but ran again in the Charlotte Observer on Feb. 22.

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Time Magazine
HEADLINE: The Blinding Glare of His Certainty
BYLINE: Joe Klein

In this piece from the Feb. 24 edition of Time, Joe Klein writes that President Bush's public piety is not unique or extreme among Presidents, and that there is little evidence that he is "either messianic or a hard-edged religious determinist." What is disturbing about his use of such language, writes Klein, is the fact that Bush's faith does not impel him to have second thoughts or question the possible consequences of his actions.

The Rev. Rachel Frey wrote this letter to the editor of the Indianapolis Star, defending Dr. Pagels and Rev. Gaddy in response to a Feb. 19 column by Andrea Neal, who criticized the two theologians. Frey, a preacher in Avon, Indiana, writes that she is "deeply suspicious when the language of faith... is used to promote an extreme political agenda."

In this Feb. 24 opinion piece from USA Today, former Bush speech writer David Frum defends the President's use of religious language, saying critics' fears about such use are misplaced since "if anything, Bush's religion biases him toward caution and restraint." Frum argues that Bush's new kind of leadership - which he deems a "spiritual leadership" - will be put to the test during a forthcoming war on Iraq.

This opinion piece in the Feb. 24 edition of the Washington Times quotes Rev. Gaddy, but defends President Bush's use of religious language. Suzanne Fields writes that "most Americans appear to appreciate the president's comforting words, drawn easily from his faith."

This editorial from the Goshen News in Goshen, Indiana defends President Bush's use of religious language. The writers contend that in troubling times, "there's something comforting about a leader who implies that maybe he alone doesn't have all the answers." The piece concludes that in such a challenging era as the one in which we live, he can be forgiven for looking for supernatural help.

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Religion & Culture: Meeting the Challenge of Pluralism focuses on the role of religion in shaping our lives and cultural values, and serving as a resource for positive social change.

© 2002–2005 Douglas Gould & Co., Inc.