In this conversation with Michael Toms, recorded in 1996, the late journalist and commentator Bill Moyers discusses some of the controversies surrounding Genesis, the first book of the Bible, which, he points out, contains some of the most powerful stories in Western civilization. He says, “Stories are the way we organize our response to the world…Listening to others, and having them listen to you, is a way to grow your own faith.”

Moyers served as White House Press Secretary in the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1967. He also worked as a network TV news commentator for ten years. Moyers had been extensively involved with public broadcasting, producing documentaries and news journal programs. He won numerous awards and honorary degrees for his investigative journalism and civic activities. He was well known as a trenchant critic of the U.S. media (particularly modern, corporately structured news media). He was president of the Schumann Center for Media Democracy, and the producer and host of the popular PBS television series The Power of Myth featuring his conversations with Joseph Campbell.

Moyers' books and DVD sets include: Genesis: A Living Conversation (Doubleday 1996), Genesis: A Living Conversation DVD set (Acorn Media 2010), Fooling with Words: A Celebration of Poets and Their Craft (William Morrow 1999), Moyers on America: A Journalist and His Times (New Press 2005), Moyers on Democracy (Anchor 2009), Bill Moyers Journal: The Conversation Continues (New Press 2012) and The Power of Myth: 25th Anniversary Edition DVD set (Acorn Media 2013).

Keywords: Bill Moyers, Genesis, broadcast journalism, Bible, Western Civilization, stories, Mythology, Media, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality