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Frequent guest and popular academic author Rodney Stark joins us to discuss his new book “America’s Blessings: How Religion Benefits Everyone, Including Atheists.” We discuss whether or not spiritual life in the United States is actually on the decline, and then review how the activities of religious Americans have positive spillover effects for society as a whole in a wide range of areas including health, voluntarism, pro-social behavior, the economy, and intellectual life. We even talk about “s-e-x.” This is a wonderful “starter” podcast for new listeners as it covers a number of different themes we have addressed over the past three years.

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The surprising outcome of the Hosanna-Tabor v EEOC Supreme Court case forms the basis for our discussion of religious liberty and how far the “ministerial exemption” to federal anti-discrimation laws can be carried. Prof. Matthew Franck (Witherspoon Institute) discusses the details of the case, how it wound its way through the court system, and what happened at the Supreme Court. Along the way, Tony learns a great deal of the U.S. legal system. We then put this case in the broader context of religious freedom and labor regulations.

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Does the term “Islamic Feminism” sound counter-intuitive? Dr. Alessandra González explores how women in Kuwait are finding ways to empower themselves and advocate for their interests in an environment where political Islam (or Islamism) is resurgent. She contrasts notions of Islamic feminism with how feminism is perceived in the West and reveals a number of fascinating insights on gender roles in a Muslim society. Changes in educational opportunities and changing perceptions among younger generations play a role in promoting this movement, as well as the surprising impact of Iraq’s invation of Kuwait in 1990. We also talk about the important role of conforming to traditional community norms and how men might actually be helping facilitate the struggle for women’s rights and empowerment.

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With all the talk about declining levels of civic engagement in the United States, is there any evidence that religious education might play a role in promoting community involvement among youth and young adults? Prof. Kevin den Dulk discusses his research into this question and observes that some types of religious education — most notably Protestant private schooling — does tend to facilitate civic involvement in young adulthood. Kevin compares Protestants with Catholic private schools, secular parochial schools, public education and homeschoolers. Our discussion also engages the topic of whether or not civic participation is really declining in American life.

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What is it like to be a practicing Christian in the world of secular academia? While many Christian professors teach at religiosly-based universities where public profession of faith is either encouraged or expected, Christian academics working in state colleges and universities operate under a different set of constraints. Kimberly Conger of Colorado State University shares her thoughts with Tony based upon a set of panels at the most recent Christians in Political Science conference at Gordon College. We discuss whether or not there exists strong biases against Christian professors, how one deals with students both in the classroom and during office hours, and how one’s faith affects research.

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Why do people bother to go to church when a recent Barna Group survey revealed that 60% of all regular attendees could not recall any new insight from their most recent church service? Prof. Richard Flory discusses this finding and several others and speculates on the role the churches play in our lives, arguing that the communal aspect of gathering may be highly underrated when compared with the spiritual education aspect of churches. We also discuss the role that churches can play in the community and whether or not such engagement will help to make church more relevant for youth.

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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).

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Mike Donnelly of the Home School Legal Defense Association and Patrick Henry College recounts the contemporary history of homeschooling, including both its secular and religious origins, and provides listeners with some basic demographic characteristics about homeschoolers. Our discussion then covers various legal challenges that homeschoolers face, culiminating with a discussion of a recent case involving a German homeschooling family seeking asylum in the United States.

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