In the first half of the twentieth century, the city of Chicago was going through a number of economic, political, and demographic changes that drew the attention of the Catholic Church.  Prof. Timothy Neary, an associate professor of history at Salve Regina University (Newport, RI), discusses how a popular sports program - the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) - was developed by the Catholic archdiocese in response to growing challenges from secularism, communism, and a changing racial...

Keep on reading: Timothy Neary on Race, Sports, and Catholics

The Bible was the most common book to be found in houses throughout the United States in the late 18th century, and it is no surprise that the Founders would rely upon passages from Scripture to inform the dialogue around the building of a new nation and governmental system.  Prof. Daniel Dreisbach, a professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University, elaborates on how the Bible was used to frame political ideas during this revolutionary era.  Our conversation begins with how...

Keep on reading: Daniel Dreisbach on Biblical Rhetoric in the Founding Era

During the first four years of Pope Francis's tenure at the Vatican, the pontiff from Latin America released two social encyclicals that have touched upon various economic issues -- Evangelli gaudium (2013) and Laudato si' (2015).  To explain the background of Pope Francis's statements, we are joined by Dr. Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, and author on various books on markets and morality.  Dr. Gregg begins by discussing what encyclicals are, what social encyclicals...

Keep on reading: Samuel Gregg on Pope Francis, Argentina, and Economics

"The South" is commonly referred to as the Bible Belt in the United States today, and despite New England having a more explicit Christian identity during colonial times, the region from Virginia down to Florida and out to Texas has been shaped by religious dynamics from its most early days.  Prof. Paul Harvey, professor of history at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, takes us on a grand tour of this region and the history of Christianity there.  After sorting through Prof. Harvey...

Keep on reading: Paul Harvey on Religion in the American South

While we are still on break, please enjoy this wonderful holiday discussion with Tara Moore from last year.  We will have brand new episodes starting on January 1.

People often celebrate Christmas in different ways, but there are some common traditions that have developed over time.  Where do these traditions come from, and how have they changed?  Prof. Tara Moore, a part-time instructor of English at Penn State University – York, takes us on a joyous exploration of Christmas past and pr...

Keep on reading: Tara Moore on Christmas Traditions … and Krampus! (Encore Presentation).

Program Note:  While we are taking a break, please enjoy this seasonal encore presentation for the "Ghost of Podcast Past" and may your holiday season be bright!

A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, is probably one of best known stories of modern times.  With over 100 different cinematic and television versions, not to mention the countless references in sitcoms and other shows, it is hard to not encounter this story in one form or another every year around this time.  But how ...

Keep on reading: John Reynolds on “A Christmas Carol” (Encore Presentation)

Can the ideas proposed by one nation-state threaten another nation-state?  If so, how do the threatened nations respond?  We probe these questions with respect to Islam and the two Islamic political revolutions in Iran (1979) and Sudan (1989) with Prof. Lawrence Rubin, an associate professor of political science in Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs.  Prof. Rubin reminisces about how he came to study the role of ideas in foreign policy, and then reviews the two dominant...

Keep on reading: Lawrence Rubin on Islam and Ideational Balancing

Program Note: We are still on break due to a heavy travel schedule and other professional obligations.  We do have some new episodes on the way, so stay tuned and tell your friends and family to check us out!

In a region that appears to be in great flux, Turkey stands out as one of the more stable societies in the region.  Nonetheless, significant changes have taken place recently in a country that straddles both Europe and the Islamic Middle East.  Prof. Ani Sarkissian, an associate prof...

Keep on reading: Ani Sarkissian on Politics & Religious Civil Society in Turkey (Encore Presentation)

As the staff at Research on Religion takes a short break to upgrade some equipment and catch up on other duties, please enjoy this "best of..." episode from our archives.

Is the Islamic notion of “the umma” — i.e., the general community of Muslims — consistent with the modern concept of the nation-state and territorial sovereignty?  We discuss this issue with Prof. Matthew Derrick, an assistant professor of geography at Humboldt State University, and author of “Containing the Umma...

Keep on reading: Matthew Derrick on the Geography of the Umma (Encore Presentation)

Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, and part of our rotating encore feature this week, Prof. Thomas Kidd (Baylor University) returns to our podcast series to cover the history of a group of religious dissenters known as the Pilgrims.  After Tony attempts to recite a rather famous poem about the Pilgrims, we explore the roots of this group dating back to the English Reformation and how dissent within the Church of England in the 16th century set a group of individuals from Scrooby,...

Keep on reading: Thomas Kidd on the Pilgrims (Encore Presentation)