What is the history of Black Catholics in the United States, and what are the most pressing issues facing Black Catholics today? Tia Noelle Pratt, author of Black and Catholic: Racism, Identity, and Religion, joins us to discuss Black Catholics and racism in the Catholic Church. In what ways does the U.S. Catholic Church perpetuate systemic racism? How have Black Catholics tried to combat this racism? And, what should the Catholic Church and individuals do to address racism within Catholicism today?

Why have sex scandals been such a common feature of Protestant leadership in the United States? Suzanna Krivulskaya, author of Disgraced: How Sex Scandals Transformed American Protestantism, joins us to discuss the history of public sex scandals among Protestant pastors. What do these scandals say about the culture? How have disgraced ministers tried to rehabilitate their careers following scandals? And, what do recent sex scandals involving ministers like pastor Carl Lentz say about today’s culture, masculinity, and Protestant Christianity in America the 21st century?

What factors are contributing to the rightwing momentum among adolescent males in the United States? Angela Denker, author of Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, joins us to discuss the rightward movement of white Christian boys and young men. What messages are teen boys receiving from social media influencers, youth pastors, and politicians about masculinity? What are the teachings in evangelical churches about Jesus and manhood? And, what should people do to try to reverse this rightwing movement among white Christian adolescents in the United States today?

What are the connections between borders, immigration, and religion? Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, author of Heaven Has a Wall: Religion, Borders, and the Global United States, joins us to discuss the United States’ deep investment in and fixation on national borders. What legal rights does anyone have within 100 miles of any of America’s national borders? How does a country that promotes religious freedom also enact a Muslim ban? How does the United States’ support for Israel and the maintenance of the borders Israel wants connect to religion? And, as the Trump regime moves to deport more immigrants and spend more tax dollars on ICE and Homeland Security, what should people do who want to protect immigrants, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion?

What exactly was the Black Panther Party, what did it set out to achieve, and what parallels exist between today and when the Black Panthers first started? Mary Frances Phillips, author of Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins, joins us to talk about a prominent member of the Black Panthers, the spiritual practices she developed while incarcerated, how her spiritual wellness practices helped other activists, and what lessons all of this offers activists today.

Given the amount of police and prisons in the United States, why is there still so much crime and what does that say about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of policing and incarceration? Andrew Krinks, author of White Property, Black Trespass: Racial Capitalism and the Religious Function of Mass Criminalization, joins us to discuss the reasons police and prisons exist and if they actually make the country safer. What role does religion play in America’s system of criminalization? What are the racial disparities in the criminal justice system? And, what types of things should be established that might do a better job at preventing crime that would also create a more equitable society for everyone?

Who are the organizations, people, religious communities, and think tanks that are working to erode America’s democracy and push the country to authoritarianism? Acclaimed investigative journalist Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, joins us to discuss these groups, how they’re funded, and the power of their propaganda. How do things like anxiety over gender roles feed this antidemocratic momentum? How do some of these groups plan to make the country a more clearly conservative Christian nation? And, what can those of us who want to protect democracy do to push back against this authoritarian movement in the United States?

What are the countless insidious ways religion manifests in our culture, in our politics, and in our daily lives even if we ourselves are not religious people? Megan Goodwin and Ilyse Morgenstein Fuerst, authors of Religion Is Not Done with You: Or, the Hidden Power of Religion on Race, Maps, Bodies, and Law, join us to discuss how religion shapes everything from our calendars to our healthcare systems and our laws. How are things like adoption tied up with religion? How do we fail to address social injustices if we don’t account for religion? And, once we begin to recognize how religion is everywhere, what should we do to help bring about a more just society?

Why does our culture celebrate forgiveness and how can the pressures to forgive cause harm to people who have already been wronged? What role does Christianity play in this cultural pressure, and what are common Christian message about forgiveness? Kaya Oakes, author of Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness, joins us to discuss the potential problems with forgiveness and their connections to religion. We also explore how religious institutions have sought forgiveness when they have harmed people. How have the Catholic church and the Southern Baptist Convention sought forgiveness for clergy abuse and why might those actions fail to convince many that sincere change and justice will happen? And what are possible models for forgiveness that could be helpful when one has been harmed by an institution, a religious leader, or another individual?

What exactly happened following the Supreme Court’s decisions outlawing prayer and devotional Bible readings in public schools, as well as the outlawing of racial segregation? Leslie Beth Ribovich, author of Without a Prayer: Religion and Race in New York City Public Schools, joins us to discuss public school secularization and desegregation, and the legacies of these monumental Supreme Court decisions. How did religion continue to appear in public schools? How did communities of color put forth their own visions for how to educate children? And, given the many battles over public education today, how does this history shed light on the ongoing debates about what can be taught in America’s public schools right now?