Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

News and Public Affairs Series / 7 Seasons

This acclaimed one-of-a-kind TV show examines religion's role and the ethical dimensions behind top news headlines. Hosted by veteran journalist Bob Abernethy.

Watch Latest: S20 E5

25m 52s

April 5, 2013

S16 E31 / 26m 42s

We visit a Presbyterian pastor and her family who set aside one day a week to "remember the Sabbath"; visit New Delhi to reexamine the issue of ethics and sex selection in India; and talk with Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine, about his new book "On God's Side" and what it means for religion and politics to serve the common good.

March 22, 2013

S16 E29 / 25m 34s

We take you to Canterbury and Coventry Cathedrals, where we interviewed Justin Welby, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, to a Franciscan monastery in Washington, DC, where the monks are happy to see the new pope praising the priorities of their founder, and to the Utah desert to celebrate a Passover seder.

March 15, 2013

S16 E28 / 25m 33s

We report on the selection of Pope Francis I, the first Latin American pope, and reaction from the Catholic community and Vatican observers, including a conversation with Rev. James Martin, S.J. Also, we revisit our series on the rise of the religiously unaffiliated with our story about the religious implications. (Originally broadcast October 26, 2012)

March 8, 2013

S16 E27 / 25m 33s

We talk with Rev. Thomas Reese and Sister Mary Ann Walsh in Rome as the cardinals meet behind closed doors for the March 12th papal conclave. We also revisit our December 2012 story about the Supreme Court's decision to take up the issue of same-sex marriage, and our October 2012 report on the political implications of the rising numbers of religiously unaffiliated Americans.

March 1, 2013

S16 E26 / 25m 32s

We speak with the new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby about his thoughts on Anglican-Catholic relations and the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Also, we revisit the first part of our October 2012 series on the rise of the religiously unaffiliated and who they are, and we repeat our July 2012 story on the conflict between the Vatican and U.S. Catholic nuns over "doctrinal confusion."

February 22, 2013

S16 E25 / 25m 33s

We visit Colorado Springs, known by some as "America's Christian Mecca," to see if conservative evangelical group Focus on the Family is rethinking its political activism, and we follow members of A Journey Through NYC Religions, a project that is documenting every house of worship in New York City, block and block.

February 15, 2013

S16 E24 / 25m 32s

In the wake of the surprise announcement that Pope Benedict will resign at the end of February, we examine the legacy of his papacy, discuss the role of his successor, and explain the centuries-old process of selecting the next pope. We also asked prominent Catholics and other religious leaders to share their thoughts.

February 8, 2013

S16 E23 / 25m 33s

We interview Grammy-nominated Christian artists Lecrae and TobyMac about the increasing popularity and mainstream success of contemporary Christian music, and we examine the life and legacy of Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker movement and is now on the path towards sainthood in the Catholic Church.

January 25, 2013

S16 E21 / 25m 34s

We survey the expressions of religion on display at President Obama's second inauguration; talk with doctors and parents about the ethics of sequencing a child's genome; and listen to author Lillian Daniel, a Congregational minister, fault the shortcomings of "make-it-up-yourself" spirituality.

January 18, 2013

S16 E20 / 25m 31s

We talk with three religious leaders about their thoughts on Obama's second term; visit survivors and witnesses of lynchings in America who explain how they have been able to forgive; and watch millions of Hindu pilgrims gather in northern India for Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival.

January 11, 2013

S16 E19 / 25m 31s

We talk to Roman Catholic women priests, visit the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola to ask about the ethics of prisons for profit, and watch the whirling dervishes of Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.

January 4, 2013

S16 E18 / 25m 31s

We discuss religious diversity and the newly-sworn-in members of the 113th Congress; report on growing fears among Turkey's Alawite community about violence and extremism in Syria; and visit two Catholic schools, each in its own way fighting off declining enrollments and trying to preserve the value of a Catholic education, for both rich and poor.

December 21, 2012

S16 E16 / 25m 31s

We look back at the religion and ethics stories that made news in 2012 with host Bob Abernethy, managing editor Kim Lawton, Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, and Religion News Service editor-in-chief Kevin Eckstrom.

December 7, 2012

S16 E14 / 25m 31s

We visit a Catholic priest who became a doctor to better help Haiti's poor children; interview Southern Baptist ethicist and prominent leader of the evangelical Christian right Richard Land on culture wars and spiritual revival; and take you to the Jewish Museum in New York City as Hanukkah begins to learn more about the traditions and history of lamps, menorahs, and the festival of lights.

November 30, 2012

S16 E13 / 25m 31s

How more and more churches are learning to value people with disabilities (May 11, 2012) and the centennial celebration of a beloved holiday concert and choir at St. Olaf College. (December 16, 2012)

November 23, 2012

S16 E12 / 25m 32s

The challenges of caring for an aging parent (Originally broadcast April 13, 2012); Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz a spiritual mentor and scholar who has devoted his life to making the Talmud accessible to all (Originally broadcast April 27, 2012); and biographer Dana Greene on poet Denise Levertov, whose writing was influenced by Judaism, Christianity, war, and peace.

November 16, 2012

S16 E11 / 25m 32s

Director Ang Lee explores the meaning of faith in his new movie "Life of Pi" based on the best-selling novel; Michelangelo's famed Sistine Chapel ceiling paintings turn 500 years old; and a Massachusetts rabbi takes on the Jewish Community Food Stamp Challenge to live on a food stamp budget of just $31.50 a week.

November 9, 2012

S16 E10 / 25m 31s

A conversation about what the election results mean for religion and politics; the hurricane relief efforts of the Chabad Center of the Five Towns in Cedarhurst, NY; and a special story for Veterans Day about The Mission Continues, a nonprofit started by a former Navy SEAL that provides opportunities for military veterans to continue to serve.

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