On Being with Krista Tippett

In this edition of SOF Unheard Cuts, Krista interviewed Steve Waldman, journalist and founder of Beliefnet, for "Liberating the Founders." Listen to their complete, unedited conversation. Here's your chance to observe the editorial process and let us know what you think.

In this edition of SOF Unheard Cuts, Krista interviewed Vashti McKenzie, first female bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, for "African American. Woman. Leader." Listen to their complete, unedited conversation. Here's your chance to observe the editorial process and let us know what you think.

With the presidential election approaching, we return to an evocative, relevant conversation from earlier this year with journalist Steven Waldman. He's done an unusual study investigating how the culture wars have skewed contemporary Americans' sense of how we came to have religious liberty in the first place. He understands why 21st-century struggles over religion in the public square spur passionate disagreement and entanglement with politics at its most impure.

In this edition of SOF Unheard Cuts, Krista interviewed Paul Collins and Jennifer Elder for "Being Autistic, Being Human." They talk about how life with their child who is autistic has deepened their understanding of human nature -- of disability, and of creativity, intelligence, and accomplishment. Here's your chance to observe the editorial process and let us know what you think.

The 2008 U.S. presidential election has illustrated how gender, race, and religion can become lightning rods, and seen as potential stumbling blocks to leadership. Vashti McKenzie is a pioneering figure on all these fronts; when she became the first woman bishop of the oldest historic black church in America, she declared: "The stained glass ceiling has been pierced and broken." We offer her story, her wisdom, and her good humor as an edifying lens on the American past, present, and future.

In this edition of SOF Unheard Cuts, Krista interviewed Rod Dreher for the second part of our series "The Faith Life of the Party." A conservative columnist, Rod Dreher is an outspoken critic of mainstream Republican economic and environmental ideas and the conduct of the Iraq war, but he voted for George W. Bush twice. Here's your chance to observe the editorial process and let us know what you think.

One of every 150 children is now diagnosed to be somewhere on the mysterious spectrum of autism. We step back from the controversies about the causes and cures of autism and explore one family's experience with an autistic child. Jennifer Elder, an artist, and Paul Collins, a literary historian, have unearthed a vivid history of people grappling with autism, before it had a name. And they share what all of this is teaching them about what it means to be human.

In this edition of SOF Unheard Cuts, Krista interviewed Amy Sullivan for the first part of our series "The Faith Life of the Party." She's a national corresponent for Time magazine, an Evangelical Christian, and an observer of the Democratic Party. Here's your chance to observe the editorial process and let us know what you think.

The second part of our examination of religious energies below the surface of the 2008 presidential campaign. Conservative columnist Rod Dreher is an outspoken critic of mainstream Republican economic and environmental ideas and the conduct of the Iraq war, but he voted for George W. Bush twice. We explore the little-known story of religiously-influenced impulses within the conservative movement that diverge from the Religious Right.

We begin a refreshing, thought-provoking two-part conversation on politics and religion below the surface of the current U.S. presidential campaign. I speak with two counterintuitive yet influential voices. This week, national correspondent for Time magazine, Amy Sullivan, and next week, conservative columnist for the Dallas Morning News, Rod Dreher. Sullivan is a political liberal, an Evangelical Christian, and a savvy observer of the Democratic Party's complex relationship with faith over the past decade.

We'll delve into the world and meaning of the approaching Jewish High Holy Days -- ten days that span the new year of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur's rituals of atonement. Sharon Brous, a young rabbi in L.A., is one voice in a Jewish spiritual renaissance that is taking many forms across the U.S. The vast majority of her congregation are people in their 20s and 30s, who, she says, are making life-giving connections between ritual, personal transformation, and relevance in the world.

Pentecostalism has appeared as a force on both sides of the current presidential campaign. News coverage of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's Pentecostal background has overshadowed the fact that senior leaders of the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Convention are Pentecostal too. In 2006, Pentecostals from all around the globe traveled to the birthplace of this tradition -- Azusa Street in Los Angeles. We were there to cover the centennial celebration -- and now we bring this program into the present, exploring the origins, theology, and impact of this faith that now reaches an estimated half a billion people globally.

James Prosek has spent his life capturing wildlife -- whether it be literally as an avid fly-fisher, or figuratively through writing, drawing, and painting. View some of his artwork as he talks about these "mystical creatures," the names we give them, and ultimately why it's necessary to protect them.

Yoga studios are cropping up on street corners across the U.S., and there are now yoga classes at YMCAs, law schools, and corporate headquarters. This 5000 year old spiritual technology is converging intriguingly with 21st century medical science and with many religious and philosophical perspectives. Seane Corn takes us inside the practicalities and power of yoga, and describes how it helps her face the darkness in herself and the world.

The American experience of stress has spawned a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. Wary of this, Esther Sternberg says that, until recently, modern science did not have the tools or the inclination to take emotional stress seriously. She shares fascinating new scientific insight into the molecular level of the mind-body connection.