wfn.org | TV show names "Top 10 People to Watch" on spiritual landscape

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Note #6179 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

1-September-2000
00317

TV show names "Top 10 People to Watch" on spiritual landscape

by Religion News Service
 
WASHINGTON -- African Methodist Episcopal Bishop Vashti McKenzie, "Veggie
Tales" creator Phil Vischer and Laila Al-Marayati, a founding member of the
Muslim Women's League, are among up-and-coming leaders in American spiritual
life named by Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.
	The Public Broadcasting Service newsmagazine will feature its choices for
the "Top 10 People to Watch" on the spiritual landscape in the opening show
of its fourth season, which begins airing Sept. 1. The show, hosted by
veteran journalist Bob Abernethy, is distributed Fridays at 5 p.m. ET and
airs at various times on more than 200 PBS stations nationwide (check local
listings).
	In alphabetical order, here are the up-and-coming spiritual leaders chosen
by the program:

       * Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, 38, a California obstetrician and founding
member and past president of the Muslim Women's League, which formed the
Women's Coalition against Ethnic Cleansing.
       * Catherine Brekus, 36, religion historian at the University of
Chicago Divinity School and author of the academic history of women
preachers titled Strangers and Pilgrims: Female Preaching in America,
1740-1845.
       * Makoto Fujimura, 39, a Japanese-American artist based in New York
City who uses ancient Japanese painting techniques to create modern abstract
artwork conveying religious themes.
       * Rev. Adam Hamilton, 36, founding pastor of the United Methodist
Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS, which with more than 6,000
members, is the fastest-growing Methodist church in America.
       * Bishop T.D. Jakes, 43, an African-American Pentecostal minister
based in Dallas who is 	known for his message of empowerment, especially for
women, and whose ministry reaches out to prison inmates and victims of AIDS
and domestic abuse.
        * Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, 39, a Tibetan incarnate-lama who
directed the first Tibetan-language feature film, The Cup, and leads
Siddhartha's Intent, an international organization that teaches Tibetan
Buddhism.
        * Rabbi Irwin Kula, 42, president of the National Jewish Center for
Learning and Leadership (CLAL) in New York, who seeks to make ancient Jewish
teaching spiritually relevant to younger generations and works to expand the
definition of what it means to be Jewish.
        * Bishop Vashti McKenzie, 53, first woman bishop to be elected in
the African Methodist Episcopal Church's 213-year history and author of the
1996 book Not Without a Struggle that challenged all-male church
hierarchies.
        * Phil Vischer, 34, a computer-animator and president of Big Idea
Productions in Chicago that created VeggieTales, a best-selling videotape
series for children that tells Bible stories through animated vegetable
characters.
        * Bishop Gabino Zavala, 48, the Hispanic Roman Catholic auxiliary
bishop of Los Angeles, who served as subcommittee chair for "Encuentro
2000," a national event celebrating cultural and racial diversity.

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