Professor Vernon Andrews, author of Policing Black Athletes talks to us about the motivations underlying Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the anthem and addresses more broadly the question of Black celebrities and social justice activism. We talk about the fraught history of Blacks in America and examine some of the historical reasons for racial tension and distrust in America. We look forward to hearing from you at [email protected]

Greg Cootsona, a widely published author on Religion and Science and Director of ScienceForTheChurch.org talks with us about the surprising history of eugenics in America and the ways that science and religion have been used to both justify and challenge its legitimacy. We look at how these ideas became connected to Racism more generally, and explore how Darwin's ideas about evolution through natural selection have been twisted to support harmful practices that do not acknowledge the full humanity of all people. 

Chris Crews talks about social justice movements in contemporary times. We discuss how social media and other digital technologies are affecting the shape of these movements, and examine the role of religion in both motivating people to fight and justifying oppressive structures. We compare the dynamics in today's America to those of the 1960s and highlight an awareness of intersectional identities as one of the differences.

Is it possible that Religion spreads in a way similar to a virus?  How can Richard Dawkins' idea of Memes help us to understand how Religions evolve and spread in a way analogous to genes?  Do chance developments play an outsized role in the success or demise of religions just as they do in the evolution of biological organisms?

Laird Easton, Professor of European History at CSU Chico, talks with us about the origins of Western Medicine and the teachings of Hippocrates, the Black Death and its effects on European Civilization, and the scientific mindset that led to the development of vaccination and modern medicine.  

East Asia expert Jason Clower discusses the state of healthcare in China and assesses the role of Communism in fostering the current healthcare situation in the country. We also discuss Traditional Chinese Medicine, its efficacy and the conceptions of the body that underlie it, and move on to a broader discussion of Qi and the Yin-Yang complex. 

We are joined by Dr. Andrew Flescher of SUNY Stony Brook who talks about the ethical problems that arise in a pandemic. How do we decide whom to treat? How do we balance our rights as individuals against the welfare of the community? What are the weaknesses of a money-based healthcare system? 

We speak to Sarah Gagnebin, M.Div who teaches in our Religious Studies program and has worked as a chaplain for many years in various settings. How does the Covid Pandemic affect healthcare workers? What role do Religion and Spirituality have in the difficult situation we currently find ourselves in? 

In this first episode we will look at some basic questions in religion and the humanities. We explore the debate over what exactly these terms refer to and we provide a background that will help listeners understand the questions that we will be dealing with in future episodes.