In Good Faith

Steve and Ashton from the IGF team are joined by BYU English professor Paul Westover and student Ruth Thomas. Together, they discuss C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed." In this book, C.S. Lewis openly reflects on the reality of life and death in the wake of his wife's tragic death. This book provides an honest account of the whirlwind that follows a loss—sometimes causing even the strongest believers to waver—and how one can regain their bearings after such disruption. Paul Westover joined the BYU faculty in 2008. His specialties are Romantic-era British literature and cultural history. Westover is co-editor of the Romantic Circles electronic critical edition of "William Wordsworth’s Guide to the Lakes" (2015) and of a volume called "Transatlantic Literature and Author-Love in the Nineteenth Century" (2016). He currently serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of British Studies and as Graduate Coordinator for the English Department. The discussions in this episode come from many different places and perspectives. Each guest shares their own unique experience reading the book. Whether you are familiar with "A Grief Observed" or not, this episode is for you. Enjoy this engaging and vulnerable episode of In Good Faith.

In this conversation, Steve Kapp Perry interviews James Early. James describes his desire to get back to the original Christianity of Jesus. He has taught this philosophy for years as a member of the Christian Science Church. This episode also includes James' prison ministries and what he learned from teaching inmates. James Early is a Bible teacher and gives talks and conducts workshops on the Bible to churches and groups, in person as well as online. Since October 2008, he has conducted weekly Bible study classes at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT. In fall of 2019, he started "The Bible Speaks to You Podcast," which has had listeners in 173 countries and focuses on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus.

This week, Steve sits down with Cassidy Hall to discuss the power of queerness and silence. In this conversation, Cassidy describes her experienced with contemplative, toxic, and loving silences. She also explains the way that she sees and understands queerness. In fact, her new book is dedicated to "the queerness in all of us." This book ("Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality") releases on May 21, 2024—just two days after this episode drops! Cassidy Hall is an author, award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and leading voice in contemplative spirituality. She is the co-host of the Encountering Silence podcast and the creator of the Contemplating Now and Queering Contemplation podcasts. Cassidy is widely published and currently resides in Indianapolis, where she is studying for her Doctorate degree.

What does the Eucharist mean? Why is it so important to Catholics? This week, Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Marcy Youngster from The Catholic Whisperer Podcast. Their conversation explores how to deal with suffering, bullying, and trauma. Marcy shares how these hardships helped her form a definite belief in Christ, and how she uses this belief as a life coach. Marcy empowers women to embrace their Catholic Faith and fulfill their dreams and potential—even if they feel lost, unhealthy, invisible, overwhelmed, or unfulfilled. She found solace and faith during her first marriage, which she had annulled after 6 children and 18 years. Her second marriage was to a practicing Catholic with 4 children. Marcy is a serial entrepreneur with a newly formed podcast and YouTube channel.

What is a spiritual director? How do they differ from a therapist? In this episode of In Good Faith, Steve speaks with Doug Hardy to find out. Doug is the former president of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. During his lifetime, he has also been a counselor, parish pastor, and professor. In his teachings, Doug intentionally creates time and space for silence, listening, and reflection so that learning is accompanied by a personal transformation that goes deep. Currently, Doug Hardy works as a spiritual director, trains spiritual directors—he even has a spiritual director. He speaks to the influence that a spiritual director had over the happiest time of his life.

Steve sits down with Imam Shoaib Din, a friend of the show, for a conversation about the Hajj, ritual, and how he ended up in Utah. Imam Shuaib Din is the director of religious affairs at Utah Islamic Center located in West Jordan City, Utah. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Chicago, he graduated from the Institute of Islamic Studies in Dewbury, England, and completed a 5-year course in Islamic Theology at Dar ul Uloom University in Karachi, Pakistan. For over 15 years he has served as a guide for groups making the Hajj to Mecca. Imam Shuaib has served on the SLC Interfaith Roundtable, the State of Utah MLK Human Rights Commission, and as Religious Editor for Iqra International Publications. He is the recipient of the World Peace Federation’s Ambassador of Peace Award and the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs’ Community Service Award.

For our 200th episode, Steve sits down with Rev Dr John J. Thatanamil in a wide-ranging conversation of how we know what we know and why we should trust other believers to know what they know. There's holy hymning, childhood memories, and an evaluation of lint brushes... John Thatamanil is a professor at Union Theological Seminary, the author of The Immanent Divine,: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament, and also his recent (2020) book Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity. Professor Thatamanil is a past-president of the North American Paul Tillich Society (NAPTS) and the founding (and current) Chair of the American Academy of Religion’s Theological Education Committee. He is a frequent preacher and lecturer in churches, colleges and universities both nationally and internationally. He also co-edits (with Dr. Loye Ashton) the “Comparative Theology: Thinking Across Traditions” book series for Fordham University Press. He blogs regularly for a variety of online publications and has published editorials in The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.

This is the third of a three-part mini series on Passover. Eric Huntsman, author of Greater Love Hath No Man: A Latter-day Saint Guide to Celebrating the Easter Season, discusses why Passover is important for Christians in understanding the historical Jesus and symbolism throughout the New Testament. He also answers the question, should Christians be holding their own Seder meals? Eric Huntsman, PhD, is a professor of Ancient Scripture and the Academic Director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center.

This is the second of 3 interviews on Passover. We hope you enjoy all three. Steve discusses Passover symbolism with Rabbi Evan Moffic and asks, should Christians be creating their own Seder dinners? A graduate of Stanford University, Rabbi Moffic leads a congregation in the Chicago suburbs and teaches across the world, sharing Jewish wisdom, stories, and inspiration with people of all faiths.

This is the first of three interviews about Passover. We hope you enjoy all three. Steve chats with Cantor Sharon Brown Levy from Kol Ami in Salt Lake City about the musical rituals of Seder. The Cantor sings several songs for us, including Dayenu, the first psalm of the Hallel (Psalm 113), and the first of the four questions. Cantor Brown-Levy certified in cantorial arts from both the Reform Movement’s American Conference of Cantors and the Conservative Movement’s Cantors Assembly. Prior to her arrival here in Utah, she served pulpits in Toronto, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Florida. She is also a respected choral conductor, co-leading one of the country’s largest community interfaith choirs, Voices in Harmony. For Passover 2024, the Cantor invited the local general public to celebrate Seder with the Congregation Kol Ami. Check their website for more info!

Eid Mubarak! Today, we are inviting you to a casual conversation with two students at Brigham Young University who participate in Ramadan. They speak to their experience with fasting, how Eid is celebrated in their culture, and why they believe. Sama Salah is the President of the BYU Arab Student Association. The BYU Arab Student Association is the official club for BYU Arab/North African students and alumni. She studies business at BYU. Sama's mother was a past guest—you can listen to that discussion in episode 4. Tala Alnasser is the newly elected BYU student body Vice President. With President Sarah Sun, she hopes to inspire students at Brigham Young University with the motto "Becoming BYU." She is studying public relations and French at BYU.

Steve chats with Rachel Whipple, Shahab Saeed, and Kimberly Applewhite Teitter about what God's love means in their different traditions. Guests share scripture, hymn, and personal experience to help illustrate God's love. 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. Shahab Saeed is a business and community leader in Salt Lake City. He has served as a Trustee for Intermountain Healthcare System’s corporate board and as a faculty member for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the American Hospital Association. He is a practitioner of the Baha'i faith. Kimberly Applewhite Teitter, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, a published author, an adjunct professor, and an entrepreneur in the Salt Lake City area. She is also a wife and a mother to two daughters and is the director of the Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir in Utah. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rachel Whipple

Welcome to our Love of God mini-series! We began with interviews from David N. Moore and Keyvan Guela. Now, we revisit conversations from past episodes that touch on God's love. This episode is organized roughly into a discussion of discovering God's love, learning to love those around us, how God's love is manifested through a certain prophet or messenger, and what we do in our daily lives to show God our love to God. We introduce guests of different religions and listen to what the love of God means to them. Thank you for remembering these conversations with us—hear more from each guest in past episodes of In Good Faith.

Continuing our love of God mini series, Steve speaks with Keyvan Guela about the Baha'i concept of love and Keyvan's personal experience of feeling God's love through the care of the people around her. Keyvan Guela is is the Founder and Executive Director of Center for Global Integrated Education (CGIE), a non-profit Baha’i-inspired educational organization, which explores oneness of all humanity. She has served for two years as the producer and host of a two-hour weekly live radio show for the Persian community in Southern California, focusing on the role of the psychology of spirituality in personal and social transformation. She is originally from Iran.

Welcome to our Love of God mini-series! To kick it off, host Steve speaks with Rev. Dr. David Moore about the origin story of David's podcast, how to feel God's love, and learning to walk. The Rev. Dr. David Moore (he / him) is leads Santa Barbara’s Beloved Community Church, and also Jesus Collective, an online community that fosters wholeness and equity by healing relationships and cultural divides. He co-hosts “God is not an a**hole” with Kerry Connelly.

BYU's IFSA came to the In Good Faith studios to talk to Steve about their community projects and motivations. Dr. Andrew Reed teaches comparative religion courses and church history. He is the Chair of the BYU Council for Interfaith Engagement and an organizer and participant for the Jewish - Latter-day Saint academic dialogue or read the latest piece written for the Religious Education Review (Fall 2017). He founded the BYU Interfaith Student Association in 2018. Dr. Mike McKay is an associate professor of religion in the Department of Church History and Doctrine. He is a former historian/writer for the Joseph Smith Papers Project. He teaches World Religions, History of Joseph Smith, Doctrine and Covenants, and Foundations of the Restoration. Grace Chipman, from Canada, is a History major and Global Women’s Studies minor. Janai Wright, from Texas, is Philosophy Major and and was the 2023 BYU Intern at the Woolf Institute. Katelyn Boyer, from Massachusetts, is an International Relations, co-president of the IFSA, and participant in the Boise Interfaith Seminar 2023: Alleviating Poverty Through Service and Scholarship trip.

Steve sits down in studio with Drs. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Emma Harris from the Woolf Institute of Cambridge University to discuss why the British don't "do" religion and how their institute hopes to change that attitude. Dr. Esther-Miriam Wagner is the Executive Director of the Woolf Institute and Fellow of St Edmund's College, Cambridge. She is an Affiliate Lecturer at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, and teaches on the MPhil in Middle Eastern Studies: Muslim-Jewish Relations at the University of Cambridge. She chairs Woolf Institute panels and webinars, including the Institute's How to talk about … series, which among other topics, has considered Religious rights and Freedom of Speech and Humor and Religion. Dr. Emma Harris is the Director of Grants Management and Alumni Relations at the Woolf Institute. Emma has led strategic and operational plans for teaching at the Woolf Institute. Between 2018 and 2022, she managed the Diversity in End of Life Care training program and led on the development of the Woolf Institute publication, Diversity in End of Life Care: A Handbook on Caring for Jewish, Christian and Muslim Patients.

Steve and Heather chat about their upcoming TV documentary on BYUtv. Get the app or find the channel on ROKU.

Today, Steve talks with Rabbi Dr. Shaul Praver, a first responder at the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14, 2012. Praver was a leader in helping to heal the community in the aftermath. For his community work he has earned the Samaritan Medal of Peace and Humanitarian Accomplishments and was named one of the 50 most influential American Rabbis by Newsweek magazine, both in 2013. We are not going into graphic detail, but be advised, as there are discussions of children dying and gun violence in today's episode.

This week, we hear from Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Dr. Susan M. Shaw. They speak with senior producer Heather Bigley about their book, "Surviving God: A New Vision Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors." While the interview is not graphic in any way, be aware that we're discussing a difficult topic. Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim is a professor of theology at Earlham School of Religion and author, coauthor, or editor of numerous books, most recently Spirit Life; Invisible; and Intersectional Theology. She has served on the American Academy of Religion's board of directors, is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and is the host of the Madang podcast from The Christian Century. Dr. Susan M. Shaw is professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University. She is author of Reflective Faith: A Theological Toolbox for Women (2014) and God Speaks to Us, Too: Southern Baptist Women on Church, Home, and Society (2008) and general editor of the four-volume Women's Lives Around the World: A Global Encyclopedia (2018).