The final two programs of the season will feature a potpourri of unanswered questions from Rev. Dr. Tom Shepherd's mailbag, accumulated more than 15 years of writing the Q&A column in Unity Magazine. Sometimes a question will be redundant, perhaps recently answered. Other questions might not fit the theme or just may not work in the flow of the column. And there are always too many letters and emails to publish answers to every inquiry. Now, with the help of LTAI co-host Rev. Tom Thorpe and some distinguished panelists, Dr. Shepherd is ready to sort through the unanswered, unpublished letters and address these thorny issues head-on at last. (He even has a few good leftovers from his trip to Unity-U.K. two years ago.) Wide-ranging, unscripted and provocative as usual, the final two weeks might offer the best two programs of the season.

This week Let's Talk About It features an animated discussion of Unity co-founder Myrtle Fillmore. While honoring her distinctively Unity point of view, Dr. Shepherd's panel takes a new look at the influence of Ms. Fillmore's Protestant heritage on her life and thought. What religio-cultural factors made her strongly anti-tobacco and pro-temperance? Did heart-based Wesleyan piety inspire her devotional life, and did an embedded Methodist theology shape Myrtle's views of God's Fatherhood and her beliefs about the centrality of Jesus? This week's guests include UI adjunct faculty member Manzel Berlin, who is researching an extensive book on Myrtle Fillmore. Co-hosted by UI Instructor, Rev. Tom Thorpe.

Rev. Eric Butterworth (1916–2003) was arguably the most popular and best-known senior minister serving a Unity church of his generation. Media superstar Oprah Winfrey has praised him. Unity students across generations have lauded him for clarity of thought and brightness of written word. When Eric Butterworth died in 2003, many Unity people said it was the end of an era. This week Dr. Shepherd's panel of distinguished guests will look at the Butterworth writings, with both a deep sense of respect for what he accomplished and a critical eye to what he actually said. What did Butterworth think about Jesus? What were his principles of biblical interpretation? Did he believe in God, and if so how did he understand the nature of that God? What kind of prayer did Butterworth consider effective and ineffective? Did he have anything to say about theological ethics or spiritual social action? Did he clearly oppose racism, sexism, homophobia? You are invited tune in and listen as Dr. Shepherd, Rev Tom Thorpe and the LTAI panel members scrub the window of theological reflection for a clear look at this giant who passed among us.

We have been promising you a program on James Dillet Freeman for several weeks now and this time we're ready! Our panelists include Mr. Freeman's longtime associate and friend Rosemary Fillmore Rhea. Jim Freeman is the only human poet whose writings are currently on the moon. In fact, he has been called the "Poet Laureate of the Moon" because two Apollo astronauts-first, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and later James Irwin-took Freeman's work with them for inspiration and spiritual comfort on their historic journeys to another world. Irwin actually left a microfilm copy of "I Am There" on the moon. Here on Earth, Jim Freeman's work continues to be a mainstay of spiritual enrichment in the Unity movement and beyond. Dr. Shepherd's panel of distinguished guests will read and offer commentary and critical analysis on some of the works of this great Unity teacher. You won't want to miss this one ... finally airing this week!

May is "Celebrating Unity Authors" month on Let's Talk About It. And we're starting with one of the best. To our knowledge, James Dillet Freeman is the only human poet whose writings are currently on the moon. In fact, he has been called the "Poet Laureate of the Moon," because two Apollo astronauts-first, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and later James Irwin-took Freeman's work with them for inspiration and spiritual comfort on their historic journeys to another world. Irwin actually left a microfilm copy of "I Am There" on the moon. Here on earth, Jim Freeman's work continues to be a mainstay of spiritual enrichment in the Unity movement and beyond. This week Rev. Dr. Thomas Shepherd's panel of distinguished guests will read and offer commentary and critical analysis on some of the works of this great Unity teacher. You won't want to miss this one.

It is one of the strangest volumes in the biblical library, a totally bizarre, phantasmagoric, spiritual-acid-trip of a book. It is also one of the most popular parts of the Bible. Some people mistakenly called it the Book of Revelations or just Revelations, but in the earliest Greek manuscripts the book is actually titled The Revelation of John. Another title found in somewhat later manuscripts is The Revelation of the Theologian. There are too many interesting ideas inside to get hung up on the title. Even though it invokes a divine curse on anyone who adds to the text, The Book of Revelation wasnt the last New Testament book to be written. To understand its message requires the skills of a historian, biblical theologian and allegorical interpreter. Its a nifty book in which to create good metaphysical interpretations too. Thats our topic this week. And when were done, youll have everything you need to know to access the weirdly wonderful world of the Book of Revelation.

Global warming skeptics have succeeded in convincing a growing number of Americans that the climate is not changing. National Public Radio reports: "Over the past few months, polls show that fewer Americans say they believe humans are making the planet dangerously warmer, despite a raft of scientific reports that say otherwise. This puzzles many climate scientists-but not some social scientists, whose research suggests that facts may not be as important as one's beliefs." What should religious organizations do about this threat to human survival? Should Unity issue a declaration warning about the role human civilization is playing in the changing climate of the planet? The topic this week on Let's Talk About It is "Earth Day-Does anybody care anymore?"

In the modern world, advocates of pacifism and those who support the "just war" concept have been slugging it out for almost a century. Pacifists often say, to paraphrase Gandhi, that there are some things for which they are willing to die but nothing for which they are willing to kill. Advocates of the "just war" philosophy say that some causes are worth fighting for, even if it requires lethal force; Hitler and the Nazi holocaust are often mentioned by "just war" philosophers. This week on Let's Talk About It, Dr. Thomas Shepherd's panel of distinguished guests will consider the ethical, theological and political dimensions of this ongoing debate.

This is Holy Week. Followers of Jesus around the world are marking off the days until the arrival of the greatest holiday of the Christian calendar, Easter. Well, not all Churches celebrate Easter this week, but following the tradition of the Western church brings the commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection experience during this week. Most of the worlds 2.2 billion Christians look to Easter as a solemn occasion. Even some churches where Jesus is seldom mentioned often give a begrudging nod toward the cross at Jerusalem during Holy Week, acknowledging that Easter isnt just a spring festival leading to Earth Day, or a celebration of colored eggs and fluffy bunnies. What sense can we make of Holy Week today? Dr. Shepherds panel of scholars and students of the Bible will look at the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ from historical, anthropological and metaphysical perspectives. This discussion might change the way you look at Easter too.

March is Jesus Month on Let's Talk About It. What about those guys and gals who hung out with the Man of Nazareth? Some were ordinary working people-fishermen, tradesmen, perhaps even house servants or working women. Others were apparently better educated, like Judas and Matthew. What do we know about them, and what insights do the snapshots of the disciples provided by the Gospel authors-who were not themselves first generation apostles-offer for the modern reader? For example, why are the disciples almost always painted as blithering incompetents? And is there any historical, theological or metaphysical validity to Charles Fillmore's identification of the Twelve Powers of Man with the 12 shadowy figures from the ancient past? LTAI's panel of scholars and students of the Bible will ask these and other questions as they consider "Jesus and His Disciples" on this week's program.