Thursday, September 10

Continental breakfast sponsored by the Center on Religion & the Professions

Digital Skills Workshop: Make it Work
The Best Buy Geek Squad empowers RNA members in a digital workshop. Geeks will be here to show you—and let you try out—the newest gear for telling your stories in multiple formats. Best of all, they'll offer one-on-one coaching on how to make the gear you already own work best (even how to save your soaking wet cell phone).

Lunch sponsored by Jossey-Bass
Samir Selmanovic, author of “It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian”

Welcome
RNA president Kevin Eckstrom

Faith and Politics in the Obama White House
How does faith shape President Obama's policy and legislative agenda? What role does his team of religious advisers play in debates over health care, poverty, AIDS, delivery of social services, or the environment?

• Moderator: Eric Gorski, The Associated Press

• Frank Page, pastor, Taylors First Baptist Church and and former president of the Southern Baptist Convention

• Rev. Peg Chemberlin, Minnesota Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches

• Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report

How Immigrants are Transforming Religion in America: The Big Picture and a Case Study
Immigrants are changing the face of American religion, diversifying the overall demographic makeup of the nation as well as the membership of many denominations. What are the implications for the nation, its religious bodies and the immigrants themselves? A pollster, a scholar and a reporter reflect on how immigration is affecting faith in America today.

• Moderator: Jaweed Kaleem, The Miami Herald

• Luis Lugo, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

• Elizabeth Heger Boyle, University of Minnesota

• Allie Shah, Star Tribune

Welcome reception sponsored by VeggieTales

Movie screening: “Letters to God” sponsored by Possibility Pictures

Friday, September 11

Breakfast and press conference: “The Love Dare” sponsored by B&H Publishing

The Young and the Reformed
They're called the New Calvinists; this subset of young evangelicals who attend Passion conferences, read Charles Spurgeon and consider Jonathan Edwards their hero. Is their interest in Reformed theology a repudiation of the charismatic emphasis their parents grew up with? Why is Reformed thinking making inroads among the Southern Baptists? And why are women invisible in this movement?

• Moderator: Julia Duin, The Washington Times

• Carolyn Custis James, Synergy Women's Network, Inc. and WhitbyForum

• John Piper, Bethlehem Baptist Church

• Collin Hansen, Christianity Today

House Churches and Jew-it-Yourself Services
For all the news of megachurches, there's a countertrend growing out of sight: lay-led worship home to home. It's happening among Jews as well as Christians

• Moderator: Cathy Grossman, USA TODAY

• Mark Frydenberg, National Havurah Committee

• Barry Steinman, House Church Central

Lunch: “A Closer Look at Religious Rights of Conscience in Modern Society” sponsored by the Knights of Columbus

Church Music: Harmony, Hip-Hop and Hymns
The traditional church is making some modern moves to keep great hymns alive—including teaching music to youngsters to create the next generation of classical players. Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minn. will do a musical presentation on how they pull together a multi-racial, multi-cultural, crossage-group congregation in worship with music that can move from hymns to praise to hip-hop without driving any niche audience out of the aisles.

• Moderator: Cathy Grossman, USA TODAY

• Sharon Jones, Sanctuary Covenant Church

• Efrem Smith, Sanctuary Covenant Church

• Jon Vieker, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Commission on Worship

Shoptalk: Tweets, Friends, Page Views and Video: Reporting With New Media
The popular shoptalk series returns with a timely roundtable of journalists using social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook, video storytelling and blogging to cover the religion beat. Learn what works and what doesn't—and how to juggle new responsibilities and the old.

• Moderator: Eric Gorski, The Associated Press

• Jeff Diamant, The Star-Ledger

• Amanda Irwin, StarNews

Dinner at the Atlas Grill and Clubroom sponsored by Provident Films
Kris Fuhr, Provident Films
Rich Peluso, Affirm Films

Saturday, September 12

Breakfast and press conference sponsored by HarperOne
Harvey Cox, author of “The Future of Faith”

On the Edge of the Emerging Church
They've called themselves "post-modern," "post-conservative," "post-liberal" and "post-evangelical." So just what are they? We'll discuss how the confusing and sometimes controversial Emerging Church movement is trying to rethink Christianity for a new generation.

• Moderator: Kim Lawton, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

• Debbie Blue, House of Mercy

• Tony Jones, author of “The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier”

• Doug Pagitt, Solomon's Porch

Keynote address
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison
Moderator: Kevin Eckstrom, RNA president

Lunch at Hindu temple sponsored by the Hindu American Foundation

Tour of Hindu temple

Hinduism in America: Changes and Challenges
The number of Hindus in the United States has grown dramatically with immigration over the last several decades; Hindu-Americans now make up .4 percent of the U.S. population and are the most highly educated and highest earning of American religious groups, according to Pew. Three leading experts will offer ideas and observations about the latest trends in Hindu America.

• Moderator: Michael Paulson, The Boston Globe

• Anantanand Rambachan, St. Olaf College

• Khyati Joshi, Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Suhag Shukla, the Hindu American Foundation

RNA member meeting

Silent auction

Awards banquet sponsored by Journeys with the Messiah