Like Mark David Hall's podcast (see last week), this was one of the earliest podcasts that I did but it was one that started to solidified my belief that we can learn a great deal from non-academic scholars.  I tend to be a "nuts and bolts" kind of person, wanting to know the step-by-step methods in which something is done.  This podcast basically "fell in my lap" as I was a congregant at Matt Boswell's church during the process of him getting booted from the pastorate of our church's...

Keep on reading: #11 Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church (Really Fast)

When I first started this podcast back in 2010, I was just coming off the publication of my book The Political Origins of Religious Liberty and had a renewed fascination with American colonial history.  Given that our podcast was beginning in June of 2010, I thought having a regular series about religion and US history would be a great idea around July 4th.  It turned out that Prof. Mark David Hall of George Fox University was the perfect guest for this task.  Mark gave us a great perspective...

Keep on reading: #12 Mark David Hall on Religion and the Founding Fathers

After eight years, and 372 unique episodes, Dr. Anthony Gill - professor of political science at the University of Washington and Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion - retires the microphone and moves on to other pastures.  In a short, ten-minute monologue Tony explains why he decided to end the show at this time and thanks Baylor's ISR, his guests, and the listeners for tuning in.  It is also noted that over the next three months, there will be...

Keep on reading: So Long and Thanks for Listening

Religion and socio-political dissent have often been historically linked.  Prof. Curtis Freeman, research professor of theology and Baptist studies at Duke University's Divinity School, guides us along a journey of religious dissent in the British and American tradition, focusing on three notable authors/artists -- John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and William Blake.  This journey for Dr. Freeman began when the Wesley Chapel in London was closed and someone suggested that he travel to the cemetery...

Keep on reading: Curtis Freeman on Undomesticated Religious Dissent

One of our favorite topics of discussion on Research on Religion is religious liberty.  Dr. Brandon O'Brien, the Director of Content Development at Redeemer City to City, provides a new angle on that topic as he joins us to discuss Isaac Backus and his new book Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom.  After Tony notes that Dr. O'Brien appeared on our show previously talking about the Apostle Paul, Brandon explains his interest in colonial American religious history...

Keep on reading: Brandon O’Brien on Isaac Backus and Religious Liberty

Hello, is there anyone out there?  Just nod if you can hear us.  What will happen if we are able to contact intelligent life elsewhere in the universe?  Prof. John Traphagan, professor and Mitsubishi Fellow in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Texas - Austin, examines this question within the framework of our knowledge about "cargo cults." But before we get to cargo cults, we ask how a professor of religious studies with an interest in Japanese culture ended up writing...

Keep on reading: John Traphagan on Cargo Cults and Active SETI

When you think if Christianity in the U.S. South, images of Southern Baptist congregations, conservative politics, and even snake-handling may come to mind.  But Prof. James Hudnut-Beumler, the Anne Potter Wilson Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at Vanderbilt University, reveals that the spiritual tapestry is much more nuanced than might appear on initial glance.  Prof. Hudnut-Beumler joins us to talk about his new book Strangers and Friends at the Welcome Table and...

Keep on reading: James Hudnut-Beumler on Religion in the Now South

We are back momentarily from our sporadic sabbatical and pleased to be joined by Rev. Douglas "Banzai" Douma, a licensed minister in the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Hanover Presbytery) and author of The Presbyterian Philosopher: The Authorized Biography of Gordon H. Clark.  Our discussion this week focuses both on Doug's work on Prof. Clark, but also his new endeavor to create a Christian hostel for hikers along the Appalachian Trail, thus we get an insight into both the scholarly and...

Keep on reading: Doug Douma on Gordon Clark and a Christian Hiking Hostel

Although the United States is often viewed as a beacon for religious freedom around the world, thanks in large part to the institutionalization of the First Amendment, the practice of religious toleration has often fallen well short of the ideals set for itself.  Prof. David Smith, lecturer in the Department of Government & International Relations and a faculty member at the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney (Australia), discusses his explanation for episodic...

Keep on reading: David Smith on Episodic Religious Persecutions (Encore Presentation)

Political rebellion and violence in the Middle East has recently been associated with religious belief and rhetoric, often spurred on by the writings and recordings of Muslim clerics.  What motivates imams to advocate such tactics?  Prof. Richard Nielsen, an associate professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, answers this question with reference to previous theories of revolution and an examination of the career paths of imams who advocate violent jihad. ...

Keep on reading: Richard Nielsen on Deadly Clerics