What are faith-based prisons and why are they legal in the United States? Dr. Brad Stoddard, author of Spiritual Entrepreneurs: Florida’s Faith-Based Prisons and the American Carceral State, joins us to discuss why several states operate “faith and character-based correctional facilities.” We explore who goes to these prisons, how faith-based prisons theoretically promote religious pluralism, and how these institutions promote conservative Christian teachings—especially about gender and sexuality.

This episode explores the surging popularity of Prosperity Gospel Pentecostalism among Latino Americans. Dr. Tony Tian-Ren Lin, author Prosperity Gospel Latinos and Their American Dream, joins us to explain what the Prosperity Gospel entails and why it has been so appealing to Latino Americans, especially to new immigrants. We discuss how the Prosperity Gospel gives people a feeling of control over their lives, particularly in the face of profound structural inequalities. And we explore how Prosperity Gospel Pentecostalism impacts faithful Latino Americans’ political involvement.

This episode explores issues of gender and sexuality in Mormon communities. Dr. Taylor Petrey, author of Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern Mormonism, joins us to discuss the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ current positions on gender and the place of LGBTQ Mormons. We explore tensions within Mormon communities around these issues, how Mormon leaders tried to teach children how to become gender normative heterosexuals, and Mormon ideas about womanly perfection as depicted in the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.

In our first episode of 2021, journalist Olga Segura, author of Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church, joins us to discuss the place of religion in the Black Lives Matter movement. We explore why Church leaders need to partner with Black Lives Matter, how the Catholic Church upholds white supremacy, and how Black Lives Matter is a model for Catholic social justice endeavors.

In our last episode of 2020, we examine the role of crafting within American Judaism. Dr. Jodi Eichler-Levine, author of Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis: How Jews Craft Resilience and Create Community, joins us to discuss why focusing on crafting can give us a fuller understanding of American Judaism, how thinking about crafting can transform stereotypes about Jewish women, and the connections between crafting, Jewish identity, and social justice activism.

This episode features conversations with four people from four different religious traditions. Each is also an expert in religion. They discuss why they are voting for Biden and Harris, how their expertise guides what they would say to others who are wavering on their vote, and what they hope for the country if Biden and Harris win the 2020 election.

Investigative journalist Katherine Stewart, author of the acclaimed book The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, joins us to discuss what Christian nationalists want if Trump stays in office, why many of them are comfortable with the erosion of democracy, and what people can do who oppose Christian nationalism and want a greater separation of church and state.

Dr. Kayla Wheeler joins us for a conversation about why fashion is an important thing to consider when trying to understand religion. The conversation focuses on Black Muslim men’s fashion and explores how some Black Muslim men’s styles have influenced their religious beliefs and the broader culture. The episode also considers the recent corporate retail attention on Muslims by multinational corporations like H&M, if that attention has been a good thing, or if there are better alternatives.

The Museum of the Bible has attracted much scrutiny since it opened in 2017. In this episode, Dr. Jill Hicks-Keeton joins us to discuss the museum’s evangelical endeavors. We also explore why the museum has been embroiled in so many scandals, what role the Green family of Hobby Lobby plays in shaping the museum’s evangelical mission, and what the Museum of the Bible’s prominence in the nation’s capital reveals about conservative Christianity in America today.

Supplemental reading: “On Good Government & Good Girls: How the Museum of the Bible's Founding Family Turned Themselves into Bible Experts” and “The ‘Slave Bible’ is Not What You Think.” Find both at therevealer.org.

This episode explores Hasidic Jews who lead double lives. Dr. Ayala Fader, author of Hidden Heretics: Jewish Doubt in the Digital Age, joins host Brett Krutzsch for a conversation about Hasidic Jews who privately reject their tradition’s teachings, but who continue to practice Hasidic Judaism publicly. They also discuss why Hasidic communities are flourishing in America in spite of these double-lifers, and they touch on the success of Netflix’s show Unorthodox about a woman who flees from a Hasidic community.