In Good Faith

The Divine often reveals itself to us in ways that are deeply personal and unique to our own tradition. Despite the power of these experiences, we can sometimes become complacent in how we experience divinity, and deprive ourselves from finding God in new ways. In this episode, we hear different ideas about God's characteristics and attributes. First, we hear from Dr. Abhishek Ghosh, a religious studies professor and the Director of the Institute for Vaishnava Studies in Gainesville, Florida. Then we spoke with La Thao in Wisconsin, who works for Christian Campus ministry group InterVarsity, and recently co-wrote "Learning Our Names" a book of advice and experiences aimed specifically at young Asian-American Christians. We hear from call-in listeners from Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Utah, who share their encounters with aspects of God. Next is Buddhist publisher Samuel Bercholz who, in a near death experience, found himself in Hell. Finally, we hear from A Helwa, Muslim poet and author who's work explores Islamic theology from a perspective of God's boundless love.

What is the role of social justice for religious institutions? Dr. Terrence Smith talks about the journey to a more just and equal community in his hometown of Raymond, Alberta, where he has served for several years as a leader for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as well as a family doctor for 47 years. Across decades, he has worked to establish the physical, mental, and spiritual health of the people in this specific place of the world. We asked Terry about his vision for a "Zion society," the concept of a prosperous and balanced society that inspires the practice of Latter-Day Saints in the areas of public service. He told us personal stories from his life of how God's Spirit works within us to make Zion a reality.

Steve speaks with Barbara Brown Taylor, New York Times best-selling author, about her book "Holy Envy," and how to find God in the faith of others. Barbara Brown Taylor is a best-selling author, teacher, and Episcopal priest. Her first memoir, Leaving Church, won an Author of the Year award from the Georgia Writers Association in 2006. Her next three books earned places on the New York Times bestseller list. Taylor has served on the faculties of Piedmont College, Emory University, Mercer University, Columbia Seminary, Oblate School of Theology, and the Certificate in Theological Studies program at Arrendale State Prison for Women in Alto, Georgia. Her latest book, Always a Guest, was released in October 2020 from Westminster John Knox Press. Photo Credit: Jean Santopatre

Can people really change? How does change really happen? Steve met with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg over zoom to discuss these questions and to consider a better way of seeking repentance in the modern age. Their discussion is centered around Ruttenberg's upcoming book, On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World. This book examines and reinvigorates our modern understanding of repentance using the writing and theories of Jewish philosopher Maimonides. Named "rabbi to watch" by Newsweek, Ruttenberg is Scholar-in-Residence at the National Council of Jewish Women. She is the author of 7 other books about the intersection of Jewish theology, parenting, feminism, and other topics. Listen to Steve and Danya discuss how we can improve our practices of repentance and repair.

In this episode, we talk with Indigenous American guests about the people they gather with, as well as the places where they gather. Farina King speaks about the trauma of displacement which indigenous children faced during the era of America's residential schools, which she writes about in Returning Home: Dine Creative Works from the Intermountain Indian School. Nathan Hadfield talks about his involvement with Chaco Canyon and Pueblo Bonito, an ancient gathering site of the ancestral Puebloan peoples. Several guests are featured in our special segment on the Gathering of Nations, a pow-wow located in Albuquerque New Mexico. Lastly, we discussed the Art Heals project with Eugene Tapahe, a photographer who was inspired to take traditional healing to the world during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mauli Bonner is a Los Angeles-based vocal director and song writer. He and his wife Chantel founded the charity Lift Up Voices that provides opportunities with music and arts to young people. He wrote and directed an award winning film His Name is Green Flake, that tells the story of some of the first African American pioneers to the Utah Valley. The movie inspired a monument dedicated to those pioneers that was dedicated on July 22nd, 2022, on the 175th anniversary of the first wagon through Emigration Canyon. We recapture here the experience of the monument dedication ceremony at This Is The Place Heritage State Park with excerpts from Betty Sawyer from the Ogden NAACP, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, and The Bonner Family singing an original composition "Child of God". Additionally, Steve interviews Darius Gray, a founding member of the Genesis Group.

Dr. Richards is a clinical psychologist at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center with formal training in theology and comparative religion. Earlier in his career, he pursued psychedelic research at Spring Grove Hospital Center and the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center in Baltimore. His graduate education included studies at Yale, Brandeis, Catholic University, the Andover-Newton Theological School, and the University of Göttingen.

This week we bring you interviews with people who are actively engaged in their book, the sacred text at the center of their religion and faith. We hear from Dan McClellan, scripture supervisor for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who tells us about his tiktok career. Duncan Williams, a Buddhist priest and University of Southern California professor of Religion, explains how the Sutras were used by Japanese Americans interned in concentration camps across the Western United States during World War II. Teresa Kim Pecinovsky brings us a copy of her children’s book that discusses the feminine metaphors writers make use of in the Bible, called Mother God. And we listen to the characteristics of God as described in the Adi Granth, the sacred text of Sikhism, with Simran Jeet Singh. Listen now to how modern believers use scriptures in their lives.

Dr. Matthew Wickman talks about what he calls Divine Silence, and how we can still have a relationship with a God who seems--on the face of things at least--not to speak to us directly. In Good Faith is the place to hear stories and accounts from believers, told in their own words. Our hope is to listen with an open heart, celebrating the power of faith and belief, and what those stories mean to the ones who tell them. Host Steven Kapp Perry talks with believers from all walks of faith—Catholic and Episcopalian, Buddhist and Baptist, Jewish and Hindu, Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim and Latter-day Saint—in other words, human beings and believers, sharing their personal experience with the sacred and the divine. Sundays on BYUradio—and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Dr. Lisa Knopp, associate professor at University of Nebraska-Omaha, discusses her seventh book "From Your Friend, Carey Dean," with producer Heather Bigley. Lisa is a death penalty abolitionist who became the friend and penpal of Carey Dean Moore, a death row inmate convicted of murdering two men in August 1979. Moore spent 38 years on death row before his execution in 2018. In that time, Lisa and Carey Dean exchanged 320 letters about their Christian faith, spiritual challenges, and personal lives. Hear Lisa describe their friendship and her memoir in this week's episode.