Hosted by Jeff Diamant

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as in much of the world, reporting on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression can be tricky. Cultural taboos, entrenched stereotypes, social hostilities, legal prohibitions and editorial censorship often distort coverage of these sensitive topics. Add religion to the mix and producing responsible journalism on sexual and gender minorities can seem impossible. On this panel, reporters from across Sub-Saharan Africa will share their perspectives on media freedom challenges and opportunities in the region. This panel is made possible through the generosity of the Arcus Foundation. Brian Pellot • Ambrose Barigye • Martha Mukaiwa • Wana Udobang

Experts from LifeWay Research will present embargoed findings from their latest research on the well-being and stressors of Protestant pastor spouses. Sponsored by LifeWay Research

Freelancers and editors rely on each other, but navigating that relationship can be frustrating for all parties involved. This panel aims to demystify some of those challenges. Veteran freelancers—and editors who work with them—will talk about the best way to find each other, build relationships, send pitches, follow up on unreturned emails, and negotiate decent pay. We'll also include a panelist who has navigated the road from working full-time at a media outlet to freelancing. Jeff MacDonald • Steve Cavendish • Dennis Coday • Deborah Jian Lee • Tiffany Stanley

During the 2016 presidential campaign, pentecostals and charismatics such as Paula White, John Hagee and many others came to the fore, but few people understood their traditions or who these people were. Also during 2016, there were revival meetings in churches in Kentucky, Seattle, San Diego and other places on the west coast that are connected to a network of apostolic revivalists that few reporters have heard about. We aim to give reporters a primer about all these trends. Julia Duin • James Goll • Holly Pivec • Paula White

Faith Counts is a multi-faith organization with a singular mission: to promote the value of faith. Faith Counts is proud to sponsor Friday night's dinner, where the $20,000 Grand Prize winner of the "Film Your Faith" video contest will be announced. Sponsored by Faith Counts

Battles over religious liberty have been fought in recent years — from Twitter feuds to the Supreme Court — focused mainly about religion and the workplace (Hobby Lobby and the Little Sisters about health insurance, same sex couples versus bakers/florists, workers wanting to wear religious garb.) But religious liberty battles often take place over issues like zoning or religious practice — especially for faiths that are out of the mainstream or controversial. Duane Gang • Kathleen Flake • Jenna Gray-Hildenbrand • Ralph Hood • Dwayne Leslie

What are the current trends and reports regarding hate crimes toward Jews, Muslims and other minorities? Is there a relationship between anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Semitism? How does the landscape of U.S. hate crimes compare with hate crimes in Europe and elsewhere? How much influence does the current climate of divisiveness in the U.S. contribute to hate crime trends? How much of a role does religion play? This panel will examine those questions from perspectives of researchers who have studied hate crimes as well as victims of hate crimes. Linda K. Wertheimer • Daoud Abudiab • Alex Amend • Leonard Saxe • Simran Jeet Singh

Welcome to Nashville! This Southern city is often called the buckle of Bible Belt, a stronghold of white evangelical religion and culture. But the region is changing as religious diversity grows, demographics shift and secular groups rise. The cultural dominance of Christianity is fading, but white Christian America isn’t dead yet, especially in the Bible Belt. Blake Farmer • Grant Hasty • Gayle Jordan • Frank Stevenson • Steve Stone

Questions of faith are never far from debates over the use of fossil fuels, whether they involve global warming, jobs and economic growth, fracking, mountaintop-removal coal mining and ground-level pollution. Even with the growth in renewable energies, fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil generate two-thirds of Americans' electricity, heat most of our homes and power almost all our vehicles. At least five million people work in energy-related sectors, and many of them sit in the pews of religious congregations, which in turn often hold energy companies' stock and even lease extraction rights to them. At the same time, religious voices have been among the strongest advocating for fossil-fuel divestment and against pipeline expansion. In this panel, we learn how people have drawn on diverse faith traditions to support or oppose fossil-fuel extraction — or to find some middle way of accommodating such activities within limits. Peter Smith • Mike Erp • Gabriel Fried • Joseph D. Witt • Niki Wong