Welcome to part one of our death mini-series! We are exploring near-death experiences, working with those at the end of life, and grieving a loss. In this episode, Steve sits down with Martin Tanner from KSL to discuss how hearing near-death experiences from other people have impacted his own religion. This episode is jam-packed with powerful stories and a desire to believe. Martin Tanner co-founded Utah chapter of the International Association for Neath Death Studies in 1990. He is currently th...
Jul 14, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 219
Dr. Alp Aslandogan joins Steve for a conversation about his personal journey from Turkey to the U.S., his experiences with interfaith interactions, and how he integrates faith, science, and art under his belief in God. Dr. Alp reflects on faith, love, and compassion, as well as his commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding in secular society. Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Shared Values, a non-profit organization that promotes bringing tog...
Jul 10, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 218
Carmela Javellana chats with Steve about the importance of crisis as an opportunity for growth and the universal nature of suffering. She shares how she came to Buddhism and the vibrant differences within Buddhism. Dr. Carmela Javellana is a volunteer assistant minister at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple since 2010, which includes leading meditation service, teaching Buddhism classes, and co-teaching a 6-week course on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and Integrative Mental Health called “Into the Light: the...
Jul 07, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 217
Anne Snyder, Editor-in-Chief of Comment Magazine, joins Steve for a conversation about public theology. Discover how faith can transcend individual congregations and touch communities, blending spiritual and secular efforts. Anne shares her unique perspective shaped by her childhood experiences in outside the US and discusses the significance of public trust in religious and governmental institutions. Anne Snyder is the founder of Breaking Ground, which seeks to leaven our common life with a Chr...
Jul 03, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 216
Can I discuss faith at work? Does my faith fit into my job? In this episode Steve sits down with Scott Warren to discuss faith in the workplace. Scott Warren also tells his conversion story and how he, and his whole family, dove head first into organized religion. He explains how this changed every aspect of his life... including his place of work and how he treated his work colleagues. Scott Warren is the host of the Preach Where You Reach podcast, where he interviews “workplace apostles” about...
Jun 30, 2024•27 min•Season 2024Ep. 215
Steven Kapp Perry speaks in-person with the Smiths. They each share how they were called to ministry and answered that call. They describe how to discern the voice of God in our lives, including how He has helped them and their children find a higher purpose. Dr. Welton Smith is the pastor of the Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is involved in AIDS Awareness and Men’s Health issues. Reverend Debra Smith focuses on women’s issues and education. Pastor Welton S...
Jun 26, 2024•30 min•Season 2024Ep. 214
This week, Steve meets Sam Wilkinson, author of "Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence." They discuss the idea that knowledge, both in science and in religion, are ever expanding. They also explore the psychological connection between serving a greater cause and feeling joy. Samuel T. Wilkinson is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. He received his MD ...
Jun 23, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 213
In this episode of In Good Faith, Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Antonia Tomao. She shares a touching story of recovery from a brain tumor. During this difficult time, she learned to lean on God. After her recovery, she started a business to help others who are enduring a difficulty realize that they are not alone. Antonia is the CEO of Antonia’s Promise, originally creating cross jewelry as a symbol of “brokenness” and a reminder that prayer and our trust in God will help us heal as a symbol of ...
Jun 19, 2024•24 min•Season 2024Ep. 212
How do you teach kids spiritual values? How do you have conversations that increase their empathy with other religious traditions? Steve sits down with podcaster and curriculum developer Jon Ogden. Jon shares how his religious upbringing inspired him to create a method to help families practice spirituality by drawing on the world's wisdom literature. Jon has worked as a teacher, curriculum creator, content director, and writer. He’s coupled that work with a decades-long study of the world’s wis...
Jun 16, 2024•31 min•Season 2024Ep. 211
Why do bad things happen to good people? How can we wrestle with God in times of trial? In this episode of In Good Faith, Steve sits down with local friend Susan Murphy. The discussion follows her journey with Catholicism and Christianity. Susan Murphy shares what she has learned in helping victims of sexual assault and incest, and how religion can provide a unique sense to healing. Susan Murphy is on the Children’s Church Committee at the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ. ...
Jun 12, 2024•30 min•Season 2024Ep. 210
Steve speaks with Philip Goldberg about spirituality and how it can affect our understandings of other religions. Never before has the spiritual landscape been as diverse and abundant as it is today. Philip explains his anti-religious upbringing, how he learned about Eastern traditions, and how hosting an interfaith podcast has changed his life. Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books, public speaker, spiritual counselor, and ordained Interfaith Minister. A resident of Great...
Jun 09, 2024•27 min•Season 2024Ep. 209
Steve sits down with Bishop Gregory Gordon and Father Elias Kabuk to discuss attacks on Catholics in Nigeria and what we can do about it, here in the US. This is a sobering interview that covers the recent history of Boko Haram in Western Africa, a terrorist group that has killed over 50,000 people in the last 20 years. Originally from Philadelphia, the Most Reverend Gregory W. Gordon, STL, is the first Auxiliary Bishop of Las Vegas. In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Go...
Jun 05, 2024•30 min•Season 2024Ep. 208
This week on the In Good Faith podcast, Steve speaks with Corey Nathan, host of the "Talkin’ Politics and Religion Without Killin’ Each Other" podcast. Together, they discuss how we can have conversations with people who have different core values from us; even if we strongly disagree, we can have these deep, meaningful discussions. He even shares ways that we can revitalize the media that is overwhelmed by antagonistic voices. Corey Nathan shares how his personal journey has necessitated the ab...
Jun 02, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 207
Steve and Ashton from the IGF team are joined by BYU English professor Paul Westover and student Ruth Thomas. Together, they discuss C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed." In this book, C.S. Lewis openly reflects on the reality of life and death in the wake of his wife's tragic death. This book provides an honest account of the whirlwind that follows a loss—sometimes causing even the strongest believers to waver—and how one can regain their bearings after such disruption. Paul Westover joined the BYU f...
May 26, 2024•55 min•Season 2024Ep. 206
In this conversation, Steve Kapp Perry interviews James Early. James describes his desire to get back to the original Christianity of Jesus. He has taught this philosophy for years as a member of the Christian Science Church. This episode also includes James' prison ministries and what he learned from teaching inmates. James Early is a Bible teacher and gives talks and conducts workshops on the Bible to churches and groups, in person as well as online. Since October 2008, he has conducted weekly...
May 22, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 205
This week, Steve sits down with Cassidy Hall to discuss the power of queerness and silence. In this conversation, Cassidy describes her experienced with contemplative, toxic, and loving silences. She also explains the way that she sees and understands queerness. In fact, her new book is dedicated to "the queerness in all of us." This book ("Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality") releases on May 21, 2024—just two days after this episode d...
May 19, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 204
What does the Eucharist mean? Why is it so important to Catholics? This week, Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Marcy Youngster from The Catholic Whisperer Podcast. Their conversation explores how to deal with suffering, bullying, and trauma. Marcy shares how these hardships helped her form a definite belief in Christ, and how she uses this belief as a life coach. Marcy empowers women to embrace their Catholic Faith and fulfill their dreams and potential—even if they feel lost, unhealthy, invisible,...
May 15, 2024•26 min•Season 2024Ep. 203
What is a spiritual director? How do they differ from a therapist? In this episode of In Good Faith, Steve speaks with Doug Hardy to find out. Doug is the former president of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. During his lifetime, he has also been a counselor, parish pastor, and professor. In his teachings, Doug intentionally creates time and space for silence, listening, and reflection so that learning is accompanied by a personal transformation that goes deep. Currently, Doug...
May 12, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 202
Steve sits down with Imam Shuaib Din, a friend of the show, for a conversation about the Hajj, ritual, and how he ended up in Utah. Imam Shuaib Din is the director of religious affairs at Utah Islamic Center located in West Jordan City, Utah. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Chicago, he graduated from the Institute of Islamic Studies in Dewbury, England, and completed a 5-year course in Islamic Theology at Dar ul Uloom University in Karachi, Pakistan. For over 15 years he has served as a guide fo...
May 08, 2024•25 min•Season 2024Ep. 201
For our 200th episode, Steve sits down with Rev Dr John J. Thatanamil in a wide-ranging conversation of how we know what we know and why we should trust other believers to know what they know. There's holy hymning, childhood memories, and an evaluation of lint brushes... John Thatamanil is a professor at Union Theological Seminary, the author of The Immanent Divine,: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament, and also his recent (2020) book Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religio...
May 05, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 200
This is the third of a three-part mini series on Passover. Eric Huntsman, author of Greater Love Hath No Man: A Latter-day Saint Guide to Celebrating the Easter Season, discusses why Passover is important for Christians in understanding the historical Jesus and symbolism throughout the New Testament. He also answers the question, should Christians be holding their own Seder meals? Eric Huntsman, PhD, is a professor of Ancient Scripture and the Academic Director of the Brigham Young University Je...
Apr 28, 2024•23 min•Season 2024Ep. 199
This is the second of 3 interviews on Passover. We hope you enjoy all three. Steve discusses Passover symbolism with Rabbi Evan Moffic and asks, should Christians be creating their own Seder dinners? A graduate of Stanford University, Rabbi Moffic leads a congregation in the Chicago suburbs and teaches across the world, sharing Jewish wisdom, stories, and inspiration with people of all faiths.
Apr 24, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 198
This is the first of three interviews about Passover. We hope you enjoy all three. Steve chats with Cantor Sharon Brown Levy from Kol Ami in Salt Lake City about the musical rituals of Seder. The Cantor sings several songs for us, including Dayenu, the first psalm of the Hallel (Psalm 113), and the first of the four questions. Cantor Brown-Levy certified in cantorial arts from both the Reform Movement’s American Conference of Cantors and the Conservative Movement’s Cantors Assembly. Prior to her...
Apr 21, 2024•26 min•Season 2024Ep. 197
Eid Mubarak! Today, we are inviting you to a casual conversation with two students at Brigham Young University who participate in Ramadan. They speak to their experience with fasting, how Eid is celebrated in their culture, and why they believe. Sama Salah is the President of the BYU Arab Student Association. The BYU Arab Student Association is the official club for BYU Arab/North African students and alumni. She studies business at BYU. Sama's mother was a past guest—you can listen to that disc...
Apr 10, 2024•45 min•Season 2024Ep. 196
Steve chats with Rachel Whipple, Shahab Saeed, and Kimberly Applewhite Teitter about what God's love means in their different traditions. Guests share scripture, hymn, and personal experience to help illustrate God's love. Rachel Whipple is an attorney and Provo City Councilor, and a former Research Fellow at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. She is also a member of the Provo Awakening Valley Sangha Board of Directors. Shahab Saeed is a business and community leader in Salt ...
Mar 31, 2024•50 min•Season 2024Ep. 195
Welcome to our Love of God mini-series! We began with interviews from David N. Moore and Keyvan Guela. Now, we revisit conversations from past episodes that touch on God's love. This episode is organized roughly into a discussion of discovering God's love, learning to love those around us, how God's love is manifested through a certain prophet or messenger, and what we do in our daily lives to show God our love to God. We introduce guests of different religions and listen to what the love of God...
Mar 24, 2024•54 min•Season 2024Ep. 194
Continuing our love of God mini series, Steve speaks with Keyvan Guela about the Baha'i concept of love and Keyvan's personal experience of feeling God's love through the care of the people around her. Keyvan Guela is is the Founder and Executive Director of Center for Global Integrated Education (CGIE), a non-profit Baha’i-inspired educational organization, which explores oneness of all humanity. She has served for two years as the producer and host of a two-hour weekly live radio show for the ...
Mar 20, 2024•28 min•Season 2024Ep. 193
Welcome to our Love of God mini-series! To kick it off, host Steve speaks with Rev. Dr. David Moore about the origin story of David's podcast, how to feel God's love, and learning to walk. The Rev. Dr. David Moore (he / him) is leads Santa Barbara’s Beloved Community Church, and also Jesus Collective, an online community that fosters wholeness and equity by healing relationships and cultural divides. He co-hosts “God is not an a**hole” with Kerry Connelly.
Mar 17, 2024•29 min•Season 2024Ep. 192
BYU's IFSA came to the In Good Faith studios to talk to Steve about their community projects and motivations. Dr. Andrew Reed teaches comparative religion courses and church history. He is the Chair of the BYU Council for Interfaith Engagement and an organizer and participant for the Jewish - Latter-day Saint academic dialogue or read the latest piece written for the Religious Education Review (Fall 2017). He founded the BYU Interfaith Student Association in 2018. Dr. Mike McKay is an associate ...
Mar 13, 2024•27 min•Season 2024Ep. 191
Steve sits down in studio with Drs. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Emma Harris from the Woolf Institute of Cambridge University to discuss why the British don't "do" religion and how their institute hopes to change that attitude. Dr. Esther-Miriam Wagner is the Executive Director of the Woolf Institute and Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge. She is an Affiliate Lecturer at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and teaches on the MPhil in Middle Eastern Studies: Muslim-Jewish Relations...
Mar 10, 2024•30 min•Season 2024Ep. 190
