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"The Casual Scholars" is a new podcast brought to you by the creator of "Growing Up Fundie," featuring interesting people who know a lot about interesting things.

In this sneak peek of Episode 1:
Adam Hinkle is a Chicago-based actor and filmmaker. He grew up on the east coast, primarily in the Philadelphia suburbs and attended college in Pittsburgh, PA, but relocated to Chicago in 2007 to pursue theatre and film.

Since then, he has appeared Off-Broadway and with various storefront theatre companies in Chicago, with a focus on television and film within the past several years.

He made his directing debut with 'The Park,’ a dramatic web series chronicling the trials and tribulations of a fictional group of outreach workers urgently trying to prevent gun and gang violence in a Chicago neighborhood.

This project took five years to complete and had a successful festival run, garnering several awards in the process. He also made his television debut on 'Chicago Fire,’ and his feature film debut in the horror-slasher "Haunt Season' that was released this past October.

https://adam-hinkle.com/

theparkwebseries.com

@arhinkle (IG, Threads, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube)

@arhinkle.bsky.social (Bluesky)

@adamrhinkle (Facebook)

https://mickeyosullivan.com/

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Poulomi Saha is an Associate Professor & Co-Director of the Program in Critical Theory at UC Berkeley.

They lead a popular course called “Cults and Popular Culture,” which examines, among other things, the idea of naming something a cult, and the reasons human beings are so obsessed with them.

In an interview with Berkeley News, Saha discussed why it’s important to teach students, especially at a top research university like Berkeley, to look past the label and dig deeper: What was the original intention of a particular organization later labeled a cult? What did it offer? What were its practices? Who joined and why? What does it tell us about spirituality and culture in America?

“What makes a cult different from a religion or a sect, and why the word cult so often produces revulsion or compulsion. I am not interested in diagnosing cults, but rather in understanding how groups and beliefs come to take on that name, and all the feelings and reactions that come with it.”

Poulomi Saha, “Why Are We So Obsessed with Cults” Poulomi Saha on "Why Are We So Obsessed with Cults?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUPJZgo49uk

In her course on Cults, Poulomi Saha Has Students Look Beyond the Headlines

https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/09/12/in-her-course-on-cults-poulomi-saha-has-students-look-beyond-the-headlines/

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View the visual version of this episode here:
https://youtu.be/gcp7w5AypU8

What is Christian Nationalism?

Christian nationalism is a form of religious nationalism that focuses on promoting the Christian views of its followers, in order to achieve prominence or dominance in political and social life.

Separation of Church and State (Definition & Details)

https://www.freedomforum.org/separation-of-church-and-state/

American Progress . Org

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/christian-nationalism-is-single-biggest-threat-to-americas-religious-freedom/

“A History of Christian Nationalism” from NPR.org

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/09/1260150915/a-history-of-christian-nationalism

Christians Against Christian Nationalism

https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement

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‪@AndrewLSeidel1‬ is an author and attorney who has defended the First Amendment for more than a decade, both in and out of court.

Andrew dedicated his career to challenging religious privilege, and battling Christian Nationalism. He is currently the VP of strategic communications with “Americans United” (https://www.au.org/get-involved/)

He speaks and writes extensively about religious freedom; and has been profiled by BBC News, Buzzfeed, International Business Times, and more.

Andrew's books:

“The Founding Myth: why christian nationalism is unamerican”

https://a.co/d/6s0bYGt

“American Crusade, how the supreme court is weaponizing religious freedom”

https://a.co/d/eoUQlMg

Run for Something: https://runforsomething.net/

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