if it's what russell moore says i'm grateful for that because it has serve as more of a vaccination against taking the gospel seriously than a support of the gospel. i'm happy for that to change. on the other hand, if this country moves beyond even notional allegiance to christian teaching, clip precepts we're in serious trouble on life issues. for example, ought anyway sharks genetic engineering and a abortion, and that's not something we can take lightly. i really agree with father joseph -- who proticketted the future of the church is one where we're poorer, weaker, far fewer of us, in the west, but the people who remain are going do be those who really believe in the gospel and they -- if they act as creative minority can transform the world as people see the difference christ has made in our lives. that's what i hope the future will be and i'm cowling -- i would like it if christianity would not decline but i think we look the statistics and they're serious. think the benedict option ideally will energize local churches and local christian schools and groups of evangelical, protestant,

russell moore is the president of the southern baptist ethics and religious liberty commission and abigailbin is as writer, her latest book is my jewish year, 18 holidays, one wondering jew. and father james martin joins us from new york, father martin is a jesuit priest and editor at large at american magazine. father, i want to start with you. the jesuits believe that god can be found in all things. what does that mean in the practical life of a catholic? >> well, it means that god is not just confined or the experience offed to is not just confined to walls of a church or reading the bible. god can be experienced in all moments of our lives, in relationships, in work, in our family and friends, and nature. so it is an invitation to really meet god in all things and all people and in all events. >> dickerson: abby, you wrote that you said you were jewish in the way the olive garden was italian. that you had a hunger that led you to write your book. tell me about that hunger. >> you know,, i was one of those, someone calls us cafeteria style jews, i picked and chose and part of it was bec

i'm really inspired by the work of my friend, russell moore, the southern baptist leader on racial reconciliation. this is important work. this is gospel work on something that ought to concern us all. one thing that i would say though is this is a problem we ran into in my own hometown within one of the protestant churches they are. they have the new minister come in a white church who pushed them all and said you've got to be integrated. we've got to invite african-americans to church with us. and his intentions were just. but at the same time he did not recognize the african-americans in our small southern town had history going back to the slave days. the black church has its own traditions and as a black friend of mine said it of mine sent a link to the white church one time. you'll never get me back in there. it's not a racial thing. this is not how he had been raised to worship. much more pentecostal of the way he was worshiping. that's okay, but that doesn't give us an excuse to stand aside and never fellowship with each other across racial lines. an enormous problem for the jv vance is t