Religion and the law are very closely intertwined throughout the world today. Critical public policy issues often focus on some aspect of religion and the law. And, religion is center stage in so many tense quarters of the globe—the Middle East, Africa, Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Here in the U.S., religious leaders of many faiths are drawn daily into public debate and discussion on such issues as abortion, stem cell research, welfare reform, health care accessibility, race relations, defense spending, same sex marriage and many more. A critical church-state issue for our time is to build a greater understanding of how religious organizations function in the U.S. civil law system. That has been the focus of an important study underway for the past two decades by scholars and members of the religious legal community at the DePaul University College of Law, Center for Church/State Studies. Earlier this year, the results of the DePaul study were published in the volume, Religious Organizations in the United States: A Study of Identity, Liberty and the Law, (Carolina Academic Press, 2006). More that 25 law professors, practicing attorneys, researchers, and religious experts contributed to the book. On Wednesday, November 15, 2006, several of the book’s contributors, including BWM&S’s James Serritella, will gather at the Chicago Club with Dr. Martin Marty, internationally respected scholar, editor and author of scores of works including Modern American Religion, to discuss the new publication and the key findings of the study. The mid-day event begins with lunch and extends through mid-afternoon. People interested in attending the event are asked to contact Cy Griffith at (312-840-7035) or cgriffith@burkelaw.com by October 31, 2006.