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Who believes in the paranormal and why? Prof. Chris Bader returns to our podcast to discuss an updated version of his book “Paranormal America” (co-authored with Joseph Baker and Carson Mencken). This conversation is filled with ghost stories and UFO abductees and may sound a bit preposterous, but the lessons to be drawn from individuals who believe in the paranormal should be taken very seriously. Chris explains the social scientific importance of studying the paranormal.

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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.

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What makes for an effective leadership team? Using insights from business analysis, Dr. Warren Bird of the Leadership Network discusses a study conducted in over 200 churches that filtered out the various characteristics of groups that led to success. Our conversation also discusses the recent Pew Forum report on the declining presence of Christianity in the United States and finishes up with how church leadership should address a potentially new religious environment in America.

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In a wonderful complement to last week’s episode, Daniel Libenson — creator of jUChicago and The Institute for the Next Jewish Future — discusses the religious challenges facing Judaism in contemporary America and what might need to happen in the future. We explore these issues through the lens of his work with Hillel and his other institutional creations, and how he is using “design thinking” to provide creative ways to engage secular Jews in their historical faith.

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Our favorite religious journalist, Jeremy Lott of RealClearReligion.org (and more), joins us to talk about his experience attending a religious service of the Latter Day Saints prior to the November 2012 election. Given that so many pundits were talking about Mitt Romney and the “Mormon moment,” Jeremy thought it would be useful to observe what life is really like within a Mormon ward. We also talk about Jeremy’s impressions of Pope Francis and share some of our insights about the world’s ugliest churches.

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Have you ever wondered what goes on at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting? Dr. Thom S. Rainer, prodigous author and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, gives us some background on the SBC’s convention and what issues were raised in during the June 2013 meeting, including mental health and chartering the Boy Scouts. We also discuss various trends affecting America’s religious landscape, including the growth in large churches at the possible expense of smaller congregations and the faith of the Millenials (individuals born between 1980 and 2000). Dr. Rainer also talks about what leads to church stagnation, what it takes to turn those churches around, and a few not-so-obvious pointers on how to guarantee a vibrant church.

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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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Prof. Rodney Stark returns to discuss the final part of his monumental book, “The Triumph of Christianity.” We pick up the story of Christianity with the Protestant Reformation and take it up to the contemporary period. Along the way, we talk about the Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Spanish Inquisition, Christianity’s transfer to the Western Hemisphere and what is becoming of this faith tradition today.

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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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Ghosts. UFOs. Bigfoot. Astrology. Who subscribes to these beliefs and why? Chris Bader of Baylor University discusses his research on the paranormal, revealing some surprising results gleaned from survey research and in-depth fieldwork. Find out what it is like to go on a Bigfoot hunt!

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