Array of Faith

Melody Moezzi, Muslim Practitioner

Melody Moezzi is an Iranian-American Muslim author, attorney, activist, and visiting professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Susan Katz Miller, Interfaith Practitioner

Susan Katz Miller is an interfaith child, an interfaith parent, and the author of Being Both: Embracing Two Religions in One Interfaith Family.

Swami Padmanabha, Hindu Practitioner

Swami Padmanabha is a writer, monk, speaker, and a renowned practitioner of the ancient mystic tradition of Bhakti Yoga in America and Europe. Born in Argentina to a Catholic family, at age 19 Swami began a priestly, monastic life through an in-depth exploration of Hindu Devotional Vedanta (also called bhakti). This tradition would eventually become Swami’s spiritual path for life and at age 28, he officially accepted the order of sannyasa, which involves being actively engaged in the world without becoming attached to it. Swami Padmanabha continues to develop Spanish and English academic projects related to philosophy, psychology, art, and social awareness through his articles, podcast, video lectures, retreats, and social media. He is currently working on his first book, which attempts to explain the gap between atheism and theism in contemporary language.

Ray Buckley, Indigenous Practitioner

Ray Buckley is an author and illustrator of Lakota, Tlingit, and Scots descent and interim Director of the Center for Native American Spirituality and Christian Study. Ray has served as the Director of the Native People’s Communication Office (UMCom) and Director of Connectional Ministries for the Alaska Missionary Conference. As a lecturer on Native American studies, Ray has taught America and the world, including in Nigeria and Ghana. His stories, poetry, and art have appeared in numerous journals, periodicals, books, and museums.

Introduction to Season 2

Barbara Jessie-Black, New Religious Movements Practitioner

Born 57 years ago in Berlin, West Germany, Barbara lived overseas until the age of 16, when her father’s last military tour brought the family to Ft. Gordon, GA.

Sajdah Nubee, Muslim Practitioner

Sajdah Nubee is a practitioner of the Islamic tradition and was born and raised into the faith.

Rev. Lisa Yebuah, Christian Practitioner

The Rev. Lisa Yebuah is a graduate of Duke Divinity School and Wofford College. A South Carolina native, Rev. Yebuah is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the Lead Pastor of Southeast Raleigh Table.

Dr. Charles Bretan, Jewish Practitioner

Dr. Charles Bretan a life-long practitioner and student of Judaism and the co-founder and co-host of the A Jew and a Gentile podcast.

Dr. Heather Sanderson, Buddhist Practitioner

Dr. Heather Sanderson has been a practicing Buddhist for over a decade. She is a member of the Kadampa Center sanga in Raleigh, N.C., and holds a doctoral degree in kinesiology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.