The Unlikely Disciple
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Date: 9 September 2009
'Studying Abroad' at Liberty University
When Kevin Roose was a sophomore at Brown University, he decided to try a "domestic study abroad" program-- at Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. Based in Lynchburg, Virgina, Liberty is an institution Falwell himself described as a “Bible Boot Camp."
Roose went undercover and did his best to blend in; he joined the school choir, he wrote for the student newspaper, he spent his spring break proselytizing to hung-over college kids. We talk to both Roose and Brian Colas, one of the friends he made at Liberty, about his strange experiment in college-as-anthropology.
Kevin Roose, author of
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University
Brian Colas, former student body president at Liberty University
The Coup in Honduras: A Look From the Ground
Begins at 22 min 30 sec
In the early morning hours of June 28th, a band of soldiers rousted the president of Honduras out his bed. Without time to even change out of his pajamas, they led Manuel Zelaya by gun point to a plane, off to Costa Rica. He was later removed by the Honduran congress and replaced with a new leader. Latin American leaders, President Obama and some religious leaders have condemned the coup as illegal. Jean Stokan gives us her perspective as a person of faith on the ground in the fractured country.
Jean Stokan, Director of the Justice Team, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas; part of a delegation to Honduras
Service Through Sound
Begins at 34 min 50 sec
It's not for nothing they're called Mosaic Harmony. With 80 members of 17 different faiths, mostly in rainbow-colored outfits, this gospel-style choir is unlike any other. They began as an effort to heal racial divides, but their mission now includes bridging religious gulfs as well.
David North, choir director, and Suzanne Reynolds, member
An Interfaith Iftar
Begins at 45 min 16 sec
On Ramadan, Muslims end their day of fasting with an iftar, a sacred meal that begins at sunset. This year, Hindus, Christians, Jews and others gathered at a historic synagogue in Washington, DC, to celebrate the meal together. Maureen was there, and sends us this audio postcard.
Recorded at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Soundscapes of Faith: The Shofar
Begins at 47 min 44 sec
Every faith tradition has a melody, chant or noise that is unique to it. From the wail of the shofar to the hum of the Hindu om, there is something about sound that makes the holy...real. For the next few weeks we’re going to explore sacred sounds in religions small and large, for a series we’re calling the Soundscapes of Faith. We begin with the shofar, an ancient instrument made from an animal horn.
Rabbi Jack Moline, Rabbi of Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia
