Obama's Joshua DuBois on Speaking of Faith

Krista Tippett, host of Speaking of Faith, talks with Joshua DuBois, who heads Obama's office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Obama kept Bush's office but has changed it in key ways. Listen or watch the conversation here. Speaking of Faith is a great program, by the way. As someone who, depending on the day, leans toward Humanism, as opposed to organized religion, it's fascinating to hear about all different faiths and beliefs and how they merge with our lives. Krista sometimes talks to atheists or non believers, as well. Her show, while speaking of faith, talks a lot about economics and politics.

Obama's Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr

Krista Tippett, host of Speaking of Faith, one of the best shows on radio, moderates a discussion between liberal columnist E.J. Dionne and conservative columnist David Brooks on Reinhold Niebuhr and his influence on Obama.
Obama has named Niebuhr as a theologian he's studied.
Check out the video here. The podcast skips the long formal introductions.

What Would Darwin Do?

It's not just time to celebrate Lincoln.
Today marks Darwin's birthday, Feb. 12 1809. Charles Darwin is frowned upon as the man who kicked God out of the world. The Sarah Palin-types, those who believe in intelligent design, don't have much reverence for Darwin.
But Darwin didn't deny God, according to James Moore, a Darwin biographer. He believed that God established laws of natural selection. Of course, Darwin proved that the history of the world is longer than 6,000 years, a fact that creationists deny.

Michael Shermer slams another Darwin myth that "survival of the fittest" means you're supposed to be a competitive jerk. 
Check out Speaking of Faith's Krista Tippett's recent podcast on Darwin. Speaking of Faith is one of my favorite podcasts because it ties faith, and not just Christian faith, to economics, politics, science and other topics. It also looks at topics through non denominational faith or no faith- atheism and Humanism.

Another podcast I highly recommend is Krista Tippett's series that explores the spiritual and moral side of the recession.  
See some of Darwin's sketches here.
Darwin's complete work is online here.
Yesterday was Palin's birthday, so MSNBC put together the best of Sarah Palin. I sit here thankful that we're not in a Palin-McCain administration.  

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