Crisis in the Holy Land: Finding Religion's Voice

Aired 2002-03. Islam, Judaism and Christianity each have deep and historic roots in the Holy Land. The current crisis in the region leads many people to ask what role the theology and spirituality, of each of these three faiths, plays as the world seeks harmony in this ancient land. Do the scriptures and traditions of the three Abrahamic religions in any way inform the thinking of their members as they confront the painful issues and seek justice and peace? To shed light on the matter, the broadcast gathered representatives from these three faiths. They met together at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, to share experiences and explore religion's voice. Several representatives have spent time in the Middle East, with extensive exposure to the current crisis. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of Al-Farah Mosque in New York, and peace-activist, Mr. Azam Saeed, a businessman from Connecticut, shared their views from a Muslim perspective. Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener of Mid-East Citizen Diplomacy, a peace activist group and Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Director of the Center for Interreligious Understanding, spoke from a Jewish experience, A Christian dimension was brought to the dialogue by Rev. James Forbes, Senior Minister of The Riverside Church, New York and John L. Esposito, Professor of Religion and of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. Their discussion's centered on what each religion teaches about seeking peace, and the obligation it places on followers to show respect and compassion to an enemy. The broadcast was illustrated with footage from varied sources, including two recent trips to the disputed areas by a delegation from Church World Service and the National Council of Churches and a group of journalists exploring how the tensions are addressed in the U.S. media.

On Holy Ground: Pilgrims in a Sacred Place

Aired 2002-03. Six months after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, much of the debris had been cleared away and the barren acreage had begun to resemble a construction site. But for those still searching for human remains and for the thousands of visitors who came to bear witness, this place was already a shrine, a place of pilgrimage. On Holy Ground: Pilgrims in a Sacred Place sampled the great variety of people from many ethnic and religious backgrounds who were drawn to the site out of curiosity or practical need and became transformed by the experience. For some, the visit was profoundly personal. Others came to offer food and drink to workers. A Jewish group on the viewing platform prayed together with a group of Unitarians. A mother brought her daughter to the site and planed to return with her husband and son for whom the visit would be "cathartic." And we saw Muslims who came to pray and bear witness to the aftermath of unspeakable events. Finally, the broadcast followed a Methodist youth group who came to New York to learn about mission work. But we witnessed that when they reported back to their congregation, their most profound thoughts were about Ground Zero.

Open Hearts, Open Minds

Aired 2002-03. After the attack on September 11, 2001, most religious leaders realized they had to increase their efforts at educating people of any particular faith about the respect required toward people of other faiths. In Kansas City, Missouri, the religious community decided that one antidote to the hatred and intolerance, clearly one cause of terrorism, would be an active outreach program to promote interfaith understanding. One such tangible program is the Greater Kansas Interfaith Passport, a document created to provide a resource for people seeking to learn more about other faith traditions. A participant attending another's faith service received a "Visa" – a stamp showing their outreach effort. The local interfaith council, representing 13 faiths, developed this program. Vern Barnet, a Unitarian minister, advanced it and local columnist and Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, a supporter, received the first Passport document. The broadcast featured programs in Georgia, in Washington, and spent time at a reunion, in Kansas, of an interfaith youth summer camp program. Others who appeared on the special included: The Chancellor of the Kansas City Catholic Diocese, George Noonan; and Dr. Syed Hasan, the Director of Applied Environmental Research, University of Missouri; Rabbi Joshua Taub, of the city's Diversity Task Force; Mahnaz Shabbir; Lama Chuck Stamford; Juan Rangel; as well as Diane Hershberger, Executive Director of Kansas City Harmony.

Reaching Out

Aired 2002-03. All the major faith communities in the United States seek to reach those who are not reached by the usual church, temple, or mosque services or programs. This program showed how various faith communities have developed lively new approaches. Among the groups visited are Holy Grounds Café and Solid Foundation Skate Park in New Jersey, where teens and college students skateboard, listen to music and learn about Touch The World ministries which trains people for worldwide mission work. The program ventured to Pennsylvania, where truckers were being served by a travelers ministry led by Rev. Bruce Maxwell and his truck stop prayer and Bible sessions. Methodists reached out through staged NASCAR races in North Carolina, races mixed with ministry and power. The broadcast finally went to a synagogue in Hoboken, New Jersey, where Rabbi Robert Scheinberg and Marc Borish, a teacher of Hebrew, used Learn Hebrew In Five Easy Lessons to introduce this ancient language, using a mix of humor and fellowship to draw people closer to their religious roots. John P. Blessington was the executive producer of the special, Ted Holmes was the producer. It was presented with the cooperation of the National Council of Churches, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Jewish Theological Seminary and the Southern Baptist Broadcast Communications Group.

Saints and Strangers

Aired 2002-03. 888-241-9282 "Saints and Strangers" examines the religious and spiritual roots of the men and women who founded our country – from the earliest settlers in Jamestown, through the fervent patriotism of the pre-Revolutionary period, and the eventual formation of the original colonies into the United States of America. Along the way, "Saints and Strangers" will address religious influences from the Mayflower to the Great Awakening, from Plymouth Rock to the War of Independence. It will examine the groups of the faithful who were crucial influences during the colonial period – the Church of England, the Puritans, Baptists, Quakers, and others. "Saints and Strangers" includes interviews with historians who often had somewhat differing, but always enlightening, views of the impact of actual historical events. Producer Bernie Hargis notes, "The viewer will be surprised, as I was, to learn the different ways religion, commerce, government and other aspects of daily living were fused together to contribute to the momentous events that led to the founding of our nation." Listed among those interviewed for the program are: Dr. John Butler, Yale University; Dr. Karen Bullock, Southwestern Seminary; Dr. David Hall, Harvard University; Dr. Barry Hankins, Baylor University; Dr. Nathan Hatch, University of Notre Dame; Dr. Christine Heyrman, University of Delaware; and Dr. Mark Noll, Wheaton College; and Dr. J. Stanley Lemons, Rhode Island College, member of First Baptist Church in America, Providence, Rhode Island. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Video Clip Click here to preview a short clip of "Saints and Strangers".

Strong Roots, Fragile Farms

Aired 2002-03. ”Strong Roots, Fragile Farms" will give insight on a nation blessed with the finest cropland on earth. Here in the United States, family farmers employ people, allow local businesses to thrive and are more ecologically friendly to the environment than large, industrial farms. Yet a growing crisis reveals farmers struggling to hold on to their farms, and farming families in a financial struggle to perserve a tradition for the next generation. Although the food situation in the U.S. is better than almost any other nation, family farms are dying. American farmers are not the only ones struggling to stay alive. Globalization of farming is a worldwide problem that impacts us all. This documentary will shed light on the farm crisis through personal stories, profiling farm families in Iowa and North Carolina, the Philippines, Mexico and Africa. We will follow the families as they plant crops, cultivate and harvest. They will tell their own stories and show us how globalization affects their lives everyday.

The Highest Commandment

Aired 2002-03. Produced by Diva Communications  "When I pray, I speak to God...When I study, God speaks to me." So replied the late Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, former chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary, when asked why one should make time for Torah study. Indeed, all Jews are encouraged to engage in a life-time of learning and many people report a renewed personal and spiritual focus to their day when they join a study group, regardless of their level of knowledge. "The Highest Commandment" dives into the very nature of Jewish education, distinguishing it as the wellspring for Jewish continuity. Produced by The Jewish Theological Seminary in conjunction with Diva Communications, this program documents the journey of several individuals who, having overcome a variety of obstacles, demonstrate an unrelenting commitment to their Jewish education while explaining some of the fundamentals of Jewish learning. Education is indeed the highest commandment and study is a form of worship; it is when God speaks to us.

For more information on "The Highest Commandment" call Marianna Mott Newirth at 212 678-8020

To purchase a copy of the film call 212 397-7259

Trappist

Aird 2002-03. 800-235-8722 The daily life of the residents of Mepkin Abbey, a monastery in South Carolina, will be the focus of an hour-long documentary, "Trappist." Produced by Paulist Media Works of Washington, DC, "Trappist" examines the reasons various men responded to the call to this extraordinary way of life. The program also traces the rich 1,700-year history of monastic life in Western civilization, with their remarkable influence in the arts, education, science and technology. To an outsider, a monk's life is a shock: They wake every day at 3:00 a.m., worship together seven times a day, eat a strict vegetarian diet, and spend much of their time in silence. Their solitude, contemplation, and humility seem out of place in today's world, yet people of many different faiths are drawn to the peace and tranquility of monasteries. "Trappist" also depicts how the monastery relates to the secular world, largely through various retreats and programs. Insights from renowned authors Thomas Moore (The Care of the Soul) and Kathleen Morris (A Cloister Walk) are part of this illuminating documentary. Filmed at Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, "Trappist" combines the reality of a monk's life with startling and beautiful images of the past to explore how a monk fits into our modern world. For more information about Mepkin Abbey, log on to: www.mepkinabbey.org. For more information about "Trappist," call Ellen McCloskey at (202) 541-3236.

A Chance to Grow

Aired 2001-02. This program visited the world of campus ministries today. Several colleges and universities in the Washington, DC area were visited to explore the range and depth of spirituality available to today's diverse student bodies. The roles of campus ministers and chaplains of many faiths were presented along with the religious lives and thoughts of the students.

Answering Micah's Call

Aired 2001-02. In the Bible, Micah 6:8 reads, ". . . and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." At the core of this special was a group of Micah 6 churches in Atlanta, Georgia, part of 35 such across the country who focus on community-based ministries of justice and service. Andrew Young, President of the National Council of Churches, a supporter of the Micah 6 Churches, was interviewed.

Are We Playing God?

Aired 2001-02. Life, death and the many decisions they evoke often prove to be points of deliberation among us when our values are put to the test. Coming to terms with the outcomes of our actions is part of the human experience, particularly as they relate to our health and the quality of life we enjoy. With that in view, this program focused on biomedical issues and medical technology. Physicians, patients, families, and religious leaders all faced new questions brought on by advances in medical technology. Premature births, organ transplants, stem cell research - these and many other issues confront us all with ethical, spiritual and moral dilemmas that were presented in the broadcast.

Faith First: Second Career Clergy

Aired 2001-02. Produced by Diva Communications Jewish baby-boomers entering their collective mid-life are finding that spirituality and religion have gained greater prominence in their daily lives.

For many, this has meant attending shul more often, for others it involves weekly Torah study or volunteering for a Jewish organization. For still others, however, the realization that their work and Judaism can no longer exist in separate worlds has sparked a clarion call. These men and women have found themselves turning away from successful careers in the secular world to enter an entirely new professional setting – one that requires a five- to six-year immersion in a religious environment.

Rabbinical and cantorial training, they discover, entails much more than rigorous study; it precipitates a wholesale personal transformation.

For individuals and their families, the decision to become a rabbi or a cantor in mid-career demands humility, sacrifice and strength of character.

“Faith First: Second Career Clergy,” created by Debra Gonsher Vinik and Diva Communications, examines this fascinating, life-altering choice from the perspective of several extraordinary people.

From first-year students making the difficult adjustment to being back in a classroom setting, to pulpit rabbis and cantors who have completed their formal training to bring their years of life experience and maturity to a congregation, this hour-long documentary is both an inspirational look at the personal growth and fulfillment to be gained from a career in the clergy as well as an endorsement of pursuing one’s heart’s desire later in life.

To purchase a copy of the film call 212 397-7259

Responding to Tragedy

Aired 2001-02. Since September 11, 2001, it has been pointed out countless times that America has lost its innocence and that our illusion of invulnerability, so ingrained in our attitudes at home and abroad, has been shattered. As we pursue and punish those who attacked us in New York and at the Pentagon, a distinguished panel discussed what religion brings to the debate and the actions of nations at a time of tragedy. The Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, a former congressman and now the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, and Rabbi James Rudin, Senior Interreligious Advisor of the American Jewish Committee and a former military chaplain, are joined on the panel by The Reverend Thomas Reese, editor-in-chief of America, the Jesuit Catholic weekly; Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of Al Farah Mosque in New York City, founder of the American Sufi Muslim Association, and Elaine Pagels, the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University, along with Nicholas Vreeland, a Buddhist monk who is the director of The Tibet Center in New York City and editor of An Open Heart, the teachings of the Dalai Lama. The group, meeting at the headquarters of the American Bible Society in New York, explored the various moral and ethical issues surrounding the attack, the national and international response and the varied views of a just war.