This episode gives brief (repeat: brief) overviews of Sikhism, Jainism, Shinto, Taoism, Chinese traditional religions (including Confucianism), the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1964), the Boxer Rebellion (1899-1901), Zoroastrianism, and the Baháʼí Faith.

For the person who has been redeemed by Jesus, the answer to "Who Am I?" has changed. For the one who is in Christ, the answer to "Who Am I?" is that I am redeemed, I am a friend of Jesus, I am chosen & adopted by God, I am a child of God, I am used by God, I have a future of resurrection & royalty, and I am destined for Heaven!

As the Second World War approached the final year, Allied victory became inevitable. But that did not mean that the war was over. Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan fought fiercely, making the Allies earn every island, every mile, every air strip, every bridge, etc. Yet, by the end of Spring 1945, the war in Europe came to an end with a smashing Allied victory. The war against Japan raged on through the summer, but on the eve of America's use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Allied victory over Japan was a foregone conclusion. But how long it would take to secure victory, and just how victory was going to be secured, those were open questions.

Buddhism is the major world religion that branched out of Hinduism in a way very similar to how Christianity branched out of Judaism. It is a fascinating religious system, technically non-theistic but deeply spiritual. This episode attempts to provide a broad overview of one of the world's most popular religions, popular mostly in East, Southeast, & Central Asia.

The Easter Sermon Series continues as we "Celebrate with Joy!" However, there are things in life that kill our joy: depression, despair, and apathy can drain joy. I contend that pride and false humility can be some of the biggest joykillers there are. In this sermon I will explain what pride and false humility are, and why they can kill our joy.

World War 2 was a total war that affected all areas of life and society in every nation engaged in the war (and also many that did not actively participate). The American (and Canadian) experience was very different from the other major powers - the UK, Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Imperial Japan, Italy, and France - because our continent was almost entirely untouched by combat. Hundreds of thousands of American lives ended in the fight against global fascism, but our cities and factories did not get bombed. That allowed our industries and our economy to grow leaps and bounds while many other nations were still looking forward to a post-war stage of intensive rebuilding before they could bounce back economically. This episode digs into the massive war mobilization in the United States, but we also look at some less admirable parts of our history, such as Japanese-American internment camps and the Zoot Suit Riots. This episode also does a breakdown of every US President that was alive during the war and how they contributed to Allied victory.

Hinduism is almost certainly the oldest active religion in the world. Hindus form the majority community in the most populated nation on earth. In this episode, I will attempt to do a brief, non-expert survey of the Hindu religion. This is not an area of expertise, and I welcome any feedback correcting any factual errors I have made in my lecture prep work.

Our Easter 2026 Sermon Series is "Celebrate with Joy!" Far too often, preachers bring the gloom and the doom and they preach repentance and righteousness. As they should. But we Christians should never forget that it is God's intention for us to live free, liberated, joyous lives, resting in the peace and the joy of Jesus Christ. So, as the Easter season kicks off, let us find joy in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!

June 6th, 1944, is probably the most important, pivotal day of the 20th Century. On that day, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the forces of Free France & Free Poland (among other nationalities fighting to overthrow their fascist oppressors) banded together to do the impossible: to penetrate Fortress Europe and expel the Nazi menace from the continent of Europe. Operations in North Africa and Sicily (see the North Africa episode) and the invasion of Italy (examined in this episode) provided the Western Allies the opportunity to fight and to hone our ability to win. These men really are the Greatest Generation. Join us as we examine the invasions of Italy & France.

Having discussed the history of Islam in the previous episode, the Comparing World Religions lecture series now turns to an analysis of the religion of Islam itself. The second largest world religion, and one of the most influential religions in human history, Islam is often misunderstood by the average American who does not understand what the religion teaches. The only interactions that many non-Muslims have with Islam is the news. Islam is an incredibly diverse religion, with distinct characteristics that differentiate it from all other religions.