By Rich Fisher
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-903375.mp3
Tulsa, Oklahoma – On our show today, we hear from the progressive (and controversial) blogger, filmmaker, commentator, and author Frank Schaeffer, whose books include the memoir "Crazy for God" and the more recent "Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don't Like Religion (or Atheism)." Schaeffer also writes occasionally for The Huffington Post, and he'll appear in Tulsa tonight (Thursday the 20th) at the annual meeting of the Tulsa Interfaith Alliance, where he'll be the keynote speaker. (This event happens at the All Souls Unitarian Church; it begins at 7:15pm.) Schaeffer grew up in a strict, fundamentalist Christian household --- indeed, his father was the late theologian and author, Dr. Francis Schaeffer, one of the architects of the modern Religious Right in this country. As one critic has written of Schaeffer's "Patience with God" volume: "Schaeffer adopts a feisty tone in this essay about evangelical Christianity and aggressive atheism. In the first half of the book, he rebuts justifications from both sides, taking aim at the ideas of such celebrity atheists as Richard Dawkins as well as religious leaders like Rick Warren. Schaeffer asks each side to allow for an evolving religion in which allegory takes precedence over literalism.... In the second half, he gives space for his own memories, recalling moments that led him to a middle path of 'hopeful uncertainty.' Growing up in a well-known evangelical family, then leaving it behind for secular Hollywood, Schaeffer learned to see the world as aesthetic and contemplative rather than scientific. By embracing mystery and love, he suggests the two movements can exist side-by-side."