Multifaith Matters

This episode brings together Thomas K. Johnson and C. Holland Taylor to discuss the publication of the significant volume they co-edited, God Needs No Defense: Reimagining Muslim-Christian Relations in the 21st Century, a festschrift in honor of Dr. Thomas Schirmacher, Secretary General and CEO of the World Evangelical Alliance. This book brings together Christian and Muslim thinkers who articulate a vision for better relations between these religious traditions. Johnson and Taylor co-chair the Humanitarian Islam/WEA Joint Working Group. Johnson is Senior Theological Advisor to the WEA, which represents and connects over 600 million Christians in 140 countries. Additionally, he serves as Special Envoy to engage Humanitarian Islam. Taylor is Chairman and CEO of the LibForAll Foundation, and Emissary for the UN, Americas and Europe for Gerakan Pemuda Ansor, the world's largest Muslim young adults movement, with over 5 million members. Good Needs No Defense is available for purchase on Amazon in Kindle format, and via free digital download at Multifaith Matters.

Given the work of the Perseverance Rover on Mars, and the recent release of the Pentagon's report on UFOs or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, speculation about the possibility of the existence of alien life is on our minds. Ted Peters helps shed light on this in this podcast episode. Dr. Peters teaches systematic theology and ethics at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. He is the author of God-The World's Future: Systematic Theology for New Era, and God in Cosmic History: Where Science and History Meet Religion. He is co-author of Evolution from Creation to New Creation. Along with colleagues he has edited, Astrotheology: Science and Theology Meet Extraterrestrial Life, as well as Astrobiology: Science, Ethics and Public Policy.

Jeremiah Films produced a number of films and pseudo-documentaries that included satanic conspiratorial elements. Think of Gods of the New Age and The Pagan Invasion. In an article in Diabolique, Robert Skvarla argued that this didn't stop with the end of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, but instead shifted from religion to politics. Skvarla is a freelance writer from Philadelphia. His focuses include conspiracy culture, fringe communities, and new religious movements. He has written for Atlast Obscura, Philadelhia City Paper, and Cinepunx, and served as a programmer for the Cinedelphia Film Festival.

Renewed conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is the background for this episode. Munther Isaac is our guest, and as his book The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope describes, Christians have lived in Palestine since the earliest days of the Jesus movement. Yet, in the heated tensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the voices of Palestinian Christians are often unheard and ignored. As a Palestinian pastor and theologian, Isaac gives the perspective of Palestinian Christians on the other side of the separation wall. He laments the injustices suffered by the Palestinian people but holds out hope for just peace and ways to befriend and love his Jewish and Muslim neighbors. Isaac has a PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, and is the academic dean of Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine and director of the Christ at the Checkpoint conference. He is also pastor of Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, and author of From Land to Lands, from Eden to the Renewed Earth: A Christ-Centered Biblical Theology of the Promised Land. 

Although they are the fifth largest major world religions, Sikhs are often an ignored or stigmatized religious community in the US. They have been the victims of prejudice and violence at times due to a confusion with Muslims in post-9/11 America. In this episode our guest helps us understand Sikhism, how the Sikh community is woven into the fabric of American life, and how they have responded to violence and prejudice. Rajanpreet Kaur is the Senior Media and Communications Manager at the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in the United States. Since 2017, she has worked to support a high-impact communications team that contributes to nearly every facet of the Sikh Coalition's work and drives groundbreaking media results on behalf of Sikhs in America. Since the start of the pandemic, this work has included press hits in national media and local news outlets that highlight the seva (selfless service Sikh communities nationwide are leading to give back to those in need during this difficult time.

Evangelical-Mormon dialogue has tended to focus on beliefs, sacred texts, and founding historical narratives. But what if we expanded our conversations to include how religion is lived in daily live, such as how the objects of material culture function and are valued? In this podcast Cory Willson discusses his chapter contribution in Talking Doctrine: Mormons and Evangelicals in Conversation with a respectful look at LDS sacred temple garments. Willson is the Jake and Betsy Tuls Associate Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry and directs the Institute for Global Church Planting and Renewal at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is also one of the co-founders of Fuller Seminary's Interfaith Dialogue Journal, and the co-author of Work and Worship: Reconnecting our Labor and Liturgy.

Darren Duerksen is a Christian who teaches at Fresno Pacific University, and Fred Stella is a Hindu affiliated with the Hindu American Foundation. Both men have been guests individuall on the podcast previously, but they come together in a conversation from Facebook Live to discuss “Why should I love my neighbor?: Hindu and Christian similarities and differences on the origins and nature of love.” How do these traditions understand the nature of the divine as a source and inspiration for love, as well as the nature of revelation in gaining instruction on love? How do the distinctives connect to things like racial injustice? You can listen to Multifaith Matters on your favorite podcast platform, including Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeart Radio. Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org.

The centrality of the cross of Jesus in Christian spirituality cannot be overestimated (Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Cor. 2:2). But what does this cruciform or cross-shaped spirituality spoken of by the Apostle Paul mean and look like? And how might it be more purposefully applied by American evangelicals and other Christians to our present circumstances, including multifaith engagement. Michael J. Gorman is the guest who helps us explore this. Dr. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Maryland. A highly regarded New Testament scholar, he is the author of a trilogy of books on cruciformity, including Cruciformity: Paul's Narrative Spirituality of the Cross, Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul's Soteriology, and Becoming the Gospel; Paul, Participation, and Mission. He has also written Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness and Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers.

Rachel Mikva is our guest discussing her book Dangerous Religious Ideas: The Deep Roots of Self-Critical Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Her book reveals how faith traditions have always passed down tools for self-examination and debate, because all religious ideas - not just extremist ones - can cause harm, even as they also embody important moral teachings. Rachel S. Mikva serves as the Rabbi Herman E. Schaalman Chair in Jewish Studies and the Senior Faculty Fellow of the InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary. Rabbi Mikva went to teach and earn her PhD at Jewish Theological Seminary, focusing on rabbinic literature and the history of biblical interpretation. Her courses and research address a range of Jewish and comparative studies, with a special interest in the intersections of scripture, culture, and ethics. 

Religion Unplugged is reporting that Zondervan and Harper Collins are releasing a God Bless the USA Bible in September for the 20th anniversary of 9/11. It will include "the full texts of the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and pledge of allegiance. The holy book also includes licensed lyrics to the popular 1984 song by country music singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood, 'God Bless the USA.'” In this podcast I discuss why this is a huge mistake, as it will inflame the post-9/11 trauma evangelicals feel that shapes their anti-Muslim sentiment, as well as the Christian nationalism found within the subculture. My brief commentary shares some specifics, and the hopes that evangelicals might bring some pressure on Zondervan and HarperCollins on this issue.