Christians tend to develop their understanding of other religions, especially new religious movements or "cults," by way of comparison of sacred texts with concerns for orthodoxy and heresy. But other approaches to study add new facets of understanding such as fieldwork. In this podcast George Chryssides discusses his new book Fieldwork in New Reli…

Erin Stiles is the author of The Devil Sat on My Bed: Encounters with the Spirit World in Mormon Utah. As the back cover describes: "In the mountains of beautiful, bucolic northern Utah, many Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are visited by spirits. Local folklore is filled with stories of uncanny encounters of all kinds, and Latter-day Saint scripture a…

Much of the discussion of UFOs is focused around the two poles of extraterrestrial spaceships or skeptical debunking. In this podcast David J. Halperin provides another perspective, that of myth, to help shed light on UFOs as meaning-making things. We do this by unpacking his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO (Stanford University Pre…

Rabbi Leon Ariel Mellul of the International Raëlian Movement is the guest who discusses the group's origins in a meeting with extraterrestrials called the Elohim, their work in the creation of humanity, the place of their founder Raël in a long line of prophets from the world's religions, their millenarian philosophy of the return of the Elohim, a…

Elias D'eis, Executive Director of the Holy Land Trust, shares about his life as a Palestinian Christian in the West Bank, life under the Israeli military occupation, the role of a Christian in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the work of The Holy Land Trust. Elias D'eis was born into a Christian family with a long history of nonviolent resist…

J. Gordon Melton, the noted scholar of new religions, joins us in this episode to discuss the Church of Scientology. Dr. J. Gordon Melton, became Distinguished Professor of American Religious History of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies in Religion in March of 2011. He also serves as the director of the Institute for the Study of American R…

Matthew Bowman discusses the first American UFO abduction account detailed in his new book The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill: Alien Encounters, Civil Rights, and the New Age in America (Yale University Press, 2023). From the book's dust cover: "Bowman tells the fascinating story of the Hills as an account of the shifting winds in American poli…

On July 25 The Satanic Temple (TST) celebrated one of their holidays, Unveiling Day. Their website describes this as a time to commemorate the unveiling of their Baphomet with Children statue in 2015. This holiday includes a "celebration of religious plurality and shedding archaic superstition." In this collaborative podcast episode with Sacred Ten…

George Chryssides discusses the book The Covid Pandemic and the World's Religions (Bloomsbury, 2023), which he co-edited with Dan Cohn-Sherbok. In the book, believers from a variety of faith communities were asked to assess how the Covid pandemic has affected their faith. Two exponents of each major religion and a number of minority faiths comment …

In this podcast Celucien Joseph discusses Christianity and Haitian Vodou in dialgoue, including stereotypes of the tradition, Afrophobia and Vodouphobia, Protestant and Catholic responses to Haitian Vodou, suggestions for productive theological exchanges and dialogue, and the need for greater familiarity with the Caribbean theological tradition and…

Christians are fascinated by conversion stories of ex-occultists, particularly Witches and Satanists. From Mike Warnke and Bill Schnoebelen in the past, to contemporary figures like John Ramirez, these stories help confirm the faith identities and worldview of Christians in a battle of good vs. evil. Douglas Cowan and Joseph Laycock unpack various …

Psychedelics have long been connected to religion, including the Jewish and Christian traditions. In addition, there are now psychedelic chaplains, psychedelic churches, and people seeking out psychedelics not only for spiritual reasons but also to treat conditions like PTSD and anxiety. Yet like with many other aspects of culture, the church is il…

Greater attention is needed to various concepts in the study of religion that may be assumed to be settled, but in reality need to be contested. George Chryssides discusses this in this episode, including concepts like “religion,” “world religion,” “cult,” and “new religious movement.” Chryssides is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of …

How might a member of a minority religion feel about aggressive Christian preaching at their sacred venues? Can such evangelistic efforts function in ways that restrict the religious freedoms of others? Heron Michelle, a Pagan, shares her perspective resulting from interactions with a street preacher outsider her business. Heron (Greenville, NC) is…

April 19, 2023 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the fire which ended the standoff between federal agents and members of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Much has been learned about this tragedy over the last few decades, and it continues to be relevant to events in politics and religion. Catherine Wessinger is our guest sharing her expertise …

Ida Glaser leads the Reading the Bible in the Context of Islam project at the Center for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford, UK, and is the Director of Center for Muslim and Christian Studies, Houston, TX. She also overseas the International Partnership and the Langham Bible Commentaries from Muslim Contexts project on behalf of the Solomon Academic …

Today's cosmopolitan, multicultural, and multifaith environments call for new approaches to apologetics. In order to free Christian apologetics from dominant Western habits of mind ill-suited to interreligious dialogue, we must listen and speak with both humility and confidence. In their book Humble Confidence: A Model for Interfaith Apologetics, B…

Dr. Jack Hunter provides an anthropological perspective on the paranormal. Hunter is an anthropologist exploring the borderlands of ecology, religion and the paranormal. He lives in the hills of Mid-Wales with his family. He is an Honorary Research Fellow with the Alister Hardy Religious Experience Research Centre, University of Wales Trinity Saint…

Moral theology provides a helpful but often neglected avenue for multifaith engagement beyond Christian emphasis upon evangelism and apologetics. James Keenan discusses the New Testament's teaching on virtue ethics, particularly humility and love, and how these can be practiced in multifaith contexts. Keenan is Vice Provost for Global Engagement an…

One of world's leading experts on contemporary atheism and nonreligiosity, sociologist and theologian Stephen Bullivant draws on dozens of interviews, original analysis of high-quality survey data, and a wealth of cutting-edge studies, to present an entertaining and insightful exploration of America's ex-religious landscape. Bullivant holds profess…

What fresh possibilities open up with a narrative-historical approach to the Bible? Andrew Perriman discusses this in light of the gospel, salvation, hell, and then connecting dots to multifaith encounters. Perriman lives in London, UK. He is the author of several books, including Re: Mission: A Vision of Hope for a Post-Eschatological Church; The …

Mohammed Dajani addresses the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dajani is a Jerusalem-born scholar and peace activist who holds two doctorate degrees. He is Founder of the Wasatia Islamic moderate movement in Palestine which he created in 2007 to promote moderation and reconciliation, peace, tolerance, and justice. He is Founder and Director of Wasatia…

June Everett is Campaign Director for the After School Club, and an ordained minister of The Satanic Temple. In this conversation she shares her personal journey, discusses the After School Satan Clubs, and responds to our prior podcast with Lydia Kaiser of Child Evangelism Fellowship and their Good News Clubs. After School Satan Club: https://thes…

Lydia Kaiser, Corporate Communications Specialist for Child Evangelism Fellowship talks about the Good News Clubs in schools, and also responds to the controversy raised by the response of The Satanic Temple to the Clubs and their efforts at putting After School Satan Clubs in schools where the Clubs are present. Good News Club at Child Evangelism …

In recent decades many people have begun following Christ while remaining a part of their non-Christian religious communities. These "insider" Muslims, Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, and other followers of Christ have generated much interest and controversy, particularly in Western mission agencies and churches. Darren Duerksen is our guest who …

Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, is the heart of the fastest growing new religious movement in the Americas and the West. Andrew Chesnut is our guest who shares his research on the topic. Chesnut is Professor of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the author of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint (Oxford Unive…

Massimo Introvigne discusses the Korean cultural context of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, formerly known as the Unification Church, as well as various developments within the church, its mention in the news in connection with the assassination of the former Prime Minister of Japan, as well as questions related to deprogramm…

Christians recognize and emphasize monotheism in the Bible, but on closer look at appears to have developed over time. This is important not only for a more careful understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith, but also as we develop arguments and critiques of other religions on their view of God such as the Latter-day Saints. In this episode…

Public theology seeks to articulate a theology beyond church and academy for the broader public and the common good. Ted Peters helps us understand how this can be done in light of the credibility challenges the church faces in America and the West. Dr. Peters teaches systematic theology and ethics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Cal…

Popular culture and the internet help resource various fiction-based religions. In this episode Zoe Alderton discusses one such religion known as Snapewives or Snapeism, a new religion taking inspiration from the literary work of J.K. Rowling and the book and film franchise of Harry Potter and a character within it, Professor Severus Snape. Zoe Ald…

The Bahá’í Faith teaches that throughout history, God has sent to humanity a series of divine Educators—known as Manifestations of God—whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of civilization. These Manifestations have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muḥammad. Bahá’u’lláh, the latest of these Messe…

In the 1960s and 1970s the Hare Krishnas were known for wearing saffron robes, chanting in the streets, and raising money at airports. Many people feared them and considered them a cult. A lot has changed in the over fifty years since the founding of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Anuttama Dasa discusses ISKCON's origi…

Evangelicals and Humility in Multifaith Engagement American Evangelicals are not known for embracing intellectual humility, but there are notable and promising examples. This podcast series explores the topic through the story of how Evangelical Christians and Zen Buddhists in Portland have been able to engage in an intellectually humble exchange o…

Evangelicals and Humility in Multifaith Engagement American Evangelicals are not known for embracing intellectual humility, but there are notable and promising examples. This podcast series explores the topic through the story of how Evangelical Christians and Zen Buddhists in Portland have been able to engage in an intellectually humble exchange o…

Evangelicals and Humility in Multifaith Engagement American Evangelicals are not known for embracing intellectual humility, but there are notable and promising examples. This podcast series explores the topic through the story of how Evangelical Christians and Zen Buddhists in Portland have been able to engage in an intellectually humble exchange o…

Evangelicals and Humility in Multifaith Engagement American Evangelicals are not known for embracing intellectual humility, but there are notable and promising examples. This podcast series explores the topic through the story of how Evangelical Christians and Zen Buddhists in Portland have been able to engage in an intellectually humble exchange o…

How should the horror of the atom bomb be remembered? In what ways might we remember so that the terrible experience of its use might be transformed into hope for a universal community of peace? In a fascinating case study, Yuki Miyamoto compares how Buddhist and Catholic survivors of the 1945 bombings make sense of their experiences through an eth…

A conversation with three leaders of Summum (a Latin term meaning “the sum total of creation”), a religious group in Salt Lake City, including Su Menu, president of Summum, Bernie Aua, vice president, and Ron Temu, counselor who oversees their mummification practices. Summum began in the fall of 1975 when founder Claude “Corky” Rex Nowell began to …

In this conversation, Massimo Introvigne shares the story of The Church of Almighty God, a group in China that has seen rapid growth, dramatic persecution, and the struggle of believers to see asylum in countries around the world. Among the items discussed, Introvigne reconstructs the Church's idiosyncratic theology, centered in the belief that Jes…

The Jehovah's Witnesses have been the focus of much evangelical apologetic and secular media critique. In this podcast, new religions scholar George Chryssides presents an overview of the Watch Tower organization's origins, their lived religion, key beliefs and practices, and controversial aspects like disfellowshipping, blood transfusions, and sex…

A discussion of research around demonic and divine attributions surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. Julie Exline discusses a research paper of she and her colleagues which showed that demonic vaccine attributions were linked with more anti-vaccination attitudes, and were also linked with conspiracy beliefs, QAnon, and apocalypticism. Exline is professor…

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose members were formerly known as Mormons have been the focus of evangelical critique for many years by way of a doctrinal contrast and a heresy apologetic template. But what might we learn about the LDS by other pathways? In this conversation Charles Randall Paul, founder and president of the Foun…

The COVID-19 pandemic brought lots of surprises, including the political and religious conflicts connected to it. In this podcast we explore one facet of this as Emily Kubin and Frank J. Kachanoff discuss their research published in the paper "Threat Rejection Fuels Political Dehumanization" published in the journal Social Psychological and Persona…

Andrew DeCort is a lecturer on religious and political ethics and Ethiopian studies. He's the author of Bonhoeffer's New Beginning: Ethics After Devastation, he founded the Institute for Faith and Flourishing, and co-directs the Neighbor-Love Movement. His forthcoming book is titled Why Pray?: Seven Practices of Flourishing on the Edge of Faith. In…

The great book From Bubble to Bridge: Educating Christians for a Multifaith World by Marion H. Larson and Sara L. H. Shady (IVP Academic, 2017) is the focus of a conversation between Charles Randall Paul, founder and president of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, and John W. Morehead, Director of FRD's Evangelical chapter. From Bubble to Brid…

Why are we so polarized about gay marriage, immigration, gun rights, abortion, not to mention religious beliefs? Kurt Gray helps shed light on this through his use of interdisciplinary methods to study our deepest beliefs and how to bridge moral divides. Dr. Gray is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Ca…

Phil Wyman is a longtime friend, colleague, and great example for the Christian walk alongside all kinds of people often ignored or marginalized by the church. In this conversation we discuss the background and elements of his journey encapsulated in his new book Love Big or Go Home. Phil also provides an update on his upcoming move to Wales and ho…

Ethan Stark is a Heathen involved in interfaith work and combating extremism, and is involved with The Troth and Heathens Against Hate. In this podcast we discuss how he came to embrace Heathenism, some of the unique aspects of Heathenism, aspects of his interfaith work, and his thoughts on confronting hate and prejudice. Learn more about Ethan's w…

Daniel S. Wise is an independent scholar whose research focuses on paranormal belief and other aspects of the evolving contemporary American religious landscape. He has a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia with a dissertation on ghost hunting as a form of late modern enchantment. In this conversation we discuss aspects of Dani…

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a great tragedy with many facets. One of the more significant elements is the role of Orthodoxy, Eastern Christianity often unknown by those in Western Christianity like Catholicism and Protestantism. In this episode we discuss Orthodoxy and how it is intertwined with the complexities of the invasion of Ukraine. O…