but our first speaker today, robert nelson, challenges this conventional perspective. economics, argues nelson, also has theological opposition about the nature of the good. being an economist myself i don't always agree with bob's arguments but they do make me uncomfortable. for example for somebody who thinks of himself as i do as a secular thinker it can be disconcerting to find that i am often preaching the power of the invisible -- bob may have me to write on that. there is some connection. bob is a professor at the university of maryland. he is the author of "the new holy wars," environmental religion versus economic religion in contemporary america. this really is a superb book. it challenges both sides of the debate and i am very pleased to note that the "the new holy wars" was nominated for the grand prize award. for those who don't know offer was the longshoremen philosopher whose book the true believers remains a classic fast movement. bob is joined by two scholars who have fought deeply and critically about the nature of economics and religion. steven haywar

but our first speaker today, robert nelson challenges the conventional perspective. economics argues nelson also makes -- also has theological oppositions about the nature of the good are now being an economist myself, i don't always agree with bob's argument, but they do sometimes make me a little bit uncomfortable. for example, for somebody who thinks of himself as i do, as a secular thinker, it can be a little disconcerting to find that i am often preaching the power of the invisible hand. so bob may ask me to write on that. that's right. that's right. there is certainly some connection there. bob is a professor at the university of maryland. he is the author of the new holy wars, environmental religion versus environmental religion in contemporary america. this really is a superb book. it challenges both sides of the debate. and i'm also very pleased to note that the holy wars was recently awarded the 2010 eric hoffer grand prize award. hoffer, for those of you who don't know what the longshoreman philosopher, who spoke to true believers remains a classic in the

. >> this event was hosted by the independent institute where robert nelson is a senior fellow. for more information, visit independent.org. >> in the book "hands on the freedom plow," 52 women who were part of the student nonviolent coordinating committee share their experiences of the civil rights movement. the editors and several contributors to the book present their thoughts at an event hosted by busboys and poets in washington d.c. this program is an hour and 20 minutes. [applause] >> thank you. i have the honor of moderating the panel this evening, and this subject means a great deal to me because in 1964 i was a student at tuskegee university at alabama. and i took a bus ride that changed my life forever. i went from tuskegee to mississippi, to jackson, mississippi, to serve as a volunteer for an effort that snick had, the student nonviolent coordinating committee, had for getting out the vote in jackson, mississippi. i came back, and i eventually became a member of snicc and left school to work full time. so this subject is, indeed, one that niece near and dear -- that'