Lettie for organizing this event. I want to thank my agent, gail for being here, you have probably already seen one of the 10,500,000 Mike Bloomberg ads, the tagline is mike gets it done, no, gail gets a ton. So, thank you for being here. What an admission also, another great book that you have to re, my friend, Melissa Rogers who is a visiting scholar here we Work Together for 20 years. Her book, religion in public life and faith with the American Public life which has a nice double meaning is a great book to read. And i cannot resist honoring my entire doctor Mark Sheppard who came here today. I honor him because he is an awesome dr. Because he is a great sports fan, kids play sports together but he was actually the dr. To about half of the people in my part of bookings and there is enormous morning in this building that you decided to retire but also so many other friends here come i want to thank you all for coming. But, this is one of the coolest events brookings has ever had. And
One of these National Book festival presents . Good. Keep coming back, we like you. Thank you so much. [laughter] well, welcome to the library of congress National Book festival presents, a vibrant new series of programs inspired by the National Book festival and meant to bring you into the heart of this historic, dynamic institution, the library of congress, your national library. This is a brand new effort through which we hope to spark conversations, engage, inspire and entertain you with some of the most diverse, provocative and notable writers of the day. In every program that we put before you, say from the childrens writer dave pilke to a conversation with the haitianamerican wonderful literary novelist [inaudible] to the program youve come to hear tonight, we mean to connect the works of living writers to a larger history, a deeper understanding. We delight in making those connections for you, and we delight in provoking the kind of exchanges that make all of us more informed a
Minute. I am the interim director at Baylor University press. We are a small academic Publishing House attached to the largest Baptist University in the world in waco, texas. At baylor press, were very focused editorially. Almost all of the 40 books that we publish each year are focused on academic conversations surrounding religion. Melissas book is a natural fort for our list, and were proud to be the publisher of it. I suspect that for many of you Melissa Rogers needs no introduction at all. Shes served as special assistant to president barack obama and executive director of the White House Office of faithbased and neighborhood partnerships. She holds a law degree from the university of pennsylvania and a b. A. From Baylor University, and she now serves as visiting professor at Wake Forest University withs school of divinity and a nonresident senior fellow at the brookings institution. She has received an honorary doctorate both from Wake Forest University and the John Leland Center
We are a small academic Publishing House attached to the largest Baptist University in the world in waco texas. We are very focused, almost all of the 40 books we published each year are focused on academic conversations surrounding religion. Melissas book is a natural fit for our listand we are proud to be the publisher of it. I suspect that for many of you linda rogers needs no introduction at all. She served as special assistant to president barack obama and executive director of the White House Office of faithbased and neighborhood partnerships. She holds a law degree from the university of pennsylvania and she serves as visiting professor at Wake Forest University school of divinity and a nonresident senior fellow at the brookings institution. She has received an honorary doctorate from Wake Forest University and the johnleland center for theological studies. 11 years ago Melissa Rogers coauthored her first book at Baylor University press, an ambitious volume called religious free
[inaudible conversations] good afternoon and welcome to washington national cathedral. and and on behalf of this wonderful institution to this event. this is a house of prayer for all people and i m honored to stand this afternoon with many of our brothers and sisters from a variety of different faith traditions. our various traditions unique and special as they are have numerous things in common, whether it s expressed to do unto others as you would have others do unto you or that which you want to are yourself seek for mankind or love your neighbor as yourself. this mutual regard and rest prosecutorsy is fundamental to the vast majority of faith traditions. as such what could be more appropriate than to gather and all people to make sure that they get vaccinated not only to protect themselves from covid-19, but to help protect others from the terrible disease by increasing levels of immunity in the population and helping to slow the mutations of this virus that have caused