Originally aired 08-04-2009
As we celebrate the holidays - religious, cultural, and annual - we're paying more attention than usual to our relationship to God at the same time that winter and the new year call us to reflect and look forward. I want to share with you this interview I recorded June 5, 2009, with ROBERT WRIGHT. That week THE EVOLUTION OF GOD, no light read, was the #8 New York Times bestseller and he was all over the media, including a feature on Bill Moyers Journal.
Robert Wright takes on big questions, and in THE EVOLUTION OF GOD, he follows the changing moods of God as reflected in ancient Scripture, to see what circumstances brought out the best and worst in religions.

The question of how politics might influence our God stories is relevant - due, globally, to the West's confrontation with radical Islam, and in the U.S., to the political activism of evangelical Christians - both evident in the misadventures of the U.S. and George W. Bush from Bagdhad to Teri Schiavo.

According to WRIGHT, "The moral of the story is simple: When people see their interests threatened by another group, this perception brings out the most belligerent parts of their religion. Such circumstances are good news for violent extremists and bad news for moderates."

The condensed print version of this interview was the lead article at AlterNet.org the weekend of July 11-12, 2009, and the 3rd most discussed article of the week.