Posts Tagged ‘atheism’


Leigh Eric Schmidt on Village Atheists

While the United States, until perhaps recently, has always been presented culturally as a Christian nation, atheists and other non-believers have always existed. Prof. Leigh Schmidt (Washington University) discusses how a “village atheist” movement emerged in the 19th century, what it looked like, and what implications it had on the American religious landscape. We learn about a number of colorful characters such as Samuel Porter Putnam, Watson Heston, and Elmina Drake Slenker.

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Joseph O. Baker on American Secularism

America has become less religious in recent years. To explore this phenomenon, both in its present form and situated historically, we invite Prof. Joseph O. Baker of Eastern Tennessee State University to talk about the history and contemporary dimensions of American secularism(s). He notes that secularism does not necessarily mean atheism, but includes an array of different categories. We also discuss some of the reasons for the recent increase in “nones,” including family structure, changing sexual norms, and political polarization.

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Nancy Ellen Abrams on Spirituality & Science

Can the evolving state of science give us greater insight into God and vice versa? We talk with former atheist Nancy Ellen Abrams about her journey through the history of science and how she has come to understand God and spirituality, as well as her new book “A God that Could Be Real: Spirituality, Science, and the Future of Our Planet.” This is one of our most unique interviews blending humanity’s evolving understanding of the universe with a bit of theology.

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J Warner Wallace on Cold-Case Christianity & Christmas

In one of our most unique interviews, we talk with J Warner Wallace, a cold-case homicide detective, about his journey into Christianity and his use of criminology tools to determine whether or not the Gospels have any veracity to them. We talk murder mysteries, forensic methodology, and whether or not the birth narrative of Jesus could hold up against the weight of cold-case evidence. This is a conversation that you will want to tell your friends about!

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Jeremy Lott on Episcopalians, Ex-Atheists, Health Care, and German Circumcision

Research on Religion checks in with journalist/blogger extraordinaire Jeremy Lott to discuss a couple big stories in the world of religion. We examine what happened at the recent Episcopal Church General Convention and speculate as to why Episcopalians and other mainline churches are losing members. Then we turn our attention to other recent news events including the conversion of former atheists, and religious liberty issues concerning the US health care mandate and circumcision in Germany.

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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.

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Paul Froese on America’s Four Gods

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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Catherine Wanner on Religion in Russia

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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