A Year in Religion Reporting

2008 was a big year for religion news.  Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States, the Democrats “got religion,” gay couples in California won – then lost – the right to marry.  And who could forget Rev. Jeremiah Wright, president-elect Barack Obama’s former pastor? 
Two religion journalists reflect back on a year of religion news, and give us a forecast for 2009.

Kevin Eckstrom, Editor of Religion News Service

Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Religion Correspondent for National Public Radio

The Changing Face of Jesus

For the first thousand years of Christianity, Jesus was depicted as a living, vibrant being: a shepherd, an infant, a bearded elder.  Then something occured.  Glimpses of joy were replaced by images of suffering–think the blood-soaked Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.  So where did paradise go?  And what does that say about how Christians view salvation?

Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker, authors of Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World For Crucifixion and Empire

Why Christians Don't Give Away More Money

When that big collection basket comes down the pew on Sunday morning, one in five churchgoers takes a pass.  When they do put in a few bills, well, some people ask for change.  So why the paltry giving?   Michael Emerson says the answer is a lot more complicated than garden-variety selfishness.

Michael O. Emerson, co-author of Passing the Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money

Peacemaking and Law-breaking

For a Catholic priest, Rev. John Dear has a curious claim to fame: he’s been arrested more than 75 times.  The Jesuit uses civil disobedience to take on huge government institutions in an effort to make peace. He recounts his activism, jail time and the day he attacked an F-15 bomber in a new book called A Persistent Peace: One Man’s Struggle for a Nonviolent World. 

Rev. John Dear, peace activist and nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize

John Dear--the full interview

Live and in person! From his new EP, Shattered.

The full, in-studio performance, from his 2004 album, Shake Off the Dust...Arise.

Why Sharia?

In the West, sharia law is often linked with harsh punishments like amputations and stonings.   But millions of Muslims worldwide say they want the legal code to govern their lives, and Islamic parties win elections with sharia as part of their platforms.  So if it’s so bad, why do people want it? Harvard rabble-rouser Noah Feldman offers his take, in this rebroadcast from April.

Noah Feldman, author of The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State

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.

Rainn Wilson, star of The Office and The Rocker

Anne Rice, 'Called Out of Darkness'

You probably know Anne Rice as a Gothic novelist who trades in witches, blood and all things horror. But you might not know that 10 years ago she renounced her dark past, coming to see cult classics like Interview with the Vampire and The Witching Hour as describing 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.  Now Anne Rice has written a new memoir, describing her surprising journey from Catholicism, to Atheism and back again.

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