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Just in time for every taxpayer’s favorite day — April 15 — David Wills, president of the National Christian Foundation, joins us to discuss religious charity and how government spending & taxes can affect where private donations flow. We discuss some potential changes to the tax code, including the definition of what might count as a “charitable organization.” Anyone who runs a charitable organization or who makes even the smallest of financial donations to religious groups will want to listen to this episode.

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In a first of its kind, Research on Religion engages in a tripartite debate. Three scholars were asked the following question: “As a Christian in the American colonies, would you have picked up arms against King George and Britain to fight for independence following the battles at Lexington & Concord in April, 1775?” Prof. Gregg Frazer (The Master’s College) answers “no.” Prof. Jonathan den Hartog (Northwestern College) responds “yes.” And Mark David Hall (George Fox University) offers a definitive “maybe.” Hear how each of these three scholars of that period justify their positions with questions and comments from your host, Anthony Gill.

Click on “read more” below for links to these authors, their scholarship, and information about where you can find the “hatchet throwing pictures” discussed in the podcast. And please tell your friends about our free educational podcast by using the social media links below. Thank you!

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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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What would you do if you were a street preacher and someone poured beer on your head, blew smoke in your face, and threatened you with a knife? Jeff Rose of JeremiahCry Ministries has had that experience and he reveals his response in this fascinating interview that covers Jeff’s path to the street preaching profession and what it takes to be a street preacher.

Click “read more” for important links and related podcasts. There is more to see than just what is on this page!

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Prof. Jason Jewell enlightens us on the life, times, and philosophy of John Locke with specific attention to his views on religious toleration. We discuss Locke’s influence on Western culture as well as how he may have affected our views on church-state relations and religious liberty. Jason and Tony also contemplate the role of intellectuals on history and Jason gives us some insight into his online project to read the Great Books of Western Civilization.

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It is amazing what can be found hidden in plain sight! Rabbi Mark Glickman recounts the tale of the discovery of valuable Jewish documents located in the genizah of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo, Egypt during the late 19th century. While many individuals knew there was a storehouse of old documents in this synagogue, it wasn’t until Rabbi Solomon Schechter of Cambridge University got hold of a snippet of the Ben Sirah manuscript that anyone realized how remarkably valuable these documents “hidden in plain sight” were. Rabbi Glickman takes us on the journey of discovery, reveals the treasures contained in these documents, and tells his own story of his visit to the Cairo Genizah. A “must listen to” podcast for those interested in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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Why are American Jews more liberal than their socio-economic non-Jewish counterparts?
Why are they more politically liberal than Jews in other countries? And what explains the rightward, then leftward, drift of Jews from the 1970s to present? Prof. Ken Wald provides an interesting historical explanation to these three puzzles. A great complimentary episode to last week’s discussion.

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Just in time for every taxpayer’s favorite day — April 15 — David Wills, president of the National Christian Foundation, joins us to discuss religious charity and how government spending & taxes can affect where private donations flow. We discuss some potential changes to the tax code, including the definition of what might count as a “charitable organization.” Anyone who runs a charitable organization or who makes even the smallest of financial donations to religious groups will want to listen to this episode. If you know of others who may be interested, please spread the word.

Connect with us on Facebook. Click the link below or search on “Research on Religion with Anthony Gill.”

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Manuscript collector extraordinaire, and former professor of ancient history, Scott Carroll joins Tony in a discussion about the King James Bible, as Baylor Univeristy prepares to celebrate the 400th anniversary of this celebrated translation. Our discussion is far ranging, discussing everything from how ancient texts were translated and disseminated to the specific history of Tudor and Stuart England. We finish with some thoughts on the impact that this particular translation of the Bible has had on our contemporary understanding of the Bible and its imprint on the English language.

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Prof. Ahmet Kuru of San Diego State Univeristy joins Research on Religion to discuss the increasing presence of Islam in Europe and how various European nations are accomodating Muslim immigration. We address the contemporary origins of this immigration and how countries such as Great Britain, Germany and Frane have had different responses to integrating Muslims into their political and cultural arenas. We cover the recent ban in the hijab (Muslim headscarf) in France and also talk about how the US response to Muslim immigrants differs than Europe. Prof. Kuru introduces us to his concepts of assertive and passive secularism.

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