- American Religious Townhall
The "American Religious Townhall" is a syndicated weekly television program in which
clergy from various religious denominations debate various religious, political, and social issues.1 The show was started in 1952 byBishop A. A. Leisky and continued by his sonPastor Robert Leisky . The current moderator of the show is Pastor Stephen Gifford. The show is currently taped inDallas, Texas . A different issue is debated on each episode.Panelists
The show currently has nine regular panelists, but only six appear on any one given episode. The regular panelists are:
* Father Michael Olson —A Priest in the
Roman Catholic Diocese ofForth Worth, Texas . He is currently therector ofHoly Trinity Seminary inDallas, Texas .
*Jordan Ofseyer -Rabbi of a Beth Tzedec Congregation inCalgary ,Alberta Canada
*Dr. Allan Lane—Pastor of [http://www.lakewhitneychurch.com Fort Graham Baptist Church] in theLake Whitney area of central Texas.
*Dr. Prentice Meador —The former senior minister of the Preston-CrestChurch of Christ in Dallas, Texas. He currently holds the Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching at Lipscomb University inNashville ,Tennessee .
*Rev. Tom Plumley —Senior Minister of First Christian Church in downtownFort Worth, Texas . The Church is affiliated with the Christian ChurchDisciples of Christ .
*Rev. Ray Flachmeier —A pastor in theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America , now serving as assistant to the president of a southern Lutheran outreach organization.
*Othal Hawthorne Lakey —Abishop in theChristian Methodist Episcopal Church , presiding over the state of Georgia for his denomination. His office and headquarters are inAtlanta .
*Dr. Bert B. Beach —A minister in theSeventh-day Adventist Church , residing inSilver Spring, Maryland . He previously worked at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington, D.C. for nearly 25 years in the areas of religious liberty and inter church relations. His is now officially retired, but his duties are still called upon as needed.
*Rev. Cannon John Peterson--A minister in theU.S. Episcopal Church , serving as an official at his denomination's national cathedral inWashington, D.C. Charter
Each episode closes with the moderator reciting the charter of the American Religious Townhall, which provides that "
Roman Catholics ,Protestants ,Jews , educators and others may appear on this program and can declare their beliefs without hesitancy and the rest of the members of the panel will uphold and guarantee that American right to all who will appear, irrespective of race orcreed , so that the rest of the world can see that, here in America, we believe in civil and religious freedom, not only in theory but in reality."Health Care Facilities
The American Religious Townhall generates most of its revenue to pay it's television expenses from the various health care centers it operates. This reduces the necessity for donations from viewers and sponsors. ²
References
*1. http://www.americanreligious.org/index.htm
*2. http://www.americanreligious.org/telecast.htmExternal links
* [http://www.americanreligious.org/ American Religious Townhall Website]
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