Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Chris Soper on the Challenge of Religious Pluralism
How do various democratic nations manage increasing religious pluralism around the world? Prof. Christopher Soper, a distinguished political scientist at Pepperdine University, answers this question and talks about the third edition of his book The Challenge of Pluralism, co-authored with Kevin den Dulk and the late Stephen Monsma. After Chris provides a few reflections on […]
[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]
Rodney Stark on The Triumph of Faith
The decline of religion around the world may be greatly exaggerated. Returning for his sixth appearance on our podcast, Prof. Rodney Stark, co-founder of Baylor’s ISR, discusses his new book “The Triumph of Faith” and reviews how the religious landscapes in various countries and regions of the world has been greatly transformed in the past half century. We look at “nones” from the United States, the rise of indigenous Christianity in Africa, and how even the Japanese still rely upon Shinto priests for blessings.
You can find us on Twitter and Facebook. Use the button on the right side of our home page to connect.
[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]
Hunter Baker on Secularism
What role should religion be allowed to play in the public square? Prof. Hunter Baker (Union University) discusses how the concept of “secularism” has crept into our nation’s conscience and is believed to be a philosophy of “neutrality.” Prof. Baker argues that this isn’t the case as secularism is an ideological alternative to religious belief that is privileged over religious expression in the public square. Our wide-ranging conversation takes us through discussions of Judge Roy Moore, religiously-based progressive taxation, religion in Sweden, and the philosophy of John Stuart Mill and John Rawls.
To download the podcast, “right click” on the download button and choose “Save target as…” Or subscribe to us on iTunes or with our RSS feed. And please use our social network links to tell your friends about our free, educational service.
[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]
Jared Rubin on Christian and Islamic Economic History
Did religion or church-state institutions have anything to do with the great economic divergence between Christian Europe and the Islamic world beginning in the 11th century? Prof. Jared Rubin of Chapman University reviews the economic history of these two civilizations, covers the dominant explanations for the observed divergence, and then discusses his own research showing that the relationship between religious and political authorities in each region of the world had a great deal to do with why Europe surged ahead economically. We focus primarily on the role of usury laws and financial interest, but Prof. Rubin gives us a taste of some of his work relating to the economic importance of the printing press.
Never miss an action-packed episode. Subscribe to Research on Religion on iTunes or use our RSS feed. See the links on the right hand side of our webpage.
[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]
Ken Wald on the Puzzling Politics of American Jews
Why are American Jews more liberal than their socio-economic non-Jewish counterparts?
Why are they more politically liberal than Jews in other countries? And what explains the rightward, then leftward, drift of Jews from the 1970s to present? Prof. Ken Wald provides an interesting historical explanation to these three puzzles. A great complimentary episode to last week’s discussion.
Connect with us on Facebook by clicking the icon below and to the right!
[ READ THE FULL ARTICLE ]