wfn.org | NPR's Krista Tippett makes radio show a place of testimony

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

NPR's Krista Tippett makes radio show a place of testimony

> Written by Martin Bailey
> June 28, 2009

National Public Radio's Krista Tippett was no stranger to the grateful
fans who filled a ballroom during the 27th General Synod in Grand
Rapids, Mich. If she had her audience in the palm of her hand, they
had the originator of the popular weekly radio program, "Speaking of
Faith," in the arms of a giant embrace.

She described how surprised the NPR's skeptical staff was with the
overwhelming reception of the program in which men and women ? many
unknown, some prominent in their fields ? share their journeys to the
center of life's meaning. At a time when several golden-voiced radio
preachers have fallen from their pedestals in scandal, "Speaking of
Faith" meets the needs of listeners from many religious persuasions
and others who reject institutional religion.

"The Terri Schiavo case, that involved a young woman on life support,
revealed how politicians and media ghouls abused the privacy of one
tortured family and missed the real story of how countless families
face the same hard choices," she said. Her program featured a
psychologist who described how human beings "are naturally equipped to
die. Having accompanied many people as they made their final journey,
he believes that the dignity of death is never defeat, but always mystery."

"Speaking of Faith is more about questions than answers," Tippett
said. "I believe that faith's territory is the drama of life. It is to
be found not in formal statements or creeds but in that part of life
that is intimate and personal."

At the same time, she is convinced that how a person lives out a life
is important. "The soul needs a trustworthy space in which we can
express the meaning of creation," she said. "It is not only what we
think, but how we trust our friends and enemies. While our culture
denies suffering and frailty, our faith looks for expressions of hope,
passion and creativity."

Tippett said she believes that our society is looking for people who
connect "grand ideas with messy experiences." She told Synod delegates
and visitors that "whatever else you do, you can be a public
theologian. We need a new generation of people who work out their
understanding of faith in the midst of their lives."

Tippett, from Minnesota's Twin Cities, knows the United Church of
Christ well. For a time she served on the board of United Theological
Seminary of the Twin Cities. Asked why she accepted an invitation to
speak at the Synod's River City Saturday, she had a ready answer: "I
am convinced that the people of the UCC are very much like my
audience. They are thoughtful people, eager to discover their faith as
they engage in life, ready to take risks in response to the call of faith."

At the end of her hour-long talk, she seemed to enjoy visiting with
the dozens of people who lined up to get her autograph, to have their
picture taken with her, and to tell her, as James Hollister did, "You
are the reason I bought an iPod."