What is contributing to the number of Puerto Ricans converting to Islam, and what is the longer history of Latino Muslims in the Americas? Ken Chitwood, author of Borícua Muslims: Everyday Cosmopolitanism among Puerto Rican Converts to Islam, joins us to discuss Puerto Rican Muslims. How do Puerto Rican Muslims navigate life as a religious minority in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States? How do they approach being a racial and ethnic minority in predominantly Muslim spaces? How do they ...
Mar 30, 2026•37 min
What was life like in Gaza before October 7, 2023, and what has it been like since the ceasefire at the end of 2025? Gilbert Achcar, author of Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective, joins us to discuss Gaza today and historically. How do the Palestinians in Gaza view Hamas? Why did it become politically complicated to call the mass death and destruction in Gaza a genocide? How does the situation in Gaza have global implications? And, what needs to happen in Gaza, in Isra...
Feb 27, 2026•49 min
Why do so many white evangelicals, the religious group with the highest gun ownership rates in the country, believe they have a “God-given right” to possess firearms? William Kole, author of In Guns We Trust: The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms, joins us to discuss evangelicals’ fixation with gun access. Why don’t mass shootings, even in schools, provoke more than “thoughts and prayers” from most evangelicals? How do ideas about race and gender contribute to white ev...
Jan 28, 2026•49 min
What does it mean to be intersex, and how have religious communities responded to the presence of intersex people? M. Wolff, author of Body Problems: What Intersex Priest Sally Gross Teaches Us about Embodiment, Justice, and Belonging, joins us to discuss intersex activism. What do intersex activists want from the medical field, religious communities, and the broader society? How did the Catholic Church react to the presence of an intersex priest? And what can everyone do to be more supportive a...
Nov 24, 2025•43 min
Why turn to the Bible to look for insights on transgender people and gender variation, especially when so many anti-trans people use the Bible to justify bigotry? Joseph Marchal and Melissa Harl Sellew, two editors of the book Trans Biblical: New Approaches to Interpretation and Embodiment in Scripture, join us to discuss what it means to do a trans interpretation of the Bible. What does the Bible have to say about gender variance? Why should cisgender people care about transgender interpretatio...
Oct 28, 2025•49 min
How are some religious communities working to support and protect undocumented immigrants in the United States? Barbara Sostaita, author of Sanctuary Everywhere: The Fugitive Sacred in the Sonoran Desert, joins us to discuss why some religious people believe it is their duty to help migrants. What specific things are religious communities able to do for undocumented immigrants? What is life like for someone who takes sanctuary within a religious community? And, what can people who are outraged b...
Sep 29, 2025•44 min
What is the history of Black Catholics in the United States, and what are the most pressing issues facing Black Catholics today? Tia Noelle Pratt, author of Black and Catholic: Racism, Identity, and Religion, joins us to discuss Black Catholics and racism in the Catholic Church. In what ways does the U.S. Catholic Church perpetuate systemic racism? How have Black Catholics tried to combat this racism? And, what should the Catholic Church and individuals do to address racism within Catholicism to...
Aug 27, 2025•34 min
Why have sex scandals been such a common feature of Protestant leadership in the United States? Suzanna Krivulskaya, author of Disgraced: How Sex Scandals Transformed American Protestantism, joins us to discuss the history of public sex scandals among Protestant pastors. What do these scandals say about the culture? How have disgraced ministers tried to rehabilitate their careers following scandals? And, what do recent sex scandals involving ministers like pastor Carl Lentz say about today’s cul...
Jul 30, 2025•42 min
What factors are contributing to the rightwing momentum among adolescent males in the United States? Angela Denker, author of Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, joins us to discuss the rightward movement of white Christian boys and young men. What messages are teen boys receiving from social media influencers, youth pastors, and politicians about masculinity? What are the teachings in evangelical churches about Jesus and manhood? And, what should people do to try t...
Jun 25, 2025•37 min
What are the connections between borders, immigration, and religion? Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, author of Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States, joins us to discuss the United States’ deep investment in and fixation on national borders. What legal rights does anyone have within 100 miles of any of America’s national borders? How does a country that promotes religious freedom also enact a Muslim ban? How does the United States’ support for Israel and the maintenance of t...
May 21, 2025•42 min
What exactly was the Black Panther Party, what did it set out to achieve, and what parallels exist between today and when the Black Panthers first started? Mary Frances Phillips, author of Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins, joins us to talk about a prominent member of the Black Panthers, the spiritual practices she developed while incarcerated, how her spiritual wellness practices helped other activists, and what lessons all of this offers activists today.
Apr 29, 2025•34 min
Given the amount of police and prisons in the United States, why is there still so much crime and what does that say about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of policing and incarceration? Andrew Krinks, author of White Property, Black Trespass: Racial Capitalism and the Religious Function of Mass Criminalization, joins us to discuss the reasons police and prisons exist and if they actually make the country safer. What role does religion play in America’s system of criminalization? What are the...
Mar 25, 2025•45 min
Who are the organizations, people, religious communities, and think tanks that are working to erode America’s democracy and push the country to authoritarianism? Acclaimed investigative journalist Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, joins us to discuss these groups, how they’re funded, and the power of their propaganda. How do things like anxiety over gender roles feed this antidemocratic momentum? How do some of these groups plan...
Feb 26, 2025•34 min
What are the countless insidious ways religion manifests in our culture, in our politics, and in our daily lives even if we ourselves are not religious people? Megan Goodwin and Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, authors of Religion Is Not Done with You: Or, the Hidden Power of Religion on Race, Maps, Bodies, and Law, join us to discuss how religion shapes everything from our calendars to our healthcare systems and our laws. How are things like adoption tied up with religion? How do we fail to address so...
Jan 29, 2025•35 min
Why does our culture celebrate forgiveness and how can the pressures to forgive cause harm to people who have already been wronged? What role does Christianity play in this cultural pressure, and what are common Christian message about forgiveness? Kaya Oakes, author of Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness, joins us to discuss the potential problems with forgiveness and their connections to religion. We also explore how religious institutions have sought forgiven...
Dec 09, 2024•30 min
What exactly happened following the Supreme Court’s decisions outlawing prayer and devotional Bible readings in public schools, as well as the outlawing of racial segregation? Leslie Beth Ribovich, author of Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools, joins us to discuss public school secularization and desegregation, and the legacies of these monumental Supreme Court decisions. How did religion continue to appear in public schools? How did communities of color put forth...
Nov 26, 2024•44 min
For the past few decades, several Black Christian denominations have seen a significant decline in religious affiliation and church attendance. Jason Shelton, author of The Contemporary Black Church: The New Dynamics of African American Religion, joins us to discuss what has contributed to these changes and how the Black church’s decline is altering Black life more broadly in the United States. How are Black religious leaders responding to these challenges, and why are their efforts to win over ...
Oct 30, 2024•36 min
What role did the substantial movement of Charismatic Christians play in January 6, and how are they shaping today’s Christian nationalism? Matthew D. Taylor, author of The Violent Take It by Force: The Christian Movement That is Threatening Our Democracy, joins us to discuss Charismatic Christianity, its prominent growth, and its place in the Republican Party. How have Charismatic Christians moved from the periphery of the Christian Right into the center? How do their beliefs influence their po...
Sep 25, 2024•41 min
For our 50th episode, we’re discussing American Jews who participate in activism to support justice for Palestinians. What has taken place over the past decade or so that has pushed many American Jews, especially younger Jews, to criticize Israel and to express solidarity with Palestinians? Oren Kroll-Zeldin, author of Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine, joins us to discuss how Jewish activists infuse Jewish teachings and customs into their pro-Palestinian protest...
Aug 27, 2024•33 min
For what reasons do some people express shock when they learn that celebrities like Zac Efron and Drake are Jewish? What does their surprise say about people’s assumptions about Jewish identity and race? Jonathan Branfman, author of Millennial Jewish Stars: Navigating Racial Antisemitism, Masculinity, and White Supremacy, joins us to discuss stereotypes of Jews in the media and how some celebrities navigate them. We discuss the public personas of people like Seth Rogen, Lil Dicky, Ilana Glazer, ...
Jul 29, 2024•42 min
Elisabeth Elliot was a longtime leader and icon within evangelical Christian communities who taught about marriage, sexuality, and gender roles. Liz Charlotte Grant, author of The Revealer article “Elisabeth Elliot, Flawed Queen of Purity Culture, and Her Disturbing Third Marriage” joins us to discuss her article about Elliot that went viral as soon as we published it. What were Elliot’s teachings about marriage and gender? What was taking place within her third marriage as she taught countless ...
Jun 25, 2024•35 min
With workplace raids, family separation, detention centers, and deportations, how are religious communities responding to issues facing Latinos in the United States? Gina Pérez, author of Sanctuary People: Faith-Based Organizing in Latina/o Communities, joins us to discuss faith-based activism within Latino communities and the New Sanctuary Movement. We discuss the religious roots of the sanctuary movement and how some religious communities are working to protect immigrants, how they’re helping ...
May 22, 2024•42 min
How have media depictions of Muslims been changing in recent years? Rosemary Pennington, author of the new book Pop Islam: Seeing American Muslims in Popular Media, joins us to discuss the place of Islam in American media. We discuss how Muslims have turned to pop culture to broaden ideas about Islam, how some Muslim performers have used humor to present a more robust picture of Muslim life, what we should make of the depictions of Muslims in shows like Ms. Marvel and Ramy, and what the place of...
May 01, 2024•23 min
LGBTQ Republicans and LGBTQ conservatives are more common than many people may realize. Neil Young, author of Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right, joins us to discuss LGBTQ conservatives and their place within the Republican Party. We discuss how gay Republicans responded to the rise of the anti-queer religious right in the GOP, how they worked to convince church-going Americans that it is okay to be gay, how they are responding to the current barrage of anti-trans legislation, and...
Apr 01, 2024•47 min
What are the religious and political messages the massive Contemporary Christian Music industry broadcasts? Leah Payne, author of God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music, joins us to discuss why evangelical leaders invested so heavily in this industry and why they especially wanted it to resonate with teenagers. We discuss the racial, religious, and nationalistic ideas this music promotes, the music’s messaging about gender, and what Christian pop culture reveals...
Feb 28, 2024•34 min
What is contributing to the growing and prominent movement of ex-evangelicals in the United States? Sarah McCammon, a National Political Correspondent for NPR and author of the forthcoming book The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, joins us to discuss why so many people are leaving white evangelicalism and how that exodus impacts the broader culture. We discuss ex-evangelicals’ insights about why so many evangelicals are primed to accept “alternative facts,...
Jan 30, 2024•30 min
How has Russia used religion as a tactic and justification for its invasion of Ukraine? Dr. Nicholas Denysenko, author of The Church’s Unholy War: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy, joins us to discuss the place of Orthodox Christianity within Russia’s war against Ukraine. How has Russia used the Orthodox Church to influence life in Ukraine? How have Russian Orthodox Church leaders justified the invasion and the horrific violence? And what can Orthodox Christians and other concerned peo...
Nov 29, 2023•45 min
How do your sexual behaviors reflect and influence your broader social interactions? Ethicist Dr. Rebecca Epstein-Levi, author of When We Collide: Sex, Social Risks, and Jewish Ethics, joins us to discuss sexual ethics for today’s world. What does it mean to be sex positive? What might the rabbis of the Talmud, writing more than a thousand years ago, have to say about social risks that could help us think about sexually transmitted infections and other sexual risks? And in a world that seems to ...
Nov 01, 2023•30 min
The fight to make abortion access legal, just like the fight to outlaw abortion, is one replete with religious voices. For this episode, two experts on religion and reproductive rights join us to discuss these issues. First, we chat with Dr. Gillian Frank about religious leaders, like Reverend Elinor Yeo, who helped thousands of people in the U.S. get abortions before and after Roe v. Wade. Then, we chat with Dr. Sophie Bjork-James about pro-life evangelicals and connections between their opposi...
Sep 27, 2023•39 min
What is the spiritual birthing movement? Ann Duncan, author of Sacred Pregnancy: Birth, Motherhood, and the Quest for Spiritual Community, joins us to discuss the organizations and businesses that imbue pregnancy with a sense of the sacred. What do these groups offer pregnant people that they aren’t finding in traditional medical settings or traditional religious communities? How do they use spirituality and rituals to help with pregnancy, parenting, and the loss of a child? And what does the pr...
Aug 30, 2023•44 min
