Rock musician Salman Ahmad founded the popular South Asian band Junoon. The group has sold over 25 million albums and in 2001 became the first rock band invited to perform at the U.N. General Assembly.
Akbar Ahmed holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University. He is a former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain.
James Anderson is a retired Episcopal priest, an almost full-time volunteer in the community, a part-time farm manager, and independent writer. He's currently writing a book with Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon examining the 40-year history of the effort to fully integrate women into the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church.
Leith Anderson is president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Anderson has been senior pastor of Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn., since 1977.
Karen Armstrong's books about different religions, including her highly acclaimed "A History of God," have made her one of the most prominent authors on religious history.
The Rev. Lauren Artress, a canon at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, is president and founder of Veriditas, a non-profit dedicated to introducing people to the healing, meditative powers of the labyrinth -- a 12th century mystical tool symbolic of the Path of Life.
Rabbi Andy Bachman is the spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn's largest Reform synagogue. He is also the co-founder, along with his wife Rachel Altstein, of Brooklyn Jews, a unique cultural and learning programs for Jews in their 20s and 30s.
Randall Balmer, an Episcopal priest, is the Ann Whitney Olin professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University, and a visiting professor at Yale Divinity School. He has written ten books, including Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America and Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America.
Monsignor Thomas G. Bohlin is the U.S. vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei, an international institution of the Catholic Church that helps people come closer to God in their work and daily activities.
Marcus J. Borg holds the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture in the Philosophy Department at Oregon State University. A fellow of the Jesus Seminar, he has served as national chair of the Historical Jesus Section of the Society of Biblical Literature and co-chair of its International New Testament Program Committee, and is past president of the Anglican Association of Biblical Scholars.
Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founding rabbi of IKAR, a vibrant Jewish Spiritual Community in Los Angeles. She was included in the Forward's annual list of the 50 most influential members of the American Jewish community for three years in a row, and was recently noted in Newsweek as one of the leading rabbis in the country.
Richard Lyman Bushman is Gouverneur Morris Professor of History Emeritus at Columbia University. Most recently he authored "Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling" (2005). He works in the field of early American social and cultural history. In 1992 he published "The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, and Cities." He and his wife Claudia are lifelong members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Reverend William J. Byron, S.J., a former president of Catholic University, is on leave this year from his position as research professor at the Sellinger School of Business and Management, Loyola College in Maryland to serve as president of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia.
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane is the eighth Episcopal Bishop of Washington, a diocese that encompasses 93 congregations and about 45,000 church members in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
"On Faith" panelist Deepak Chopra is the author of more than fifty books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. His latest is "The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore." Chopra's Wellness Radio airs weekly on Sirius Satellite Stars, Channel 102, which focuses on the areas of success, love, sexuality and relationships, well-being, and spirituality. He is founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity. Time magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine.
Charles W. "Chuck" Colson is founder of Prison Fellowship, a Christian outreach ministry to the prison population of this country, as well as to ex-prisoners and crime victims.
The Rev. Dr. James Herbert Cooper is the 17th Rector of Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel in the city of New York.
Irish-born John Dominic Crossan is a professor emeritus in the religious studies department at DePaul University in Chicago. Between 1950 and 1969, he was a member of a 13th-century Roman Catholic religious order, the Servites, and remained an ordained priest from 1957 to 1969.
Richard Dawkins has been the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford since 1995. He is the author of many books, including the best-selling "The God Delusion."
Daniel C. Dennett is the Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, at Tufts University. His most recent book was Breaking the Spell (2006).
Christopher Dickey is Paris Bureau Chief and Middle East Regional Editor for Newsweek magazine . An award-winning author, the "On Faith" panelist previously was a foreign correspondent in Cairo and Central America for the Washington Post.
The Right Reverend Jane Holmes Dixon served as Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Pro tempore, with ecclesiastical authority for the diocese until she retired in 2002.
Wendy Doniger (O'Flaherty) is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago's Divinity School. The "On Faith" panelist also teaches in the University's Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations.
"On Faith" panelist Lyle Dukes is Senior Pastor and founder of Harvest Life Changers Church in Woodbridge, Virginia. He and his wife, co-pastor Deborah Dukes, have served the church since its inception in 1995.
"On Faith" panelist Dr. Bob Edgar is president of Common Cause, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, and a former congressman.
"On Faith" panelist Arnold M. Eisen is chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary. An expert on American Judaism, Eisen has worked closely for the past twenty years with synagogue and federation leadership around the country to analyze and address the issues of Jewish identity, the revitalization of Jewish tradition, and the redefinition of the American Jewish community. He has been a frequent scholar-in-residence at synagogues across the country. A product of the Conservative movement, he has served on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Program, the Wexner Fellowship, the Nahum Goldman Fellowship of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, Tel Aviv University, and Columbia University. Eisen's recent publications include Taking Hold of Torah: Jewish Commitment and Community in America (1997); Rethinking Modern Judaism: Ritual, Commandment, Community (1998); and The Jew Within: Self, Family and Community in America (2000), co-authored with sociologist Steven M. Cohen.
An ordained United Church of Christ and American Baptist minister, "On Faith" panelist Dr. Willis E. Elliott has been a pastor, teacher, lecturer, administrator, consultant (to Newsweek for 38 years), church executive, and the author of six books..
"On Faith" panelist Greg M. Epstein serves as the Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University, and sits on the executive committee of the 38-member interfaith corps of Harvard Chaplains.
John Esposito
|Director, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
"On Faith" panelist John L. Esposito is professor of religion, international affairs and Islamic studies at Georgetown University. He also is founding director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
"On Faith" panelist Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is Chairman of the Cordoba Initiative, an independent, non-partisan, interfaith project that works with state and non-state actors to improve Muslim-West relations. Author of "What's Right With Islam Is What's Right With America," (HarperCollins, 2005) he is also founder of the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA) and Imam of Masjid al-Farah in New York City.
Kathleen Flake is associate professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt University.
The Reverend James Alexander Forbes Jr. has been Senior Minister of The Riverside Church, an interdenominational, interracial, and international congregation in New York, since 1989. The "On Faith" panelist also hosts "The Time Is Now" on Air America Radio.
Paula Fredriksen is the Aurelio Professor of Scripture at Boston University. The "On Faith" panelist previously held teaching positions at the University of Pittsburgh, University of California -- Berkeley, Stanford and Princeton. She has also taught at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.
Donna Freitas is Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University. The "On Faith" panelist's literary and academic focus is the struggle of belonging and alienation with regard to faith, particularly among young adults, and especially young women. Freitas asks the 'Big Questions' (Why are we here anyway?) and delights in discovering the many forums in which to dabble with faith, religion, spirituality, and gender.
The Reverend C. Welton Gaddy leads the nonpartisan educational organizations The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, and hosts the latter's national weekly radio show, State of Belief.
Arun Gandhi
|Co-founder, M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.
Arun Gandhi is the fifth grandson of India's legendary leader, Mohandas K. "Mahatma" Gandhi. He is co-founder of the M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, now at the University of Rochester in New York.
"On Faith" panelist Chester Gillis is the Amaturo Chair of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University where he has served on the faculty since 1988. He was chair of the Department of Theology from 2001 to 2005.
On Faith panelist Mark Hall is a youth pastor at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in Atlanta. He is lead singer and songwriter for Casting Crowns.
Sam Harris
|Best-selling author of Letter to a Christian Nation
"On Faith" panelist Sam Harris is the author of the best-selling books Letter to a Christian Nation (2006) and The End of Faith (2005), which won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction and has been translated into many foreign languages.
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield is an author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. He wrote "You Don't Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism." Named as one of the nation's 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and one of the top 30 "Preachers and Teachers" by Beliefnet.com, he is the creator of the popular series, Building Bridges, airing on Bridges TV, and co-host of the weekly radio show, Hirschfield and Kula: Intelligent Talk Radio. For more information see www.bradhirschfield.com.
"On Faith" panelist Dwight N. Hopkins is Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The "On Faith" panelist is the author of "Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion," and "Shoes That Fit Our Feet: Sources for a constructive black theology." He is co-editor of "Walk Together Children: Black and womanist theologies, church and theological education," and "Another World Is Possible: Spiritualities and Religions of Global Darker Peoples."
"On Faith" panelist Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz is Professor of Social Christian Ethics and Theology at Drew University. The first Latina in the United States to receive a doctorate degree in theology, Isasi-Diaz developed "mujerista" theology, which reflects the perspective of Latinas in the United States, as well as their religious experiences and practices.
Sherman A. Jackson is a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, a visiting professor of law, and a professor of Afro-American Studies at the University of Michigan , Ann Arbor . He has served as Executive Director for the Center of Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in Cairo , Egypt , is a member of the U.S.-Muslim World Advisory Committee of the U.S. Institute of Peace , and a co-founder of the American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM).
Susan Jacoby is the author of "The Age of American Unreason," to be published in February by Pantheon.
Bishop T.D. Jakes is the pastor of The Potter's House, a 30,000 member nondenominational church in Dallas, Texas.
"On Faith" panelist Professor M. Cathleen Kaveny, a scholar who focuses on the relationship of law, religion, and and morality, is the John P. Murphy Foundation Professor of Law ind Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. She earned her A.B. from Princeton University in 1984, and holds her JD. and her Ph.D. from Yale University . A member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1993, Professor Kaveny clerked for the Honorable John T. Noonan Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and worked as an associate in the health law group of a large Boston law firm before beginning her teaching career.
Daisy Khan
|Exec. Dir. of American Society for Muslim Advancement
"On Faith" panelist Daisy Khan is Executive Director of ASMA Society (American Society for Muslim Advancement).
His Excellency Mohammad Khatami served two terms as Iran's president from 1997 to 2005. He also founded the Tehran-based International Institute for Dialogue among Civilizations and Cultures.
Rabbi Irwin Kula is the President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York. He has served congregations in St. Louis, New York and Jerusalem.
"On Faith" panelist Richard Land has served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission since 1988.
The Very Reverend Doctor Samuel T. Lloyd III was installed as ninth dean of Washington National Cathedral in 2005. The "On Faith" panelist previously served as rector of Boston's historic Trinity Church in Copley Square for 12 years, and before that, as chaplain of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Martin E. Marty is Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he taught religious history, chiefly in the Divinity School, for 35 years, and where the Martin Marty Center has been founded to promote "public religion" endeavors.
Moez Masoud
|Founding Director, Al-Tareeq Al-Sah Institute
Moez Masoud is Founding Director of "Al-Tareeq Al-Sah" Institute in Egypt. His popular show "Al-Tareeq Al-Sah" (The Right Way) is watched by millions of people across the Arab world. Based on an orthodox understanding of Islam, his discourse is mainly aimed at reconciling contemporary life with spirituality. His institute's documentary and musical productions -- which aim to convey this philosophy -- air regularly and top the charts. Masoud was recently named one of the 20 most influential religious figures in Egypt, where he is currently based.
Ingrid Mattson is Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, as well as Director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program, at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut . In 2006, the "On Faith" panelist became the first woman elected President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the largest religious organization for Muslims on the continent.
"On Faith" panelist Brian D. McLaren is a best-selling author, pastor and intellectual leader of "emerging church," a Christian evangelical movement that seeks new ways to worship and understand the gospel in a postmodern era.
Jon Meacham's book American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, has become a bestseller since its publication in early 2006. Newsweek's managing editor since 1998, Meacham was named editor of the weekly newsmagazine in October 2006. In this position, he oversees all day-to-day editorial operations of Newsweek and Newsweek.com.
"On Faith" panelist Lisa Miller is a senior editor at Newsweek. She oversees all of the magazine's religion coverage and writes the regular "Belief Watch column.
R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is the ninth president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary--the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention and one of the largest seminaries in the world. The "On Faith" panelist is a theologian and ordained minister and has served as pastor and staff minister of several Southern Baptist churches.
Richard J. Mouw has served as president of Fuller Theological Seminary since 1993, after four years as provost and senior vice president. A philosopher, scholar, and author, the "On Faith" panelist has been recognized as an important voice among reform-oriented evangelicals.
Hadia Mubarak, an "On Faith" panelist, is a senior researcher at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
Baroness Julia Neuberger is an ordained rabbi and member of Britian's House of Lords. The "On Faith" panelist also is a trustee of the British Council, Jewish Care, and the Booker Prize Foundation, as well as founding trustee of the Walter and Liesel Schwab Charitable Trust.
Gustav Niebuhr is an associate professor of religion and the media, an interdisciplinary position in the College of Arts & Sciences and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Since June 2004, the "On Faith" panelist has directed the Religion & Society Program, an interdisciplinary undergraduate major.
"On Faith" panelist Sulayman S. Nyang teaches in the Department of African Studies at Howard University in Washington, D.C. A scholar of African and Muslim affairs, Nyang, who is a native of the Republic of the Gambia, also served as his homeland's deputy ambassador to seven Middle Eastern and North African countries from 1975-78.
"On Faith" panelist Michael Otterson heads the worldwide public affairs functions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A convert to the Mormon faith, he worked as a journalist and editor for 11 years for newspapers in England, Australia and Japan before devoting his professional life to Church public affairs. Since then he has directed Church public affairs operations in various parts of the world. He has conducted hundreds of news media interviews on a wide range of Church-related issues. In a church that operates worldwide with a lay clergy, Otterson has served twice as a stake president (leader of a group of church congregations), in both England and Australia. He has lived in the United States since 1991 and is now a U.S. citizen.
"On Faith" panelist Elaine Pagels is Harrington Spear Paine Foundation Professor of Religion at Princeton University and author of best-selling books about the pluralistic nature of early Christianity. Her book Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas (2003), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, focuses on religious claims to possessing the ultimate truth.
Luis Palau
|Renowned Christian evangelist and author
Christian evangelist and author Luis Palau has reached an estimated 21 million people in 70 nations through his festivals and writings. His radio broadcasts are heard by millions more on over 2100 radio stations in 42 countries.
"On Faith" panelist Stephen Prothero is Chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University and author of numerous books on American religion, most recently Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't (2007).
Eboo Patel is founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit that promotes interfaith cooperation. His blog, The Faith Divide, explores what drives faiths apart and what brings them together.
Washington Post journalist, author and Washington DC insider, Sally Quinn founded and co-moderates On Faith, a blog from the Washington Post and Newsweek. Co-moderated by Newsweek editor and bestselling author Jon Meacham and hosted by a panel of renowned religious scholars of all denominations, On Faith is the first worldwide, interactive discussion about religion and its impact on global life.
As editor of the Catholic weekly magazine "America" (americamagazine.org), Rev. Thomas J. Reese promoted discussion on current issues facing the Catholic Church and the world. The "On Faith" panelist is author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. He is frequently quoted as an expert on Catholic issues.
"On Faith" panelist Dr. John Mark Reynolds can be found blogging regularly at Scriptoriumdaily.com along with other faculty from the Torrey Honors Institute, a great books program at Biola University for which he is founder and director. He is also Associate Professor of Philosophy for Biola. In 1996 he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester.
Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
Rev. Gabriel Salguero is a pastor and executive member of the Latino Leadership Circle. The "On Faith" panelist received his M.Div. from New Brunswick Theological Seminary and is a Ph.D. candidate in Christian social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He and his wife, Jeanette, co-pastor the multicultural Lamb's Church of the Nazarene in New York City.
Rabbi David Saperstein is the Washington representative of Judaism's Reform Movement as Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a position he has held for 30 years. The "On Faith" panelist also co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, and serves on the boards of numerous national organizations including the NAACP and People For the American Way.
"On Faith" panelist Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University and Director of its Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. Sarna served two terms as chair of Brandeis' Department of Near Eastern & Judaic Studies.
The Right Rev. Mark Sean Sisk has been Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, one of the Episcopal Church's largest dioceses with over 200 congregations since 2001. Before returning to New York as Bishop Coadjutor in 1998, the "On Faith" panelist served for 14 years as President and Dean of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.
"On Faith" panelist The Rev. Dr. Susan K. Smith, senior pastor of Advent United Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio, is a 1986 graduate of Yale Divinity School. She received her BA in English Literature from Occidental College and her D. Min. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Rev. Smith is a co-president of BREAD, (Building Responsibility, Equity and Dignity). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. She is the author of four books, "Carla and Annie," "From Calvary to Victory," "Forgive WHO?" and "Crazy Faith for Everyday People."
"On Faith" panelist John Shelby Spong served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark for 24 years before his retirement in 2000. His books, seeking to make contemporary theology accessible to lay readers, have sold over a million copies.
"On Faith" panelist Starhawk is a prominent voice in modern Wiccan spirituality and cofounder of Reclaiming (www.reclaiming.org), an activist branch of modern Pagan religion. She is the author or coauthor of ten books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (1979) --considered an essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement--and the novel The Fifth Sacred Thing (1993) .
For more than 40 years, "On Faith" panelist Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz has devoted himself to the monumental undertaking of translating and reinterpreting the Talmud, the vast collection of rabbinic writings that constitute Jewish civil and religious laws.
"On Faith" panelist Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo is Professor Emeritus of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at Brooklyn College and Distinguished Scholar of the City University of New York. He has written more than 40 scholarly articles and authored nine books, including the four-volume PARAL series on religion among Latinos.
"On Faith" panelist Mark Tauber is Sr. Vice President of HarperCollins Publishers. Mark obtained his Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary and has fifteen years of experience in religious, spiritual, personal growth and Bible publishing. Prior to joining HarperCollins, Mark was a co-founder of Waterfront Media, an original, founding team member of Beliefnet.com and on staff at Oxford University Press.
The Reverend Gardner Calvin Taylor is senior pastor emeritus of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, N.Y. The "On Faith" panelist led the congregation from 1948 to 1990, as church membership grew by 9,000 and through a 1952 fire that necessitated a $1.7 million rebuilding effort.
"On Faith" panelist Pamela K. Taylor is co-founder of Muslims for Progressive Values and director of the Islamic Writers Alliance. She is a member of the national board of advisors to the Network of Spiritual Progressives, and served as co-chair of the Progressive Muslim Union for two years. Taylor is a strong supporter of the woman imam movement, which seeks the full participation of Muslim women in every aspect of life, including the pulpit.
The Rev. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite is professor of theology at Chicago Theological Seminary, where she served as president for 10 years. Her area of expertise is contextual theologies of liberation, specializing in issues of violence and violation.
Syndicated political columnist and "On Faith" panelist Cal Thomas has a twice-weekly column that appears in over 500 newspapers around the world. A graduate of American University, Thomas is a veteran of broadcast and print journalism.
On Faith" panelist Robert A.F. Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University.
The Reverend William McD. Tully has been rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in New York City since September 1994. The first professional calling of the "On Faith" panelist was to journalism, and he worked as a copy boy and local reporter at the Los Angeles Times.
Desmond Tutu
|Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights advocate
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Mpilo Tutu was awarded the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the cause of racial justice in South Africa. He served as the first black African archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996. Prior to this role as spiritual leader of the Anglican Church in South Africa, Tutu served as General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches from 1978 to 1985.
J. Brent Walker is executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee and both a member of the Supreme Court Bar and an ordained minister.
Jim Wallis is president and executive director of Sojourners/Call to Renewal, progressive Christian movements founded to fight poverty and promote social justice. He also is the author of the best-selling God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It (2005).
The Reverend Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life" (2002), founded Saddleback Church in 1980 with one family. Today, the church has 83,000 members, of whom about 23,000 attend weekly services on its 120-acre campus in Lake Forest, Calif.
"On Faith" panelist Rabbi Arthur Waskow has been one of the creators and leaders of Jewish renewal since writing the original Freedom Seder in 1969. In 1983, he founded and has since been director of The Shalom Center (www.shalomctr.org). In 2007, Newsweek named him one of America's fifty most influential rabbis.
George Weigel is a Catholic theologian and Senior Fellow of Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. He is the author or editor of eighteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, which has been translated into twelve languages.
Elie Wiesel
|Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of Night
"On Faith" panelist Elie Wiesel received the 1986 Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of his long-time advocacy for oppressed peoples. Wiesel was deported with his family to Auschwitz from Transylvania at age 15. His mother and younger sister perished there, and Wiesel and his father were moved to Buchenwald, where his father died before the concentration camp was liberated in 1945.
Nicholas Thomas Wright is Anglican Bishop of Durham, England. The "On Faith" panelist taught New Testament studies for 20 years at Cambridge, McGill and Oxford Universities before becoming Dean of Lichfeld in 1994. He was named Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey in 2000, and consecrated bishop in 2003.
Rajan Zed
|Hindu chaplain in Nevada, California
Rajan Zed is a Hindu chaplain in northwestern Nevada and adjoining California.
November 9, 2006
The daughter of a U.S. military officer, Sally Quinn was brought up by a Presbyterian mother and an Episcopalian father in non-denominational military chapels around the world. As an adult, her religious beliefs have evolved. First a Christian, she later became an atheist, and now is someone who is exploring the faith traditions of all cultures. She is currently working on a book about religion in Washington.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, Quinn was a reporter for The Washington Post’s Style section, producing irreverent and often controversial profiles of celebrities and politicians. Before long, she was one of the paper’s most celebrated writers. At age 32, she left The Post to become co-anchor for “CBS Morning News.” It was a frustrating and short-lived experience that she chronicled in her first book, We’re Going to Make You a Star.
Quinn returned to Washington and continues to write for The Post. She also has written three other books: Regrets Only, (1986) her first novel; Happy Endings (1991), its sequel, and The Party, (1997), in which Quinn offers an insider’s look at Washington entertaining and a personal view of the value of friendship.
Quinn is married to Benjamin Bradlee, retired executive editor of The Post who currently is vice-president at-large for the company. They live in Washington with their son, Quinn, who was born with a heart defect, which Quinn says has had a tremendous effect on her life. “It was the most important thing that ever happened to me…In the end maybe it will make me a better writer because I’ve become more empathetic and more sympathetic than I ever was before.”
November 9, 2006
Jon Meacham’s book American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, became a bestseller after its publication in early 2006.
Newsweek’s managing editor since 1998, Meacham was named editor of the weekly newsmagazine in October, 2006. In this position, he oversees all day-to-day editorial operations of Newsweek and Newsweek.com.
Meacham began his journalism career as a reporter with The Chattanooga Times from 1991-1992. He was an editor for two years at The Washington Monthly. After arriving at Newsweek in January, 1995, he became National Affairs editor in June of that year, supervising coverage of politics and breaking news. In 1998, he edited Newsweek’s coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. That coverage was honored with a 1999 National Magazine Award for Reporting.
Meacham also has written cover stories on politics, religion, guns in America, race, and President Ronald Reagan’s death. He played a key role in editing coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks, for which Newsweek received a National Magazine Award for General Excellence. The magazine won the same award again in 2003 for coverage of President Bush and the war in Iraq.
His books also include Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship (2003), a chronicle of the wartime relationship between Roosevelt and Churchill. In 2001, he edited Voices in Our Blood: America’s Best on the Civil Rights Movement, a literary anthology of the most important non-fiction accounts of the 20th century battle against Jim Crow. He is working on a biography of Andrew Jackson and his White House circle.
Born in Chattanooga in 1969, Meacham is a graduate of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. He is a communicant of St. Thomas Episcopal Church Fifth Avenue and serves on the Vestry of the 180-year-old parish. He also is a member of the Vestry of Trinity Church Wall Street and, in 2005, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University’s Berkeley Divinity School. Meacham lives in New York City with his wife, Keith, director of development at Harlem Day Charter School, and their two children.
November 10, 2006
If some religious people believe they have a monopoly on truth, then are conversation and common ground possible? If so, what would be the difficulties and benefits of such a conversation?
November 22, 2006
Is Thanksgiving a religious holiday? If so, who does one thank and for what? Should non-believers celebrate Thanksgiving?
November 27, 2006
Pope Benedict XVI is in Turkey this week. What did you think of his remarks about Islam at Regensburg, and do you think he, and the Christian church in general, can help Muslims take on their more violent and extreme elements?
December 6, 2006
Millions of people are in mixed faith marriages or are unsure about their conception of God. How would you advise them to describe God to their children over the holiday season?
December 13, 2006
Some politically conservative Christians say that America is "a Christian nation," and at this time of year, with the country saturated with Christmas imagery, it can seem that they are right. Are they? Is America a "Christian nation"? Should it be?
December 20, 2006
Do you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God? If so, what exactly does that mean? If not, who was he?
December 27, 2006
Atheism is enjoying a certain vogue right now. Why do you
think that is? Can there be a productive conversation between
believers and atheists, and if so over what kinds of issues?
January 1, 2007
Robert Bruno, Joint Staff Chaplain, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President and author of
Palestine Peace Not Apartheid
George Weigel, Senior fellow, Washington's Ethics and Public Policy Center
January 3, 2007
What was your own most formative religious experience, if you had one?
January 10, 2007
President Bush is preparing this week to send more troops to Baghdad. Do you believe there is such a thing as a "just war"? Is the Iraq war "just"?
January 17, 2007
Have women fared well or badly in the world's religions down through the ages? Why?
January 24, 2007
As the presidential campaign begins to take shape, do you think it is appropriate and or important for the candidates to express their personal religious views and to use religious rhetoric? Why?
January 31, 2007
Against the backdrop of the annual National Prayer Breakfast being held this week, we consider: ‘What is prayer? Do you pray? If so to whom and for what?’
February 7, 2007
International scientists have raised a new alarm about the dangers of global warming. Should care for the environment be a major priority for people of faith? Why or why not?
February 14, 2007
"Why do you think some religions have regarded sex as sacred while others have regarded it as a sin?"
February 20, 2007
February 21, 2007
Can you be critical of Israel and not be anti-Semitic? Can you be critical of Israel and be a faithful Jew?
February 28, 2007
What does your faith lead you to believe about gay unions and gay clergy? Could you ever change your mind?
March 4, 2007
Barry Lynn and Stephen Prothero Debate: Should Religion Be Taught in Public Schools?
March 7, 2007
Should teaching about religion be mandatory in public schools? In colleges and universities?
March 14, 2007
Does discrimination against Catholics still exist in this country today? If so, why? How have you experienced discrimination because of your religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs?
March 27, 2007
What's wrong with tolerance?
March 27, 2007
Do you believe the world will come to an end? If so, where, when and what will it look like?
March 28, 2007
Does the mass media, especially television, treat religion fairly in news and entertainment programs? Explain.
April 4, 2007
If the remains of Jesus had been definitively found, how would that change your view of Christianity?
April 11, 2007
Can a Christian, Muslim or Jew embrace eastern spiritual practices -- yoga or Buddhist meditation, for example -- and remain true to the laws of the God of Abraham?
April 17, 2007
How does your faith tradition explain (and respond to) senseless tragedies such as the Virginia Tech shootings.
April 19, 2007
Do you think Islam is a violent religion?
April 25, 2007
In light of recent high-profile public apologies by Don Imus, Paul Wolfowitz, Michael Nifong, the Pope and others, what is the relationship of apology (repentance) to forgiveness?
May 2, 2007
After 175 years of existence, is Mormonism entering the mainstream of American religious life or are people still suspicious of it?
May 9, 2007
Was Jesus a social revolutionary? Why or why not? Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Brazil revives worldwide interest in this question.
May 15, 2007
Rev. Jerry Falwell, a founder of the Moral Majority and the Religious Right, died May 15. How will he be remembered?
May 18, 2007
Are you satisfied with where you are now in your life?
May 23, 2007
In the controversial new book, "God is Not Great," author Christopher Hitchens argues that "religion is man-made." How would you respond to that statement?
May 30, 2007
How do you keep your faith during times of war?
June 6, 2007
At a Sojourners presidential forum on faith, values and poverty this week, three Democratic frontrunners -- Clinton, Edwards and Obama -- connected their personal faith to policy issues such as poverty, health care, immigration and war. How might this new direction by Democrats change the conversation on faith and politics?
June 8, 2007
What's more important from a faith perspective? Being saved? Or doing good works?
June 13, 2007
What is the place of questioning in faith? Does questioning tenets or traditions make your faith less valid?
June 20, 2007
Some political leaders say we need to get out of Iraq now. Others say we are obligated to stay and try to restore civil order and authority. What's the moral position? Is there one?
June 27, 2007
Do you believe in heaven or hell? If not, why not? If so, who's going there and how do you know?
July 4, 2007
This July 4, Pagans rallied outside the White House. They want the military to add a Pagan chaplain. Should they get one? Would you vote for a Pagan for public office?
July 11, 2007
Pope Benedict is encouraging wider use of Latin Mass. What elements of tradition -- including language -- are essential for worship?
July 18, 2007
How does the Pope's reiteration that the church of Christ exists fully only in the Catholic Church strike you? How will this affect ecumenical relations? Does anyone care?
July 27, 2007
What does Islam really say about violence, religious freedom and the role of women?
August 1, 2007
Last month, a Hindu chaplain opened the U.S. Senate with prayer. Some critics say that violated "One Nation Under God," others church-state separation. What do you think?
August 8, 2007
Are physicians' primary obligations to their patients or their religious convictions?
August 15, 2007
What passage or verse in scripture or literature best defines your own faith or beliefs? Why?
August 22, 2007
What do you think of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's vote to urge its bishops to refrain from disciplining clergy who are in "mutual, chaste and faithful committed same-gender relationships"?
August 27, 2007
Should religious denominations adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding the sexual preferences of their clergy?
August 29, 2007
In her letters, Mother Teresa expressed doubts about the existence of God and lamented the absence of a personal sense of Jesus' love in her life. Does this make you think more or less of her? To what extent is doubt a part of religious faith?
September 5, 2007
A question as we commemorate the anniversaries of Katrina and 9/11: Why would a merciful God allow disasters -- natural or manmade -- to happen?
September 11, 2007
On the anniversary of 9/11, what message would you like to send religious extremists?
September 16, 2007
To what extent are problems in the Middle East about religion and to what extent are they about politics? Does it matter?
September 19, 2007
Various religious groups in America, from Jehovah's Witnesses to Mormons, have been considered cults at some point. What is the difference between a religion and a cult? What constitutes a real religion?
September 26, 2007
Best-selling atheist Christopher Hitchens wrote: "Religion is violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." Why is he right or wrong?
October 2, 2007
GOP presidential candidate John McCain said recently that he "admired" Islam but would prefer a president with "a solid grounding" in the Christian faith. Would you consider a candidate's religious background in deciding for whom to vote? If so, under what circumstances?
October 10, 2007
Do you believe in life after death? Have you ever been visited by the spirit of a dead relative or friend? Do such visions or visitations have any theological meaning?
October 17, 2007
The Dalai Lama says 'All major religious traditions carry basically the same message: That is love, compassion and forgiveness.' Do you agree?
October 24, 2007
In his "letter to a Southern Baptist pastor," biosociologist E.O. Wilson warns: "An alliance between science and religion, forged in an atomosphere of mutual respect, may be the only way to protect life on earth." Is such an alliance necessary? Possible?
October 30, 2007
How scary is Halloween? Is it harmless fun, devil worship or a time for spiritual reflection?
November 1, 2007
Is health care for children a parental responsibility or a moral imperative for society?
November 7, 2007
Can the use of torture ever be justified?
November 14, 2007
How can we forgive our enemies? Should we, even if they have committed atrocities?
November 21, 2007
Happy Holidays? Why are many holiday family gatherings marked by tension and unhappiness?
November 23, 2007
In a world torn by religious, ethnic and geopolitical conflict, what can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving?
November 28, 2007
From Clinton to Craig, from Swaggart to Paulk, America seems obsessed with sex scandals. Is sex outside of marriage a sin? Is it a public matter? Is it forgivable?
December 6, 2007
What did you think of Mitt Romney's speech Thursday about religion? What would you have told him to say?
December 12, 2007
Rick Warren's Saddleback Church just hosted its third "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church." Do you think the world's biggest social problems -- poverty, disease, homelessness -- can be cured by well-intentioned religious believers?
December 17, 2007
Britain's equality chief says "It's time to stop being daft about Christmas. It's fine to celebrate and it's fine for Christ to be the star of the show" in all public celebrations. Are we being too politically correct about Christmas?
December 24, 2007
Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives approved HR 847 recognizing the importance of Christianity and Christmas. Would you have voted for this resolution? How would you amend it?
December 31, 2007
The presidential primary season is about to begin. What should we be looking for in a presidential candidate? What do we need to know about the moral values and religious beliefs of a candidate?
January 7, 2008
PBS is airing a series on "The Jewish Americans." We know what "Jewish identity" has meant in the past. What will it mean in the future? How does a minority religion retain its roots and embrace change?
January 16, 2008
In Christian theology, there are Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed and sloth. Which of these do you think is the worst? Which is most prevalent and harmful in our society today?
January 23, 2008
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says "we need . . . to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary view." What do you think?
January 30, 2008
Two world church leaders died this week -- President Gordon B. Hinckley of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Archbishop Christodoulos of the Greek Orthodox Church. How important are religious leaders to members of the faith and to public perceptions of those faiths?"
February 1, 2008
A journalism student in Afghanistan has been sentenced to death for distributing an Internet article that was considered an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. Do Islamic beliefs preclude freedom of speech? What about other faiths?
February 6, 2008
A man in Siberia named "Vissarion" who has 5,000 followers claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Such claims have been made by various people over the millennia. How do we know true revelation from false?
February 7, 2008
In his new book "Thumpin' It," Jacques Berlinerblau laments that secularism has become a taboo subject for Republicans and Democrats. Has this year's presidential campaign become too religious? Are secular ideas getting short shrift?
» BERLINERBLAU RESPONDS
February 13, 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested that English law must accommodate some aspects of Islamic law, or shariah. Do you agree? Should U.S. law make room for shariah?
February 20, 2008
Barack Obama has been seen as embracing religious values since his June, 2006 "Call to Renewal" speech, but how is his or any presidential candidate's faith reflected in policy positions and campaign tactics?
February 23, 2008
Do you believe that Barack Obama elicits religious fervor among his followers as some have suggested? Is this good or bad, and why do you think so?
February 27, 2008
According to a new Pew Forum survey, more than 4 in 10 Americans have switched their religious affiliation since childhood or dropped out of any formal religious group. Is this a mark of the health or sickness of American religion?
March 4, 2008
If the historical Jesus were running for president, what kind of candidate would he be? Republican or Democrat? For or against the death penalty, the Iraq war, abortion, etc.?
March 12, 2008
E-mail: Blessing or Curse?
March 14, 2008
What does the Eliot Spitzer scandal say about our public and private morality? Should he have resigned?
March 22, 2008
Do you have to believe the resurrection is literally true -- that Jesus came back to life in his body -- to be a Christian?
March 25, 2008
How should Barack Obama have responded to inflammatory remarks made by his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright? Are you responsible for what your spiritual leader says from the pulpit?
March 26, 2008
Which "ism" is more entrenched in America, sexism or racism? Which should religion address?
April 4, 2008
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago today. What are your memories of that day? What impact did it have on you? How is King relevant to you and to us today?
April 6, 2008
John McCain's spiritual guide, televangelist Rod Parsley, calls Islam a "false religion" that should be "destroyed." Should McCain renounce Parsley? Will Islam be an issue in this year's U.S. presidential election?
April 9, 2008
Pope Benedict's recent baptism of a well-known Italian Muslim has prompted criticism in much of the Islamic world. Has Benedict done enough to build bridges to Islam?
April 22, 2008
What can Pope Benedict XVI say and do to repair the growing rifts between the Vatican, the clergy and the laity in America?
April 23, 2008
In his speech to U.S. bishops last week, Pope Benedict XVI said: "Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted . . . To the extent that religion becomes a purely private affair, it loses its very soul." Do you agree or disagree? Why?
April 28, 2008
Jeremiah Wright's sermons continue to be an issue in the presidential campaign. Why? What do you think of his preaching style? What do you wish you understood better about it?
May 6, 2008
The percentage of voters who find Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama "honest and trustworthy" is declining as the campaign wears on. Why? From a moral standpoint, how important is this quality in a president?
May 14, 2008
Some Christian leaders issued An Evangelical Manifesto last week to depoliticize the term 'evangelical.' "We evangelicals are defined theologically, and not politically, socially or culturally," they said. In your mind, what is the definition of an evangelical?
May 21, 2008
The California Supreme Court has overturned that state's ban on gay marriage. Is marriage a legal right or a sacred rite? Should the state be involved in marriage? Should religious institutions?
May 28, 2008
Greed, one of the seven deadly sins, is seen as a major factor in the housing market crash and the oil price spike. Can greed ever be justified morally or religiously?
June 4, 2008
Should Barack Obama have resigned from his church?
June 10, 2008
Do you believe that faith can effect your health or is that a lot of new age nonsense?
» Read more about this in the Post's Health section.
June 18, 2008
Hindu groups have protested that "The Love Guru," the latest Mike Myers movie, exposes their faith to ridicule. Where is the line between acceptable humor about religion and offensive disrespect?
June 25, 2008
Tell us about a book (or books) that made a difference in your life.
» Readers: Add your choice to the On Faith Bookshelf
July 1, 2008
According to a new Pew survey, 21% of American atheists believe in God or a universal spirit, 12% believe in heaven and 10% pray at least once a week. What do you make of this?
July 9, 2008
What do you think about Sally Quinn, a non-Catholic, going to Communion at Tim Russert's Catholic funeral? What are some do's and don'ts for observing the religious rituals of others?
July 16, 2008
Poll routinely show that 75 percent of Americans hold some form of belief in the paranormal such as astrology, telepathy and ghosts. All religions contain beliefs in the supernatural. Is there a link? What's the difference?
July 31, 2008
Three in 10 Americans acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, and yet 9 in 10 say they believe in God. How does racial prejudice reflect on one's religious beliefs?
July 23, 2008
The ACLU has asked the U.S. Naval Academy to end prayers at mandatory meals, and yet all branches of the service employ chaplains. What is the proper role of religion in the military?
August 6, 2008
What's your response to this question from a Post story on low-wage workers? "What role does God or your faith play in helping you get through tough financial times?"
August 25, 2008
Another politician (John Edwards) has admitted to having an extramarital affair, and another spouse (Elizabeth Edwards) has been forgiving. At what point does a person of faith cease to forgive? At what point does forgiveness become destructive?
August 14, 2008
Megachurch pastor Rick Warren will interview John McCain and Barack Obama on national TV Saturday evening. What would you ask both candidates?
Sally's Question | Jon's Question
August 18, 2008
At the Saddleback Church Forum, pastor Rick Warren began his interviews with John McCain and Barack Obama by saying: "We believe in separation of church and state, but not faith and politics." What's your response to that and to the forum?
August 27, 2008
Advise John McCain and Barack Obama on the role religion should play in their presidential campaigns.
September 3, 2008
Women are not allowed to become clergy in many conservative religious groups. Is it hypocritical to think that a woman can lead a nation and not a congregation?
September 9, 2008
Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin recently suggested that a gas pipeline is "God's will" and the Iraq war is "a task that is from God." Are you concerned about these or any other candidate's religious views?
September 16, 2008
Are the economy's recent financial failures also moral failures? Are credit and debt religious issues? Do you have faith in the economy?
September 24, 2008
John McCain and Sarah Palin say it's time to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Do you agree? What is the right moral choice?
» New Comments Policy
October 1, 2008
What would you ask vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin about their religious beliefs and why?
October 7, 2008
Obama and Wright. McCain and Keating. Palin and Muthee. To what extent is it right or wrong to judge candidates by the company they keep?
October 14, 2008
Fears about the economy. Anger on the campaign trail. Which concerns you most? How should we respond?
October 21, 2008
The theme of The Women's Conference 2008 is We Empower. Does religion empower women?
» More on The Women's Conference
October 28, 2008
Is there a religious reason to vote for or against Obama or McCain?
November 5, 2008
What does the election of Barack Obama as president say about America? What does it say to the world?
November 12, 2008
Religion scholar Karen Armstrong is asking the world to write a Charter for Compassion, based on her premise that compassion is central to all religions. Do you agree? If so, what has gone wrong?
» More about Charter for Compassion
November 19, 2008
Washington and Lincoln proclaimed national days of Thanksgiving to God, but Jefferson declined and Jackson rejected a national day of prayer. Should presidents issue such calls or leave religion to the religious?
November 25, 2008
President-elect Obama hasn't been to church in three weeks, saying he doesn't want to disrupt the service for others. Reagan and Bush said the same thing, but Carter and Clinton attended church regularly. What's your advice? Where should presidents worship?
December 3, 2008
In response to the terrorist attacks in India, how would you advise President-elect Obama and his new foreign policy team to confront religious extremism and terrorism?
December 17, 2008
Should conservative Episcopalians who disagree with U.S. church leaders about homosexuality and other issues leave and form a separate denomination?
» VIDEO Interview: Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori
December 9, 2008
Is there a religious and/or scriptural case for gay marriage?
» Read Newsweek's Cover Story on this issue.
December 22, 2008
What do you think of Barack Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the Inaugural Invocation? Who would have been your choice?
Salman Ahmad | Founder, Junoon
Akbar Ahmed | Professor at American University
James Anderson | Co-founder, Alban Institute
Leith Anderson | President, National Association of Evangelicals
Karen Armstrong | Religion Scholar
Lauren Artress
| Episcopal Priest, Founder Veriditas
Andy Bachman
| Reform Rabbi, Brooklyn
Randall Balmer | Episcopal Priest, Professor at Barnard College
Thomas G. Bohlin | U.S. vicar of the Prelature of Opus Dei
Marcus Borg | Jesus Seminar Scholar
Sharon Brous | Founding Rabbi, IKAR
Richard Bushman | Professor at Columbia University
William J. Byron
| Catholic Priest, ex-President of Catholic University
John Bryson Chane
| Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Deepak Chopra
|Founder, Alliance for a New Humanity
Charles W. "Chuck" Colson
|Founder, Prison Fellowship ministry
Jim Cooper
| Rector, Trinity Church Wall Street
John Dominic Crossan
| Professor Emeritus, DePaul University
Richard Dawkins
|British Evolutionary Biologist
Daniel C. Dennett
|Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University
Christopher Dickey
|Journalist, Newsweek magazine
Jane Holmes Dixon
|Former Episcopal Bishop of Washington
Wendy Doniger
|Religion Professor, University of Chicago
Lyle Dukes
|Founder, Harvest Life Changers Church
Bob Edgar
|President of Common Cause.
Arnold M. Eisen
|Chancellor, Jewish Theological Seminary
Willis E. Elliott
|Minister, teacher, author
Greg M. Epstein
|Humanist Chaplain of Harvard University
Feisal Abdul Rauf
|Imam; Chairman, Cordoba Institute
Kathleen Flake
|Associate Professor, Religious History
James A. Forbes Jr.
|Senior Minister, The Riverside Church 
Paula Fredriksen
| Professor of Scripture, Boston University 
Donna Freitas
|Asst. Prof. of Religion, Boston University
C. Welton Gaddy
|Leader of the Interfaith Alliance 
Chester L. Gillis
|Chair of Catholic Studies at Georgetown University.
Mark Hall
|Youth Pastor, Singer-Songwriter
Brad Hirschfield
|President, Natl. Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership
Dwight Hopkins
|Professor, U. of chicago Divinity
Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz
|Professor, Ethics, Theology, Drew University 
Sherman Jackson
| American Learning Institute for Muslims 
Susan Jacoby
|Author and reporter
T.D. Jakes
|Bishop and Pastor, The Potter's House 
M. Cathleen Kaveny
|Professor, Notre Dame
Mohammad Khatami
|Former Iranian president 
Irwin Kula
|Rabbi, author, commentator
Richard Land
| Southern Baptist Convention Leader 
Samuel T. Lloyd
|Dean, Washington National Cathedral 
Martin E. Marty
| Professor emeritus, University of Chicago 
Ingrid Mattson
|President, Islamic Society of North America 
Brian D. McLaren
|Best-selling author 
Jon Meacham
|Managing editor, Newsweek 
Lisa Miller
|Belief Watch
R. Albert Mohler Jr.
|President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary 
Richard Mouw
|President, Fuller Theological Seminary 
Hadia Mubarak
|Researcher, Student
Julia Neuberger
| Rabbi, Member of Britain's House of Lords 
R. Gustav Niebuhr
|Director, Religion & Society, Syracuse University 
Sulayman S. Nyang
| Scholar, African and Muslim affairs 
Michael Otterson |Head of Public Affairs, LDS Church 
Elaine Pagels
|Best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee 
Stephen Prothero
|Chair, Department of Religion, Boston University 
Eboo Patel
|The Faith Divide
Sally Quinn
|Washington Post reporter 
Thomas J. Reese
|Senior fellow Woodstock Theological Center
John Mark Reynolds
|Professor, Biola University
Samuel Rodriguez
|Pres., Nat. Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
Gabriel Salguero
| Pastor, Executive Member, Latino Leadership Circle
David Saperstein
|Dir., Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism 
Jonathan D. Sarna
|Prof. American Jewish History, Brandeis U.
Mark S. Sisk
|Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of New York
Susan K. Smith
|Pastor, United Church of Christ
John Shelby Spong
|Former Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Newark 
Starhawk
|Co-founder, Reclaiming 
Adin Steinsaltz
|Founder, Israel Institute for Talmudic Publications 
Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo
|Director, Research Center for Religion 
Mark Tauber
|VP, HarperCollins
Gardner Calvin Taylor
|Pastor, Concord Baptist Church of Christ
Pamela K. Taylor
|Co-founder, Muslims for Progressive Values
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
|Professor, Theological Seminary 
Cal Thomas
|Syndicated political columnist 
Robert Thurman
|Prof., Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies
William McD. Tully"
|Rector of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church
J. Brent Walker
|Executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee
Jim Wallis
|President, Sojourners/Call to Renewal
Rick Warren
|Founder, Saddleback Church 
Arthur Waskow
|Rabbi, Founder Shalom Center
George Weigel
|Catholic theologian and best-selling author 
Nicholas T. Wright
|Anglican Bishop of Durham, England 
Guest Contributors to On Faith
