American Religious Townhall
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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 by Bishop A. A. Leisky and continued by his son Pastor Robert Leisky. The current moderator of the show is pastor Stephen Gifford. The show is currently taped in Dallas, Texas. A different issue is debated on each episode.
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[edit] Panelists
The show currently has eight regular panelists, but only six appear on any one given episode. The regular panelists are:
- Monsignor Michael Duca —A priest in the Roman Catholic diocese of Dallas, Texas. He is currently the rector of Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving, Texas.
- Jordan Ofseyer -Rabbi of a Beth Tzedec Congregation in Calgary, Alberta Canada
- Dr. Allan Lane—Pastor of Fort Graham Baptist Church and hospice specialist for Bridgeway Health Care Services in the Lake Whitney area of central Texas.
- Dr. Prentice Meador —The former senior minister of the Preston-Crest Church of Christ in Dallas, Texas. He currently holds the Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Rev. Tom Plumley —Senior Minister of First Christian Church in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. The Church is affiliated with the Christian Church Disciples of Christ.
- Rev. Ray Flachmeier —A pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, now retired and residing in Richardson, Texas.
- Othal Hawthorne Lakey —A Bishop in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, presiding over the state of Georgia for his denomination. His office and headquarters are in Atlanta.
- Dr. Bert B. Beach —A minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, residing in Silver 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 interchurch relations. His is now officially retired, but his duties are still called upon as needed.
[edit] 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 or creed, 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."
[edit] 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
