
Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Barbara Bradley Hagerty is the religion correspondent for NPR, reporting on the intersection of faith and politics, law, science and culture. Her New York Times best-selling book, "Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality," was published by Riverhead/Penguin Group in May 2009. Among others, Barb has received the American Women in Radio and Television Award, the Headliners Award and the Religion Newswriters Association Award for radio reporting.
Before covering the religion beat, Barb was NPR's Justice Department correspondent between 1998 and 2003. Her billet included the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, Florida's disputed 2000 election, terrorism, crime, espionage, wrongful convictions and the occasional serial killer. Barbara was the lead correspondent covering the investigation into the September 11 attacks. Her reporting was part of NPR's coverage that earned the network the 2001 George Foster Peabody and Overseas Press Club awards. She has appeared on the PBS programs Washington Week and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Barb came to NPR in 1995, after attending Yale Law School on a one-year Knight Fellowship. From 1982-1993, she worked at The Christian Science Monitor as a newspaper reporter in Washington, as the Asia correspondent based in Tokyo for World Monitor (the Monitor's nightly television program on the Discovery Cable Channel) and finally as senior Washington correspondent for Monitor Radio.
Barb was graduated magna cum laude from Williams College in 1981 with a degree in economics, and has a masters in legal studies from Yale Law School.
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One secret to midlife happiness is being a rookie at something. Trying new things and failing keeps you robust. Also, to revive a midlife marriage, mix things up: Hike, go dancing or set out in an RV.
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The midlife crisis is entrenched in American popular culture, but mostly, it doesn't exist in more than a mere 10 percent of the population. Here, five ways we misunderstand midlife.
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By holding the "Midwest firewall" — including Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan — the president handily defeated challenger Mitt Romney. Obama won seven of the eight battleground states and is ahead in Florida, the final battleground.
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Muslims are condemning the killing of the American ambassador in Libya, but say the crudely produced video that sparked the violence — The Innocence of Muslims — is breathtakingly offensive to Muslims.
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Teresa MacBain admits that when she was ordained as a minister, she had big questions. She thought they'd make her faith stronger, but instead they haunted her. Then one day, she couldn't take it anymore. In a move that's left her unemployed and nearly friendless, MacBain has come out as an atheist — and she says it's a big relief.
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The former House speaker, who cheated on his first two wives and was fined by Congress for ethical violations, is outperforming family man Mitt Romney among evangelical Republicans in key states. Says one influential Iowa conservative: "The centerpiece of our faith is forgiveness."
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The King James translation, first published 400 years ago, is celebrating a birthday of biblical proportions. It's no longer the top-selling Bible, but in those four centuries, it has woven itself deeply into our speech and culture.
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Brian McLaren, an influential evangelical leader, suggests in a new book that Jesus is not the only way to salvation. Traditional evangelicals fiercely object to his ideas. But McLaren is tapping into a generational divide between young evangelicals and their parents.
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Much-publicized comments by Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor are rooted in a religious philosophy largely unknown to white Americans. Black Liberation theology interprets the Bible and the gospels of Jesus through the struggle of African Americans against racism and oppression.
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In Orlando, Fla., single moms, recovering drug addicts and others who need help finding jobs are turning to a worker-training program with a spiritual twist. It teaches resume writing and job-interview tips. But, with the help of a local pastor, participants also get lessons in attitude and character.