Wednesday, September 26

The Rhetoric of Politics: Decoding Political Godspeak
In talking about matters of faith and values, politicians say even more than they think they say. This session will analyze political Godspeak. Those who watch closely the religious and spiritual language that political officials use are measuring how close—or far—apart church and state are in these days and also how officials' personal faith may, or may not, inform public policy. Presented by David Domke, University of Washington.

Reinvent Yourself: Thriving in the New Media Environment
The new media environment shifts daily, and news executives seem to shift their goals and expectations almost as often. How can staffers keep up? How do you write a story for both the web and the print edition? Do you really have to do spots for your paper's cable station? And then there's all that technology: What on earth is a podcast? Is citizen journalism going to replace paid reporters? And—perhaps most important—how do you adapt to the new technologies and still retain the journalistic values that brought you into the profession in the first place? Presented by Kate Fox, RNA webmaster.

From Macro to Micro: How the Big Issues Play in Your Hometown
All politics is local, opined former U.S. House Speaker Tip O'Neill, himself a man with roots in his Boston hometown. Experienced religion reporters will show you how the big picture and national sources can most usefully inform the local, local, local religion and politics stories your editors expect.

• Frank Lockwood, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• Gayle White, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Practical Magic: Demystifying the Tools of New Media
It may look like a scary tangle of wires and keyboards, but that box of gear your boss just put on your desk is your future. Presented by Brian A. Peat, The Peat Group.

RNA board meeting and dinner

Dinner sponsored by the Council for America’s First Freedom

Mentoring

Thursday, September 27

Breakfast

The Scorecard: Telling the Players Apart
Who are the people and groups to watch? Whose influence will affect local races and the big presidential contest?

• Rev. Jennifer Butler, Faith in Public Life

• D. Michael Lindsay, Rice University

A Thousand Voices: Religion and Interactive Journalism
With the advent of the Internet, information flows both ways. What's the next form it may take, and what does that mean for journalists? Explore cutting edge ideas and see models of excellence, including religion-related sites and collaborations between mainstream media and community religious groups.

• Don Lattin, News21 "Faces of Faith"

• Debra Mason, RNA executive director

• David Waters, Washington Post On Faith

The Big Picture: Religion and Politics Activists Scope the Lay of the ‘08 Land
What are the political issues driving people of faith? How do they assess the current roster of candidates? Where do the Democrats and Republicans stand with people of faith?

• Tamara Scott, 72 Hour and Social Conservative Iowa co-chair for Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign

• Mara Vanderslice, Common Good Strategies and director of religious outreach for the Kerry-Edwards 2004 campaign

Writing About Religion in the New Media Environment
New media platforms and technologies have mandated serious changes in the way journalists do their jobs. This panel will present hands-on advice about time management, workflow, adapting a project across different media, and how to let technology enhance instead of impede your story. Emphasis on blogging, photos and video.

• Frank Lockwood, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

• Gary Stern, The Journal News

• Mirko Petricevic, The (Kitchener, Ontario.) Record

Lunch sponsored by Thomas Nelson
Max Lucado, author of “Every Day Deserves a Chance”

Digital petting zoo
A chance to lay hands on the still and video cameras and recorders that reporters can afford and use quickly to enhance their versatility and value to their media outlets. Experts will be on hand to talk about inexpensive ways to maximize your technology for multi-media story-telling.

Courting the Religious Vote
Strategists for both Democratic and Republican parties share how each side believes they can win the “values voters.”

• Tamara Scott, 72 Hour and Social Conservative Iowa co-chair for Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign

• Burns Strider, Hillary Clinton for President

The Faith Factor: Understanding the Religious Vote
John Green, the nation’s top pollster of religion and presidential politics, tells us what trends to watch over the next 12 months as the nation chooses a president in 2008. Green is the author of: The Faith Factor: How Religion Influences American Elections.

Appetizer reception and guided tours of the Alamo sponsored by San Antonio Express-News
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Catholic Archdiocese of San Antonio

Opening Speaker
Michael Quintanilla, San Antonio Express-News

Movie screening: “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything” sponsored by VeggieTales

Friday, September 28

Breakfast

New member breakfast

Morning address
Michael Lindsay, Rice University

Spooks, Spiritualists and Things That Go Bump in Our Hotel
Get your Halloween story done here! For some people, ghost-hunting is a hobby, for others it's a faith called Spiritualism that involves communing with the dead. For those who aren't Spiritualists, but believe in ghosts, how does their presumed existence relate to beliefs about heaven, hell and saints? We hear from a religion journalist who has written a book on Spiritualism, from an academic who looks for scientific evidence of ghosts and from a San Antonio ghost hunter who can tell us about some of the Menger's dead denizens

• Christine Wicker, author

• Guillermo Fuentes, San Antonio Paranormal Investigations

• Rhett Rushing, University of Texas, San Antonio, Institute of Texan Cultures

Lunch at Mi Tierra Café and Bakery sponsored by the Fetzer Institute

Reporting the End of the World
Don't be left behind on this story. What evangelical Christians believe about Jesus' return affects everything from Middle East politics to social activism to the bestseller lists. But not all evangelicals subscribe to the same scenario. This panel will feature a premillennial dispensationalist—that's the Left Behind perspective—an evangelical with a different reading of the book of Revelation and a Jewish leader who will talk about the uneasy alliance between the Jewish community and Christians who support Israel because they await Jesus' return there.

• Overview: Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

• Darrell Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary

• Warren Gage, Knox Theological Seminary

• Rabbi Samuel Stahl, Temple Beth-El

Multimedia Goes Mainstream
Journalistic success is now measured in clicks. What's the secret to making your story the most e-mailed story of the day at your paper? (There's a secret and we'll reveal it). What the heck is an RSS feed and why should you care? We'll have something for everyone from the most tech-savvy recent J-school grad to the boomer who failed to master the tape recorder before it went obsolete. Didn't know it was obsolete? You really need this panel.

• Chuck Rose, USA TODAY

• Jeff Weiss, The Dallas Morning News

Reception at the Institute of Texan Cultures sponsored by HarperOne

Movie screening: “The Kite Runner” sponsored by Grace Hill Media

Saturday, September 29

Breakfast

Donor breakfast (by invitation)

Can We Sing that in Español, Por Favor?
There is an intense rivalry between the Catholic Church and evangelicals/Pentecostals for the allegiance of Hispanic immigrants. A Catholic and an evangelical who are each involved in outreach to Hispanic immigrants and a scholar who has studied religious affiliation among these immigrants to discuss the strategies, successes, failures and tensions of this work.

• Fr. Virgilio Elizondo, University of Notre Dame

• Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, National Hispanic Association of Evangelicals

• Richard Muñoz, Immigration Service

They Grow ‘Em Big in Texas (and Elsewhere). Keeping up with Mega-churches.
Super-sized congregations are popping up almost everywhere, with five-figure memberships and budgets that support amazing programs in the church and community alike. But how do they provide the personal pastoral care that smaller churches do? How do you govern a church the size of a small city? And why do they keep growing when so many seek intimate spiritual venues? A minister from one of San Antonio's mega-churches, a strategist for mega-church leadership and a scholar who has studies such churches discuss the issues.

• Scott Thumma, Hartford Institute for Religion Research

• Mark Tidwell, Oak Hills Church, San Antonio

• Rev. Rickey D. Hill, Friendship-West Baptist Church of Dallas

Lunch at the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum sponsored by Jossey-Bass
Donald Kraybill, author of “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy”

New Frontiers in the Culture Wars: Sharp Stories, Cutting Edge Ethics
Same-sex marriage and abortion have dominated headlines for a generation, but new and significant cultural battles are brewing. Four experts will offer guidance on developing issues in bioethics, politics, criminal justice, religion and social services.

• Byron Johnson, Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion

• Dawn H. Seery, bioethics committee for Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio

• Michael Emerson, the Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life at Rice University

Spanish mission tour

Breakout session: Working with Bloggers
So much news seems to originate with blogs, but who has time to read them all? We've brought in two must-read religion bloggers to talk about what they do, how they do it and how they relate to the world of daily journalism.

• Rocco Palmo, Whispers in the Loggia

• Ted Olsen, Christianity Today

Reception and silent auction sponsored by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Awards banquet and dessert reception sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation and Flywheel

Sunday, September 30

Breakfast

RNA member meeting

RNA board meeting

RNA and RNF board lunch

RNF board meeting