BEYOND THEOLOGY is a new series that begins with a sixty-minute documentary on the question "What Would Jesus Do?" Popularized by the book In His Steps, first published in 1896, “WWJD” remains a perennial presence within American culture. This program first explores the origins of WWJD, connecting it to a series of “sermon stories” delivered by Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, a Kansas minister aligned with the “social gospel movement” of the 19th century. Next, the program moves on to consider how this question might be reconsidered in light of the cultural changes that have taken place in America within recent decades. The third part of the program takes a closer look at the manner in which Sheldon applied the social gospel in his own community.

In addition to Sheldon’s biographer and others most familiar with his life, this documentary features the insights of a number of thoughtful scholars and theologians. Among them are Rev. Peter J. Gomes and Harvey Cox of Harvard University as well as Diana Eck, director of The Pluralism Project at Harvard; Dr. James Forbes, Jr., senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City; Robert Bellah, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley; Robert Wuthnow, director of the Center for Study of Religion at Princeton University; and Stephen Prothero, professor of religious studies at Boston University. Also appearing in the program are Karen Armstrong, Huston Smith and Sister Joan Chittister.