Sun, Nov 3, 1996
Profoundly disappointed in his creation, God destroys it and starts over with Noah and his family. What does the story reveal about the character of God--and of the survivors? Participants: Theologians Karen Armstrong, Alexander A. Di Lella, Samuel D. Proctor, and Burton L. Visotzky; journalist Byron E. Calame; psychologist Carol Gilligan; and poet Blu Greenberg.
Sun, Nov 10, 1996
When God chooses Abraham to found a dynasty, how does Abraham react? What does divine sanction mean, both for the chosen and for the "non-chosen"? Participants: Scholar Robert Alter; law professor Azizah Y. al-Hibri; novelist Bharati Mukherjee; community activist Eugene Rivers III; theologians Lewis B. Smedes and Burton L. Visotzky; and playwright-composer Elizabeth Swados.
Sun, Nov 17, 1996
Seeking a descendant, Abraham takes Hagar as a wife, who conceives Ishmael--engendering jealousy, division, and pain for everyone involved. Participants: Scholar Robert Alter; law professor Azizah Y. al-Hibri; novelist Bharati Mukherjee; community activist Eugene Rivers III; theologians Lewis B. Smedes and Burton L. Visotzky; and playwright-composer Elizabeth Swados.
Sun, Nov 24, 1996
God's command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac raises profoundly disturbing questions. What kind of God would make such a demand? And what kind of parent would consider obeying it? Participants: Theologians Dianne Bergant, Norman J. Cohen, Francisco O. Garcia-Treto, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Phyllis Trible, and Burton L. Visotzky and journalist P.K. McCary.
Sun, Dec 1, 1996
By engineering Isaac's blessing on Jacob, does Rebecca become the heroine of the story, or simply a schemer? And what of Esau, her passed-over son? Participants: Biochemist Leon R. Kass; writer Stephen Mitchell; theologians Elaine H. Pagels, Jean-Pierre M. Ruiz, Marianne Meye Thompson, and Robin Darling Young; and psychotherapist Naomi H. Rosenblatt.
Sun, Dec 8, 1996
Apparently headed for his final comeuppance, the fugitive Jacob meets God in a dream and ultimately finds himself. Participants: Theologians Walter Brueggemann, John S. Kselman, Burton L. Visotzky, and Renita J. Weems; educator Roberta Hestenes; visual artist Hugh O'Donnell; and scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg.