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What is it like to be a devout Catholic attending a secular university?  What steps can young believers take to ensure the integrity of the faith?  Aurora Griffin, a graduate of Harvard University and a junior research scholar at the Center for the Study of Statesmanship at the Catholic University of America, answers these questions […]

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In light of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, we offer up this timely podcast from last year on religion and disasters. Prof. Jamie Aten (Wheaton College) shares his experience with Hurricane Katrina and explains how congregations can get prepared for natural disasters and other calamities.

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Frank Selden, a Seattle-area attorney and author, joins us for a very personal and impactful discussion on his service in the military, his various suicide attempts, his faith, and how religious faith has approached the topic of suicide over the years. We learn how his views towards the Iraq War changed over two tours of duties, how he emerged from a suicidal spiral, and his perspective on religious faith today.

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Is your congregation prepared to help out the community during a natural disaster? Prof. Jamie Aten of Wheaton College and the Humanitarian Disaster Institute discusses why religious congregations are well-suited to provide relief to individuals beset by large-scale tragedies. We discuss how churches offer both short-term and long-term assistance, and why it is important for congregational leaders to know what their ministry and members do well and build a plan around that. This is a great episode for sociologists to understand the importance of religious organizations in civil society AND a conversation that gives practical advice for those folks in the pews who want to help out.

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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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Do people respond to economic crises by intensifying their religious practice? Prof. Wafa Hakim Orman (University of Alabama, Huntsville) discusses a set of novel studies she is conducting to see if this is the case. Using the 1980s farm crisis and the 2007-08 housing/financial crises as test cases, Prof. Orman explores if people in the hardest hit areas of these crises attended church more, intensified their prayer, and how this might have an effect on domestic violence. Prof. Orman also provides one of the best and pithiest explanations for why these two economic crises occurred.

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For our annual Fourth of July episode, and for our 250th podcast, we invite our very first “just graduated” high school student, Phoenix Moomaw, to discuss his senior project on the faith of President Ronald Reagan. As the grandson of Reagan’s pastor in Southern California, Phoenix came across several folders of personal letters between Reagan (as governor and president) and his grandfather. He uses these letters and some additional research at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley to determine how much Reagan’s faith affected his policies and style of governing. His answer to this question is surprisingly nuanced.

Help us celebrate the completion of our fifth year in existence by mentioning this podcast to at least five friends, colleagues, or family members. Thanks!

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Can neuroscience detect the long-held notion that there is a connection between the spirit and the body? Is prayer good for the brain? And what about cuddle parties? These questions are answered by Rob Moll, an independent journalist and scholar who has investigated the current boundaries of brain science. We discuss how prayer works to alter your brain, how being in a group and touching can change your mood, and how the subconscious reacts the signals of other individuals, all in the context of religious experience.

Know a student or pastor who would be interested in our free podcast series? Tell them about us; we’d love the company!

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Epidemiologist Jeff Levin of Baylor University, reviews findings from the study of religion & health. Levin recounts how scholars were initially skeptical of the links between religious belief & practice and general health outcomes, and how this field has developed over the past three decades. Are religious adherents more healthy than the population at large? Does spirituality have an impact on the ability to heal? And are donuts “calorie free” if you buy them at church? Find out what Prof. Levin thinks! (To download, right click on the button to the right and choose “save target as….”)

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