Nashville Religion Communicators Council Discusses Faith, Politics

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC) was formed in the 1920s to promote “excellence in the communication of religious faith and values in the public arena and encourage understanding among religious and faith groups,” according to the RCC website.  Now the group has begun meeting bi-monthly to discuss hot topics in the media and how they can relate.

RCC is the oldest interfaith communications organization in the United States. In Nashville, the RCC Chapter has adjusted the style of meetings to maintain the organization’s historic integrity while adjusting to 21st century ideals.

The meeting began with a welcome from the chapter president, Rev. Brian Fesler who pastors the Nashville Church of Scientology. He opened with a message of the role of the religious communicator in the world and how it’s important to spread the good news of people of faith, to outweigh the negative influence of mainstream media.

The group then voted on the hot news item to discuss and launched into meaningful talks on how clergy should or should not be involved in the political process, citing a recent editorial in the Tennessean by a local pastor discussing his views on the same.

This new meeting series is called “Building Bridges over Bagels,” drawing attention to making strong and lasting ties between people of faith while breaking bread together.  According to Fesler, the concept for these meetings is “to bring diverse people together to dialogue about hot topics and how we can unite to bring more inspiration and good news to the world.” It is organized for RCC members and guests, but is open to anyone in the community who may be interested.

The RCC has members from a variety of faith groups including Baha’is, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, and more. For more information about the RCC or their next meeting, visit www.religioncommunicators.org.