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Anthropology March 28, 2023

The Avatar Faculty

Ecstatic Transformations in Religion and Video Games

Jeffrey G. Snodgrass

Hosted by Armanc Yildiz
The Avatar Faculty: Ecstatic Transformations in Religion and Video Games (University of California Press, 2023) creatively examines the parallels between spiritual and digital activities to explore the roles that symbolic second selves—avatars—can …

Religion

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Interviews with scholars of religion about their new books.

The Imperfect Buddha Podcast March 28, 2023

A Review of "A Critique of Western Buddhism"

Matthew O'Connell

Hosted by Matthew O'Connell
Regular guest to the podcast Glenn Wallis wrote  A Critique of Western Buddhism: Ruins of the Buddhist Real (Bloomsbury) back in 2018. Time has flown since and in honour of the non-Buddhism …
Christian Studies March 27, 2023

The Necessity of Christ's Satisfaction

A Study of the Reformed Scholastic Theologians William Twisse (1578-1646) and John Owen (1616-1683)

Joshua D. Schendel

Hosted by Crawford Gribben
The seventeenth century Reformed Orthodox discussions of the work of Christ and its various doctrinal constitutive elements were rich and multifaceted, ranging across biblical and exegetical, historical, philosophical, and theological …
Buddhist Studies March 25, 2023

Toward a New Image of Paramartha

Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited

Ching Keng

Hosted by Jessica Zu
Today I talked to Ching Keng about his book Toward a New Image of Paramartha: Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha Buddhism Revisited (Bloomsbury, 2022). Yogacara and Tathagatagarbha are often regarded as antagonistic Indian Buddhist …
Religion March 24, 2023

Intimate Alien

The Hidden Story of the UFO

David J. Halperin

Hosted by David Kunsman
In his book Intimate Alien: The Hidden Story of the UFO (Stanford University Press, 2020), David J. Halperin explores the phenomena of UFO's through a psychological lense. UFOs became part of our …
Indian Religions March 23, 2023

Tantra, Magic, and Vernacular Religions in Monsoon Asia

Texts, Practices, and Practitioners from the Margins

Andrea Acri and Paolo Eugenio Rosati

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Tantra, Magic, and Vernacular Religions in Monsoon Asia: Texts, Practices, and Practitioners from the Margins (Routledge, 2022) explores the cross- and trans-cultural dialectic between Tantra and intersecting 'magical' and …
Buddhist Studies March 22, 2023

Until Nirvana's Time

Buddhist Songs from Cambodia

Trent Walker

Hosted by Jessica Zu
A unique Buddhist tradition, accessible in English for the first time—translations of forty-five Cambodian Dharma songs, with contextualizing essays and a link to audio of stunning vocal performances.  Trent Walker's …
Christian Studies March 22, 2023

Corporeal Theology

The Nature of Theological Understanding in Light of Embodied Cognition

Tobias Tanton

Hosted by Frazer MacDiarmid
Appropriating insights from empirical findings and theoretical constructs of 'embodied cognition', Corporeal Theology: The Nature of Theological Understanding in Light of Embodied Cognition (Oxford UP, 2023) explores how theological understanding is …
Catholic Studies March 21, 2023

Bede the Theologian

History, Rhetoric, and Spirituality

John P. Bequette

Hosted by Jackson Reinhardt
Revered by contemporaries and posterity for both his sanctity and his scholarship, Bede (672-735) is a pivotal figure in the history of the Church. Known primarily as an historian for …
General History March 21, 2023

Christendom

The Triumph of a Religion, AD 300-1300

Peter Heather

Hosted by Charles Coutinho
In the fourth century AD, a new faith grew out of Palestine, overwhelming the paganism of Rome and resoundingly defeating a host of other rival belief systems. Almost a thousand …
Japanese Studies March 19, 2023

The God Susanoo and Korea in Japan’s Cultural Memory

Ancient Myths and Modern Empire

David Weiss

Hosted by Raditya Nuradi
The God Susanoo and Korea in Japan’s Cultural Memory: Ancient Myths and Modern Empire (Bloomsbury, 2022) traces reiterations and reinterpretations of the deity Susanoo regarding his relationship with Korea vis-a-vis Japan. Through …
Islamic Studies March 17, 2023

In the Shade of the Sunna

Salafi Piety in the Twentieth-Century Middle East

Aaron Rock-Singer

Hosted by Shehnaz Haqqani
Who are the Salafis, and what are the roots of Salafism? What does it even mean to be Salafi? Why is Salafism concerned with ethics of visibility and bodily regulation …
Princeton UP Ideas Podcast March 15, 2023

Gods and Mortals

Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers

Sarah Iles Johnston

Hosted by Mark Klobas
Gripping tales that abound with fantastic characters and astonishing twists and turns, Greek myths confront what it means to be mortal in a world of powerful forces beyond human control …
Religion March 15, 2023

Religion and US Empire

Critical New Histories

Tisa Wenger and Sylvester A. Johnson

Hosted by Jacob Barrett
The United States has been an empire since the time of its founding, and this empire is inextricably intertwined with American religion. Religion and US Empire: Critical New Histories (NYU …
French Studies March 14, 2023

Sacred Rivals

Catholic Missions and the Making of Islam in Nineteenth-Century France and Algeria

Joseph W. Peterson

Hosted by Sarah Miles
Upon the French invasion of Algeria in 1830, the territory quickly became a placeholder for French dreams, debates, and experiments in social engineering, economic development and even religious culture. Missionaries …
On Religion March 14, 2023

God, the Bestseller

How One Editor Transformed American Religion a Book at a Time

Stephen Prothero

Hosted by Gregory Soden
New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed religion scholar, Stephen Prothero, captures the compelling and unique saga of twentieth-century America on an identity quest through the eyes and books of …
Ministry of Ideas March 14, 2023

Divine Technology--or, Religion, Technology, and Magic

Illuminations Episode 3

Tulasi Srinivas

Hosted by Zachary Davis
It’s common to feel that technology removes the magic of the world, but Hindu worshippers in Bangalore have shown that it's all in the approach. Guest: Tulasi Srinivas, associate professor of …
Ministry of Ideas March 13, 2023

Beyond Belief or, Science, Religion and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Illuminations Episode 2

Avi Loeb, Kate Dorsch, and Sen. Harry Reid

Hosted by Zachary Davis
Do scientists ever reject science? Research data on the controversial topic of extraterrestrial life has met with resistance from some in the scientific community and openness from communities of faith …
Christian Studies March 12, 2023

Orthodoxy and Ecumenism

Towards an Active Metanoia

Razvan Porumb

Hosted by Adrian Guiu
Razvan Porumb's Orthodoxy and Ecumenism: Towards an Active Metanoia (Peter Lang, 2019) explores the relationship between the Orthodox tradition and the ecumenical practice of engagement with other Christian traditions. This …
Ministry of Ideas March 12, 2023

Experimental Methods or, Robert Hooke, Christianity, and Science

Illuminations Episode 1

Robert George, Patricia Fara, Jim Bennett, Guy Consolmagno, and Stephen Barr

Hosted by Zachary Davis
Have faith and science always been enemies? The story of Robert Hooke, a revolutionary working in the Scientific Revolution, exemplifies the ways in which Christianity has actually provoked scientific inquiry …