Religion To Reality

What does it mean to be fully committed to your faith while building bridges across differences? In this episode of Religion to Reality, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with renowned Muslim scholar and author Dalia Mogahed for a thoughtful conversation on faith, identity, prayer, fasting, belonging, and interfaith dialogue. Dalia shares her journey from Egypt to America, how discovering Malcolm X shaped her identity as an American Muslim, and why listening without an agenda may be one of the greatest acts of love.

Dalia Mogahed is one of the most respected voices on Islam, identity, and religious understanding in America today. As a researcher, author, public speaker, and former advisor to President Barack Obama, she has dedicated her career to fostering greater understanding between communities and challenging misconceptions about faith.

In this conversation, Dalia reflects on growing up between two cultures, embracing her Muslim identity, and discovering how faith can serve as a source of freedom rather than restriction. She discusses the meaning behind the hijab, the spiritual practices that shape Muslim life, and the transformative power of prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage.

The discussion also explores common misconceptions about Islam, the role of Jesus in Islamic belief, and the importance of approaching others with curiosity rather than judgment. Throughout the episode, Dalia offers profound insights that resonate far beyond religious boundaries, reminding us that authentic listening is essential for human connection.

Dalia Mogahed is a scholar at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU), CEO of Mogahed Consulting, and former Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. She co-authored Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think with John L. Esposito, and served on President Barack Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Her TED Talk on identity and belonging was named one of the top TED Talks of 2016. Dalia is also co-host of the Quran Conversations podcast.  

"Listening without an agenda is about the most generous thing that one can do for another person."

"The only way to truly liberate ourselves is to surrender to God."

"You are not representing 1.5 billion people. You are representing yourself."

"The sense of obligation is part of the relief."

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What if our culture's obsession with forgiveness is actually getting in the way of healing? In this rich conversation, award-winning author and Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg challenges popular forgiveness culture, arguing that the real obligation falls on the person who caused harm, not the person who survived it. She walks us through the Jewish framework for repentance, repair, and amends (drawing on Maimonides) and unpacks why "cancel culture" and "forgiveness culture" are two sides of the same broken coin. We also hear from Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky of Temple Israel Tallahassee, who brings a deeply thoughtful perspective on disagreement within Judaism, the living nature of Torah interpretation, and how to hold tradition and change in creative tension. If you've ever wrestled with whether you have to forgive someone or wondered what accountability actually looks like, this episode is for you.

On forgiveness: Forgiveness is not something a harmed person owes; it may be healing, but it is not obligatory, especially when the person who caused harm has not done the work of repair. Forgiveness and reconciliation are also not the same thing.

On repentance (per Maimonides): The person who caused harm must (1) fully own what they did, (2) do deep internal work to become someone who wouldn't repeat the harm, (3) make meaningful amends, and (4) apologize sincerely, up to three times, with an accountability team, before it can be considered their best effort.

On Torah: Jewish tradition has always been one of living interpretation. As Rabbi Sidlofsky puts it, "Halakha has a vote, but not a veto." Even Moses, in the famous Talmudic story, sat in Rabbi Akiva's classroom and couldn't understand his own books because the tradition had grown so richly beyond the original text.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is the award-winning author of eight books and writes at lifeisasacredtext.com. Named by Newsweek as a "rabbi to watch" and recognized by the Center for American Progress as a faith leader to watch, she has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, TIME, and many other major publications. Her commentary has appeared on NPR, CNN, NBC News, and Good Morning America. She led the Network of Rabbis for Repro during and after the landmark 2022 Supreme Court decision on abortion law and has played an active role in shaping Jewish responses to sexual misconduct and systemic injustice. Her book On Repentance and Repair is a must-read for anyone thinking about accountability culture.

Rabbi Paul Sidlofsky brings 38 years of congregational experience across the United States and Canada. Currently based in Tallahassee, Florida, he serves Temple Israel and is deeply engaged in interfaith work, including co-chairing the Cap Tallahassee Interfaith Clergy Council and participating in the God Squad with the Village Square. He is a warm and thoughtful voice on Torah interpretation, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and what it means to build an inclusive community.

"If you cause harm, you have an obligation to clean it up — to truly own it fully in all the ways. And if you are harmed and your harm-doer has not done the work of repair and amends, you do not owe this person forgiveness at all." — Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg

What does it mean to take the Incarnation seriously? According to AJ Levine, one of the most respected scholars of New Testament and Jewish Studies in the world, it means taking seriously the time, the place, and the people who first told those stories, and that starts with understanding the Jewish Jesus.

In this episode, hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with AJ Levine for a conversation that is by turns surprising, funny, and deeply illuminating. Whether you're a lifelong Christian, a curious skeptic, or someone navigating the space between traditions, this episode will change the way you read the Gospels.

AJ Levine is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Worthen Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University.

She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of the Seelisberg Prize for Jewish-Christian Relations and the H. Walter Award for Interfaith Cooperation, and the incoming president of the Catholic Biblical Association for 2026–2027.

Her books include:

AJ describes herself as "an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue", someone who works to counter biblical interpretations that oppress and exclude.

"The best outcome of this type of conversation is you become a better you because you're more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your own tradition. You can interrogate your own tradition with questions that you might not have posed — because they're questions that somebody from the outside would see that you would not see." — AJ Levine

Samaritans still offering Passover sacrifices on Mount Gerizim — a living tradition

What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Can ordinary people actually do it? In this episode of Religion to Reality, prolific author and Orthodox Christian writer Frederica Mathewes-Green shares her remarkable spiritual journey: from a devout Catholic childhood to atheistic hippie, to a dramatic conversion in a Dublin church, to 50+ years of daily unceasing prayer. She also opens up about leaving the Episcopal Church, the beauty of Orthodox liturgy, and why she believes spiritual loneliness is one of the great unspoken crises of our time.

Frederica Mathewes-Green is one of the most prolific voices in American Christian writing, with over 800 published essays and 11 books to her name. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Christianity Today, The Wall Street Journal, First Things, and Smithsonian. She has been a commentator for NPR, a podcaster for Ancient Faith Radio, and a consultant for VeggieTales. A sought-after speaker, she has delivered more than 600 presentations at institutions including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell, and has been interviewed over 800 times by outlets including NPR, PBS, Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. She holds an honorary Doctor of Letters from King University and lives in Johnson City, Tennessee with her husband, the Reverend Gregory Mathewes-Green. They have three grown children and 15 grandchildren.

“Stay alive and keep praying. In time, it becomes second nature, and you realize that He is responding when you invoke His name, and you sense that communion with Him.” — Frederica Mathewes-Green

What if listening to someone isn't just a bridge to telling them something, but is itself a formative, sacred act? Sociologist and researcher Josh Packard returns to Religion to Reality to unpack groundbreaking data on the intersection of faith and listening, challenge Catholics to truly live out the concept of accompaniment, and offer an honest outside-in assessment of where the Church is falling short, and where it's quietly thriving.

Josh Packard is a sociologist of religion and the founder of Future of Faith, a research and consulting organization helping churches move from institutional ministry to relational ministry at scale. He is a former sociology professor and co-founder of Springtide Research Institute, and has also served at the National Catholic Educational Association. His work includes the Sacred Listening Study, to his knowledge, the only research in the world examining the intersection of faith formation and listening, as well as the recently released book Faithful Futures. Josh is a Lutheran who has built his career crossing denominational boundaries to serve Catholic, Protestant, and ecumenical audiences alike.

"I don't think you can understand what we mean when we say listening is sacred if you do not feel like you have a God who has listened to you, and that you've also listened to." — Josh Packard

What does it actually mean for a 2,000-year-old institution to learn how to listen? In this season premiere of Religion to Reality, multimedia journalist and America Magazine podcast director Sebastian Gomes joins hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich to unpack the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis's sweeping effort to transform the Catholic Church into a culture of genuine listening. If you've ever wondered whether the Church is really changing, or felt frustrated that it isn't changing fast enough, this conversation will challenge and encourage you.

Sebastian Gomes is a multimedia journalist and the director of podcast and video production at America Magazine, the Jesuit Review. He holds a BA and MA in theology and history from St. John's University in Minnesota.

His media career began in 2012 at Salt + Light Catholic Media in Toronto, where he produced award-winning documentaries, including The Francis Effect and The Francis Impact. In 2022, he wrote and directed People of God, America's first feature documentary on the state of parish life across the United States.

Sebastian led America's coverage of the 2023–24 Rome gatherings of the Synod on Synodality and the 2025 papal election of Pope Leo XIV. He oversees America's weekly podcast portfolio, including Jesuitical, Inside the Vatican, and The Spiritual Life with Father James Martin.

He is based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and contributes regularly to americamagazine.org.

"Synodality is not a program. It's a culture. And resistance to synodality is also, in some ways, a resistance to the Holy Spirit — a lack of faith that God is actually present in our midst when we're together as a community." — Sebastian Gomes

What does the data actually say about how Catholics live their faith today, and who counts as "active"? In this episode, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with Fr. Thomas Gaunt, SJ, Executive Director of CARA (the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) at Georgetown University, to dig into 60 years of Catholic research. They explore why inactive Catholics still fiercely identify as Catholic, what a year of volunteer service does to marriage stability and vocations, and why radical listening—not big campaigns—may be the most powerful tool the Church has. If you work in parish ministry, Catholic education, or simply want to understand the real state of the faith in America, this conversation will challenge and inspire you. 

Fr. Thomas Gaunt is a Jesuit priest with 53 years in the Society of Jesus and 43 years of ordained ministry. He holds a doctoral degree in city planning from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill — making him a proud Tar Heel. He spent his early priesthood as a pastor and Director of Planning for the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, before serving as Formation Director for the Jesuits of the East and Executive Secretary of the Jesuit national office. For the past 14 years, he has served as Executive Director of CARA — the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate — located at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His research specialties include priesthood and religious life, the impact of volunteer service on young adults, and international Catholic research.

"The most radical way to live the Christian life right now is to become a listener without an agenda."

— Fr. John Gribowich

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Religion to Reality is an initiative of DeSales Media, dedicated to helping people bridge the gap between religious practice and lived spiritual reality.

What does hard data reveal about the state of Catholic life in America—and what does it mean for the future of the Church? In this bonus episode, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with Stephen White, Executive Director of The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America, for a candid and wide-ranging conversation. Stephen draws on the landmark 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests—the largest priest survey in half a century—to explore trust, identity, community, and what it really takes to renew the Church from within.

From the tension between clericalism and lay vocation, to the striking generational shifts among young priests, to the question of how genuine renewal actually happens in Church history, this episode offers both serious analysis and hopeful insight. Whether you’re a priest, a committed lay Catholic, or simply trying to understand where the Church is headed, this conversation will challenge and encourage you. 

Stephen White is the Executive Director of The Catholic Project at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Founded in 2019 in response to the clerical abuse crisis, The Catholic Project works to foster collaboration and co-responsibility between clergy and laity. Stephen led the production of the acclaimed documentary podcast Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church and oversaw the 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests. His background is in Catholic social teaching and philosophy, and he writes frequently on matters of faith, culture, and Church life.

1. The Catholic Project and the Crisis Podcast

2. The 2022 National Study of Catholic Priests

3. Clericalism, Authority, and Church Renewal

4. How Genuine Church Renewal Happens

5. Compartmentalized Faith and Transactional Spirituality

6. Family as the Primary Formative Institution

7. Generational Dynamics and Faith Sharing

8. Community: What It Is and Isn’t

Visit our website: religiontoreality.org

Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform. Follow us on social media. Leave us a rating and review—it helps others discover the show! Send us your questions and feedback.

Learn more about our work: Religion to Reality is an initiative of DeSales Media, dedicated to helping people bridge the gap between religious practice and lived spiritual reality.

Season 2 of Religion to Reality is on the horizon—and it begins with a simple but urgent question: what does it mean to truly listen?

In a world marked by noise, division, and constant distraction, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich return to the heart of the podcast’s mission: living an integrated life where faith isn’t separated from the rest of who we are. Reflecting on Season 1, they explore how one theme kept surfacing again and again—listening as a sacred act.

This upcoming season builds on that foundation, asking:

How do we become bridge builders with no agenda?
How do we recognize God already at work in the person in front of us?

Inspired by the spirit of Vatican II and the Church’s call to encounter and dialogue, Season 2 features conversations with voices across Christian communities and other faith traditions—not to debate or convert, but to listen.

New episodes begin June 1, with weekly releases every Monday.