Sally Quinn

Sally Quinn

Washington Post reporter

Washington Post journalist, author and Washington DC insider, Sally Quinn founded and co-moderates On Faith, a blog from the Washington Post and Newsweek. Co-moderated by Newsweek editor and bestselling author Jon Meacham and hosted by a panel of renowned religious scholars of all denominations, On Faith is the first worldwide, interactive discussion about religion and its impact on global life. While researching an article about religion in Washington prior to the 2000 presidential campaign, Quinn noticed that while religion had an enormous influence on worldwide politics, it was a taboo subject in our nation’s capital. Following 9/11, Quinn’s interest in religion grew and her passion to understand it from a personal and political perspective took on new urgency and focus. Over the past decade, Quinn has pursued a religious education with the same drive and rigor she once gave to politics. Leveraging her rolodex from 30 years as a columnist, she sought out spiritual mentorship from religious leaders and scholars such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Reverend Jim Anderson, Father Bryan Hehir and John Esposito. To gain emotional and spiritual perspective, she traveled to many of the world’s holy sites in Rome, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Tibet, Delhi, Cairo, Ethiopia and Istanbul, and began attending several religious services and ceremonies a week at churches, temples and mosques. Quinn has written four books: “We’re Going to Make You a Star,” about her short-lived experience as a co-anchor for “CBS Morning News”; “Regrets Only,” her first novel; “Happy Endings,” its sequel, and “The Party,” in which Quinn offers an insider’s look at Washington entertaining and a personal view of the value of friendship. She is currently working on a book about religion in Washington. Close.

Sally Quinn

Washington Post reporter

Washington Post journalist, author and Washington DC insider, Sally Quinn founded and co-moderates On Faith, a blog from the Washington Post and Newsweek. Co-moderated by Newsweek editor and bestselling author Jon Meacham and hosted by a panel of renowned religious scholars of all denominations, On Faith is the first worldwide, interactive discussion about religion and its impact on global life. more »

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April 2008 Archives



April 8, 2008 8:32 AM

Pop Quiz: Who Would You Renounce?

Quiz

See if you can tell who said what in this list of quotes: Answers at the bottom.

1. After 9/11, in a debate at Wheaton College with conservative Gary Bauer, Bauer said, “I know this is hard for you to believe, but the enemy is not John Ashcroft, the enemy is Osama Bin Ladin:

Our first mystery guest said: “I’m not sure about that. When you start taking away the rights of the American citizens, when you undercut the Bill of Rights in order to pursue security, I think you become more dangerous than Bin Laden. I think that if this country goes down, it will not be because of the enemies that are outside this country. I think that if this country goes down, it’s because those within the country undercut our basic rights, undercut the principles that gave birth to this institution.”

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April 22, 2008 8:17 AM

Benedict a Man of Conviction, Contradiction

Thinking back on last week with the Pope it struck me that he was, like the words in the old Kris Kristofferson song, “a walking contraction,” beginning with his demeanor.

We had been expecting “the enforcer” and the "Rotweiller, “ not the good Shepherd but a
German Shepherd. Instead, we saw a man who was quiet, soft-spoken, gentle, self-effacing, a bit solemn and non-confrontational. His body language at the beginning of the week spoke of a man who was slightly uncomfortable with all of the attention and fanfare, someone who would much rather be in the background, reading theology.

By the end of the week he had loosened up considerably, he was clearly more at ease, smiling much more and seemed to be actually enjoying himself. Naturally, getting the unprecedented welcome from the president and a great press didn’t hurt. By the time he left New York, he was -- for this man -- practically euphoric, raising his arms in blessing with a confidence that belied the tentativeness of his first day.

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Here are a few areas of contradiction that struck me.

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On Faith is an interactive conversation on religion moderated by Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham and Sally Quinn of The Washington Post. It is produced jointly by Newsweek and washingtonpost.com, as is PostGlobal, a conversation on international affairs. Please send your comments, questions and suggestions for On Faith to editor and producer David Waters.