NBC Nightly News Will Feature Rev. Gomes

Even after preaching for a quarter of a century, the Rev. Peter J. Gomes says he still shuns the spotlight.

But a new book and an upcoming NBC Nightly News feature will give the Harvard preacher a national audience.

Gomes, who is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Minister of Memorial Church, is the subject of NBC's weekly "American Dream" feature, tentatively scheduled to air Nov. 8.

"My job is to stimulate people's minds and to affect the way they think and act, but when I'm made the subject of the conversation, it becomes much more difficult," Gomes said. "If I wanted to be a celebrity, there are easier ways for me to do that than the ways that I have chosen."

The three-minute segment traditionally highlights "people from all walks of life," said NBC Nightly News producer John C. O'Rourke.

"It's an opportunity to cover someone the audience may not have necessarily seen on the cover of People magazine but has something interesting to say," O'Rourke said. "He's been at Harvard for over a quarter of a century, and he has interesting things to say about religion and students."

Gomes said NBC decided to profile him because of his unusually long tenure as a college preacher.

O'Rourke said that the feature is also tied to the release of Gomes' new book, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart.

"[Gomes] wrote this book because he realized that after preaching to the Harvard community--an articulate, intelligent audience--that people desperately wanted to understand the Bible," said Daniel A. Sanks, director of administration and development at Memorial Church.

While the official book release is slated for Nov. 6, Gomes said that reactions and reviews have been very encouraging.

"I didn't want to write as a specialist for my colleagues," Gomes said. "My hope is that my book will be a means of introducing the average person to the really good book."

NBC's segment will feature an interview with Tom Brokaw and scenes from Gomes' birthplace, Ply-mouth, Mass. NBC crews have also filmed Gomes at work in his office, during tea yesterday afternoon at Spark's House and preaching in Memorial Church on Oct. 20.

"When people watch television, the fleetingness of the images and the shallowness of the media do not allow for any lasting meaning," Gomes said. "It can only be an introduction to a person, a hint to how their mind works. It is my hope not to be stereotyped or caricatured."

The segment will also feature interviews with some of Gomes' students and colleagues.

"I have been a follower of the Rev. Gomes since my freshman year. His sermons always got my day off to a good start because I felt like he was talking to me," said George C. Fatheree III '97, who was interviewed by NBC. "More than any other professor here, he personifies Harvard."

Gomes will also be featured in the Nov. 4 issue of The New Yorker.

Gomes will be signing copies of his book at Harvard Bookstore on Nov. 6 from 4 to 5 p.m. and will be speaking at 6 p.m. day at Boston Public Library

While the official book release is slated for Nov. 6, Gomes said that reactions and reviews have been very encouraging.

"I didn't want to write as a specialist for my colleagues," Gomes said. "My hope is that my book will be a means of introducing the average person to the really good book."

NBC's segment will feature an interview with Tom Brokaw and scenes from Gomes' birthplace, Ply-mouth, Mass. NBC crews have also filmed Gomes at work in his office, during tea yesterday afternoon at Spark's House and preaching in Memorial Church on Oct. 20.

"When people watch television, the fleetingness of the images and the shallowness of the media do not allow for any lasting meaning," Gomes said. "It can only be an introduction to a person, a hint to how their mind works. It is my hope not to be stereotyped or caricatured."

The segment will also feature interviews with some of Gomes' students and colleagues.

"I have been a follower of the Rev. Gomes since my freshman year. His sermons always got my day off to a good start because I felt like he was talking to me," said George C. Fatheree III '97, who was interviewed by NBC. "More than any other professor here, he personifies Harvard."

Gomes will also be featured in the Nov. 4 issue of The New Yorker.

Gomes will be signing copies of his book at Harvard Bookstore on Nov. 6 from 4 to 5 p.m. and will be speaking at 6 p.m. day at Boston Public Library