Religion and Rock 'n' Roll episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 25, 2025 · 54 MIN

Religion and Rock 'n' Roll

from Religion in the American Experience · host nationalmuseumofamericanreligion

Rock and Roll is a well-known musical genre in the United States and throughout the world. Many of us, including me, grew up with it and with the understanding that some adults, especially religious leaders, were at least wary of it (I was a teenager in the 80s). Needless to say, Rock and Roll is a solid part of the American narrative. On this episode we will explore the ways religion, specifically Christianity, interacted with it. This will be a fascinating tale.   Season 3, Episode 32: Religion and Rock n Rol   Guest Bio Randall J. Stephens is professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo and is a historian of religion, conservatism, the South, environmentalism, and popular culture and is the author of several books including The Fire Spreads: Holiness and Pentecostalism in the American South and The Devil’s Music: How Christians Inspired, Condemned, and Embraced Rock ’n’ Roll. Dr. Stephens received his BA in History at Mid America Nazarene College and his PhD in American History from the University of Florida. In the 1990s Randall was part of a band called Jetenderpaul. This is the AllMusic link to the band: https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jetenderpaul-mn0000346797   Podcast Support Scholarly support provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Technical audio and video assistance provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo. Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion.

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Religion and Rock 'n' Roll

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