Speaking of Faith Program, NPR, Krista Tippett
Exploring Religions, Spirituality, Faith, Meaning, Ethics, Ideas
Nov 16, 2009
It’s difficult in today’s polarized world, which is often split along the contentious lines of religious belief, to find a reasoned voice of neutrality. However, American Public Radio's program Speaking of Faith, which is hosted by Krista Tippett and airs on National Public Radio, offers such an unprejudiced perspective.
Speaking of Faith Explores Religious, Spiritual Topics
The Speaking of Faith program explores a wide range of topics that fall into the categories of “religion, meaning, ethics, and ideas.” The program has produced shows spotlighting a wide range and variety of religious and spiritual beliefs, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, paganism, Buddhism, Native American spirituality, African spirituality, New Age beliefs, atheism, agnosticism, and Humanism.
Speaking of Faith is not focused exclusively on religion, however. It also explores topics affecting the mind, soul, and heart. The program has aired shows on mood disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism, and depression; issues of drug abuse and alcoholism; and in-the-headlines topics like stem cell research, the use of torture by governments, and life in difficult economic times.
Purpose of Speaking of Faith Program
The Speaking of Faith program delves into the spiritual marrow of religious and spiritual topics and issues, where the shared concerns of human reality reside. Indeed, at their best, all religions mold meaning out of the great mystery that is life and death--from the chaos, suffering, and heartache as well the brilliance of what it means to be alive.
Speaking of Faith features interviews with individuals who have wisdom to share and are not just experts. Krista Tippett, Speaking of Faith host, has interviewed a wide range of guests, from religious leaders to theologians, teachers, economists, politicians, activists, scientists, writers, and parents.
About the Host of Speaking of Faith, Krista Tippett
Krista Tippett’s life story prepared her well to host a program that explores topics of religious and spiritual importance from an unbiased perspective.
Tippett started her career as a journalist reporting from divided Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall. She worked as a correspondent for the New York Times, Newsweek, the International Herald Tribune, the BBC, and Die Zeit. She later also worked as the special political assistant and chief Berlin aide to the U.S. ambassador to West Germany.
Tippett transitioned from work as a political journalist to a career as a religious journalist. She returned from Germany and completed a Master of Divinity degree at Yale University. After completing her education, Tippett was disheartened by the strident, contentious, hostile religious discussion that filled the media. She saw that religion and spirituality often were not treated intelligently and respectfully.
Tippett envisioned a forum in which an intelligent discussion of religion and faith would open people’s imaginations and hearts and inspire them to dialogue. She wanted to add a new voice to the religious discourse, and that is how the idea for Speaking of Faith was born.
Tippett describes her life experiences and what led her from political to religious journalism in her book Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk about It.
Speaking of Faith Promotes Religious Tolerance
The Speaking of Faith radio program is one of the few voices in the media that is not selfishly agenda driven. The neutral program is guided by a genuine, sincere desire to explore the wisdom of the great religious traditions, to listen carefully to the insights of today’s foremost spiritual and ethical thinkers and theologians, and to engage in an intelligent discourse about humanity’s shared experiences to find meaning and relevance.
Krista Tippett remarked, “As a journalist I'm committed to drawing out the contours and depths of what I call 'the vast middle'—left, right, and center between the poles of competing answers that have hardened our cultural discourse. In the vast middle, faith is as much about questioning as it is about certainties. It is possible to be a believer and a listener at the same time, to be both fervent and searching, to nurture a vital identity and to wonder at the identities of others.” Indeed, Speaking of Faith provides a platform where the soul has the time and space to speak—a feat that is difficult to manifest and increasingly elusive in this frenzied, sound-bite-driven world.
Readers might also enjoy reading another article on the topic of Religions Tolerance: Were Fort Hood Killings Religiously Motivated?
Sources:
Speaking of Faith (American Public Media)
Tippett, Krista. (2009). “Religion, Media and Public Life in the 21st Century: Observations from a Front Row Seat on the Evolution of Faith and Life.” University of Utah, Sterling M. McMurrin Lecture in Religion and Culture. Salt Lake City, UT. 10 Nov. 2009.
Tippett, Krista. (2008). Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk about It. New York: Penguin.
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