Multifaith Matters

Fred Stella on South Asian and Hindu Responses to The Simpsons' Apu

The Simpsons has been on the air for over thirty seasons, but not all of the characters have been well received. For example, Apu has generated controversy, with some Hindus and South Asians seeing him negatively as a racist stereotype, and others finding finding him unproblematic. In this episode, Fred Stella, host of the Common Threads podcast, President of The Interfaith Dialogue Association at the Kaufman Interfaith Institute, and member of the National Leadership Council of the Hindu American Foundation, discusses the varied reactions to Apu and how religious communities can respond to satirical depictions in entertainment.

Daniel Bar-Tal on the social psychology of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Why is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such an unending cycle of violence? What is the psychology underlying conflict over land and religion? Daniel Bar-Tal explores this with us in this episode. Bar-Tal is an Israeli academic, author and Branco Weiss Professor of Research in Child Development and Education at School of Education, Tel Aviv University. He is the author and editor of a number of books and journal articles, including Intractable Conflicts: Socio-Psychological Foundations and Dynamics, and Stereotypes and Prejudices in Conflict: Representations of Arabs in Israeli Jewish Society. We are joined in this conversation by Charles Randall Paul, founder and director of the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy and author of Converting the Saints: A Study of Religious Rivalry in America.

David Frankfurter on Demonic Conspiracies and Satanic Abuse

The QAnon conspiracy said that an underground Satanic pedophile ring of liberal Democrats was preying on our children. But such fears didn't start with them. In the 1980s, America was gripped by widespread panics about Satanic cults. Conspiracy theories abounded about groups who were allegedly abusing children in daycare centers, impregnating girls for infant sacrifice, brainwashing adults, and even controlling the highest levels of government. As historian of religions David Frankfurter at Boston University listened to these sinister theories, it occurred to him how strikingly similar they were to those that swept parts of the early Christian world, early modern Europe, and postcolonial Africa. He began to investigate the social and psychological patterns that give rise to these myths. Thus was born Evil Incarnate: Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Satanic Abuse, a riveting analysis of the mythology of evil conspiracy that is the focus of this podcast.

Ryan Burge on the rise and meaning of The Nones

The growth of The Nones in American society has been dramatic. In 1972, just 5 percent of Americans claimed "no religion" on the General Social Survey. In 2018, that number rose to 23.7 percent, making The Nones as numerous as both evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics. Every indication is that The Nones will be the largest religious group in the United States in the next decade. They represent a seismic shift in the understanding of American religion and the Christian Church. Ryan Burge is the guest in this edition of the podcast to help us understand this phenomenon. Burge is an Assistant Professor of Political Science as well as the Graduate Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. He is also the author of The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going. In the book he details a comprehensive picture of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. He gives readers a nuanced, accurate, and meaningful picture of the growing number of Americans who say that they have no religious affiliation. This book explains how this rise happened, who The Nones are, and what they mean for the future of American religion. Finally, Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church, having served his current church for over thirteen years.

Thomas K. Johnson on Humanitarian Islam and the Ethics of Religious Freedom

In this podcast Thomas K. Johnson discusses his new books Humanitarian Islam, Evangelical Christianity, and the Clash of Civilizations, as well as The Protester, the Dissident and the Christian: Essays on Human Rights and Religion. (Free PDF copies have been made available on the Multifaith Matters recommended books page.) Johnson is Senior Theological Advisor to the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), which represents and connects over 600 million Christians in 140 countries. Additionally, he currently serves as WEA Special Envoy to the Vatican and as Special Envoy to Engage Humanitarian Islam. He has long been a foremost international Protestant voice on human rights and religious freedom, including consulting with diplomats and religious leaders from around the globe.

Johnson has authored nine books and more than 250 articles, essays, and book chapters in several languages. He has edited 25 books on religion in society, along with editing and translating numerous reports on human rights, religious freedom, and intrafaith and interfaith relations.

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Asma Uddin on the Christian-Muslim Divide and Political Vulnerability

In The Politics of Vulnerability, Asma Uddin, American Muslim public intellectual, religious liberty attorney, and activist, provides a unique perspective on the complex political and social factors contributing to the Muslim-Christian divide. Unlike other analysts, Uddin asks what underlying drivers cause good people to do, or believe, bad things? Why do people who value faith support measures that limit others', especially Muslims', religious freedom and other rights?

Uddin humanizes a contentious relationship by fully embracing both sides as individuals driven by very human fears and anxieties. Many conservative Christians fear that the Left is dismantling traditional "Christian America" to replace it with an Islamicized America, a conspiratorial theory that has given rise to an "evangelical persecution" complex, a politicized vulnerability.

Uddin reveals that Islamophobia and other aspects of the conservative Christian movement are interconnected. Where does hate come from and how can it be conquered? Only by addressing the underlying factors of this politics of vulnerability can we begin to heal the divide.

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Michael McRay on Stories to Transform Enemies

Michael T. McRay is a Nashville-based writer, facilitator, and story-practitioner, and the award-winning author of I Am Not Your Enemy. In the pages of this book, visits divided regions of the world and interviews activists, peacebuilders, former combatants about their personal stories of conflict, justice, and reconciliation. In Israel and Palestine, Northern Ireland, and South Africa, he hears from grieving parents who partner together across enemy lines, a woman who meets her father’s killer, and a man who uses theater to counter the oppression of his people, and many more. In a time of heightened alienation and fear, McRay offers true, sacred stories of reconciliation and justice, asking what they can teach us about our own divided states. Must violence be met with violence? Is my belonging complete only when I take away yours? Will more guns, more walls, more weapons keep us safe?  Michael works with organizations around the world as a story consultant and produces and hosts Tenx9 Nashville Storytelling. Michael writes and speaks on issues of story, conflict, and reconciliation. He lives in Nashville with his family. You can follow him at http://www.michaelmcray.com and @michaeltmcray on Facebook and Instagram.

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Bron Taylor and Loren Wilkinson on Dark Green Religion

Religion informs our disagreements over social and political issues, and how to care for the environment and climate change is at the top of the list. Bron Taylor,  professor of religion and nature, environmental ethics, and environmental studies at the University of Florida and author of Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future, joins with Loren Wilkinson, retired Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies & Philosophy at Regent College, and editor of Earthkeeping in the Nineties: Stewardship of Creation, as they come together to discuss the issues. Wilkinson's work is also featured in the film Making Peace with Creation.

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Defending Befriending on The Wild Theology Podcast

I was a guest on Phil Wyman's The Wild Theology podcast via Facebook Live where we discussed our practice of befriending those in other religions. We shared our stories, the responses of those in other religions, the harsh criticism we've sometimes received from fellow evangelicals, and related theological questions and concerns.

Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler on Reading the Bible With and Without Jesus

In this episode, we discuss the book The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently with co-authors Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler. Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School and Department of Jewish Studies. She has also taught at Swarthmore College, Cambridge University, and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. She is the author of many books, including The Misunderstood Jew and Short Stories by Jesus, and she is the co-editor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Brettler is the Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Duke University. He has also taught at Brandeis University, Yale University, Brown University, Wellesley College, and Middlebury College. He is the author of many books, including How to Read the Bible and The Creation of History in Ancient Israel, and is the co-editor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Also mentioned in this discussion is The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously.

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