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What effect does religious participation have on reducing teenage delinquency? Sociologist Byron Johnson, director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, reviews a number of studies on how church attendance leads to lower levels of deleterious behavior among teens and young adults. (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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The history of religion in Russia and the Ukraine from the Bolshevik Revolution to present is the topic of discussion with Catherine Wanner, associate professor of history, anthropology and religious studies at the Pennsylvania State University. How did religious life under communism condition the religious landscape of these two countries today? (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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University of Oregon political scientist Karrie Koesel addresses the relationship between religious groups and the state in the People’s Republic of China. She discovers and interesting symbiosis between church and state at the local level. (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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George Fox University political scientist Mark David Hall examines how various Founding Fathers viewed church-state relations in their time, and how modern Supreme Court justices interpret their writings. Some recent court cases are discussed. (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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Erik Stanley, a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund, discusses whether or not clergy should have the right to endorse political candidates from the pulpit. The historical and legal reasons for clergy remaining silent on candidates is discussed. (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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University of Washington historian James Felak recounts the formative experiences in Pope John Paul II’s life and how he influenced the collapse of communism in Poland and the Soviet Union.

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