In Good Faith

As we wrap up production on In Good Faith, Steve looks back over 9 seasons--what he's learned and what he's treasured from interviewing hundreds of interfaith guests.

Discover how God is working in the world and in our lives. Strengthen community by connecting with people of different faith traditions. Celebrate commonality and honor difference as believers share the wisdom and sacred stories, faith journeys, and life experiences that connect them to the Divine. Host Steven Kapp Perry talks with believers from all walks of faith—Catholic and Episcopalian, Buddhist and Baptist, Jewish and Hindu, Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim and Latter-day Saint— sharing their personal experience with the sacred and the divine. Sundays on BYUradio—and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Discover how God is working in the world and in our lives. Strengthen community by connecting with people of different faith traditions. Celebrate commonality and honor difference as believers share the wisdom and sacred stories, faith journeys, and life experiences that connect them to the Divine. Host Steven Kapp Perry talks with believers from all walks of faith—Catholic and Episcopalian, Buddhist and Baptist, Jewish and Hindu, Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim and Latter-day Saint— sharing their personal experience with the sacred and the divine. Sundays on BYUradio—and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Reza Aslan, writer, commentator, professor, Emmy- and Peabody-nominated producer, and scholar of religions, talks to Steve about the re-issue of No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (Random House, 2005). Steve spoke with Reza Aslan in 2020 about his personal experience with Islam and Christianity—you can hear that interview in episode 68 of our archive.

Discover how God is working in the world and in our lives. Strengthen community by connecting with people of different faith traditions. Celebrate commonality and honor difference as believers share the wisdom and sacred stories, faith journeys, and life experiences that connect them to the Divine. Host Steven Kapp Perry talks with believers from all walks of faith—Catholic and Episcopalian, Buddhist and Baptist, Jewish and Hindu, Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim and Latter-day Saint— sharing their personal experience with the sacred and the divine. Sundays on BYUradio—and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Discover how God is working in the world and in our lives. Strengthen community by connecting with people of different faith traditions. Celebrate commonality and honor difference as believers share the wisdom and sacred stories, faith journeys, and life experiences that connect them to the Divine. Host Steven Kapp Perry talks with believers from all walks of faith—Catholic and Episcopalian, Buddhist and Baptist, Jewish and Hindu, Presbyterian and Seventh Day Adventist, Muslim and Latter-day Saint— sharing their personal experience with the sacred and the divine. Sundays on BYUradio—and be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Music from Vocal Point and Noteworthy, BYU a cappella groups. Plus, stories from the In Good Faith team. Vocal Point is comprised of Jack Nelson, Hyrum Jackson, McKay Dalley, Sterling Stowell, Josh Thorne, Jensen Diederich, and Asher Smith. Noteworthy's members are Addi Chandler, Kassie Sanders, Halle Sundberg, Aubrie Dyer, Miranda Sanofsky, Savannah Packer, and Emma Hooper.

Cami Nelson discusses how she was inspired to work with special needs individuals in her photography business, creating portraits for families that reflect the beauty of children with Down Syndrome. Cami Nelson is a Utah-based photographer who has worked with humanitarian groups in Kenya and Armenia to document their activities and accomplishments. She also specializes in photography for special needs individuals.

Anju Bhargava is a community builder with over four decades of experience developing multi-dimensional strategies to address critical issues in an interdependent global environment. A Vedantic teacher and ordained Hindu minister/chaplain, Anju was the only Hindu American appointed to President Obama’s Inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, where she founded Hindu American Seva Communities to promote community service and social justice. She has also served on the Department of Homeland Security’s Faith-Based Security and Communications Advisory Committee and was a White House Community Builder Fellow during the Clinton Administration.

Greg Jones has a great story of faith but he is also working to help young people develop their faith stories. It’s a conversation about vocation, Spirit, the goodness of God, Soul, music, and a little bit of sports. Dr. Greg Jones is the president of Belmont University in Nashville, TN, an ecumenical Christian university. He is also the host of the podcast The Hope People. He currently serves on the boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation and the India Collective. Dr. Jones is married to the Rev. Susan Pendleton Jones.

Sabeeha Rehman, an author, podcaster, blogger, playwright, and speaker on the American Muslim experience, is best known for her award-winning book Threading My Prayer Rug: One Woman’s Journey From Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim. She is an op-ed contributor to the Wall Street Journal. She also co-founded the National Autism Association New York Metro chapter, serving as its President from 2008-2011.

James Patrick Thomas, author of Atomic Pilgrim, describes his journey walking thousands of miles for peace and nuclear disarmament. Driven by a profound faith and inspired by a pivotal moment with Mother Teresa, Thomas describes the intersections of faith, suffering, and activism in his life. James Patrick Thomas serves on Pax Christi USA’s Disarmament Working Group and facilitates the Pax Christi chapter at St. Joseph Parish in Seattle. He began advocating for nuclear disarmament in the 1980s, as a member of the Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage. He spent the next quarter century investigating radioactive pollution from the production and testing of nuclear weapons, mostly focused on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State.

Diana Butler Bass discusses her new book, which delves into the significance of the Christian liturgical year and its impact on personal faith. She shares the importance of community, conviviality, and the ritual of the table in Christianity. Diana Butler Bass, PhD, is an author, speaker, preacher, and commentator on religion and contemporary spirituality. She holds a doctorate in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of eleven books, most recently A Beautiful Year, based on the Christian Lectionary cycle.

Vineetha Mahayaye shares his experience as a 10-year-old monk in a monastery, choosing a solitary vocation as a young person, and presently counseling university students. The Venerable Vineetha Mahayaye is a Buddhist Chaplain at Tufts University, where he leads meditation programs for students and staff. He holds a Master’s Degree in Divinity from Harvard Divinity School. He is originally from Sri Lanka.

Thomas Long talks about his new book, Proclaiming the Parables, and how these stories from Jesus challenge our perceptions and reveal the unpredictable generosity of the divine. Dr. Thomas Long is professor emeritus at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. His introductory textbook, The Witness of Preaching, is widely used in theological schools around the world. He serves as an editor-at-large at The Christian Century. A Presbyterian minister, Long has served churches in Georgia and New Jersey.

Adam Jortner explains how the American Revolution increased opportunities for Jews, allowing them to achieve citizenship and serve in the military. He also addresses the misconception that America was founded as a Christian nation. Adam Jortner is Professor of Religion in the Department of History at Auburn University. He specializes in the history of religion in the American Revolution and the early nation, with particular emphasis on religious liberty, patriotism and piety, theology, and new religious traditions. He is the author most recently of A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom.

Patricia Matthews, an Episcopal priest in Little Rock, Arkansas, discusses her journey from Southern Baptist roots through a decade-long exploration of various religious traditions to her current role as the director of the Interfaith Center. Matthews highlights the importance of interfaith dialogue and shares personal stories of building interfaith relationships, combating fear, and the impact of a dedicated physical space for interfaith activities. The Rev. Patricia Matthews is Executive Director of The Interfaith Center and Assistant Rector at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church. Under her leadership, the Center moved into its first standalone home and expanded citywide partnerships. She also speaks frequently on faith-in-action and religious freedom, including panels at BYU Law’s Religious Freedom Annual Review and Hendrix College.

David Toole shares lessons he's learned from the example of Maggy Barankitse, a woman driven to care for orphans of the Burundi and Rwanda genocides through her organization Maison Shalom. Today, Maggy lives in exile in Rwanda after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt in 2015. Maison Shalom was declared an illegal organization in Burundi and she was sentenced to life in prison by the Supreme Court of Burundi, convicted in absentia. She has re-established Maison Shalom in Rwanda. Maggy has received multiple humanitarian awards, including the Opus Prize, the UNESCO Prize, and the Aurora Prize. David Toole holds a joint appointment as associate professor in the Duke Global Health Institute and Duke Divinity School. He is author of Love Made Me an Inventor, about Maggy, and founder of Love’s Inventions, a non-profit dedicated to spreading Maggy’s message to the world and supporting her ongoing work in Africa.

J.S. Park, chaplain at Tampa General Hospital, shares his unique role in offering spiritual and emotional support to patients and families during their most traumatic moments, including insights about the nature of grief and the intersection of mental health and faith. J.S. Park is the author of As Long As You Need: Permission to Grieve, part hospital chaplain experience and part memoir. He is also the author The Voices We Carry: Finding Your One True Voice in a World of Clamor and Noise (2020).

Rachel Whipple joins the In Good Faith team for a discussion of Pema Chödrön's When Things Fall Apart--a classic in Buddhist literature for the last 20 years. They explore themes such as dealing with fear, facing discomfort, embracing impermanence, and practicing non-attachment. Pema Chödrön is a Buddhist nun, meditation teacher, and author. In 1981 she became the first American in the Vajrayana tradition to become a fully ordained nun. She has published over 20 books. Rachel Whipple is an attorney and Provo City Councilor, and a former Research Fellow at the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. She is also a member of the Provo Awakening Valley Sangha Board of Directors.