Last week, Wellesley religion professor Stephen Marini appeared in a six-part PBS series entitled "God in America." The series, which features documentary footage, historical dramatizations and interviews with religious historians, explores how religion has uniquely shaped political, social, and cultural movements throughout American history. In particular, "God in America" focuses on what Marini calls "the overarching theme of religious liberty," and how it has evolved within American public life.
"Usually documentaries are about specific religious groups and they're great to watch, but they only focus on one religion at a time," Marini said about what distinguishes "God in America" from other documentaries on religion. "This documentary is different in that it tries to open up the dynamic between religion and politics within the American experience," he said.
Marini has taught religion and ethics classes at Wellesley since 1976 and is currently the Elisabeth Luce Moore Professor of Christian Studies. Marini was also named Chairman's Prize Lecturer of the National Endowment for the Humanities and has earned several prestigious awards, including the Pinanski Prize for Excellence in Teaching. In particular, Marini has devoted much of his career to the study of religion during Colonial and Revolutionary America and is recognized throughout academic circles as one of the preeminent scholars in this field.
After hearing about his work, WGBH Boston producer Marilyn Mellows first contracted Marini to serve as an advisor to "God in America." However, immediately after he met the series' director, David Belton, Marini was asked to appear on camera as well.
Marini was featured in the first two segments of the series, "A New Adam" and "A New Eve," which describe early American religious history, from the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico who rejected Spanish missionaries in Pre-Colonial America to the ways in which religion informed Pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary America.
"The first two parts really try to get at how the idea of religious liberty first emerged and was later codified in the American Constitution and then developed in an ironic and complex way as religion began to diversify in American society," said Marini.
According to students, Marini isn't just an engaging speaker on camera—he's also just as engaging in the classroom.
"He really knows what he's talking about and he makes everything he talks about interesting in some way," Hannah Catzen '11 said. "You really can't zone out in his class."
Catzen said that one of the aspects that she likes most about Marini's teaching style is that he not only challenges students to form their own beliefs, but pushes students to actively defend their beliefs as well.
"Professor Marini wants you to think for yourself but he also holds you intellectually responsible for what you say—in a really good way," said Catzen.
Catzen wasn't surprised that Marini was attracted to a project like "God in America" because the series places the study of religion within a larger social and political context, something that Catzen believes Marini tries to do with every class he teaches.
"Nothing is intellectually abstract in his class; you can always apply everything you learn," said Catzen. "Professor Marini is really good at providing a well-rounded, multidisciplinary scope at seemingly unilateral issues."
Similar to Marini's style of teaching, "God in America" attempts to provide a well-rounded, multidisciplinary scope in order to examine the intersect between religion and politics within America. Marini admits that this complex dynamic between religion and politics is uncommon. "It is very difficult for a documentary to get a hold of [this approach] and there are always risks that a topic like this could be controversial," Marini said.
Marini said that the major challenge in making documentaries is that the subject must be presented "in a way that is factual enough that you remove conflict over interpretation." And according to Marini, "God in America" does just that.
"It's as accurate as you could expect it to be," said Marini. "I think people will find it to be surprising—not controversial."
One of the elements that Marini noted that he believes helps "God in America" to remain factual enough in order to remove conflict over interpretation is that the actors who appear in the various dramatizations throughout the series only speak using words that the historical figures they portray actually spoke or wrote.
"As someone who is a scholar in this field, I believe they've gotten almost everything right, and they picked pretty much all the right examples," Marini concluded about the series. "You could have told the story other ways, but the way they've told it is fair. They've delivered what I call a historically valid narrative, and that was their job."
For more information on "God in America," or to watch the series online, please visit: http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/. The series will also be re-running on channel WGBH throughout the rest of October.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!