New memoir follows priest-turned-professor's faith journey

There’s nothing quite like hands-on experience to reinforce a lesson or a skill.

And Barbara Brown Taylor says that’s even true for religious scholars, too.

Taylor began her professional career as an ordained Episcopal priest, but later went on to teach world religions at Piedmont College in Georgia.

She discovered quickly that textbooks and classroom demonstrations couldn’t hold a candle to the experience of attending actual services.

The title of Taylor’s memoir, Holy Envy, refers to the aspects of other religions that took her breath away during these visits.

She spoke with Fresh Air’s Terry Gross about the broader faith journey she’s undergone; you can listen to the interview below or read the transcript on NPR’s website.