In Protestant churches, Mary the mother of God takes the stage at Christmas, only to disappear backstage for the rest of the year. Should she play a leading role year-round? Christianity Today's Timothy George, founding dean of Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, tells host Karen Saupe what evangelicals can learn from why Catholics revere Mary.

Martin Luther King, Jr. famously pronounced eleven o'clock Sunday morning as the most segregated hour in America. How can churches work to reverse this trend? Sociologist Gerardo Marti of Davidson College tells host Shirley Hoogstra about his research on what works and what doesn't.

Field biologist Margaret Lowman has balanced research and family in rainforest treetops around the world. Lowman, author of It’s a Jungle Up There: More Tales from the Treetops, tells host Shirley Hoogstra how her high-reaching adventures grounded her as a mother and advanced forest-canopy research for scientists, indigenous people groups, and the online student community.

Witnesses place their hand on the Bible before they testify: how would principles from that Bible play out if it were actually opened up and applied? Would prosecutors be arguing for forgiveness? Stephen Bloom, attorney with Irwin & McKnight law firm in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and author of The Believer's Guide to Legal Issues, wonders with host Karen Saupe how empty courtrooms might become.

If the Church is the "body" of Christ, then church members function as its distinct yet complementary parts. When those roles aren't obvious, how can we help each other find them? Christopher Smit of the Calvin College communication department explores with host Karen Saupe how churches can progress beyond installing ramps to fully embracing the unique roles of the disabled.

America is the land of opportunity . . . to buy stuff. Yet all this spending isn't making us any happier, studies show, and it weakens our communities. Activist Bill McKibben discusses his latest book Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future with host Karen Saupe.

Many people have strong feelings about what kind of music is appropriate for church, and exactly how it should be performed. Performed for who? James Abbington of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and executive editor of the African American Church Music series, takes host Karen Saupe on a tour at the piano.

France generates over 80% of its energy using nuclear power plants; the United States, 20%. Why the difference, and whose air is cleaner? Sigval Berg of UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture of American and French power companies, details to host Karen Saupe the advantages and concerns surrounding the use of nuclear power as an energy source.

What if you were a constantly hungry child whose mother moved away for a job, to send you money for food and schooling? And what if that short separation turned into years, decades? Thus begins _Enrique’s Journey_, written by guest Sonia Nazario. She tells host Shirley Hoogstra of her adventures in covering this Pulitzer Prize-winning story of a Honduran boy’s odyssey to be reunited with his mother in the U.S.

Many severely disabled children are cared for at home until they grow too large for their parents to be able to handle them. But what if a surgery could keep such a child mid-sized forever? Douglas Diekema, a Seattle physician and ethics consultant, tells host Shirley Hoogstra about such a surgery at his hospital and how people have responded to it.