We celebrate our 100th episode with return guest Margarita Mooney discussing Pope Benedict XVI’s historic visit to Cuba. We cover the religious landscape of this island nation since the 1959 revolution and the everyday hardships that both religious and non-religious people must endure, as well as the slow religious opening that has been occuring for the past two decades. Pope John Paul II’s visit is also discussed, but the majority of our discussion is reserved for the impact that Pope Benedict’s visit had on the Catholic faithful. Prof. Mooney details Benedict’s “Homily in Havana” and relates some vivid stories from people still living in Cuba.

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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.

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!

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A week before Halloween, we investigate the darker side of the supernatural with a look at how monsters have been portrayed in American history and what that says about US history. Historian Scott Poole (College of Charleston) talks about his new book, “Monsters in America” and shows how our obsession with, and imagery of, monsters has reflected some very dark trends over the past 400 years. From aliens to zombies, we cover it all in this special spooky version of the increasingly popular podcast! Warning: Not for the faint of heart.

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Feeling down about the economy, crime rates or anything else? Cheer up because Bradley Wright joins us to summarize his new book “Upside: Surprising GOOD NEWS about the State of Our World.” Prof. Wright notes that over the past half century, nearly all measures of human well-being have improved (sometimes dramatically) even though we often feel things are getting worse. We discuss why we think this way in addition to highlighting the statistical trends that should give us hope. While stepping slightly outside of our specific focus on religion, this episode nonetheless brings the discussion back around to a number of Christian organizations that are making the world a better place.

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William Donohue of the Catholic League discusses how cultural nihilists are engaging in “secular sabotage.” Our discussion starts with an examination of who are these nihilists and how moral virtue is essential to control unbridled appetites in a free nation. We then weave through a variety of topics including Lady Gaga, Hollywood, and how Catholics and Protestants are often engaging in self-sabotage.

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Brad Wilcox looks closely at how the institution of marriage has changed over the past several decades, with particular attention to “Middle America,” defined as middle-income Americans with high school education. Prof. Wilcox argues that increases in cohabitation, out-of-wedlock births, and divorce — which were common among the lowest socio-economic sectors of society in the 1960s and ’70s — is becoming increasingly common among “Middle America” today. We discuss some of the reasons for this trend and talk about various solutions. We close with a discussion of evangelicals men and parenting.

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Prof. Eric Carter of Georgetown College joins Tony to discuss the difficulties facing professional athletes in the National Football League (NFL) and what role religion plays in helping stabilize the lives of those lived in the NFL spotlight based on unprecedented access to over 100 pro players. The rapid ascension to fame and fortune often places these young men into situations where they experience severe difficulties in coping and finding stable relationships. Our conversation turns to what role religion helps in overcoming many of these difficulties. As an added bonus, both Eric and Tony reveal their Super Bowl predictions.

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Paul Froese of Baylor University discusses how Americans have different views of God and how these different concepts affect our beliefs and actions in other areas of life. Based on extensive survey research and in-depth interviews he conducted with his colleague Chris Bader, Prof. Froese details four distinct images of God, including authoritative, benevolent, critical and distant. Click “read more” to find a connection to the authors’ website where you can take a survey to find out what your image of God is relative to others in the U.S.

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Merisa Parson Davis joins Research on Religion to talk about her new book on Bill Cosby’s much publicized “Pound Cake Speech” that he gave to an audience on the 50th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education. She points out that much of the discussion of this speech in the popular media overlooked the religious dimensions of Dr. Cosby’s remarks. We discuss how African American churches and other religious organizations have responded (and can respond) to various social problems facing the Black community, including school dropout rates, incarceration of young Black men, and the challenge of entrepreneurship in the inner city. Your host also reveals his three favorite shows growing up.

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Prof. Jon A. Shields (Claremont McKenna College) examines whether the Christian Right conforms to norms of democratic deliberation and civil discourse. Our discussion covers the history of the pro-life movement, the rise of the Religious Right, and how those movements have changed over time. Prof. Shields offers evidence that Christian conservatives do, for the most part, enhance the democratic process contrary to popular opinion.

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