The Revealer

What is contributing to the number of Puerto Ricans converting to Islam, and what is the longer history of Latino Muslims in the Americas? Ken Chitwood, author of Borícua Muslims: Everyday Cosmopolitanism among Puerto Rican Converts to Islam, joins us to discuss Puerto Rican Muslims. How do Puerto Rican Muslims navigate life as a religious minority in Puerto Rico and throughout the United States? How do they approach being a racial and ethnic minority in predominantly Muslim spaces? How do they blend their Puerto Rican ethnic identity with their Muslim religious identity? And, what do Puerto Rican converts to Islam reveal about religion in the Americas today?

Why do so many white evangelicals, the religious group with the highest gun ownership rates in the country, believe they have a “God-given right” to possess firearms? William Kole, author of In Guns We Trust: The Unholy Trinity of White Evangelicals, Politics, and Firearms, joins us to discuss evangelicals’ fixation with gun access. Why don’t mass shootings, even in schools, provoke more than “thoughts and prayers” from most evangelicals? How do ideas about race and gender contribute to white evangelicals’ insistence on having unrestricted access to firearms? And, what can we do to address America’s gun problems and get enough evangelicals on board so that it will have a real political impact?

Why turn to the Bible to look for insights on transgender people and gender variation, especially when so many anti-trans people use the Bible to justify bigotry? Joseph Marchal and Melissa Harl Sellew, two editors of the book Trans Biblical: New Approaches to Interpretation and Embodiment in Scripture, join us to discuss what it means to do a trans interpretation of the Bible. What does the Bible have to say about gender variance? Why should cisgender people care about transgender interpretations of the Bible? And, as anti-trans rhetoric and policies proliferate, what can thinking about transgender people, the Bible, and religion help us with right now in today’s political climate?

What is the history of Black Catholics in the United States, and what are the most pressing issues facing Black Catholics today? Tia Noelle Pratt, author of Black and Catholic: Racism, Identity, and Religion, joins us to discuss Black Catholics and racism in the Catholic Church. In what ways does the U.S. Catholic Church perpetuate systemic racism? How have Black Catholics tried to combat this racism? And, what should the Catholic Church and individuals do to address racism within Catholicism today?

What factors are contributing to the rightwing momentum among adolescent males in the United States? Angela Denker, author of Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood, joins us to discuss the rightward movement of white Christian boys and young men. What messages are teen boys receiving from social media influencers, youth pastors, and politicians about masculinity? What are the teachings in evangelical churches about Jesus and manhood? And, what should people do to try to reverse this rightwing movement among white Christian adolescents in the United States today?

What exactly was the Black Panther Party, what did it set out to achieve, and what parallels exist between today and when the Black Panthers first started? Mary Frances Phillips, author of Black Panther Woman: The Political and Spiritual Life of Ericka Huggins, joins us to talk about a prominent member of the Black Panthers, the spiritual practices she developed while incarcerated, how her spiritual wellness practices helped other activists, and what lessons all of this offers activists today.

Who are the organizations, people, religious communities, and think tanks that are working to erode America’s democracy and push the country to authoritarianism? Acclaimed investigative journalist Katherine Stewart, author of Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, joins us to discuss these groups, how they’re funded, and the power of their propaganda. How do things like anxiety over gender roles feed this antidemocratic momentum? How do some of these groups plan to make the country a more clearly conservative Christian nation? And, what can those of us who want to protect democracy do to push back against this authoritarian movement in the United States?

Why does our culture celebrate forgiveness and how can the pressures to forgive cause harm to people who have already been wronged? What role does Christianity play in this cultural pressure, and what are common Christian message about forgiveness? Kaya Oakes, author of Not So Sorry: Abusers, False Apologies, and the Limits of Forgiveness, joins us to discuss the potential problems with forgiveness and their connections to religion. We also explore how religious institutions have sought forgiveness when they have harmed people. How have the Catholic church and the Southern Baptist Convention sought forgiveness for clergy abuse and why might those actions fail to convince many that sincere change and justice will happen? And what are possible models for forgiveness that could be helpful when one has been harmed by an institution, a religious leader, or another individual?

For the past few decades, several Black Christian denominations have seen a significant decline in religious affiliation and church attendance. Jason Shelton, author of The Contemporary Black Church: The New Dynamics of African American Religion, joins us to discuss what has contributed to these changes and how the Black church’s decline is altering Black life more broadly in the United States. How are Black religious leaders responding to these challenges, and why are their efforts to win over younger Black Americans not particularly successful? Why is the fastest growing denomination of Black Christians seeing an increase in people voting for Republicans? And, how are Black churches responding to today’s political and social issues?

For our 50th episode, we’re discussing American Jews who participate in activism to support justice for Palestinians. What has taken place over the past decade or so that has pushed many American Jews, especially younger Jews, to criticize Israel and to express solidarity with Palestinians? Oren Kroll-Zeldin, author of Unsettled: American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine, joins us to discuss how Jewish activists infuse Jewish teachings and customs into their pro-Palestinian protests, why the visible presence of Jews at the college and university protests against Israel’s war in Gaza this spring was crucial, and what to expect this fall as students return to campus and as the situation in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank is far from resolved.

Elisabeth Elliot was a longtime leader and icon within evangelical Christian communities who taught about marriage, sexuality, and gender roles. Liz Charlotte Grant, author of The Revealer article “Elisabeth Elliot, Flawed Queen of Purity Culture, and Her Disturbing Third Marriage” joins us to discuss her article about Elliot that went viral as soon as we published it. What were Elliot’s teachings about marriage and gender? What was taking place within her third marriage as she taught countless audiences about the supposed ideal Christian marriage? And how have evangelicals and others responded to our viral article about Elliot’s disconcerting life with her third husband?

How have media depictions of Muslims been changing in recent years? Rosemary Pennington, author of the new book Pop Islam: Seeing American Muslims in Popular Media, joins us to discuss the place of Islam in American media. We discuss how Muslims have turned to pop culture to broaden ideas about Islam, how some Muslim performers have used humor to present a more robust picture of Muslim life, what we should make of the depictions of Muslims in shows like Ms. Marvel and Ramy, and what the place of Muslims in pop culture reveals about Islam in the United States today.