Religion & Spirituality

Rabbi Burton Visotzky teaches at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. Since 1987 he's been leading seminars on the Book of Genesis. The seminars gained a following among novelists, poets, editors, filmmakers, CEOs, and attorneys. The New York Times described the them as "the best conversations in New York City." His new book is called The Genesis of Ethics: How the Tormented Family of Genesis Leads Us to Moral Development.

Jo Ann Kay McNamara talks with Terry Gross about her book "Sisters In Arms: Catholic Nuns Through Two Millennia." It is published by Harvard University Press. McNamara is a Professor of History at Hunter College and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

The journalist talks with Terry Gross about his new PBS 10-part series "Genesis: A Living Conversation." The series will premier Wednesday, Oct 16th on many PBS stations. It also has the companion book "Genesis: A Living Conversation." The TV show features writers, theologians and artists discussing the first book in the bible.

Wattleton headed the organization from 1978 to 1992. She was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family (her mother was a minister), and later studied to be a nurse. Her work as a public-health nurse exposed her to the hardship of women who tried to terminate their pregnancies in the days before legal abortion. Wattleton went on to be executive director of the local Planned Parenthood, and then president of Planned Parenthood nationally. Her new memoir is called "Life on the Line"

Bishop John Shelby Spong. In his newest book "Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes" he reveals how Christians have misread the Gospels by ignoring the Jewish traditions which the New Testament grew out of. Spong has attracted controversy from the Christian community for his challenges of traditional views on women, sexual morality, and gays.

Jackson played for eleven years with the New York Knicks, worked as a television color commentator, and coached minor-league for four years, before becoming the head coach of the Bulls. He led the team m through three consecutive NBA championships with a unique coaching style, creating a winning team of star players Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. In his book, "Sacred Hoops," Jackson shares the ways in which he seeks to transform the every-man-for-himself professional play of three of the world's best basketball players into selfless team play.

Religion historian Martin E. Marty teaches at the University of Chicago and is one of the foremost authorities on religion and society. His new book is the third in a four volume set: "Modern American Religion, Volume 3: Under God, Indivisible, 1941-1960."

Of the Canaan AME church in Columbia, Tennessee, Pastor Dennis Lawson. In January last year the church was damaged when three local men erected a cross and threw fire bombs into the basement kitchen-area. In the last 18 months, over three dozen churches with predominantly black congregations have been destroyed or damaged in fires. LAWSON and other church leaders have joined forces to support each other in the wake of this crisis. Today, he discussed the epidemic in Washington with President Clinton, Vice President Gore, and members of the cabinet.

Writer Karen Armstrong is the author of the best-seller "A History of God." Her new book examines how the city of Jerusalem became the holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Armstrong's new book is "Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths," (Knopf)

Reynolds Price... writer, teacher, poet ... has turned his attention to the life of Jesus and the gospels. His latest book, "Three Gospels" (Scribner) is a translation of the gospels of Mark and John from the original Greek and includes a new gospel, "An Honest Account of a Memorable Life". In 1984 Price was diagnosed with spinal cancer, and became paralyzed from the waist down. His other books include, "The Promise of Rest", "A Whole New Life" and "The Collected Stories".

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Sin and Censorship: The Catholic Church and the Motion Picture Industry," by Frank Walsh (Yale Univ. Press).

Photojournalist Edward Serotta has documented the community of Bosnian Jews in Sarajevo, and their efforts to rescue their Muslim, Serb, and Croat friends and neighbors during the siege. His book is "Survival in Sarajevo: How a Jewish Community Came to the Aid of its City." (Central Europe Center for Research & Documentation). Terry will also talk with him about his recent trip to Sarajevo to look for the the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah -- a 700 year old Spanish masterpiece that's valued at 10 million dollars. During the Holocaust, Muslims hid it from the Nazis.

The Very Rev. James Parks Morton, Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has announced his intentions to resign on Jan. 1, 1997. He will be leaving after 25 years of leadership at the world's largest Gothic cathedral to head a new organization, the Interfaith Center of New York. During his tenure as Dean of the nation's largest church he has created a congregation of 1,000, built 20,000 apartments for the poor, and established a living community of faith having much of the same energy and intellectual stimulation possessed by medieval cathedrals.

Professor of Religion, and distinguished scholar Huston Smith. His book "The World's Religions" (formerly "The Religions of Man") has been the most widely-used textbook for courses in world religion for thirty years. There's now an illustrated version of his book, a companion to Bill Moyer's upcoming series featuring Smith. ("The Wisdom of Faith" premiers MARCH 26 - APRIL 23 on PBS.) "The Illustrated World's Religions: a Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions" is published by Harper.

Novelist/screenwriter Hanif Kureishi. Kureishi has been termed by the British press a "literary terrorist" for his works which encompass racist and sexual themes. He wrote the screenplays for "My Beautiful Laundrette," and "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid." Both were directed by Stephen Frears. His new novel is "The Black Album," (Scribner). Kureishi was born and brought up in south London; his father is Pakistani, his mother English.

Michael Eric Dyson is considered one of our most important black intellectuals. He's also an ordained Baptist minister who once struggled as an 18-year old father in Detroit. His work has appeared in "The New York Times," "Rolling Stone," "Vibe" and other publications. His new book is "Between God and Gangsta Rap" (Oxford University Press) about contemporary Black culture. Dyson teaches at the University of North Carolina where he is a Professor of Communications Studies.

Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University Mary Jo Weaver. Her previous book is "Springs of Water in a Dry Land: Spiritual Survival for Catholic Women Today," (Beacon) about women who are Catholic and feminist. Her book, "New Catholic Women: A Contemporary Challenge to Traditional Religious Authority," (Indiana University Press) has a new 10th anniversary edition. Weaver's latest book (edited with R. Scott Appleby) "Being Right: Conservative Catholics in America" is a collection of essays (Indiana University Press).

Tammy Schnitzer lives in Billings, Montana. She grew up there, as a Lutheran and married Brian Schnitzer, a Jew, and then converted to Judaism. They are the subject of a new PBS documentary "Not In Our Town," (December 17th, 10:30 p.m. EST) about how the community in 1993 rallied behind Schnitzer and her family when they were targets of hate crimes. The local newspaper printed full page menorahs and they were displayed in nearly 10,000 homes and businesses.