DEARBORN — National Public Radio broadcaster Diane Rehm spoke at Christ Church in Grosse Pointe Farms on Wednesday, where hundreds gathered for the opportunity to put a face to a familiar voice.

The host of “The Diane Rehm Show ” appeared for the last installment of the church’s Purple Perspective lecture series, which featured speakers on faith and politics every Tuesday evening throughout the Lenten season.

Rehm spoke on the state of U.S. political life from her perspective as a renowned journalist who has interviewed hundreds of prominent political figures, authors and celebrities for nearly 30 years.

She stressed the importance of dialogue during divisive times, describing the act of listening as a heroic virtue.

“Discuss issues with people with whom you disagree… Hear them out and ask them to hear you… You listen. You listen to what they have to say, and then, rather than preparing your argument as you listen, find something within what they said that you can engage them with. That’s where we’re missing the boat. We’ve set up these barriers between us and them without finding a way to engage.”

She said such division and isolation is happening on a larger scale with the U. S. and Iran.

“The notion that… with people with whom you disagree, you cannot have these kinds of conversations, doesn’t work anymore. We’re losing that sense of community, and I think we can only build it one person at a time.  I can’t walk into the White House and tell Bush he’s got to go talk to Ahmadinejad.  But you can at least talk to people with whom you disagree, and read as much as you can — and, by the way, don’t forget to listen to the Diane Rehm show.”

The show, broadcast from Washington D.C., reaches an estimated 1.7 million listeners.

Rehm was named one of the150 Most Influential People in Washington last year by “Washingtonian Magazine.”

She is the author of the 1999 book “Finding My Voice,” which details her upbringing in an Arab American family and her rise to success despite a limited education.

She also co-wrote a 2002 book about marriage, “Toward Commitment,” with her husband John Rehm.

Rehm commented Wednesday on her frustration with some questionable election campaign strategies and efforts to disgrace candidates in the current presidential race, particularly attempts to ridicule Barak Obama’s Arabic middle name.

“My father’s name was Wadie,” she said. “For me, the fact that his middle name is Hussein — it’s his middle name. So what? So what! But I fear that in this political year, in this presidential campaign, anything will be used to undermine any of the Democratic candidates. I didn’t like Hillary Clinton’s 3 a.m. call. I sure don’t like John McCain saying we’re going to be in Iraq for 100 years. I don’t know yet what I don’t like about Barack Obama.”