First it was Tunisia, then Egypt, and now Libya. Country after country throws off its autocratic rulers and attempts to establish a democratic state. Dr. Shepherd's guests are from the Islamic community and will be discussing the continuing "Arab Spring" uprisings sweeping North Africa and the Middle East. Will the struggle, which has now become an "Arab Summer," continue into an “Arab Fall and Winter?” How does religion and politics outpicture as people's rebellion? Are the same anti-establishment forces at work in the USA, for example, in the Tea Party movement? A timely and provocative topic—don't miss this one!

Dr. Tom Shepherd's guest this week is Fr. William McVey, former Roman Catholic priest, S.J., who today is an ordained Episcopal priest serving as rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Raytown, Missouri. "Fr. Bill" holds a master's in sociology of religion from Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada. He is a great fan of Bishop John Shelby Spong and a friend to Unity. Always controversial, Fr. Bill delivered a paper during Unity Institute's Lyceum 2010 on the practical mysticism of "Existentialism and Christian Zen," and he is the principle author of a new book, Talk Like a Leader: Communication in the Workplace, just released by PStrada Publications. Fr. Bill and Dr. Tom will explore the frontiers of Christianity and Zen Buddhism. This will be a good one!

Dr. Tom's guest this week is Fredrick Zydek, Nebraska poet, educator and theologian. Fred has published 10 volumes of poetry, two novels and the celebrated biography of Charles Taze Russell, as well as numerous articles, essays and poems in more than 300 magazines and journals. He holds an MFA from the University of Washington and a Master of Divinity from Seattle University. Until retirement he taught theology at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, where he occupied the Archbishop Bergan Chair for Lectures. Zydek makes his home in Omaha, where he continues to write full time. His new collection of poetry, At the Edge of the Ancient Inland Sea: The Nebraska Poems, is forthcoming from Backwaters Press. He and his partner have been designated the 2012 Couple of the Year by the governor of Nebraska. A year ago, he left Unity for the United Methodist Church. This will be a wide-ranging, far-reaching discussion about poetry, politics and theological possibilities.

This is a Unity Online Radio landmark broadcast—the first ever Three-Tom show. Dr. Tom Shepherd's co-host this week is Rev. Tom Thorpe, Unity Institute and Seminary faculty member and Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) instructor extraordinaire. Their guest completes the Tom-threesome—former Unity CEO Tom Zender. A widely recognized authority on spirituality in the workplace, Tom Zender is the author of the Amazon.com best-selling, top-rated book God Goes to Work. With the recent budget battles in Congress and the lingering possibility of global economic meltdown, is the idea of spirituality in business practices and public policy an impossible dream?

Everybody believes in education, yet American schools continue to produce students unprepared to compete in a global market. Our panelists for this episode include two educators with backgrounds in public and parochial schooling. Scott McQuerry has taught science at the high school and middle school level. He is the author of the Classic Science series of textbooks widely accepted by home-school families across the globe, and he has developed a series of online, content-based professional development courses for educators offered through Science Pioneers of Kansas City. Scott also teaches chemistry and physical science at Truman High School in Independence, Missouri. Dr. Tom’s second guest is Jessica Herman, a Lutheran layperson who taught physics and physical science for 17 years at a private high school for girls. Today Jessica is regional manager for CPO Science, a hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum company. She conducts science trainings and professional development workshops for teachers and school districts and at conferences throughout the Midwest.

Dr. Tom's co-host this week is Rev. Claudell County, chair of Leadership and Administrative Studies at Unity Institute and Seminary. Rev. Claudell and Dr. Tom will look at the many faces of diversity in a postmodern world. As the 21st century beckons humankind toward a global society, nations that have historically been homogenous—like the member-states of the European Union—are now becoming racially and ethnically diverse. However, the force that arguably should be leading the way, the Christian Church, remains the least diverse institution in the Western world. Why is the Sunday experience, by and large, the most segregated time of the week for people of faith? Or is there a positive social function for a church which provides safe space for people of similar backgrounds to gather? Let’s Talk About It will explore the sometimes uncomfortable reality of life on a truly diverse planet.

The Shambhala Sun says of this week's guest: “Rev. Danny Fisher calls himself ‘just a Buddhist minister trying to benefit beings.’ Clearly, it’s something he does well.” Let’s Talk About It assistant producer Jesse Tanner will assist Dr. Tom in this episode as they interview one of Jesse's former professors. Rev. Danny Fisher, M.Div., D.B.S. (Cand.), is an ordained Buddhist lay minister and coordinator of the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program at University of the West (UWest), where he also serves as a teaching professor. Prior to UWest, Danny was adjunct faculty for Antioch Education Abroad’s Buddhist Studies in India program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in religion from Denison University, Master of Divinity from Naropa University, and is currently finishing his doctorate in Buddhist Studies at UWest. Professor Fisher is certified as a mindfulness meditation instructor by Naropa University in association with Shambhala International, serves on the advisory council for the Upaya Buddhist Chaplaincy Program, and in 2009 became the first-ever Buddhist member of the National Association of College and University Chaplains.

Dr. Tom's guest this week is Gerald W. Jarsocrak, retired accreditation manager for the State of Pennsylvania and former deputy police chief of Reading, Pennsylvania. They will be discussing crime and punishment, the death penalty, and civilian attitudes toward police in general. Jerry Jarsocrak is also an articulate Lutheran layperson and lifelong friend of Dr. Tom. This session will be a combination of current issues, theologicial reflection and war stories from their youth in the late 1950s.

Karen Drucker’s website announces: “Struggling musician, wedding singer, musical comedienne, garage organizer, lemonade-stand entrepreneur, competitive swimmer—Karen Drucker has done all of these things and more, in her indomitable urge to grow and evolve.” Well, Karen’s coming to Unity Village to co-facilitate a retreat described as a gathering of “strong, supportive women as we consciously step away from our day-to-day lives to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit. We’ll chant, learn, play, laugh and pray our way to new clarity about choices, priorities, and what is uniquely ours to do.” Join us as Dr. Shepherd interviews Karen on the role of music, spirituality and feminism in her life.

Dr. Shepherd’s panel will look at ideas that most likely will require deep discussion and serious consideration by progressive thinkers in the postmodern world. What is the nature of God; or shall the very word God be abandoned? What makes a person or a religious movement Christian; or shall that word be abandoned, too? What is the fundamental nature of human consciousness? Are we good, bad or something else? How can we live in the real world, acknowledging honestly that humanity is capable of horrific evil, while still holding to the ideal of the imago Dei, the image of God, within each person? Shall we pray to God, with God, or as God? The panel will attempt to come up with a working list of controversial topics which progressive-minded people will face in the decades ahead.