Religion, faith, and spirituality are a part of daily life for many people, but in Southern Colorado, it seems to be a part of the very culture of the region. This month we're taking a closer look at many of the faith traditions here, and examining how they inform our lives. (Encore presentation from November 2010.)
You can download the full episode, or listen here:
You can also head to the individual segments for the audio, full conversations, and visuals:
Roundtable Discussion: Evangelicalism in Colorado Springs
Personal Essay: Visiting a Mosque
Roundtable Discussion: Religion, Faith, and Spirituality
Crestone: Living a Spiritual Life in a Remote Town
Judaism, and Preparing for Shabbas
Western Skies is a collaboration between KRCC News and The Big Something.
Roundtable Discussion: Evangelicalism in Colorado Springs
Few things in the Pikes Peak region have generated more national headlines over the past 20 years than the evangelical Christian movement and the hundreds of churches and parachurch organizations that call Colorado Springs home. KRCC's Noel Black sat down with former Gazette religion reporter Steve Rabey, Dr. David Parris, Assistant Director of the Fuller Theological Seminary's Colorado Campus, and Colorado College Chaplain Bruce Corriell to talk about the historical and cultural conditions that led to the movement's rise and increasingly uncertain future.
Here's the piece as aired (download here):
You can also listen to the full conversation, or download it (about 51 minutes).
Personal Essay: Visiting a Mosque
As much as the identity of Colorado Springs is associated with Christianity, there are other faith traditions here. Colorado College student and KRCC intern Ruby Kimberly recently enrolled in a class on Islam. The faith's rich history and diverse traditions intrigued her, but she wanted to see it in practice, not just learn about it in the classroom. So, she contacted the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs, which invited her to a Friday prayer service. Ruby shares this personal essay about her visit.
Listen here, or download:
Roundtable Discussion: Religion, Faith, and Spirituality
As part of this month's show, I didn't want to just visit with faith traditions in the area. I also wanted to have a conversation about religion, faith and spirituality. So I invited Roman Catholic Deacon Steve Lumbert from Pueblo, co-author of "Why God Matters," Christian missionary and author David LeCompte, and Reverend Jody Stevenson of the Center for Spiritual Living in Colorado Springs to the station.
Here's the part of our conversation that aired, where I begin by asking them to define religion, faith, and spirituality, and how they might intersect with each other. (Download here.)
You can also download or listen to the full conversation here (about 1 hour):
Crestone: Living a Spiritual Life in a Remote Town
On the Western Slope of the Sangre de Christo Mountains lays the spiritual community of Crestone, which has developed a reputation as the Shangri-La of the Rockies. But as KRCC's Michelle Mercer reports, for many residents, just surviving in the town can take the most patience and practice of all.
Download the piece, or listen here:
Judaism, and Preparing for Shabbas
And finally today, Rabbi Moshe Liberow and his wife Zelda run Chabad Community Center in Colorado Springs, a Jewish outreach organization. They invited me into their home as Zelda prepared for traditional Shabbas, which includes a large meal every Friday evening, and a lunch on Saturday. Here she prepares a traditional bread for the meal, while Moshe explains some of the tenets of Judaism.
Download, or listen here:
