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Given the recent news about Pope Benedict XVI’s looming resignation, some of our listeners might enjoy two earlier podcasts: Margarita Mooney on Pope Benedict XVI and Cuba; and Jon M. Sweeney on The Pope Who Quit. Search under “Mooney” or “Sweeney” in our search engine above, or click [read more] below for the direct links.

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Just in time for the release of the much-anticipated movie “The Hobbit,” we explore the life, times, and writings of J.R.R. Tolkien with Prof. Corey Olsen (a.k.a. “The Tolkien Professor”). We go over how Corey became enchanted by Tolkien’s writings and what Christians can take away from this genre of fantasy writing. Prof. Olsen reviews Tolkien’s influences, his fascination with mythology, and his ongoing relationship with C.S. Lewis. The conversation then delves into several spiritual themes that can be found in “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, namely the issues of providence, fate, and free will. This podcast is a great primer for those heading out to the theaters over the holiday season and will provide a richer viewing of Peter Jackson’s cinematic interpretation of this classic piece of literature.

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St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Patrick. We know these saints. But what about St. Pietro Parenzo, the Blessed Sebastián de Aparicio, or St. Faith of Conques? Who dat? Brian O’Neel, author of “Saint Who? 39 Holy Unknows” talks to us about Catholic sainthood, discussing the process by which one becomes a saint, how someone might be removed from sainthood (St. Christopher anyone?) and why saints are important in the life of the Church. Along the way, we talk about the life of a couple lesser known individuals who lived extraordinary lives and who serve as role models for Catholics and many other individuals of great faith.

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What hath Election 2012 wrought? We examine the 2012 presidential campaign with RealClearReligion editor and author Jeremy Lott who recently published a free e-book on the shifting electoral coalitions that we are observing this campaign season. Jeremy notes that religious coalitions are shifting in such a way that the US party system is starting to resemble the European system with one party being “religion friendly” while the other is becoming wholly secular. President Obama’s faith is examined and how the perception of his religiosity among the population has posed a problem for him. We then look at how Catholics are (or may be) starting to realign their partisan loyalties away from the Democratic Party to the Republicans. How has Mitt Romney managed this shift? We examine his choice of Paul Ryan, a Catholic, as a running mate and whether or not evangelicals will be spooked by Romney’s Mormon faith. This interview was recorded on October 15, 2012, before the second presidential debate.

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on this podcast by clicking “Read More” below and post your comments!

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Research on Religion checks in with journalist/blogger extraordinaire Jeremy Lott to discuss a couple big stories in the world of religion. We examine what happened at the recent Episcopal Church General Convention and speculate as to why Episcopalians and other mainline churches are losing members. Then we turn our attention to other recent news events including the conversion of former atheists, and religious liberty issues concerning the US health care mandate and circumcision in Germany.

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Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? Prof. Robert Woodberry takes us on a historical tour-de-force around the globe showing how “conversionary Protestants” helped to promote literacy, spread printing technology, facilitate civic organization, defend religious and civil liberties, and protest the abuses of slavery and colonialism. We discuss how this happened and why Protestants were uniquely situated to do this, although we look at similar Catholic efforts in recent decades. We conclude with speculative thoughts about the Arab Spring.

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The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released a document on religious liberty that criticized a new regulatory provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a., Obamacare) requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. Prof. Phillip Muñoz (Notre Dame) helps us wade through this controversy explaining the bishops’ argument, the politics surrounding this issue, and the various streams of Catholic social thought including the principle of subsidiarity. While primarily focused on health care (and specifically issues related to reproductive health), we take our discussion into other areas of religious freedom that the Catholic Church and others have considered important.

Explore our extensive archives, subscribe to us on iTunes, and stay up-to-date by “liking” our Facebook page.

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We celebrate our 100th episode with return guest Margarita Mooney discussing Pope Benedict XVI’s historic visit to Cuba. We cover the religious landscape of this island nation since the 1959 revolution and the everyday hardships that both religious and non-religious people must endure, as well as the slow religious opening that has been occuring for the past two decades. Pope John Paul II’s visit is also discussed, but the majority of our discussion is reserved for the impact that Pope Benedict’s visit had on the Catholic faithful. Prof. Mooney details Benedict’s “Homily in Havana” and relates some vivid stories from people still living in Cuba.

With 100 free episodes now published, invite your friends to search through our archives! Link to us on Facebook.

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How often has a pope willingly resigned from his position? In our interview with Jon Sweeney, we get insight into the life and times of Peter Morrone (a.k.a., Pope Celestine V) who reigned for 15 weeks in 1294 before quitting his post just before Christmas. This fascinating tale of a spiritual hermit who lived a humble life, yet ascended to the papacy in one of the more incredible tales of the Church’s history, reveals the 13th century struggles between the ecclesia spiritualis (spiritual Church) and the ecclesia carnalis (the worldly church of power). It also tells us a great deal about our contemporary religious life.

Please visit our archives for more great interviews, and tell your friends of this incredible free library of information!

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Is the Catholic Church likely to be a force for political liberalization in Vietnam? Prof. Lan Chu takes up this question and also talks about the history of Catholicism in that country with special attention on how the Church has survived under a communist regime. Our discussion also includes various comparisons with Eastern Europe and Cuba, and Prof. Chu provides some speculation about what the future of Vietnam might look like.

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