In his recent book, The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders, Jacob Needleman writes: America is … a philosophical identity composed of ideas of freedom, liberty, independent thought, independent conscience, self-reliance, hard work, justice. That is both the weakness and strength of America. To love America is not to love one’s roots&mdashit is to love the flower that has not yet blossomed, the fruit as yet unripened. In order to deepen our conversation about the American story, Needleman urges attention to iconic figures such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman, who remind us of founding ideals which may inspire our actions today. We must, he says, remythologize the idea of America. But how? Related Themes: America, hope, myth, spirituality

In January 2007, Stanford’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute published Advocate of the Social Gospel, volume VI of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. This unique thematic volume of the King Papers Project features King’s never-before published sermon file. To celebrate this publication and probe the meaning of Dr. King’s preaching, we present an interfaith roundtable that focuses on the relation of spiritual practice and social change. Related Themes: dialogue, faith, justice, Martin Luther King, spirituality