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Can environmentalism be considered a religion? And if so, what are the implications for the separation of church and state when it comes to the contemporary environmentalist agenda? Prof. Robert Nelson (U of Maryland) addresses these questions. As a former policy analyst in the US Interior Department, he brings an interesting perspective to the table, arguing that the environmental movement shares a great deal in common with what other people would normally consider to be theologically-based religions. We discuss what religion is and what aspects of environmentalism qualify it to be defined as a religion. We talk creation stories, teleology, sins & repentance, rites & sacrifices, and evangelization. Prof. Nelson concludes with an interesting argument about the separation of church and state being applied to environmentalism.

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What case can be made for promoting religious freedom worldwide? Prof. Timothy Shah discusses the moral, political, and strategic reasons why religious liberty is a crucial human right and why it is often called “the first freedom.” He reviews the justifications for religious freedom from three different faith traditions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — as well as the ontological reasons why religion should be considered for special consideration in debates about human rights. Tony even uses the word ontology in the discussion, but don’t let that scare you off since he didn’t know what it meant until very recently and our conversation is both enlightening and extremely accessible.

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How does a small group of invididuals in a religiously-hostile environment build a sectarian movement of Judaism into the world’s largest faith tradition? Prof. Rodney Stark (Baylor) discusses the important sociological ingredients for Christianity’s success in the first three centuries of its existence. We examine the religious landscape at the time of Jesus’s birth (including both paganism and Judaism), as well as the sometimes surprising role of that mercy, persecution, wealthy individuals, and gender played in the growth of Christianity.

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Did religion or church-state institutions have anything to do with the great economic divergence between Christian Europe and the Islamic world beginning in the 11th century? Prof. Jared Rubin of Chapman University reviews the economic history of these two civilizations, covers the dominant explanations for the observed divergence, and then discusses his own research showing that the relationship between religious and political authorities in each region of the world had a great deal to do with why Europe surged ahead economically. We focus primarily on the role of usury laws and financial interest, but Prof. Rubin gives us a taste of some of his work relating to the economic importance of the printing press.

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Noted Catholic theologian Brant Pitre examines the roots of the Eucharist, taking us back to the time of Exodus and revealing how various Jewish rituals played an important role in the Last Supper. This podcast offers an interesting blend of Jewish & Christian theology with lush historical description regarding what religious rituals looked like at the time of Christ.

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Historian Philip Jenkins discusses the changing face of global Christianity. The conversation begins by looking at the global nature of Christianity throughout history and how it became conceived of as a European faith. Our attention then turns to how Christianity is expanding and changing in Africa, Asia and Latin America and what this means for religion in Europe and the United States.

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Bradley R.E. Wright shares various empirical findings from his new book “Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites… and Other Lies You’ve Been Told.” Tony and Brad discuss a series of stereotypes that many people (including Christians) have about American Protestants revolving around the issues of divorce, charity, honesty, race, and the decline of American Christianity. (To download, right click the “download” button to the right and choose “save target as…”)

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Acclaimed sociologist and popular author Rodney Stark tackles a number of contemporary myths about the Crusades. Discover what motivated the Crusaders to pick up cross and sword and head to the Holy Land. (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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