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Category: Featured
Jon M. Sweeney on The Pope Who Quit
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! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Timothy Shah on the Case for Religious Liberty
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. Click the Facebook logo on the right hand column to receive weekly updates on future podcasts! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part II
Rod Stark rejoins our podcast to discuss the second portion of his book, “The Triumph of Christianity.” We survey the epoch from the Edict of Milan up until the start of the Protestant Reformation, covering topics such as the relationship between Christianity and economic growth, the Church’s role in promoting science, religious opposition to slavery, the supposed demise of paganism, the religiosity of the common folk, and the various “reformations” that were taking place within the Christian Church throughout this era, eventually leading to Luther’s Reformation. We are a free educational podcast series designed to bring quality scholarship to a wider audience. Please tell your friends about us, and become our “friend” on Facebook. [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Christopher Scheitle’s Religious Road Trip
What do you get when to take a seasoned sociologist and a senior research associate, put them in a rented Dodge Charger for six weeks, and them tell them to find academic enlightenment? A religious road trip, that’s what! Christopher Scheitle tells us tales of his trip with Roger Finke to far flung places such as Memphis, Houston, Colorado Springs, San Francisco, Detroit and Brooklyn in search of what the American religious experience is all about. They visit a wide variety of congregations and take away some important lessons about the diversity and similarities of religious folks in the United States. We also find out who is the better driver – Chris or Roger. Share this experience with your friends and colleagues with our social networking links below. Thanks! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part 1
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. Search our archives for more great podcasts. This is free content courtesy of Baylor’s ISR, so please tell a friend about us with the social network links below. Thank you! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary
What is it like to go on a Mormon mission to Russia? Allison Pond, recently of the Pew Forum and now a journalist with the Deseret News, recounts her two-year religious sojourn to southern Russia. We learn about why she went, her preparation for the trip, what the first day on the ground was like, and the various ups and downs of mission life. We also discuss the changing religious landscape in Russia and what that meant for Latter Day Saints who were in the field. Please tell a friend about our free educational podcast. And don’t forget to subscribe to us on iTunes and Facebook (just click the links on the right hand column of our website). Thanks! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Ryan Habig on Music Ministry and “With Us” (a Habig original song)
Join Research on Religion for a very special live musical recording of “With Us” by Ryan Habig. We also talk about the importance and details of running a music ministry. This is part of a series examining Redemption Church, a congregation of 500 or so folks in the small town of Duvall, WA. Ryan discusses what drew him to music ministry, his background, and his weekly routine that not only includes making music but running anything and everything from the church website to organizing the ushers. We also include a rendition of “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” just in time for the holidays! You gotta spread the word about this podcast by clicking the social media below. Be the first to make “With Us” go viral! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Jason Jewell on John Locke & Religious Toleration
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. When it comes to gift giving, if it is the “thought that counts,” consider giving the gift of “Research on Religion” because we are filled to the brim with incredible thoughts from incredible scholars. Plus, our podcast is completely free! Subscribe to us on iTunes and mention us to a friend on Facebook. Thanks! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Justin Barrett on the Naturalness of Religious Belief
Do human beings have a cognitive predisposition to believe in the supernatural from birth? In other words, is spirituality a natural tendency in us? Psychologist Justin Barrett (Fuller Theological Seminary) explores some fascinating research that indicates that we have a strong sense of God from birth, and that this innate tendency is actually shared across cultures and historical epochs. While Prof. Barrett argues that religion is natural for humans, he also tells us that theology is “unnatural” and we examine the implications between religion (innate belief) and theology (structured logic). Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes to have each episode delivered to your iPod every Monday! [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] Larry Osborne on Church Finances and Growth
Should pastors know what individual congregants tithe? This question set off a debate on Christianity today and we pick it up with Pastor Larry Osborne (North Coast Church in Vista, CA), who admittedly changed his view on this question. He explains why and our conversation also covers other interesting facets of church financing. We also discuss some of the strategies that Pastor Osborne has used to help his church grow from a small Bible Study to a church that serves over 8,000 congregants each week across three campuses. Use the social media links below to help us spread word about this free educational resource. [ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ] |
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