Both secular European and Muslim societies are often uneasy with American religious beliefs. The United States has a long tradition of separating church from state, but it demonstrates an equally powerful inclination to mix religion with politics. Luis Lugo asks, How do these religious affiliations, beliefs and piety influence Americans’ foreign policy attitudes? Lugo argues that all of it matters when viewed from the pews.

Luis Lugo became the director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life in 2004. Before this, he was the director of the religion program at The Pew Charitable Trusts in Philadelphia for seven years. He was also a professor of political science at Calvin College, where he taught courses on international relations, Latin American politics, religion and public policy. His published works include Religion, Public Life and the American Polity and Sovereignty at the Crossroads?: Morality and International Politics in the Post-Cold War Era. A native of Cuba, Lugo received his B.A. from the University of Memphis, his M.A. from Villanova University and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Recorded Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at InterContinental Hotel.