Bill Moyers reveals the drama of Genesis on PBS.

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A Different Model

his is what the nation — or as much of it that
watches public television — will determine for it-
self as it tunes in this month to Mr. Moyers' 10-
part series, "Genesis: A Living Conversation." The series
begins Wednesday, Oct. 16, on most public TV stations
— the week after Jews around the world once again be-
gin to read the first stories of Genesis in synagogue —
and continues each Sunday evening for nine weeks.
It's Midrash on a massive scale, piped into our living
rooms through modern technology. Each one-hour episode
matures eight people from a pool of nearly 40 deep
thinkers — including writers John Barth, Faye Keller-
man and Oscar Hijuelos; theologians Elaine Pagels and
Karen Armstrong; Jews, Christians, Muslims, even a
Buddhist or two — deliberating and dissecting one of the
major stories from the book of Genesis.
\ Actor Mandy Patinkin and actress Alfre Woodard start

the episodes with a brief dramatic reading from Everett
Fox's recent translation of the Bible. All the greatest hits
are there: the duplicity of the serpent, Cain's murderous
jealousy, Abraham's ultimate test of fatherhood and faith,
Rebecca's plotting for her favorite son, Jacob, and the oth-
er colorful stories of the book of Genesis. But that's it. No
slick production values, no Charlton Heston touring Is-
rael in a Range Rover. Just 10 hours of talk.
To be sure, the series will be aided — already has been
— by the kind of hype that we've come to expect of a new
Bill Moyers project. Along with Mr. Moyers' own com-
panion book, there is an inexpensive resource guide,
aimed at helping people everywhere set up their own
Genesis study groups. And partly because of the series,
this fall has witnessed a mini-industry in Genesis- and
Bible-related books (see related story, page 51).
Whether the series holds up as good television is ac-
tually a secondary matter to Mr. Moyers, and not just be-

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cause of the revenues he may generate from the ancil-
lary products. More important to the Southern Baptist
minister turned political operative turned journalist is
what happens next.
"In public television I think we should disengage our-
selves from the Nielsen meters," Mr. Moyers said. "Be-
cause the number of people who watch is not as important
as what the people do, who do watch.
"The real importance of this series is not what hap-
pens when it airs, but what happens the next day around
the water cooler, in the carpool."
He means: Will viewers take it upon themselves to em-
ulate the series and hash out their personal interpreta-
tions of the Bible with people of different races, different
faiths?
In an age when the Southern Baptist Conference is
vilified for targeting Jews for conversion; when issues
such as abortion and prayer in school still divide a na-