Christianity at the Grassroots
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Date: 14 May 2009
‘Small C’ Christianity
Christian history is often told from the point of view of the winners, as a tale of victory, military force and conquest. Historian Diana Butler Bass calls it “Big C Christianity,” and she says there's another side to the story. This week, she surveys Christian history from the bottom up, told through the eyes of maverick monks, gutsy women and peace-loving church-goers.
Diana Butler Bass, author of A People’s History of Christianity
Vinessa Shaw, Awakening the Buddha On Screen
Begins at 23 min 48 sec
Actress Vinessa Shaw has flirted with Russell Crowe in 3:10 to Yuma, kicked around a soccer ball with Rodney Dangerfield in Lady Bugs, and shared a kiss with Joaquin Phoenix in Two Lovers. She says Buddhism’s emphasis on compassion is almost a form of method acting—it helps her inhabit and relate to all kinds of characters. She joins us this week to reflect on how Nichiren Buddhism has kept her sane in the world of Hollywood.
Vinessa Shaw, star of Two Lovers
Dharma Music
Begins at 38 min 34 sec
Ravenna Michalson is an eclectic singer-songwriter and a practitioner of Shambhala Buddhism. Her third and latest album is called Bloom, and it’s a collection of 10 original songs inspired by Buddhist thought. Laura Kwerel caught up with Ravenna, and her cello, in our DC studio.
Ravenna Michalsen, cellist and singer-songwriter
Hear the full, in-studio performances of "Just a Seed Waiting To Grow" and "Guru Rinpoche"
The Best Hug In the World
Begins at 47 min 28 sec
People line up for hours to get a hug from Amma, an Indian humanitarian who spreads peace and
compassion through hugs. Her followers say that over the past 30 years she’s hugged 27 million people from all over the world. To them she is a living saint, a mother, and an embodiment of selfless love. Last summer, Laura Kwerel visited one of Amma’s retreats in Northern Virginia, where hundreds of people had gathered for a free hug at a Hilton hotel. She asked them to put the experience into words.
Produced by Laura Kwerel
StoryCorps: Bob Harllee on War
Begins at 51 min 4 sec
Bob Harllee was an army chaplain during the Vietnam War. He tells his daughter, Carol, what it was like to minister to soldiers during their last moments on earth.
Produced by StoryCorps
This Week's Interfaith Calendar
May 23 -
The Declaration of the Bab (Baha'i)
This holiday marks the very birth of the Baha'i religion, the night of May 22, 1844, when a young merchant in Iran quietly announced that he would predict the coming of the messenger of God. This young soothsayer came to be known as "the Gateway," which translates in Arabic as the Bab. Nineteen years later, one of the Bab's followers, later known as Baha'u'llah announced that he was the messenger that everyone had been waiting for.
May 21 - Ascension of Jesus (Christian)
Celebrated 40 days after Easter, the Ascension marks the day when Christians believe Jesus physically rose into heaven. If you want more details about what it looked like, you're out of luck-- the Bible gives no description of the Ascension itself. The New Testament simply states that it happened. Still, the miraculous event has captured the imagination of many artists. See a colorful depiction of Jesus' ascension in the Rabbula Gospels, an illustrated gospel book from the 6th century,
