Vanderbilt professor to discuss role of religion in presidential campaign, Community breakfast lecture set for April 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ A Vanderbilt professor says that Republicans and
Democrats fail to understand the religious community in the United
States, therefore bobbling a potentially powerful factor in the 2004
presidential election.
C. Melissa Snarr, assistant professor of ethics and society at
Vanderbilt University Divinity School, will elaborate during a
community breakfast set for Friday, April 2, at Belmont United
Methodist Church.
Sponsored by Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Belmont United
Methodist Church, the "Faith-Talk in the ’04 Election: Manipulation,
Window-Dressing, or Empowerment" lecture will be held 7:30 a.m. to 9
a.m. at the church at 2007 Acklen Ave. Admission is $10, and
reservations may be made by calling 615-343-3994.
"One of the few ways that the economically and racially marginalized in
this country gain civic skills to participate politically is through
religious organizations," Snarr said. "I will argue that Democrats on
the whole don’t know what to do with religion in the public sphere,
while Republicans may narrow their audience more than they think by
assuming the evangelical base of the party is monolithic theologically."
Snarr believes that the work of faith communities has the potential to
spur many citizens to participate in the political process.
Before coming to Vanderbilt, Snarr directed the Ethics and Servant
Leadership Program at the Center for Ethics at Emory University. Her
writing, teaching and community involvements center on the intersection
of religion, social change and social/political ethics.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu