In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Brad Fulton, professor of Nonprofit Management and Social Policy at the O’Neill School of Public Affairs at Indiana University, alongside Amber Hacker, Chief of External Affairs at Interfaith America. Our guests discuss the role of religious giving in philanthropy and the surprising trends that emerge from the underlying data. Out of the $557 billion dollars given annually in the United States to charities, twenty percent of the funds come from foundations. Does religious commitment influence that giving? Do we know from available data that generosity makes a person healthier or happier? Does the generation a person’s born into—say, a Boomer vs. a Millennial—impact giving patterns? They also discuss new networking tools as it relates to philanthropic giving.

Guests

Dr. Brad Fulton

Amber Hacker

Additional Resources

“Religious Organizations Crosscutting the Nonprofit Sector,” by Brad R. Fulton

“Faith-Based Public Foundations: Identifying the Field and Assessing its Impact,” by Allison Ralph and Brad R. Fulton

“Money, Meet Meaning,” by Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson

In this episode, we are joined by Jaweed Kaleem of The Los Angeles Times alongside Knox Thames, author of the new book Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom. Knox reflects on his long career advancing the cause of religious liberty around the world, including in the some of the world's most repressive contexts. Our guests assess the current state of religious freedom across different contexts, from India to Israel and Gaza, and reflect on how the eroding of religious freedom often serves as a "canary in the coal mine" for the loss of other fundamental human rights.

Guests

Knox Thames

Jaweed Kaleem

Additional Resources

Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom, by Knox Thames

"France Struggles to Confront One of Its Biggest Taboos: Race," by Jaweed Kaleem

"Swastikas, bullhorns, guns: Antisemitic Incidents in U.S. Hit 43-Year High," by Jaweed Kaleem

In this episode, New York Times opinion columnist David French sits down with Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold of The New Yorker to discuss her brand new book, Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church. These two journalists with firsthand familiarity and longstanding expertise in covering religion embark on a fascinating exploration of the book's coverage of Philadelphia's Circle of Hope, a little-known yet influential progressive evangelical movement, and how the sobering disintegration of that spiritual community mirrors broader dynamics at work in American Christianity.

Guests

Eliza Griswold

David French

Additional Reading

Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church, by Eliza Griswold

"The Church Preached Love and Tolerance. Then Racial Politics Tore It Apart," by David French

"Losing a Beloved Community," by Eliza Griswold