Jazz Singer Barbara Paris is guest host for this episode kicking off season three of Far More Colorado.  Jazz pianist Mr. Billy Wallace is our special guest in this, the first of a two-part interview.  Having worked professionally as a musician since the 1940's he has performed with many of the greats.  Mr. Wallace is  still performing regularly at the age of 85.   His stories are a slice of American jazz history.

Rev. Paul J. Kottke is a senior pastor at University Park United Methodist Church. Kottke is a 1981 graduate of Iliff School of Theology. He is the founding director of Denver Urban Ministries (1981).He was ordained elder in the United Methodist Church in 1982. Kottke Served at Iliff as director of development (1985-88) and as pastor at Warren UMC (1988-95).

Dr. Philip Clayton is the Ingraham Professor of Theology at Claremont School of Theology. He received dual PhDs from Yale in philosophy and theology and held posts at Williams College and the California State University, as well as guest professorships at the University of Munich, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University. He is a leading advocate for interreligious dialogue, comparative theologies, and the internationalization of the science-religion dialogue. He authored or edited 22 books.

Reverend Keith Thompson retired in 2010 after having serving in the First United Methodist Church in Boulder, CO for six years. He was active in trying to reconcile religious fatih and politics, occasionally leading discussions on the topic. Active within the community, he lead book discussions and educational seminars at various occasions. It was during the time Rev. Thompson served in a church in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah (mid-1980s) that he started organizing interfaith dialog meetings and programs.

John Suthers has served the Attorney General of Colorado between 2005 - 2014. George W. Bush appointed him as United States Attorney for the District of Colorado in August 2001. He was awarded the Kelley-Wyman Award by the National Association of Attorneys General in 2012. He is also adjunct professor at the University of Denver School of Law.

“I think it’s a movement that represents Islam very well. It shows a segment of Islam that understands what it takes to survive, succeed and prosper in the modern world.”

Tim Danahey is the owner, founder and host of the internet radio talk show called the Tim Danahey Show. The show features a selection of current topics ranging from economics to government, social issues and history and has also been nationally-recognized as a quality show for non-fiction authors to discuss their books. Tim Danahey received his MBA from the University of Denver and has previously worked as a Management Consultant.

Rabbi Stephen Booth-Nadav serves as a chaplain at Kavod Senior Life in Denver, Colorado and is also the director of the Wisdom House Denver project. Alumni of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, Rabbi Stephen is on the Religious Advisory Council at the University of Denver.

“My impression is that it is one of really only two major Muslim movements that I know of in the world that are very clear and adamant from the beginning that interfaith dialogue is essential for Muslims.”

Diane Christman currently serves as a senior vice president of a national non-profit organization and has previously held executive positions for organizations like the Denver Public Library and the Denver Dumb Friends League. Having received her B.A. in Speech Communications from Colorado State University, she also holds an M.A. in Mass Communications from the University of Denver.