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Scott Alexander is Associate Professor of Islam at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where he is also Chair of the Department of Intercultural Studies and Ministry and director of the school’s Catholic-Muslim Studies Program. He is co-editor of A Dictionary of Christian—Muslim Relations (Cambridge University Press, anticipated 2012), and is the author of a number of articles on Islamic history and religion and Christian-Muslim Relations. His most recent book project is entitled The Race to Goodness: an End to Triumphalism in Christian-Muslim Relations.
http://www.ctu.edu/node/114 |
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Susan Baller-Shepard is ordained as a minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and has been a pastor in churches in Springfield, Peoria, and Rochester, Illinois. She currently serves as parish associate pastor at First Presbyterian Church, Normal, Illinois. Susan is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Spirituality Book Club.
http://www.spiritualbookclub.com/ |
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Dr. Ajari Mui Baltrunas has been a Buddhist practitioner since his ordination in 1971 as a Theravada forest monk in Thailand. Mui took his graduate diploma in Abhidhamma (Ph.D. with an emphasis on Buddhist psychology) from the Buddhist and Pali University in Sri Lanka and a doctorate in literature and languages from the English University at Oxford. Sensei Mui serves as a priest of Tendai which emphasizes an all-inclusive view of Buddhism and human experience balanced by wisdom and compassion. |
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Fr. Edward Beck is a Roman Catholic priest of the Passionist Community in Pelham, New York. A popular writer, he’s the author of three books: God Underneath, Unlikely Ways Home, and Soul Provider. Fr. Beck serves as program host of Focus on Faith on the ABC Now Network and is executive producer and host of The Sunday Mass, which airs nationally and can be seen in Chicago every Sunday on CBS Channel 2. Fr. Beck conducts retreats and workshops on spirituality and is a regular commentator on religion and faith for national news outlets like CNN and Fox. |
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Manya Brachear joined the Chicago Tribune in June 2003. As one of the paper's religion reporters, she has helped chronicle the papal transition from Rome, the Dalai Lama's visit to Chicago, Protestant debates about gay clergy, progress and pitfalls of interfaith dialogue and the emerging role of religion in American politics. Brachear earned a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University and masters' degrees in journalism and religious studies from Columbia University. She also has written for Time magazine, The Dallas Morning News, Beliefnet.com and the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/ |
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Sister Joan Chittister has been a popular guest on “30 Good Minutes” every year since 1991, and she’s been covering a wide range of topics, from the spirituality of aging to the spirituality of struggle. Sr. Joan is Executive Director of Benetvision, a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania. She’s the author off forty-two books and travels the world over, speaking to a wide range of audiences on spirituality, justice and peace.
Joan Chittister sermons
Joan Chittister's website
Joan Chittister books
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Sister Patricia Crowley is Prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, a community of 51 women committed to contemplative prayer, community life and ministries that respond to the changing demands around us. She has worked with the homeless for more than 30 years, following in the footsteps of her mother, who founded the women's shelter, Deborah's Place.
http://www.osbchicago.org/index.htm |
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Leonardo Defilippis has distinguished himself as an actor, producer, and director. In 1980, after six years performing in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, San Diego’s Old Globe Theater, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Leonardo launched his own production company, Saint Luke Productions, and since then has been producing high quality religious live, video and film dramas for audiences throughout the English-speaking world.
http://www.stlukeproductions.com |
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The Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel (co-host) is Senior Minister of the First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where she has served since 2004, following eight years as Senior Minister of the Church of the Redeemer, in New Haven, Connecticut. Lillian has taught preaching at Yale Divinity School and Chicago Theological Seminary and is a writer for the “Biblical Preaching Journal” and the “Christian Century Magazine.” Her new book, “Tell It Like It Is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony,” is the story of how God moves in the local church when people speak about God's presence to each other. |
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Maria Dimanshtein is a Graphic and Web Designer at Interfaith Youth Core. She derives her inspiration from nature, pop culture and great ideas of her colleagues and friends. Among other important aspects of her life, Maria has performed with a Latin dance group and has exhibited in Chicago as an abstract-intuitive painter.
http://www.ugallery.com/maria-dimanshtein |
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The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy is President of the Interfaith Alliance in Washington, D.C.,
a nonpartisan, grassroots organization with 185,000 members and 75 faith traditions, who celebrate religious freedom and unite their voices to challenge religious extremism. He also pastors Northminster Baptist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. Dr. Gaddy is a familiar face on television news programs, where he provides commentary on issues related to politics and religion. He’s the author of more than 20 books and is host of “State of Belief” on Air America. |
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Vicki Garvey (reflections) is an educator and has taught professionally at every level. Her longest forays have been at the graduate level with seminarians and others, and with high school students. Over the last several years, she has been energized by an even wider age range: from preschoolers through elders of the community. She now serves as Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and fulfills the same role at a local congregation. |
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Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston is a singer whose style ranges from opera, to madrigals, jazz, blues, rock, funk, and international styles from West Africa and South India. She founded Amethyst & Indigo, National Womyn of Color Foundation for Cultural Exploration, and Retention and Healing through the Arts. |
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Artist Jed Gibbons studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated from the Kendal School of Design in Grand Rapids MI. He has been living and working in Chicago as an illustrator, art director, creative director and designer. He recently completed illuminating the Stations of the Cross for Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel on Enders Island, Mystic, CT, as well as commissions for the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington DC and The Religious Sisters of Mercy in Alma MI.
http://www.acornarts.org/JedGibbons.html |
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Philip Gulley began his writing career as a pastor in a Quaker church, publishing stories in the church bulletin. Today he’s the voice of small-town American life. It all began with his first book, Front Porch Tales, and continued through a popular series of novels about life in the fictional town of Harmony, Indiana. Philip’s new book is non-fiction, called If The Church Were Christian. |
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Julie Hamos is an Illinois State Representative from the Illinois 18th District. Prior to elective office, she pursued a career advocating for families and public interest issues.
http://www.juliehamos.org/ |
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Terry Hershey (speaker) has served as a Protestant minister, and is now a writer and landscape designer on Vashon Island in Puget Sound. Hershey writes about being intoxicated with this world. Terry's eighth book, Sacred Necessities for People Who Love Live (Ave Maria), celebrates life by hearing the music, not just playing the right notes. His gardens and books have been featured in Pacific Northwest Magazine (Seattle Times), Seattle Homes and Lifestyle, and the Tacoma News Tribune. He speaks throughout the United States and Canada on relationships and spirituality and gardening.
Terry Hershey's website |
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Sherre Hirsch is a rabbi in the Conservative Jewish tradition and the author of “We Plan, God Laughs.” Raised in Southern California, hers was a winding path to the ministry, beginning at Smith College, Northwestern University, and a detour through Asia, immersing herself in Eastern philosophy. Sherre became the first woman rabbi at Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, the largest conservative Jewish congregation in the western United States. In 2006 she stepped away from congregational ministry to concentrate on writing and speaking.
http://www.sherrehirsch.com/ |
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Clinical Psychologist, Jerry Hiller, and his psychotherapist wife, Marilyn Rochon, lead a weekly, lunchtime series called "Repair My House" at St. Peter's Church in Chicago that teaches people to deal with the challenges of daily life by drawing on the strength that comes from tending to one's spirit.
http://www.stpetersloop.org/ |
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The Rev. Dr. Scott Black Johnston has served as Senior Pastor of Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City since 2008. This historic, 200-year-old church, with 3,000 members, has a vibrant ministry at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan, particularly as a leading voice for the homeless. Scott was previously Senior Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and was professor of preaching at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He’s the co-author of Theology for Preaching and is a frequent guest speaker around the country. |
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In July 2008, the Rev. Dr. SERENE JONES became the first woman president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City. A prolific and popular scholar in the fields of theology, religion and gender studies, Dr. Jones has spoken to audiences across the U.S. and around the world. She is the author of several books and is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ. |
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Sayira Khokhar is a student at Kendall College and an intern with the Interfaith Youth Core.
http://www.ifyc.org/ |
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John Killinger (speaker) has been writing, teaching and preaching for nearly six decades and shows no sign of retiring. He’s been a pastor in Baptist, Presbyterian, and Congregational churches from coast-to-coast. He’s taught at Vanderbilt, Princeton and the University of Chicago. He’s written more than 70 books, including his latest called “If Christians Were Really Christian.” In the midst of all that activity, he’s managed to make 18 appearances on “30 Good Minutes".
John Killinger sermons
John Killinger books
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Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of the best-selling "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" (1981) and "Conquering Fear" (2009) talks about the resources we have through faith and our own, God-given inner strength to overcome our fears. |
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The Rev. Dr.Jacqui Lewis (speaker) is Senior Minister of Middle Collegiate Churchin New York City, a multicultural, multiracial, multi-faceted congregation in the East Village. Jacqui grew up in Chicago, where she first sensed God’s call to ministry. Following college, she spent eight years at the Eastman Kodak Company before entering Princeton Theological Seminary. She went on to earn two PhDs in religion before joining the Middle Church staff in 2004. Jacqui is the author of “The Power of Stories: A Guide for Leaders in Multiracial, Multicultural Congregations.” |
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Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya (Africa) in 1940. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, she is the founder of the Green Belt Movement. She and the Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, most notably the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. In April 2006, the President of France, Mr. Jacques Chirac honoured Professor Maathai with France’s highest honour, Legion d’Honneur. |
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Tariq Malhance retired from the City of Chicago after an illustrious 25-year career, during which time he served in various positions in City Government, including City Comptroller, three years as First Deputy City Treasurer, Managing Deputy Comptroller for Debt and Asset Management, and Deputy Comptroller for Financial Policy. He is now Senior Vice President of UIB Capital, Chciago. |
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Hannah McConnaughay is Program Associate in the Outreach Education and Training Department of the Interfaith Youth Core, traveling to college campuses and conferences to promote religious pluralism and offer skills trainings. Her childhood in East Asia and service experiences in religious communities like the Mississippi Delta drew her to interfaith work, and the incredible stories of youth peace building she encountered kept her there.
http://www.ifyc.org/ |
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Tom McGrath, (reflections) is Vice President of Product Development for Loyola Press, publishers of the Finding God in All Things religious education program. Tom is most recently the co-creator, with Bret Nicholaus, of The Meal Box: Fun Questions and Family Faith Tips to Get Mealtime Conversations Cookin'. |
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The Rev. Otis Moss III (speaker) is the newly appointed pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. Otis recently moved to Chicago from Augusta, Georgia, where he was pastor of the historic Tabernacle Baptist Church for nine years. He was a Ford Foundation Scholar and All-American Track and Field athlete at Morehouse College before earning a Master of Divinity degree from Yale University. His love for God and young people has led him to speak and preach in churches, seminaries and colleges across the globe, including South Africa, Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Egypt. Newsweek magazine recently cited Rev. Moss as one of “God's foot Soldiers,” committed to transforming the lives of youth.
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Writer and educator Parker Palmer is founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal. He has published a dozen poems, some two hundred essays and seven books, including several best-selling and award-winning titles: A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and The Promise of Paradox. |
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Daniel Pawlus (co-host) is an actor, writer, and producer who joined 30 Good Minutes as a co-host in 2005. He has appeared on stage in Broadway touring companies, hosted a gardening show on HGTV, and appeared in numerous television commercials. Daniel is a member of Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago, where he sings in the choir. He and his wife Leanna are happy to be residing in the Midwest after years of living on the coasts.
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Chicago artist Naomi Pridjian is a second generation Armenian-American who works in mixed media and digital art.
Naomi Pridjian's website |
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Benjamin Reaves (speaker) is a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Vice President of Ministries for Adventist Health System. Previously he was President of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. Ben has appeared on 30 Good Minutes annually since 1989.
Benjamin Reaves sermons |
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Joey Shapiro studied Classics, ancient religion, and Judaic studies at Princeton and received a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, focusing on Hebrew Bible and New Testament, virtue ethics, and the formation of religious identity in antiquity. Joining the Interfaith Youth Core in the Fall of 2008, Joey currently works as the Program Assistant for the Faiths Act Fellowship, a joint initiative of IFYC and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation.
http://www.ifyc.org/ |
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Susan Sholtes is a family therapist specializing in the psycho-social aspects of chronic medical illness, disabilities and loss. She is co-director of Celebrating Minds, a non-profit organization that supports students, parents and educators understanding the unique contribution each mind brings to the learning process.
http://www.caringvoices.info/susan.htm |
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The Rev. Dr. Stephen Shoemaker is Senior Minister of Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. He’s the author of Being Christian in an Almost Chosen Nation, and has been described by Garrison Keillor as “a gifted preacher whose gift lies in telling stories of the faith.” |
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Michael Siegel (reflections) is Senior Rabbi of Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago and is a leader in the Jewish community locally and nationally. He first appeared on 30 Good Minutes in 2003. |
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The Right Reverend Eugene Sutton is Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. Prior to his election in 2008, he was canon pastor at Washington National Cathedral and director of the cathedral’s Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. Bishop Sutton is a former professor of preaching and liturgy and is a well-known leader of retreats and conferences on prayer, preaching, spirituality and mission. |
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Laura Sterkel is Program Director of Career Transitions Center of Chicago.
www.ctcchicago.org |
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Lydia Talbot (co-host) has been a host on 30 Good Minutes since 1992. She is Executive Director of Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries, which produces Sanctuary on ABC Chicago and Different Drummers on CBS Chicago. Lydia serves on the boards of The Christian Century, Chicago Bible Society, and the Chicago Sunday Evening Club, producers of 30 Good Minutes.
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Phyllis Tickle is one of America's foremost obersvers of religion. She was the founding editor of the Religion Department of Publishers Weekly and is the author of The Great Emergence and The Divine Hours.
http://www.phyllistickle.com/ |
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Judith Valente (reflections) is an awarding-winning journalist, producer, poet and essayist whose work has been featured on 30 Good Minutes since 2005. She began her career in journalism as a staff reporter for The Washington Post, later joined The Wall Street Journal, and was twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Since 1998, Ms. Valente has been an on-air correspondent for the national PBS-TV news program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Her reporting has also appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. She has won nine broadcast awards. Ms. Valente is a commentator for National Public Radio and Chicago Public Radio, where she covers religion, interviews poets and authors, and is a guest essayist. Ms. Valente’s first full-length collection of poems, Discovering Moons, is forthcoming from Virtual Artists Collective, and in 2004, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver selected Ms. Valente’s chapbook, Inventing An Alphabet, for the national Aldrich Poetry Prize. She is co-editor of the anthology, Twenty Poems to Nourish Your Soul (Loyola Press, 2005). Ms. Valente is married to Illinois Circuit Court Judge and poet Charles Reynard. They live in Chicago and Normal, IL. |
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The Rev. Dr. WILLIAM WILLIMON is Bishop of the United Methodist Church serving the people of North Alabama. For twenty years, prior to his election as Bishop, Will was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A prolific writer, he is the author of 60 books and one of the most widely read writers by mainline Protestant pastors. In 1996, an international survey conducted by Baylor University named him on the 12 “most effective preachers” in the English-speaking world. |
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"30 Good Minutes" — The Chicago Sunday Evening Club
200 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 403 — Chicago, IL 60660-5906 — Voice:312.236.4483 — Fax:312.236.4485 — E-mail: csec@csec.org |