Checking In or Reining In?

Late in 2008, the Vatican quietly announced a two-part "visitation" of American nuns.
On paper, the probes are supposed to examine the sisters' quality of life and adherence to church doctrine. But the real purpose of the extensive questionnaires is fuzzy, depending on whom you ask. 

Some conservative nuns see the probes as friendly and unremarkable-- a routine check-in by the Vatican to address declining membership.  And many liberal nuns worry it's an attempt to rein in their advocacy for changes in the church, like womens' ordination and gay rights.  This week: two views on the Vatican's sweeping survey.

Ann Carey, author of Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women's Religious Communities

Sr. Joan Chittister, author of over 40 books on spirituality, including The Way We Were: A Story of Conversion and Renewal

Live in the studio, from their self-titled 1995 album.

Nerdy, Bright and Baha'i

Actor Rainn Wilson is best known for playing loners, oddballs and weirdos. Exhibit A: Dwight Schrute, the abrasive nerd-in-residence on NBC’s “The Office.” Dwight’s interests include beet farming, science fiction movies and violent weaponry of all kinds.  In real life, Rainn is a devout Baha'i, and this week he lets us in on how he balances his 'Office' life with his faith life.
  Our interview originally aired in November 2008.

Rainn Wilson, star of The Office

Interview with an (Ex)Vampire Writer

Anne Rice is well known for her Gothic tales of witches, blood and all things horror. But 10 years ago she shocked her fans when she renounced her dark past, coming to see cult classics like Interview with the Vampire and The Witching Hour as portraits of her own quest for God. In 2005 she began writing novels about the life of Christ, trying to bring the Gospels—not vampires—into living color. In her 2008 memoir, Anne Rice described her surprising journey from Catholicism, to Atheism and back again. Originally aired in November 2008.

Anne Rice, author of Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession

Blood Runs Thick in 'The Family'

A little-known Christian network that takes leadership cues from Hitler and Mao may seem like the stuff of conspiracy theories, but our guest Jeff Sharlet insists that the Family's political clout is real. Best known for sponsoring the annual high-profile National Prayer Breakfast, this secretive, close-knit group has impacted public policy since it sponsored anti-New Deal legislation in the 1930s – and gives all the credit to God. 

This week, we re-visit our look inside their house on C Street, which has been called home by a number of politicians linked to recent sex scandals, including Governor Mark Sanford, the South Carolina Republican infamous for his visit to the “Appalachian Trail," and Senator John Ensign, the Republican from Nevada who admitted to an affair with a female staff member.

Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power

Beyond Heaven and Hell

Bishop John Shelby Spong grew up with an angry, judgmental God. For him, God--and the Christian church--exerted authority through fear, threatening non-believers with the fiery pits of Hell. Now 78, Bishop Spong imagines the afterlife without a Heaven or Hell, and says the task of religion is not to guide us to eternity but to help us “live now, and love wastefully.”

Bishop John Shelby Spong, retired Episcopal Bishop of New Jersey, author of Eternal Life: A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven and Hell

Web Extra: Hear the full interview

Pictured: Dante and Beatrice contemplate Heaven; from Gustave Doré's illustrations to Dante's Divine Comedy

Gary Laderman, editor of the blog Religion Dispatches, explains why three quarters of American adults believe in an afterlife, what reincarnation means, and why the way we deal with the dead reveals our image of the world to come.

Gary Laderman, author of Rest in Peace: A Cultural History of Death and the Funeral Home in Twentieth-Century America

Our full conversation on his new book, Eternal Life: A New Vision.

The Episcopal Church Welcomes You

Earlier this month, the Episcopal Church did what many clergy thought impossible just three years ago. The church's national convention voted to ordain gay and lesbian bishops, beginning what some have called the church's 'coming out' process. The outcome rocked the delegates, who sat in stunned silence after the result was announced. Frank Kirkpatick explains why the decision is widening the rift with the church's larger fellowship, the Anglican Communion.

Frank Kirkpatrick, author of The Episcopal Church in Crisis: How Sex, the Bible and Authority are Dividing the Faithful