A Nation Wrestles With God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands w/ Ilan Stavans

A Nation Wrestles With God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands w/ Ilan Stavans

From Parallax Views w/ J.G. Michael by J.G.

July 13, 2026 · 1h 16m · Episode 1168

About this episode

Ilan Stavans discusses his anthology exploring the American grappling with the concept of God throughout history.

👉 Pitch in on Patreon and fuel the future of free-thinking conversations. https://www.patreon.com/parallaxviews Also visit our returning sponsor Mike Swanson's Wall Street Window for the best financial and trading newsletter around:https://wallstreetwindow.com/ On this edition of Parallax Views, acclaimed writer, cultural critic, translator, and literary anthologist Ilan Stavans joins us to discuss his new anthology, A Nation Wrestles with God: American Prophets, Philosophers, and Firebrands. Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College and a prolific author whose work explores language, identity, religion, and culture, offers a sweeping look at how Americans have grappled with the idea of God from the colonial era to the present day. Rather than presenting a history of belief or unbelief, Wrestling with God traces the ongoing conversation (and often fierce argument) over faith, doubt, morality, and meaning that has shaped American life. We discuss the anthology's remarkable range of contributors, which includes figures such as Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr…

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