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Can satire be used to prompt religious reform? Prof. Chris Grenda (CUNY) discusses the role of humor, parody, irony, and satire in the changing religious landscape of the English Enlightenment (circa 17th and 18th centuries). We discuss the nature and role of satire in society and review a number of major historical satirists including Jonathan Swift and Thomas Paine, as well as the lesser known figures such as Ralph Wallis, Charles Blount, and Anthony Ashley-Cooper, the Third Earl of Shaftesbury. All of these satirists used their wit to advance the frontiers of religious toleration in an environment of growing religious pluralism and institutional corruption. How the “powers that be” — both ecclesiastical and secular — react to being the focus of ridicule is also discussed. We further bring the discussion into the contemporary era with references to Mark Steyn, Monty Python, and George Carlin. Prof. Grenda provides a number of interesting observations on what is happening to the rhetorical device of satire in our contemporary era.

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For the past two and a half years, Tony Gill has interviewed over 135 guests on this podcast. Today, Prof. Steve Pfaff takes over as guest host and interviews Tony about his recent book, “The Political Origins of Religious Liberty.” We discuss what religious liberty is and why a government would ever want to allow religious groups to have greater freedom. Tony emphasizes the political and economic motivations behind “deregulating the religious marketplace”, including the need to attract immigrants, promote free trade, and generate economic growth and tax revenue. We focus attention on colonial American history, but also discuss religious freedom in Russia, China, Mexico, Chile and a few other places. This interview is a great complement to other podcasts we have had on the topic of religious liberty, and an opportunity to see what your weekly host is really thinking about!

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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.

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Back in the fall of 2011, we visited with Pastor Matt Boswell about his effort to create a church within a week’s span of time. We pay a return visit with Pastor Boswell to see what the next several months of church-building entails. We discuss the need to create a set of by-laws, define the requirements of membership, and find ways to establish some permanance even though the congregation meets in a high school auditorium. This is part of our ongoing examination of Redemption Church and its week-to-week and month-to-month operations. Note: This is the church that your host attends on an almost weekly basis.

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Sit in on a collegial discussion with Tony and his good friend Prof. Steve Pfaff as they discuss a range of topics including denominationalism and whether churches today emphasize sin enough. These two topics lead us down several different paths taking a look at how and why churches create brands, the benefits of religious pluralism, youth religious practice and whether megachurches are really just soft-peddling Christianity. This open-ended discussion is a window into what Tony & Steve often talk about while hanging out at the University of Washington and is a great wrap around to several recent podcasts we’ve featured on the show.

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With Mitt Romney making waves as a presidential candidate frontrunner for the Republican Party, we visit with Prof. Patrick Mason to discuss the history of anti-Mormon bigotry in the United States tracing it back to the founding of the faith in the 1820s.

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Author Larry Witham takes an outsider’s look at the “economics of religion,” a relatively new academic perspective on understanding religious behavior and institutions. We trace the history of this academic school from Adam Smith to contemporary times and investigate how the logic of economics can help explain behavior at the level of the household, organization and market. The economics of religion is not just about financial concerns, but deals with how religiously-motivated individuals achieve their goals (including evangelization) in a world of scarcity. The basic assumptions and premises of the approach are examined, as are the critiques of the approach.

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Roger Finke of Penn State University talks with Tony about the prevalence and reasons for religious persecution around the globe. We explore the connectcions between seemingly small violations of religious liberty and religious persecution. Prof. Finke further argues that even small violations of religious liberty can presage greater threats to a wider set of civil liberties. Our discussion covers all regions of the globe, with a focus on Japan, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, France and the United States.

Listerners are encouraged to email the host and let him know you are listening and to provide feedback (good or bad). The host’s email is: tgill (at) uw (dot) edu

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