Webcast: Fight Againt Poverty

Spotlight Webcast: Faith Based Communities Fight Against Poverty

July 29, 2009http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5803259&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1In the latest Spotlight webcast, Michael Gerson, a nationally syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, and Mark Rodgers, principal of the Clapham Group, discuss the role of faith-based organizations in shaping anti-poverty policy. Gerson and Rodgers, both co-founders of the bipartisan group, The Poverty Forum, discuss how religious organizations can help create bipartisan consensus on key public policy issues. The interview also examines how the George W. Bush Administration encouraged a role for religious organizations in the fight against poverty and how the Obama Administration could continue to advance the partnership between government and faith groups. The interview is moderated by Spotlight’s Mary Jo Walsh.Michael Gerson is a contributor to Newsweek, author of Heroic Conservatism, and a senior research fellow at the Center on Faith and International Affairs at the Institute for Global Engagement. Mr. Gerson also served in the second Bush Administration as assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning.Mark Rodgers is a principal and co-founder of the Clapham Group, a Christian Consulting group, and a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Mr. Rodgers was formerly the chief of staff for former Senator Rick Santorum, serving as the third-ranking Republican leadership staffer overseeing strategic planning and strategic communications.The Poverty Forum, which is made up of religious leaders and policy experts from across the political spectrum, aims to raise the profile of poverty as a critical domestic policy issue. For more information on The Poverty Forum, visit www.thepovertyforum.org.Link: http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/news.aspx?id=65196d5f-5071-4e88-aa11-eecd0cd46652