Dangerous Ideas: Rachel Mikva

In this episode, we speak with Rabbi Rachel Mikva, longstanding contributor to NetVUE and author of the new book Dangerous Religious Ideas: The Deep Roots of Self-Critical Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Beacon, 2021). In the book, she probes the ways that the dangers that lurk in our religious identities and convictions can be a force for good or for evil. Rachel unpacks how critique of one’s own tradition—what she calls self-critical faith—can help facilitate conversation about religion in the public sphere. When we engage in such self-critique, we can begin to live our commitments and our callings through what she describes as a “hermeneutic of grace.” We talk with Rachel about the book, her own sense of calling, and what vocation can mean when it feels like the world is coming to an end.