Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (Failing America's Faithful) at Cody's Books March 26, 2007

Monday, March 26 - Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
7:30 PM at First Congregational Church of Berkeley

KATHLEEN KENNEDY TOWNSEND on FAILING AMERICA'S FAITHFUL. For too long, religion has been a political plaything of the right-wing in this country, more concerned with what people do with their bodies than with their souls. Now, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend issues a spiritual call to arms to those who feel that today's churches -- Catholic and Protestant alike -- are failing to promote the welfare of those who depend upon them. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's new book, FAILING AMERICA'S FAITHFUL: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way recounts her personal story in one of the most prominent Catholic families in America, and shows how America's neediest are now forgotten while their churches fight political battles against abortion rights and homosexual marriages. She remembers a faith that "dealt with issues at the core of the Gospel ­ suffering, injustice, sickness, and poverty," now abandoned by a crop of preachers who seem to believe that "Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry and cared for the poor just so we don't have to." She provides hope through powerful examples of individuals effecting change and advocates that churches return to their historic commitments to the common good of their people. Kathleen is a lawyer, was Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 1995-2003, graduated from Harvard in history and literature, and is the oldest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. She is chair of the Institute for Human Virology at the University of Maryland, and also serves on the boards of directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Points of Light Foundation, Center for American Progress, and National Catholic Reporter. She is also a an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University's School of Public Policy and Visiting Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She is married to David Lee Townsend, a college professor, and together they have four daughters: Meaghan, Maeve, Rose, and Kerry. This program is a collaboration between Cody's and First Congregational Church of Berkeley (FCCB). A $10 donation is requested to help defray FCCB's costs but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 7:30 PM at First Congregational Church of Berkeley (2345 Channing Way at Dana), Berkeley.

Official Website: http://www.codysbooks.com/calendar/mar07Calendar.jsp