Religion

Green is one of the greats of soul and gospel music. He's probably best known for his hit, "Let's Stay Together." He'll talk about his secular musical career in light of being a born again Christian.

Sylvia Thomson-Smith is a chief author and the editor of a report on sexuality recently presented to the national convention of the Presbyterian Church. That report urged the Church to relax its strictures against homosexuality and premarital sex. The Presbyterian Church overwhelmingly rejected the report.

Journalist Ari Goldman is the religion correspondent for The New York Times. He's written a new book, "The Search for God At Harvard," about the year he took off from his job to attend the Harvard Divinity School. It details his experiences there and how they affected his own faith as an Orthodox Jew.

Novelist Mary Gordon has a new collection of essays, "Good Boys and Dead Girls: And Other Essays." Catholicism has been a constant theme in her novels, which include: "Final Payment," and "The Company of Women." American fiction by men, Catholicism, and abortion are some of the issues she write about in her new book

Josh Wesson, publisher and executive-editor of the Wine and Food Companion, tells us what wines are best for the Seder table, and what makes those wines Kosher.

Reverend Theodore Hesburgh has just published a new memoir about serving as the University of Notre Dame's president for 35 years. His tenure overlapped with the 1960s student movements; Hesburgh did his best to strike a balance between allowing for freedom of expression and maintaining an environment conducive to learning.

Newsweek magazine's religion writer Kenneth L. Woodward's new book examines the politics surrounding how the Roman Catholic Church decides who will become a saint. Woodward says it's the most democratic process in a profoundly undemocratic institution.

Former Sisters of Notre Dame Barbara Ferraro and Patricia Hussey were once known as the "abortion nuns." In 1984, they signed a New York Times ad that called on the Catholic Church to reconsider its stance on abortion. Their new book, No Turning Back, also outlines their differences with Church teachings on divorce and the ordination of women.

James Parks Morton is the dean of New York City's massive Saint John the Divine. To keep the cathedral and its services vital, Morton has spearheaded the inclusion of different faith traditions and outreach to poor communities.

Writer and theologian Harvey Cox says the current rise of religious fundamentalism stems in part from a disillusionment with modern technology. He has also witnessed the increasing politicization of religious messages. Cox joins Fresh Air to discuss the current state of interfaith relations in the United States and abroad.