Religion in the American Experience

Welcome to another episode of “Religion in the American Experience”, the podcast that equips listeners to be more effective stewards of religion’s positive role in the American experiment in self-government. The influence of religion on American medicine is pervasive. This episode is an interview with Dr. Harold Koenig about the history of religion in the clinical encounter.   Season 4, Episode 26 – Religion and American Medicine - Part 2: The Clinical Encounter   Guest Bio Harold Koenig is on the faculty at Duke University Medical Center as Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Medicine. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China. Dr. Koenig is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Religion and Health and is the lead author of the Handbook of Religion and Health, with professors Tyler VanderWeele and John Raymond Peteet. Show Notes: https://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu/   Podcast Support Scholarly support provided by Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Technical audio and video assistance provided by Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo. Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.

Welcome to another episode of “Religion in the American Experience”, the podcast that equips listeners to be more effective stewards of religion’s positive role in the American experiment in self-government. Today we will be talking with children’s author Katherine Paterson about religion’s role in her life and work.   Season 4, Episode 25 – Religion and the Life, Times, and Work of Katherine Paterson   Guest Bio Katherine Paterson is the author of more than 40 books, including 18 novels for children and young people. She has twice won the Newbery Medal, for Bridge to Terabithia in 1978 and Jacob Have I Loved in 1981. The Master Puppeteer won the National Book Award in 1977 and The Great Gilly Hopkins won the National Book Award in 1979 and was also a Newbery Honor Book. For the body of her work she received the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1998, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2006, and in 2000 was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. She lives in Barre, Vermont and is an Elder in the First Presbyterian Church where her husband John, now deceased, was pastor.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.  

Welcome to another episode of “Religion in the American Experience”, the podcast that equips listeners to be more effective stewards of religion’s positive role in the American experiment in self-government. Today we will be exploring the surprising, fascinating, and little-known story of post-Vatican II liturgical jazz music in mid-twentieth century Black Catholic America.   Season 4, Episode 24 – Liturgical Jazz and Mid-Twentieth Century Black Catholic America   Guest Bio Deanna Witkowski is a pianist, composer, scholar and author of Mary Lou Williams: Music For The Soul, winner of the 2022 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award and the 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Award for Biography of the Year. Deanna has taught for Jazz at Lincoln Center and performed Williams’ compositions as a featured guest with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Witkowski completed her PhD in jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh and is currently writing her second book based on her doctoral dissertation, “Jazz in the Pews: Experiments in Sunday Worship in the 1960s.” Show notes: Mass for Every Season Mass for the Lenten Season (Stonewall Chorale + DW Trio)--starts at 12:30 Jazz in the Pews 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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.

 Welcome to another episode of “Religion in the American Experience”, the podcast that equips listeners to be more effective stewards of religion’s positive role in the American experiment in self-government. The country is celebrating America’s 250th  – the semiquincentennial – and we are featuring episodes that explore the religion of the principal actors during the country’s founding era. Today we will be talking with Dr. Tommy Kidd about Benjamin Franklin and his religious life and beliefs.   Season 4, Episode 23 – Benjamin Franklin’s Religion   Guest Bio Thomas S. Kidd is among the most celebrated scholars of religion and the founding of the United States. He serves as Research Professor of Church History at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the John and Sharon Yeats Endowed Chair of Baptist Studies. Dr. Kidd has authored numerous books, including Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh, Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father, and George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.

Welcome to another episode of “The Making of US: Lived Religion in America”, a subseries of the podcast “Religion in the American Experience”, which makes each of us more effective stewards of religion’s positive role in the American experiment in self-government. In this subseries we explore the role religion has played in the lives of everyday Americans, reminding us that while religion exerts a significant influence on the events and movements of the American project, religions primary work and where it has the most influence, is in the everyday lives of adherents.   Season 4, Episode 22 – The Making of U.S.: Lived Religion in America Today Matt Nowakowski of Minneapolis, Minnesota joins us to share his own religious history. Veronica Mrnik, Matt's maternal grandmother, immigrated from Czechoslovakia and raised the family through St. Joseph's Church in Cudahy, WI. https://www.nativitycudahy.org/our-parish-history Matt is associated with the Brothers of the Christian Schools-The Lasallian Brothers. https://www.lasalle.org/en/   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.

The influence of religion on American medicine is pervasive. This episode is an interview with Dr. Jeff Levin about the contents of his book Religion and Medicine: A History of the Encounter Between Humanity’s Two Greatest Institutions. We believe that understanding this thread in America’s religious fabric will make each of us more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 21 – Religion and American Medicine – Part 1.   Guest Bio Jeff Levin is an epidemiologist and religious scholar, and holds a distinguished chair at Baylor University, where he is University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Professor of Medical Humanities, Director of the Program on Religion and Population Health at the Institute for Studies of Religion, and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Human Flourishing. Jeff is the author, editor, or co-editor of over 11 books, including Religion and Medicine: A History of the Encounter Between Humanity’s Two Greatest Institutions.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause ; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.  

The influence of the King James Bible on American literature has been vast. This is the first of many episodes that will explore this topic, and it will focus on ways this particular edition of the Bible has shaped the American novel.   We believe that understanding this thread in America’s religious fabric will make each of us more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 20 – The Influence of the King James Bible on the American Novel – Part 1.   Guest Bio Robert Alter is Professor in the Graduate School and Emeritus Professor of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California at Berkeley, and author of Pen of Iron: American Prose and the King James Bible. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Council of Scholars of the Library of Congress, and is past president of the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics. His twenty-four published books include two prize-winning volumes on biblical narrative and poetry and award-winning translations of Genesis and of the Five Books of Moses.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause ; and the free exercise and non-establishment clauses in the Bill of Rights.  

This year during America’s 250th anniversary, we are paying particular attention to how religion figured into the people and events of the country’s founding era. In May of 1776 Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon gave a unique sermon entitled The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men, which created quite a stir. What is in this sermon that would raise eyebrows, who exactly was John Witherspoon, and what influence did the sermon and preacher have on the creation of the United States? We believe that understanding this thread in America’s religious fabric will make each of us more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 19 – How Did John Witherspoon’s Sermon Influence the American Revolution?   Guest Bio Gideon Mailer is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. His research interests include the evolution of liberty, beginning with the ancient Anglo-Scottish constitutional framework and culminating in the establishment of the United States of America. Gideon is the author of The Character of Freedom: The Scottish Enlightenment and American Slavery and John Witherspoon’s American Revolution. SHOWNOTES:  https://youtu.be/Fa1ad9QCv_s?si=QJPlLRzkVKG9P_se   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1 “Oath or Affirmation” clause; Article VI “no religious Test” clause ; and the two Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Paul David Hewson, also known as Bono, was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 10, 1960. He is the founding member and lead singer of the band U2, formed in 1976, the same year he experienced a Christian conversion. In 1982 he married Alison Stewart, whom he met when he was a teenager. Bono is the recipient of 22 Grammy Awards and in 2005 was, as part of U2, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004 Bono, together with two others and 11 humanitarian and advocacy organizations, founded the One Campaign, which advocates for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. This episode will explore the role religion has played in his life and music. We believe that understanding this particular thread of the American fabric will make each of us more effective stewards of religion’s role in the ongoing American project.   Season 4, Episode 18 – Bono and His Religion   Guest Bio Chad Seales is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Holder Designate of the Brian F. Bolton Distinguished Professorship in Secular Studies, at The University of Texas at Austin. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research addresses the cultural relationship between religion and secularism in American life. He is editor of the Routledge Handbook of Religion and American Culture, and the author of Religion Around Bono: Evangelical Enchantment and Neoliberal Capitalism and The Secular Spectacle: Performing Religion in a Southern Town, and has published articles and book chapters on religious comparison, religion and food, industrial religion, corporate chaplaincy, religion and film, and secularism and secularization in the United States.   SHOWNOTES:  “40” - https://youtu.be/lj8rzXBVmBY?si=Rx9FNJM2ZmuNzhg_ Example of an Episcopal “U2charist” service - https://www.youtube.com/live/1B2KB-72nnA?si=uc8hywKcK_s-sCJO   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article II, Section 1; Article VI; and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan Gough) was born on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Enduring a turbulent childhood, she started singing in New York City in her teenage years, becoming an exceptionally talented, and then famous, jazz and swing singer in the 1930s and 40s. Billie won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously. We would like to investigate the religious influences on Billie Holiday’s life, times, and music. We believe that understanding this particular thread of the American fabric will make each of us more effective stewards of religion’s role in the ongoing American project.   Season 4, Episode 17 – Religion and the Life, Times, and Music of Billie Holiday   Guest Bio Tracy Fessenden has agreed to help us with this. Professor Tracy Fessenden is the Steve and Margaret Forster Professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University and Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict, where she also directs the Initiative in Spirituality and Public Life. Her work focuses on, among other things but most relevant for our topic today, religion and American literature and the arts and the relationship between religion and the secular in American law, culture, and public life. She is the author of Religion Around Billie Holiday and Culture and Redemption: Religion, the Secular, and American Literature. It is our hope that by answering this question, each of us will be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government. SHOWNOTES: https://billieholiday.com/ Billie Holiday - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Holiday “Strange Fruit” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Fruit “God Bless the Child” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_the_Child_(Billie_Holiday_song) House of the Good Shepherd for Colored Gils in Baltimore, Maryland: https://mavcor.yale.edu/mavcor-journal/colored-magdalens-house-good-shepherd-colored-girls-baltimore-ca-1930s   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

As we celebrate America’s 250th, this is a timely question to ask: Was the American Revolutionary war biblical and just – religiously permissible and religiously justifiable – in the minds of the leaders and colonists who fought in and supported it? It is our hope that by answering this question, each of us will be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 16 – Was the Revolutionary War Biblical and Just?   Guest Bio Mark David Hall is professor at the Robertson School of Government at Regent University. He is renown scholar of early America, with expertise in Christianity’s role in the America’s experiment in self-government. Dr. Hall is also widely regarded as a leading student of religious liberty and church-state relations in America and is the author of many books including Proclaim Liberty Through All the Land: How Christianity Has Advanced Freedom and Equality for All Americans and Did America Have a Christian Founding?: Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth. SHOWNOTES: https://www.markdavidhall.org/   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

During America’s 250th anniversary year we are discussing how religion shaped the founding of the United States. This episode explores religion and the American revolution. It is our hope that by understanding this particular topic, each of us will become more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 15 – Religion and the American Revolution   Guest Bio Our guest today is Kate Carté, a Professor of History at Southern Methodist University who specializes in early American and Atlantic history and is author of Religion and the American Revolution: An Imperial History. Kate has been a Charles A. Ryskamp Fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, an affiliate fellow of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University, a Franklin Fellow of the American Philosophical Society, and a Barra Postdoctoral Fellow at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

The country is celebrating America’s 250th  – the semiquincentennial – and we are uncovering whatever of its religious roots we can find. As many know, English philosopher and physician John Locke, one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers, had a significant influence on the American founding through his many books including A Letter Concerning Toleration, Two Treatises of Government, and An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. What was his religion and how did it influence his thinking and writing? It is our hope that by understanding this better, each of us will be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 14 – John Locke’s Religion   Guest Bio Graedon Zorzi is an Assistant Professor of Theology and Philosophy at Patrick Henry College. Dr. Zorzi holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Religious Studies from Yale University, where he worked primarily in the fields of political theory and religious ethics. His recent writing on the Christian origins of classical liberalism has been published in The Historical Journal, The Review of Politics, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill. He is an ordained pastor, resident in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic of the Anglican Church in North America.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.      

The Virginia Declaration of Rights was adopted on June 12, 1776. Some scholars argue that Article 16 is America’s most original, innovative, and important contribution to conceptions of religious liberty. “That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.” The text itself and the debates in the Virginia Convention that produced it, touch on many of the key issues that continue to roil religious liberty controversies in our own time. Understanding this better will equip all of us to be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.    Season 4, Episode 13 – Article 16 of the Virginia Declaration of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights was adopted on June 12, 1776. Some scholars argue that Article 16 is America’s most original, innovative, and important contribution to conceptions of religious liberty. “That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.” The text itself and the debates in the Virginia Convention that produced it, touch on many of the key issues that continue to roil religious liberty controversies in our own time.  Understanding this better will equip all of us to be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the American experiment in self-government.   Guest Bio Professor Dreisbach earned a doctor of philosophy degree from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia. His principal research interests include American constitutional law and history, First Amendment law, church-state relations, and criminal procedure. He has authored or edited ten books and numerous articles in scholarly journals. Among the courses he teaches are Introduction to Law, American Legal Culture, Issues in Civil Justice, Law and Religion, and the Constitution and Criminal Procedure. Professor Dreisbach is a past recipient of American University’s highest faculty award: Scholar/Teacher of the Year.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Arnold Friberg’s famous painting of George Washington kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge has been in the news. While we are not going to join the conversation about whether or not the painting is an accurate depiction of truth and what this may or may not mean about Washington, his religion, or America, we do want to provide an answer to this question: what does the historical record tell us about George Washington’s religious beliefs and practices?   Season 4, Episode 12 – SPECIAL: George Washington’s Religion   Guest Bio John Fea is Professor of American History and Chair of the History Department at Messiah College. He is the author or editor of six books including The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society, Why Study History? Reflecting on the Importance of the Past, and Was America Founded as a Christian Nation: A Historical Introduction. His essays and reviews have appeared in a variety of scholarly and popular venues. Show notes: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/27/nx-s1-5747094/church-and-state-george-washington   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.  

Join us during America’s 250th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us more effective stewards of religion’s in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?   Season 4, Episode 11 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Randall Balmer   Guest Bio A prize-winning historian and Emmy Award nominee, Randall Balmer holds the John Phillips Chair in Religion at Dartmouth, the oldest endowed professorship at Dartmouth College. He taught as Professor of American Religious History at Columbia University for twenty-seven years before coming to Dartmouth in 2012. Dr. Balmer has published more than a dozen books, including America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State, Redeemer: The Life of Jimmy Carter, God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush, and The Making of Evangelicalism: From Revivalism to Politics and Beyond. His second book, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, now in its fifth edition, was made into an award-winning, three-part documentary for PBS. Dr. Balmer wrote and hosted that series as well as a two-part series on creationism and a documentary on Billy Graham. He has lectured around the country in such venues as the Commonwealth Club of California and the Chautauqua Institution and, under the auspices of the State Department, in Austria and Lebanon. Show notes: https://bookshop.org/p/books/america-s-best-idea-the-separation-of-church-and-state-randall-balmer/10c3765c6955cd65?ean=9781586424145&next=t   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.  

Chaplains– clergy attached to a secular institution including hospitals, prisons, embassies, schools, labor unions, police departments, fire departments, universities, intelligence agencies, airports, and military services - play a unique and meaningful role in the American landscape. These are ordained clergy who minister to members of the chaplain’s particular faith, to facilitate ministry to those of other faiths, and to care for all – including those who claim no religious faith. In this episode we are going to hear what Vietnam war chaplains teach us about religion, war, and the American project.  It is our hope that by the end of this episode, each of us will be equipped to be more effective stewards of religion’s role in the ongoing American experiment in self-government.   Season 4, Episode 10: American Chaplaincy – Part 2 Guest Bio Professor Jacqueline Whitt is Chief Learning Officer for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs and Director of the Organizational Learning Unit (OLU) in the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Department of State. She is the author of Bringing God to Men: American Military Chaplains, Religion, and the Vietnam War.   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.

Join us during America’s 250th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us more effective stewards of religion’s in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?   Season 4, Episode 9 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Mark Valeri   Guest Bio Professor Mark Valeri is the Reverend Priscilla Wood Neaves Distinguished Professor of Religion and Politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, the director of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics, and author of The Opening of the Protestant Mind: How Anglo-American Protestants Embraced Religious Liberty.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

What is the history of the Shakers - The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing – in the United States? How have they shaped us and how has America shaped them? Why is it important for us to know? Who are the last two – now three – surviving members of this religious community, what are they doing and where are they doing it? And, finally, why will an understanding of this fascinating religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be better stewards of religion’s role in preserving the American experiment in self-government?    Season 4, Episode 8 – American Religion: The Shakers Guest Bio Theresa Frey-Alexander is the Curator of Education and Interpretation at Shaker Heritage Society, the site of the first Shaker settlement, where she relishes bringing the history of the Shakers to life through innovative, multi-sensory exhibits and programs. She curated Ann Lee: One Woman’s Revolution, now on view. She holds a B.A. in History from Indiana University and a degree in Education from Siena University. She is also a musician, gardener, artist, and mother. See: The Shaker Heritage Society Theresa Frey-Alexander’s recent presentation at the Religion and the American Founding conference Hancock Shaker Village video  Kens Burn documentary 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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.  

Join us during America’s 250th as we uncover the long, fascinating, and critically important history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. How will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry make us better stewards of religion’s and religious freedom’s role in perpetuating the American experiment in self-government?   Season 4, Episode 7 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Michael McConnell   Guest Bio Dr. Michael McConnell is the Richard and Frances Mallery Professor and Faculty Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School, Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, and from 2002 to 2009 was Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has briefed or argued many if not most of the religious freedom cases in the Supreme Court from the 1980s until now. Professor McConnell is the author of The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution, and co-author with Nathan Chapman of Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

The book Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity was released in early 2026. The subtitle succinctly announces the contents, which makes the book feel epic and profound. What the museum wants to know is how understanding the tale the author tells will equip citizens to be more effective stewards of the role of religion, and the freedom that fuels it, in perpetuating American constitutional democracy. https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/matthew-avery-sutton/chosen-land/9781541646339/ Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/books/2026/03/how-christian-nationalist-became-epithet/686279/ NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/books/review/chosen-land-matthew-avery-sutton.html Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/03/american-christianity-more-than-politics-chosen-land-sutton-review/   Season 4, Episode 6 – Christianity and the History of the United States of America   Guest Bio Dr. Matthew Avery Sutton is the Berry Family Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts at Washington State University and has written many books besides this one, about various aspects of religion and U.S. history, including Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity ; Double Crossed: The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War; and Faith in the New Millennium: The Future of Religion and American Politics.    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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Join us during America’s 250th while we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations. Why will a more complete understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective citizens in the work of perpetuating our democracy?   Season 4, Episode 5 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Steven Green   Guest Bio Steven K. Green is the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and Affiliated Professor of History and Religious Studies at Willamette University where he teaches courses in Constitutional Law, First Amendment, Legal History, Jurisprudence, and Education Law in the College of Law, and Legal History and American Religious History in the College of Arts & Sciences.   He is the author of more than 50 law review articles and book chapters, appearing in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, Cornell Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, Emory Law Journal, and Boston College Law Review, among others. Green’s latest book is The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom, and the subject of this podcast episode.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.  

Founded in 1834 as a mission of the Episcopal Church, the Seamen’s Church Institute provides vital services to seafarers, including crisis response, pastoral care, vessel visiting, counseling, transportation, and hospitality. The organization also supports mariner education and professional development through its Center for Maritime Education and advocates for seafarer rights through its Center for Mariner Advocacy. What is the history of this unique organization? Why will an understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective at perpetuating our democracy, which includes religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses? Mark Nestlehutt will guide us today in answering these and other questions. Show notes: Our Mission | Seamen’s Church Institute https://seamenschurch.org/historical-resources/   Season 4, Episode 4 – History of the Seamen’s Church Institute Guest Bio The Reverend Mark Nestlehutt serves as the President and Executive Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), the largest and most comprehensive mariner service agency in North America.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

What did the intersection of African American civil rights work and Jewish politics look like in the 20th century? Why will an understanding of this particular religious thread in the American tapestry equip us to be more effective citizens now in the work of perpetuating our democracy with its world-changing innovation of religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses? Dr. Marc Dollinger will guide us today in answering these and other questions. Season 4, Episode 3 – Black Power, Jewish Politics in 20th Century America Guest Bio Marc Dollinger is Professor, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Chair, in the Department of Jewish Studies at San Francisco State University. He has a Ph.D. in history from UCLA and is the author of several books, including Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s, the basis of our discussion today. Dr. Dollinger’s research interests include American Jewish history, Jewish social responsibility, liberalism, Jews and public policy church/state separation, modern Jewish history and modern Jewish identity. https://jewish.sfsu.edu/prof-marc-dollinger-speaks-cnns-don-lemon-tonight 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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Join us during America’s 250th as we uncover the long and fascinating history of religious freedom in the United States, considered by many to be one of its greatest innovations, which will equip us to be more effective at perpetuating the American experiment in self-government. Season 4, Episode 2 – History of Religious Freedom in the U.S. with Chris Beneke  Guest Bio Chris Beneke is Professor and Associate Dean of First Year Experience and the Bentley Core at Bentley University. His research interests include American religious history, history of religious toleration, baseball and American history and American intellectual history. Dr. Beneke is the author of many books, including Free Exercise: Religion, the First Amendment, and the Making of America and The Lively Experiment: Religious Toleration in America from Roger Williams to the Present. 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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has influenced America and how America has influenced religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

The Erie Canal is an outstanding example of a human artifact creating and facilitating new religious movements. Within 25 years of its opening, the Erie Canal cultivated extraordinary experimental spiritual groups including the Mormons, the Adventists, Spiritualism, a revived Apocalypticism, utopian communal societies such as the Oneida Community, with the Amana Colony and Shakers passing through, as well as the emotion-laden revivals of the Second Great Awakening. The Canal also engendered the religiously infused social movements of abolition, women’s suffrage, and temperance. And because of its key location and function as the link between east and west, the repercussions of canal-formed spiritual experiments rippled across the continent with westward expansion, creating unique currents of religion in the United States into the present day. Better understanding this particular religious thread in the American tapestry will equip us to be more effective citizens in the work of perpetuating our democracy with its world-changing innovation of religious freedom as defined by the U.S. constitution’s Article VI and the Bill of Rights religion clauses.   Season 4, Episode 1 – The Erie Canal and American Religion Guest Bio S.B. Rodríguez-Plate is a professor of religious studies at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York and author of many books including A History of Religion in 5 ½ Objects: Bringing the Spiritual to Its Senses, and Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World. S.B. investigates the ways people connect with physical objects through sense perception: the things we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch are what give people their spiritual dimension. Matthew Smith is Visiting Professor of History and the Regional Director of Public Programming at Miami University of Ohio’s Hamilton, New York regional campus. Matthew’s research interests include American religious history, Appalachia, The Ohio Valley, and Trans-Atlantic immigration. Dr. Smith is the author of The Spires Still Point to Heaven: Cincinnati's Religious Landscape, 1788-1873   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Reza Aslan’s No god but God, a finalist for the Guardian First Book Award, just celebrated its 20th anniversary. With the book, Dr. Aslan attempted to explain Islam, in all its beauty and complexity, just 4 years after 9/11. On this episode we will explore the American religious landscape at that time and now, the how and why of the book then, and what it means today.   Season 3, Episode 37 – No god but God Twentieth Anniversary   Guest Bio Reza Aslan is a renowned writer, commentator, professor, Emmy- and Peabody-nominated producer, and scholar of religions.  He is the author of numerous internationally bestselling books, including No god but God and the #1 New York Times Bestseller Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, currently in development at Fremantle Media with Pablo Larrain attached to direct. A former Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and recipient of the prestigious James Joyce Award, Aslan has helped craft the mythologies for Hollywood’s most acclaimed franchises, including Dune, Game of Thrones, and The Leftovers. In addition to his writing and production work, he has served as host and executive producer of CNN’s Believer and Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, and co-hosts the podcast Metaphysical Milkshake alongside Rainn Wilson. His latest book, An American Martyr in Persia, was nominated for the PEN/Jacqueline Beograd Weld Award.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

The oldest church in Virginia was built by the Anglicans in the late 17th century near Portsmouth. In the 1950s President Dwight D. Eisenhower exchanged letters with the organization that was renovating it at the time of nearby Jamestown’s 350th anniversary (1957), and called it a “national shrine.”   https://stlukesmuseum.org/ https://stlukesmuseum.org/edu-blog/letter-from-president-eisenhower-to-hsl/   Season 3, Episode 36 – St. Luke’s Historic Church and Museum   Guest Bio John Ericson is the Executive Director and Site Historian for St Luke's Historic Church & Museum in Smithfield Virginia. He produces a podcast about the early American religious experience called History from the Old Brick Church. Mr. Ericson has expertise in the history of the Established Church of England in the Colonies, as well in the dissenting groups such as Pilgrims (Brownists), Puritans, and Quakers. He has also studied how the Established Church sought to coerce the Indigenous and African populations in Virginia through the Brafferton and Bray Schools as well as through legislation.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

Today we are going to pull on this thread of the American religious tapestry: The Nation of Islam, a 20th century American religious movement brought to national consciousness by 1960s Black Power, Muhammad Ali and Malcom X, and which also has a deep and significant history with implications for 21st century work in the public square. To do this, Joseph Stuart, an assistant professor of history at Brigham Young University and a well-known expert on Nation of Islam, has agreed to help.   Additional resources: Judith Weisenfeld, New World A-Coming: Black Religion and Racial Identity during the Great Migration Ula Y. Taylor, The Promise of Patriarchy: Women and the Nation of Islam Edward Curtis IV, Black Muslim Religion in the Nation of Islam, 1960-1975 Erdmann Doane Beynon, "The Voodoo Cult Among Negro Migrants in Detroit" James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time   Season 3, Episode 35 – American Religion: The Nation of Islam   Guest Bio Dr. Joseph Stuart is a scholar of African American history, particularly of the relationship between race, masculinity, civil rights, and religion in twentieth-century Black Freedom Movements. He has a B.A. in American Studies from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Utah. His forthcoming book manuscript examines the Nation of Islam’s racial and masculine ideologies to understand how and why some Black American groups opposed integration in the mid-twentieth century United States. The project traces the Nation of Islam’s founding from its origins in Great Depression Detroit to its schism following the Elijah Muhammad's death in 1975 and its “restoration” under Louis Farrakhan. Joseph's research has been published in academic journals and edited collections, including Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture, American Quarterly, the Journal of Mormon History, and Religion & Politics. He is also a contributing research associate to the Century of Black Mormons Project. He has hosted and produced podcasts for the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and the New Books Network.   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 private, digital-first National Museum of American Religion, which tells the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. This includes the establishment of religious freedom in the United States Constitution’s Article VI and Bill of Rights religion clauses.

On Sunday, September 28th Thomas Jacob Sanford drove his truck into a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan during their services. He opened fire with his gun killing two worshippers, then set the building on fire killing two more. Eight others were injured and the church was completely destroyed. He was killed in the parking lot by local law enforcement. Mr. Sanford, as reported by someone who talked with him earlier that week, believed that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the “Antichrist.” Where has the concept of “the Antichrist” appeared in American history and how can this help us understand what happened in Michigan?   Season 3, Episode 34 – Special Edition: The Antichrist in American History   Guest Bios Dr. Matt Sutton is the Berry Family Distinguished Professor in the Liberal Arts at Washington State University and author of American Apocalypse: A History of Modern Evangelicalism. His new book Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity will be published in early 2026.   Dr. Christopher Blythe is assistant professor of English at Brigham Young University and, importantly, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   Both have expertise in Christian theology as it relates to the United States of America.   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.  

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in November 1982, is located in Constitution Gardens just off the north-east corner of the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial is composed of two adjoining walls, which have inscribed on them the names of over 58,000 servicemen and women who gave their lives in service in the Vietnam conflict. The walls taper from 8 inches tall at their extremities to over 10 feet tall at the apex where they meet, their bottom edges descending below the level of the surrounding earth while their top edges stay level. The memorial now includes the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, the Three Servicemen statue, the Vietnam Women's Memorial and the In Memory plaque. It is one of the most visited war memorials in the United States and attracts more than 5 million visitors annually. We are interested in understanding the religious threads, if there be any, that are part of the fabric of this stunning and meaningful memorial.   Season 3, Episode 33 – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial   Guest Bio Arnold E. Resnicoff was born in Washington, DC and attended Dartmouth College where he studied drama. Arnie then served a tour in Vietnam, including as part of "Operation Game Warden," the campaign to keep the rivers free of Viet Cong infiltrators. After the war he became a rabbi then a chaplain in the U.S. Navy, serving in that position for twenty-five years. Chaplain Resnicoff was part of the small group of veterans who worked to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, delivering the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. He was in Beirut on that fateful day when the Marine barracks were bombed on October 23rd, 1983. His eyewitness report, written at the request of the White House, was read in full by President Ronald Reagan as a keynote speech to the 20,000 attendees of Jerry Falwell's "Baptist Fundamentalism '84" convention. Arnie was the first Jewish chaplain to attend the Naval War College, and the first chaplain of any faith to teach a course there (or at any military war college), "Faith and Force: Religion, War, and Peace." He served as Command Chaplain for the US European Command, the "top chaplain" for US chaplains of all faiths in all branches of the armed forces in all of Europe and most of Africa. Arnie has offered more prayers to open sessions of the House and Senate as guest chaplain than any other rabbi in history. After retirement from the Navy, he served as National Director for Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, and Special Assistant for Values and Vision to the Secretary and Chief-of-Staff of the U.S. Air Force, a position that carried with it the military equivalent rank of brigadier general.    Arnie gave a prayer at the November 13, 1982 Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which you can watch here: https://www.c-span.org/clip/public-affairs-event/user-clip-1982-vietnam-veterans-memorial-dedication-closing-prayer/3724411 Jim Knotts is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that built The Wall in 1982. He is an Air Force veteran of the Persian Gulf War and a graduate of the Air Force Academy. For the past 10 years, he has led the efforts at VVMF to honor the service and sacrifices of Vietnam veterans. Jim previously worked in industry at Lockheed Martin headquarters, where he was Director of Corporate Citizenship, including philanthropy and community outreach, and Director of Web Communications. During his almost ten years in the Air Force, his career spanned service in the Persian Gulf War, at the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command, and in the Pentagon on the Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff.   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.  

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.

Chaplains– clergy attached to a secular institution including hospitals, prisons, embassies, schools, labor unions, police departments, fire departments, universities, intelligence agencies, airports, and military services - play a unique and meaningful role in the American landscape. These are ordained clergy who minister to members of the chaplain’s particular faith, to facilitate ministry to those of other faiths, and to care for all – including those who claim no religious faith.  The first episode of this multi-episode series about chaplaincy in America beings with Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff discussing his career as a chaplain in the United States Navy, which intersected with important and meaningful events in the nation’s history.   Season 3, Episode 31: American Chaplaincy – Part 1   Guest Bio Arnold E. Resnicoff was born in Washington, DC and attended Dartmouth College where he studied drama. Arnie then served a tour in Vietnam, including as part of "Operation Game Warden," the campaign to keep the rivers free of Viet Cong infiltrators. After the war he became a rabbi then a chaplain in the U.S. Navy, serving in that position for twenty-five years. Chaplain Resnicoff was part of the small group of veterans who worked to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, delivering the closing prayer at its 1982 dedication. He was in Beirut on that fateful day when the Marine barracks were bombed on October 23rd 1983. His eyewitness report, written at the request of the White House, was read in full by President Ronald Reagan as a keynote speech to the 20,000 attendees of Jerry Falwell's "Baptist Fundamentalism '84" convention. Arnie was the first Jewish chaplain to attend the Naval War College, and the first chaplain of any faith to teach a course there (or at any military war college), "Faith and Force: Religion, War, and Peace." He served as Command Chaplain for the US European Command, the "top chaplain" for US chaplains of all faiths in all branches of the armed forces in all of Europe and most of Africa. Arnie has offered more prayers to open sessions of the House and Senate as guest chaplain than any other rabbi in history. After retirement from the Navy, he served as National Director for Interreligious Affairs for the American Jewish Committee, and Special Assistant for Values and Vision to the Secretary and Chief-of-Staff of the U.S. Air Force, a position that carried with it the military equivalent rank of brigadier general.  http://www.resnicoff.net/ Rabbi Resnicoff’s 1982 prayer at the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Rabbi Resnicoff’s report (and speech) to the White House about the Marine barracks bombing in 1983.   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.

One hears the terms “religious liberty” or “religious freedom” quite often in today’s public square. What does it mean? Where did it come from? Who put it together? In today’s episode we get to know Roger Williams, who is an outsized figure in America’s idea of religious freedom, now established in the Constitution’s Article VI (no religious test for office) and the First Amendment’s religion clauses (free exercise and no establishment).   Season 3, Episode 30: The Women and Men of American Religion. Story 8: Roger Williams   Guest Bio Dr. Carrington-Farmer is a Professor of History at Roger Williams University, where she specializes in early American History. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 2010, and she has a keen research interest in dissent in seventeenth-century New England. Her book, Roger Williams and His World, sets Roger Williams in his wider Atlantic world context. She has published book chapters on two seventeenth-century dissenters, see: “Thomas Morton” in: Atlantic Lives: Biographies that Cross the Ocean and “Roger Williams and the Architecture of Religious Liberty,” in Law and Religion and the Liberal State. Building on her interest in Roger Williams, she has published an article on his wife, Mary Williams, entitled: “More than Roger’s Wife: Mary Williams and the Founding of Providence.” In the New England Quarterly. Listeners are welcome to use the code ROGERWILLIAMS20 for 20% off their purchase from our website. Here is a link to the product page: https://broadviewpress.com/product/roger-williams-and-his-world/ The full interview can be found Full Interview.  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.      

The country’s 250th anniversary is almost here, and the National Museum of American Religion is working overtime to shed light on religion’s role in the founding of the American republic. One Christian denomination that looms large in the American founding is the Congregationalists of New England. The Congregational Library and Archives in Boston has put together an exhibit entitled “Sacred Rebellion: Congregationalists in Revolutionary Massachusetts” that tells their roles in the American Revolution. Sacred Rebellion: https://www.congregationallibrary.org/sacred-rebellion The Congregational Library & Archives presents a new in-person exhibition, Sacred Rebellion: Congregationalists in Revolutionary Massachusetts. The exhibition highlights the stories of Massachusetts Congregationalists drawn from the CLA’s important collections.  By the time the war began, many Congregationalists had embraced a theological justification for war and revolution. They believed that God favored them and that their cause was a morally justified, sacred rebellion. Through sermons, books, poems, songs, and letters, Congregationalists shared their stories, reflected on their moral obligations to each other, and debated questions of liberty and loyalty. But consensus was elusive, and implementation proved difficult and unsatisfactory to many, especially those on the margins. These discussions shaped the legacy of Congregationalism and the way the Revolutionary War is remembered today, 250 years later.  Last year's digital exhibit, Religion of Revolution: https://congregationallibrary.quartexcollections.com/online-exhibits/revolution Call For Papers for an upcoming symposium on religion at the Library that might be of interest to your listeners (deadline extended to June 1): https://www.congregationallibrary.org/religions-revolution-symposium   Season 3, Episode 29: Sacred Rebellion – Congregationalists in Revolutionary Massachusetts   Guest Bio Kyle B. Roberts was appointed as the Executive Director of the Congregational Library & Archives in 2022. He received his BA in American Studies from Williams College and his PhD in History from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a scholar of Atlantic World religion, print, and library history, and is the author of Evangelical Gotham: Religion and the Making of New York City, 1783-1860 and the co-editor, with Stephen Schloesser, of Crossings and Dwellings: Restored Jesuits, Women Religious, American Experience 1814-2014. Kyle is an accomplished public historian and digital humanist whose collaborative projects include the Jesuit Libraries Provenance Project. Tricia Peone is the Project Director of New England's Hidden Histories at the Congregational Library and Archives. She previously worked at Historic New England, where she was a research scholar for the Recovering New England’s Voices project. She has also previously worked as the public programs director at New Hampshire Humanities, a university lecturer teaching classes on the Salem witch trials, early New England, and public history, and as a researcher for cultural heritage organizations. Her scholarship focuses on early modern magic and witchcraft and her work on these subjects has appeared in journals, books, blogs, and on radio and television. She holds a PhD in history from the University of New Hampshire with a specialization in the early modern Atlantic world and history of science.   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.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the National Museum of American Religion, which is dedicated to telling the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. 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.   Season 3, Episode 28: American Religion - Methodism Guest Bio Dr. Ashely Boggan is the General Secretary of the United Methodist Church’s General Commission on Archives and History. In this role, she ensures that The UMC understands its past, in order to envision a more equitable future for all Methodists. Ashley earned her PhD from Drew Theological School’s Graduate Division of Religion, specializing in both Methodist/Wesleyan Studies and Women’s/Gender Studies. She earned an M.A. from the University of Chicago’s Divinity School, specializing in American Religious History. Dr. Boggan is a lay member of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference and the daughter of two ordained United Methodist ministers. Her Methodist lineage dates beyond this, back to the early 19th century when her great-great-great grandfathers were Methodist circuit-riders.  Background Methodist churches are everywhere in the United States with their easily recognizable sign, the “Cross and Flame”. Methodism and those that are affiliated with it have influenced the country in profound ways. First arriving in the colonies in the decades before the Revolutionary War, Methodists and the American narrative are bound up together.

In two days, on Wednesday, May 7, the Catholic Church will begin the conclave to choose the next pope. This episode is about that process. There are more than 50 million Catholics in the United States. The film “Conclave”, released in the fall of 2024, features the Catholic church’s process of electing a new pope, which process is called a conclave. In the fictional movie, the cardinal in charge of this conclave finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about several of the Cardinals who were possibly close to becoming the next pope. The response from the Catholic community has been mixed. John Mulderig of the Catholic OSV News said that "rival viewpoints within the church are caricatured with a broad brush ... and the deck is predictably stacked in favor of those who advocate change". He warned that "all moviegoers committed to the church's creeds will want to approach this earnest, visually engaging but manipulative—and sometimes sensationalist—production with caution".  On the other hand, the progressive National Catholic Reporter praised the film, calling it "a compelling and ecclesial call for a renewed spiritual stewardship characterized by humility, meekness, and, curiously, doubt". In that spirit, we asked a church historian who has studied papal conclaves to share thoughts about the process of choosing a pope against the background of this movie. We have invited Dr. Christopher Bellitto to discuss this with us. Dr. Bellitto is a medievalist, a church historian, and Professor of History at Kean University in Union, NJ, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval history. He is a frequent public speaker and media commentator on church history and contemporary Catholicism. His book, Humility: the Secret History of a Lost Virtue, was published in 2023 and can be purchased here. This is the second Religion in the American Experience episode responding to recent movies with a main focus on something religious. The other episode is an interview with a church historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who addressed American Primeval.

The Making of US: Lived Religion in America is a subseries of the podcast Religion in the American Experience. In these episodes we explore the role religion has played in the lives of everyday Americans, reminding us that while religion exerts a significant influence on the events and movements of the American project, religions primary work and where it has the most influence, is in the everyday lives of adherents.   Today Méli Solomon of Boston, Massachusetts joins to tell us about her own religious history. You can see more about Méli and her work here: https://www.talkingwithgodproject.org/team    Religion in the American Experience is the podcast of The National Museum of American Religion (https://www.nmar.org). This private, digital-first museum explores what America has done to religion and what religion has done to America, which includes the establishment of religious freedom defined by the Constitution's Article VI and First Amendment religion clauses.   Advice for podcast episodes is provided by Dr. Lauren Turek (https://laurenturek.com/), Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Technical audio and video assistance is provided by Dr. Randall Stephens (https://www.hf.uio.no/ilos/english/people/aca/randalls/), a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

We deeply appreciate Kenneth Woodward taking time to speak with us and share stories and perspectives on religion in the latter half of 20th-century America. This will help each of us better understand what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion, equipping us to more successfully buttress the fragile and meaningful American experiment is self-government. Kenneth Woodward was hired as a journalist by the Omaha Sun newspaper in 1962. In 1964, he was named Religion Editor for Newsweek and remained in that position until 2002. He also served as the Ideas section editor from 1974 through 1978, and was named Senior Writer in 1988. After his retirement as Religion editor, he continued as a contributing writer to Newsweek, and as Regent's Lecturer at University of California, Santa Barbara.. He is the Writer-in-residence at the Lumen Christi Institute of the University of Chicago. In his book Getting Religion, which was published in 2016, he shares unique views and perspectives from his journalistic perch of the American religious landscape in the latter-half of the 20th century.

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the National Museum of American Religion, which is dedicated to telling the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. 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. Season 3, Episode 24: American Religion: The Seventh-day Adventist Church Guest Bio Dr. David Trim is the Director of the Office of Archives, Statistics, and Research for the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. Born to missionary parents in Bombay, India, David was raised in Sydney, Australia, and educated in the United Kingdom. He has a BA from Newbold College and a PhD from King’s College London, University of London. For ten years he taught undergraduate courses in history and graduate courses in missiology at his alma mater, Newbold College, in England, and then for two years held the Walter C. Utt Chair of History at Pacific Union College in California. He is the author, co-author, editor or co-editor of 18 books, and has additionally published eighty scholarly articles and book chapters. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and is an adjunct professor of church history at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. Background The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the few religions founded in the United States, coming into existence during the 19th century’s Second Great Awakening. Today it has approximately a million members-plus in the United States and upwards of 21 million members outside the U.S. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of the fastest growing Christian denominations in the world. On today’s episode we will explore the history of this home-grown American church, what its beliefs are, what roles it has played in the unfolding of the American project, and what roles it plays today on America’s dynamic religious landscape.    

Religion in the American Experience is a podcast of the National Museum of American Religion, which is dedicated to telling the story of what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. 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. Season 3, Episode 23: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Responds to “American Primeval.” Guest Bio Dr. Matthew C. Godfrey is a general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers and a senior historian in the Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He holds a PhD in American and public history from Washington State University. Matt has authored or coedited several books, including five volumes in the Joseph Smith Papers, The Earth Will Appear as the Garden of Eden: Essays on Mormon Environmental History, and Religion, Politics, and Sugar: The Mormon Church, the Federal Government, and the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, 1907-1921. Instagram handle: @matacious. Background On January 9th, 2025, Netflix released “American Primeval”, a series that uses the Mountain Meadows Massacre in southern Utah as a lens to explore frictions between Latter-day Saints and other cultures in the Utah Territory during the latter half of the 19th century. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement addressing the series, which reads in part: "A recently released streaming series presents a fictionalized interpretation of events in mid-19th century Utah. While historical fiction can be illuminating, this drama is dangerously misleading. Brigham Young, a revered prophet and courageous pioneer, is, by any historical standard, egregiously mischaracterized as a villainous, violent fanatic. Other individuals and groups are also depicted in ways that reinforce stereotypes that are both inaccurate and harmful. As to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, which the series inaccurately portrays as reflective of a whole faith group, the Church has long acknowledged and condemned this horrific tragedy. It has also taken significant steps to uncover and share the full truth of what happened and promote healing. The problem with such deceptive, graphic and sensationalized storytelling is that it not only obscures reality and hinders genuine understanding but can foster animosity, hate and even violence." The National Museum of American Religion felt it important to provide an opportunity for the main subject in the series, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to share its understanding of the historical record around Brigham Young, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the church’s efforts to establish itself in the 19th-century Great Basin.

Welcome to another episode of “The Making of US: Lived Religion in America”, a subseries of the podcast “Religion in the American Experience.” In this subseries we explore the role religion has played in the lives of everyday Americans, reminding us that while religion exerts a significant influence on the events and movements of the American project, religions primary work and where it has the most influence, is in the everyday lives of adherents. Today Trey Ferguson of Homestead, Florida and joins to tell us about his own religious history. You can see more about Trey here.   Religion in the American Experience is the podcast of The National Museum of American Religion. This private, digital-first museum explores what America has done to religion and what religion has done to America, which includes the establishment of religious freedom as a governing principle, defined by the Constitution's Article VI and First Amendment religion clauses. Advice advice for podcast episodes is provided by Dr. Lauren Turek, Associate Professor of History at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Technical audio and video assistance is provided by Dr. Randall Stephens, a Professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo.

Dr. Ali is an assistant professor of religion and politics at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University at St. Louis. Dr. Ali’s research interests include Islam and gender, race and religion, and Muslims in popular culture. Her first book, The Women’s Mosque of America: Authority & Community in US Islam was published in 2022 with NYU Press, and analyzes how American Muslim women negotiate the Islamic tradition to cultivate religious authority and build gender-equitable worship communities. She received her PhD in religious studies from Boston University in 2019. 

As part of our multi-episode series about Pentecostalism – a relatively unknown and perhaps misunderstood, fast growing, and very large part of Christianity, we will be talking with Darrin Rodgers and Ruthie Oberg from the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Missouri.   The Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC) is the largest Pentecostal archives in the world. Located in the National Office of the Assemblies of God USA, the FPHC collects printed materials, oral histories, artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia documenting the Assemblies of God and the broader Pentecostal and charismatic movements, spanning the globe. The FPHC has become an important hub for Pentecostal history and research, preserving and promoting Pentecostal testimonies and identity so that future generations can know the works of God. Countless church leaders, scholars, students, people in the pew, and other researchers have used its collections.   Darrin Rodgers is the director of the Center and has an M.A. in Theological Studies from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and a J.D. from the University of North Dakota School of Law. He came to the FPHC from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he served at the David du Plessis Archive and the McAlister Library. He has authored Northern Harvest, a history of Pentecostalism in North Dakota, and numerous articles in books and journals. His research interests include Pentecostal origins, ethnic aspects of Pentecostalism's development, and the intersection of Christianity and culture.   Ruthie Oberg is an events speaker with the Center and is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, having served in senior and associate pastoral roles for 25 years. Ruthie speaks at national conferences, local churches, has produced a daily radio program in the Omaha market. Her articles have appeared in the Pentecostal Evangel, Enrichment, Influence, and Assemblies of God Heritage, and she is a regular contributor to “This week in AG History” for AG News. She is also a past chair of the Library and Research Committee of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

Lodged firmly in the American psyche and a bedrock part of American and personal family histories, is the Great Depression. Beginning with the stock market crash in October of 1929 - the market losing 50% of its value in weeks - and lasting more than a decade, it was the worst calamity to hit the United States since the Civil War. At its worst one out of every four workers was unemployed. Farms went under with their former inhabitants leaving their homes seeking shelter, food, and work; poverty and want were everywhere. The emotional toll on millions was severe. Americans and America was traumatized and transformed.   For us the question is, in what ways did religion – one of the greatest and most ubiquitous forces in American history – react to the Great Depression? Understanding this will help us comprehend religion’s role in the American project, equipping us to be perpetuate and perfect it into the 21st century.      As part of our multi-episode series about religion in the Great Depression, Dr. Jonathan Ebel will share the story of New Deal government camps for migrant workers in California and what he calls “the religion of reform.”   Dr. Jonathan Ebel is a professor of religion at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and has B.S. from Harvard. Professor Ebel's research program involves religion and war, religion and violence, and lay theologies of economic hardship all within the American context. He is the author of several books including From Dust They Came: Government Camps and the Religion of Reform in New Deal California, G.I. Messiahs: Soldiering, War, and American Civil Religion, Faith in the Fight: Religion and the American Soldier in the Great War, and is the co-editor of From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence, and America. He is currently at work on a religious history of American warfare in five weapons.

Lodged firmly in the American psyche and a bedrock part of American and personal family histories, is the Great Depression. Beginning with the stock market crash in October of 1929 - the market losing 50% of its value in weeks - and lasting more than a decade, it was the worst calamity to hit the United States since the Civil War. At its worst one out of every four workers was unemployed. Farms went under with their former inhabitants leaving their homes seeking shelter, food, and work; poverty and want were everywhere. The emotional toll on millions was severe. Americans and America was traumatized and transformed.   For us the question is, in what ways did religion – one of the greatest and most ubiquitous forces in American history – react to the Great Depression? Understanding this will help us comprehend religion’s role in the American project, equipping us to be perpetuate and perfect it more successfully into the 21st century.      As part of our multi-episode series about religion in the Great Depression, Dr. Lisa Tait, Dr. Ben Park, and Dr. Matt Bowman are here to tell the story of how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to and was changed by the Great Depression.   Dr. Lisa Olsen Tait works in the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is a historian and writer specializing in women’s history. Dr. Tait received a PhD in American Literature and Women’s Studies at the University of Houston. Her dissertation and several subsequent publications are on Latter-day Saint women’s response to the gendered and generational crises of the 1890s. Dr. Tait’s long-term project is a biography of Susa Young Gates, one of Brigham Young’s daughters. Dr. Benjamin Park is an associate professor of history at Same Houston State University where he studies the intersections between religion, culture, and politics in America, mostly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and often within a broader Atlantic context. He received a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge. He has written several books including American Nationalisms: Conceiving Union in the Age of Revolutions, 1783-1833, Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier, and American Zion: A New History of Mormonism. Dr. Park currently serves as an associate editor of Mormon Studies Review. Dr. Matthew Bowman is the Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies, with a joint appointment in history and religion, at Claremont Graduate University. He received a PhD in American History from Georgetown University. Dr. Bowman is a specialist in American religious history, with particular interests in Mormonism, new religious movements, and the development of the concept of “religion” in the United States. He is the author or co-editor of The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith, Women and Mormonism: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, and Christian: The Politics of a Word in America. Dr. Bowman is currently serving as co-editor of the University of Illinois Press series Introductions to Mormon Thought.

In this sub-series “The Women and Men of American Religion” we explore the women and men who, fueled in large part by their religion, have made significant and broad contributions to the American tapestry. This helps immensely in understanding better what religion has done to America and what America has done to religion. Previous episodes include Billy Graham, Elizabeth Seton, Joseph Smith, and Fannie Lou Hamer. Today we will get to know the life and times of Abraham Joshua Heschel, perhaps best known by the American public as the rabbi who walked alongside Rev. Martin Luther King in the famous protest march in the spring of 1965. One renown scholar of American religion wrote this: “On college and university campuses, at Christian seminaries as well as Jewish rabbinical assemblies, at colloquies on race relations and in the corridors of power, he spoke on the sensitive and difficult problems of the day in the best tradition of the Western conscience and of its biblical roots.” To help us do this, we have with us Susannah Heschel, the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and chair of the Jewish Studies Program and a faculty member of the Religion Department. Dr. Heschel received her A.B. at Trinity College and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Her scholarship focuses on Jewish and Protestant thought during the 19th and 20th centuries, including the history of biblical scholarship, Jewish scholarship on Islam, and the history of anti-Semitism. Her numerous publications include Abraham Geiger and the Jewish Jesus, which won a National Jewish Book Award, The Aryan Jesus: Christian Theologians and the Bible in Nazi Germany. Heschel has been a visiting professor at the Universities of Frankfurt and Cape Town as well as Princeton, and she is the recipient of numerous grants, including from the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Foundation, and a yearlong Rockefeller fellowship at the National Humanities Center. She has received many honors, including the Mendelssohn Prize of the Leo Baeck Institute, and five honorary doctorates from universities in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany. Currently she is a Guggenheim Fellow and is writing a book on the history of European Jewish scholarship on Islam. She is an elected member of the American Society for the Study of Religion and the American Academy for Jewish Research.  And, importantly, Susannah is the daughter of our subject - Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Another episode in the subseries "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America", our effort to document everyday Americans' religious histories. Today Kathleen Wall of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico shares with us her own deep, rich personal religious history.

Lodged firmly in the American psyche and a bedrock part of American history, is the Great Depression. Beginning with the stock market crash in October of 1929 - the market lost 50% of its value in weeks - and lasting a decade, it was the worst calamity to hit the United States since the Civil War. Unemployment soared, many lost hope, hunger stalked individuals and families, farms went under, long bread lines formed, people up and left their homes for a better place, and poverty skyrocketed. For us, the question is, in what ways did religion – one of the greatest and most ubiquitous forces in our history – react to the Great Depression? Understanding this will help us better comprehend and perpetuate the American project, including the religion clauses in the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no longer law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibit the free exercise thereof.” As part of our multi-episode series about religion in the Great Depression, Dr. Randall Stephens is joining us to talk about the Protestant response to the Dust Bowl. Dr. Randall J. Stephens is professor of American and British Studies at the University of Oslo. He previously taught at Northumbria University (Newcastle upon Tyne) and Eastern Nazarene College (Quincy, Massachusetts). He 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 , (look for a “Religion in the American Experience” episode focused on this fascinating topic!) and was editor of Recent Themes in American Religious History. Specific to our discussion today, he is the author of an article that came out in the October 2023 issue of Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture: “The Dust Bowl, the Depression, and American Protestant Responses to Environmental Devastation.” In 2011-12, he was a Fulbright Roving Scholar in Norway. Dr. Stephens received his BA in History at Mid America Nazarene College and his PhD in American History from the University of Florida.

Another episode in the subseries "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America", our effort to document everyday Americans' religious histories. Today Arshan Khalid of Washington, D.C. shares with us his own deep, rich personal religious history.