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In 2002, a federal judge ruled that the "under God" portion of the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional because it violated the separation of church and state. An uproar ensued. But as Richard J. Ellis, author of To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance, points out in his book, those words were not included in the pledge when it was written in 1892 — they were added in 1950. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

Since her breakout success in the mid-1990s, Sheryl Crow has maintained her status as one of music's most successful and popular artists. She visits the World Cafe for music and conversation about her forthcoming album, Wildflower.

Price is the author of best-selling novels including Clockers, about life in the inner-city world of drug dealing (which was made into a film). He also penned Freedomland, which was inspired by a real-life incident in which a woman alleged a black man carjacked her and took her two children. Price's book Samaritan (in paperback) is about a man who returns to teach in the New Jersey town where he was raised, and the unfortunate results of his good intentions. Price also is a screenwriter with such notable films as Sea of Love, Ransom and The Color of Money. (Rebroadcast from Jan. 7, 2003.)

Her latest book, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, is just out in paperback. It's about a religious text that is little known -- the secret Gospel of Thomas, rediscovered in Egypt in 1945. She will explain why it was suppressed by the church and kept out of the canon. Pagels has been called one of the world's most important writers and thinkers on religion and history. She won the National Book Award for her book, The Gnostic Gospels. Pagels is a professor at Princeton University. (Original airdate: June 4, 2003)

His new book is Between Midnight and Day: The Last Unpublished Blues Archive. It is a large-format book with photos and text by Waterman. In the early 1960s, Waterman became interested in traditional blues music. He rediscovered blues legend Son House living in Rochester, N.Y. Waterman then formed Avalon Productions, the first agency dedicated to promoting blue artists. Waterman managed many acts, including Bonnie Raitt. He's been representing and photographing blues artists for more than 40 years. He is the only non-performer to be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

Singer-songwriter Nellie McKay, 19, has been compared to both Doris Day and Eminem. Her debut CD, Get Away From Me, includes jazz, rap, blues, Latin, rock and more, reflecting her eclectic life — she was born in London and grew up in Harlem. Hear six songs from her performance in NPR's Studio 4A.

Ehrman is the Bowman and Gordon Gray professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina. His newest book is Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. It chronicles the period before Christianity as we know it came to be, when people with conflicting ideas about the religion were fighting for prominence in the second and third centuries. Ehrman also edited a collection of the early non-canonical texts from the first centuries after Christ called Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament.

Singer/Songwriter Aimee Mann. She's best known for her work on the soundtrack for the film "Magnolia." Her song "Save Me" from the film was nominated for an Oscar. Her new release is "Bachelor No. 2." Previously the album was available over her website (Aimeemann.com) and at her concert performances. Now it is available in stores. Mann and her manager had bought the master tapes from her record label in an effort to retain creative and marketing control. It's the first recording to be released on Mann's Superego Records.

Jazz saxophonist James Carter. He has just released two new CDs Chasin' the Gypsy and Layin' in the Cut (Atlantic Records). The 31-year-old New York based musician was discovered at the age of 17 by Wynton Marsalis. He's played with Marsalis, the late Lester Bowie and Kathleen Battle. He has been praised by jazz musicians and critics alike; Richard Harrington of the Washington Post once wrote, "To hear saxophonist James Carter is to be blown away."

The Grammy Award-winning pop-rock singer broke through with her song, "All I Wanna Do," and has been churning out hits ever since. But in recent years, Crow has shifted to darker and more political material. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.