In Good Faith - Season 2

Rabbi Evan Moffic explains the food symbolism of Seder

Explore the music of Passover with Cantor Sharon Brown Levy

Celebrating the power of faith and belief.

Celebrating the power of faith and belief.

A compilation of IGF guests describing the love of God.

Steve and Keyvan Guela discuss the Baha'i concept of love.

Host Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Rev. Dr. David Moore about the love of God.

BYU's IFSA describe their work in homeless and food shelter projects.

Drs. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Emma Harris from the Woolf Institute on the importance of religion in secular society.

Today, Steve talks with Rabbi Dr. Shaul Praver, a first responder at the tragic Sandy Hook shooting.

Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Dr. Susan M. Shaw discuss their book "Surviving God: A New Vision Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors."

Steve chats with James Goldberg about his religious heritage and understanding "laboratories of discipleship".

Steve discusses inner strength and meditation with Oren Jay Sofer.

Steve speaks with Leah Marett, a Protestant Christian student at Brigham Young University.

Yasminah Huberman talks with Steve about mitzvah, mikvah, and aliyah.

Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Gray Cox about the new age of AI and its influence on religious life.

Guest Alejandra Oliva describes her experience ministering to people in the US immigration system.

Steven Kapp Perry asks Wendy Goldberg and Rabbi Joe Charnes, Is connecting with other religions important in Judaism?

IGF Book Club—we're reading the Bhagavad Gita, as translated by Laurie Patton.

Melissa Inouye and David Peters discuss finding Jesus on the path of most resistance.

Steven Kapp Perry follows up with two groups from Chicago: The Sacred Ally Quilt Ministry and Sara Jolena Wolcott.

Steve speaks with Pastor Jeff McCullough, host of of Hello Saints, as well as Russell Moore, Editor in Chief of Christianity Today.

Jonathan Howard, Bass for the King's Singers, takes time to talk about Christmas and Music

Camille Fronk Olson discusses Mary, the mother of Jesus, as we prepare for the Christmas holiday.

Artistic Director Hana Sharif joins the podcast and talks about "A Christmas Carol" and the spiritual power of a timeless story.

Connecting to the source of creation through Earth's beautiful nature.

Celebrating the power of faith and belief.

A discussion with Eboo Patel of Interfaith America about how growing religious diversity in the United States is a strength

Our production team discusses "The Power of Now," by Eckhart Tolle, a classic book in popular faith and spirituality.

On this podcast, our guests discuss how to respond to grief, and how their faith helps them do so.

Farina King joins Steve in the studio and discusses her home with the Dine and her research into Indian Boarding Schools.

Simran Jeet Singh discusses his new book The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life

Aubrey & Tim Chaves discuss how their faith crisis led to a stronger marriage and connection to their faith community.

Guests discuss how they know who and what God is.

Terrence Smith from Raymond, Alberta speaks to Steve about creating a just and equitable community

Barbara Brown Taylor on "Holy Envy"

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg discusses a more holistic view of repentance that emphasizes the importance of repair work.

A special focus on indigenous stories to explore the importance of gathering in religious life

Mauli Bonner discusses his experiences creating a film and monument honoring African-American pioneers to Utah.

Bill Richards discusses Sacred Knowledge, his book about psychedelics and transcendent experience.

Simran Jeet Singh, Dan McClellan, Teresa Kim Pecinovsky, and Duncan Williams discuss why scriptures continue to be pertinent to their lives.

Dr. Matthew Wickman talks about what he calls Divine Silence

Dr. Lisa Knopp, death row abolitionist, discusses her new memoir "From Your Friend, Carey Dean"

Raj Mankad, from the Houston Chronicle, shares thoughts and experiences growing up Hindu in Mobile and raising his children in Houston.

Artists share with us how their spiritual life influences their creative pursuits.

Nava Kavelin shares how her mother's death changed her relationship with God

Ramsay Taum describes the connection between modern and ancient Hawai'i

Speaking with people in different faith traditions about the importance of community in our spiritual life

Helping a faith community recover from an act of violence.

Brian McLaren discusses four stages of belief and the relationship between faith and doubt

Celebrating the power of faith and belief.

Link Outside works with inmates to bring them closer to God and Community

Creating the Beloved Community

Father Angelo Te, from St. Mary by the Sea in Rockaway, OR, talks about discerning your calling in life.

Advaita Das, International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKON)

Bishop Carla Long talks about the importance of community, and how identifying core principles keeps us anchored to who we want to be.

Indra Neelameggham shares stories and traditions from her Hindu upbringing.

Renowned travel writer and guide Rick Steves shares thoughts on "The Road as Church" as he encounters various faiths around the world.

Dr. Gabriele Terrone talks about how faith and music connect us to God.

BYU student John Richardson shares what he's learned singing for a faith other than his own.

Pastors Jimi & Rickine Kestin of the Foursquare Fellowship share their ministry to feed the hungry.

Michael Dunn shares what he's learned about faith from surviving an attack from a grizzly bear

Ziauddin Yousafzai--father of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai--shares how his faith influenced his activism

Kim Swain talks about working with people whose faith differs from your own.

Rev. Sage Cole shares her conversion experience

You'll be surprised by the variety of spiritual thought and practice within Quakerism.

Pastor Oscar T. Moses on what it means to receive a call to ministry.

Jeff Olsen discusses inspiration from "the other side."

Dr. Laurie L. Patton, President of Middlebury College, talks about why interfaith relations even matter and perhaps more importantly, HOW they can work. She's a poet and writer with a warm, personal style you'll enjoy as she recounts her journey from Unitarianism to learning Sanskrit and going on pilgrimage in India, to finding her home in Judaism.

Dr. James K. A. Smith is a thinker, but that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to accept things he doesn’t completely understand. Especially when a personal conversion experience tells him there is a God who is willing to be present with us. In this interview you’ll wrestle a bit with faith and reason, about the way community can be an anchor, and choose the three pieces of art you’d take to your monastery room forever… (Originally broadcast February 5, 2020)

Dr. Ravi Gupta is a scholar of Hinduism who talks about whether becoming a scholar of your faith robs you of the joy of simply believing.

Clare Stober from Fox Hill, a Bruderhof community near Walden, NY, shares her journey from the world of business, to a life in Christian community. Yes, it is possible to create a society where there are no rich or poor, where children and elderly are welcome, and where no one lives in isolation.

Henry Bakarr, from Sierra Leone. Henry talks about finding a personal relationship with God in college, how his family survived the civil war in Sierra Leone, and why he always trusts God, even during the "exams" or trials we experience.

Harry Kraemer, Jr. from the Kellogg School of Management, and former Chairman and CEO of Baxter International, talks about faith, life balance, and the importance of self-reflection, from his book, "Your 168: Finding Purpose and Satisfaction in a Values-Based Life."

Dr. Catherine Taylor has long enjoyed exploring the histories and lives of women in scripture texts, but she's also discovered a way to fill in some of the blanks in their stories using the material culture of ancient & Medieval times--paintings, mosaics, tapestries, and everyday household objects. Together they give us an amazing larger view. This week, we turn to Dr. Taylor's research on The Annunciation to Mary.

British-born Geraldine Buckley is known nationally and even internationally as a professional storyteller who is quite open about her faith in her stories, including her tales of being the Chaplain in the largest men's prison in Maryland. In this interview she talks about how the Lord can make his desires become our own, how she's kept track of the ways God has come through on his promises, and about her own Damascus Road experience.

From her first experience of healing through prayer at age 12, Michelle Nanouche has felt called to help others heal, emotionally and spiritually as well as physically; first as a Christian Science nurse, then as a lecturer and teacher on the Christian Science Board. She talks about forgiveness and releasing anger, how she came to see herself as God sees her, and how the Lord's Prayer can be a model for our own prayers. (First aired Sunday, November 3, 2019)

New York Times no. 1 best-selling author Reza Aslan, a Sufi Muslim, talks about his journey of faith to Christianity and back again, and how we tend to create God in our own image instead of the other way around. Are we hard-wired as humans to believe? I think you'll enjoy this discussion with an author who has done a lot of thinking and research world-wide on the subject of faith in God.

Bob Greiner serves as a Deacon at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Boston, and works as an administrator at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, where he spoke with me about his faith journey through several denominations, on receiving his call to ministry at an age when most people are retired, and how he feels connected to God through service. (Originally aired 5/19/2019)

Ala'a Asarhan and Rasha Qudisat are a Jordanian couple committed to God, to each other and their children, and to education. You'll hear about Ramadan and fasting, why questioning is good, and patience to trust God's will. (Originally aired on Sunday, December 10, 2017)

House Church, with Pastor Logan Wolf Been holding your own "church" services in your house lately, like much of the world? That's actually not far from how worship was done in the early Christian world. Today Pastor Logan Wolf shares his congregation's experience in the last year of moving from traditional church worship in chapels and church buildings, to being part of the "house church" movement.f

Rev. Keith Cupples, United Methodist

We learn about the elements of Hanukkah.

At a certain point in her life, Jennifer Ristine found herself drawn to Mary Magdalene, and asking to have a heart like Mary's; faithful even to the foot of the cross. Years later she received an unexpected answer to that prayer when she found herself at the excavation of ancient Magdala. Join us as Jennifer shares her faith journey and beautiful insights from the life of a unique disciple of Jesus--Mary Magdalene.

"When the picket lines went up [to boycott stores who wouldn’t serve black people], there were white priests and nuns on the picket line and I remember seeing that and thinking that there's another way to be Christian, this is the real deal." From his origins in Mississippi, writer and teacher Danny Duncan Collum has always wanted to change the world for the better, through activism and his writing, but more than anything, through seeking the presence of God in his life.

"..If we want true friendship with God, we can't run away from the requirement that God--in kindness, in an effort to become our friend...allows us to be pushed by the vicissitudes of mortality to the extremities of experience." After twenty-plus moves, most of them international, author and activist Melissa Dalton-Bradford says that home is a concept more than a place, and that we connect to each other--whatever our religion--in the deepest places; our sorrows and our faith.

"One of the wonderful things about being a Rabbi is you get to be a part of people's stories...the joy and the sorrow." Rabbi Sam Spector speaks on learning to "see holiness" in other people, whatever their backgrounds, as fellow children of the creator. He speaks personally about visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and what he asks people who state a disbelief in God and in prayer.

Is Buddhism a life path, a philosophy, or a religion? The short answer is, "Yes." The longer answer is, "It depends." Joshua Hill, from the Tiep Hien Zen order shares his own path, and how he helps prisoners, addicts, and mental health patients to detach from the turmoil of a troubled mind and find peace in observing experiences, including suffering, from a quieter place. It's information and a practice we can all use, whatever our beliefs.

After all she's experienced, chaplain and counselor Emily Christensen still finds meaning in choosing faith over bitterness. She shares how she prepares to be with people under stress, and how her earliest communion with God while sitting on a swing set as a child laid the foundation for her mature belief.

Dr. Oliver Crisp is from the UK originally, but teaches at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. In this episode he explores being both a theologian and a believer, how he's seen the hand of God in his and his family's life, and touches on the connection between the arts and religion.

“I realized that God sometimes tells us to do something, but then it doesn’t really pan out the way we think it’s going to, but then it drives us to do something else, and then it works out.” Daniel Stone's earliest experiences with God were as simple as asking to be made well from a cold, but they laid the foundation for a trust that has allowed him to be led through uncertain paths to the destination he felt drawn to all along.

Dr. Darin Davis may be the Vice President of Mission at Baylor University, but much of his spiritual energy comes from being the pastor at Blue Ridge Baptist Church near Waco, TX. He shares the moments that changed the course of his life, and tells of the "real deal Christians," like his "Grandma" Grace, who helped make them happen.

Dr. Jean Kelly, of Otterbein Unversity, calls herself a "cradle Catholic," yet it was experiences in her adult life that lead her to increased devotion. She explains finding peace through "lectio divina," or sacred reading, and tells her students who go out in the world to serve, that "if they feel a little uncomfortable, they're probably in the right place."

“Every day there are more and more kids that come to this world, and that feel enveloped by a sense of darkness, and I feel that my calling is to break through this cloud, with the light of their inner connection with God.” - Rabbi Benny Zippel Whether leading Chabad Lubavitch of Utah for over 25 years, or tending to troubled youth with Project Heart, Rabbi Benny Zippel has a sense of mission for connecting people to God and helping each person discover their inherent meaning and purpose.

More than once, Dr. Mary Lou Shea has had the rug pulled out from under her life plan, but she also knows what it's like to have God lead you to a new path; one that unexpectedly fits you to a "T."

Tami Harris' first memory of attending church was in the Utah State prison where her father was the chaplain. Becoming the first female LDS chaplain was never her plan, but it seems to have been God's plan. Hear her amazing story and some hard-won wisdom gained from serving in the trenches with youth at residential treatment centers.

Pauline Collier has always followed God’s call for her, whether it was teaching people with severe learning disabilities, or singing with a Jewish Choir in Jerusalem where she’s the assistant to the Anglican Archbishop of the Holy Lands. She also believes that God is always there, and always ready to take you back with a warm welcome if you’ve been wandering.

Michael Heil got his second chance at life during a ski accident on a mountainside; "I had shattered my femur and I was crying--I was screaming. Finally I said, 'Lord, I know that you can save me, but if you don't, then thank you.'" Hear from Pastor Michael Heil and his wife Denise about their story and the life of ministry they've partnered to form.

From his beginnings in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, to serving congregations world-wide, Pastor Blair White from The Community of Christ has seen the importance of "desert moments" that bring you closer to God, and he's learned that God can accomplish his purposes even when we think everything is going wrong.

As a shy child in communist Yugoslavia, Amir Salihovic never pictured himself leading prayers as an Imam, but as civil war broke out, he found himself driven by persecution to study more deeply the religion he was being persecuted for being a part of. Now he leads an Islamic Society of Bosniaks, where he appreciates religious freedom and teaches his community to treasure their past while becoming proud, productive Americans.

Caru Das shares his journey of enlightenment through Krishna Consciousness

Born in Britain on the eve of WWII, Josie Stone has had a life filled with faith, curiosity, family, and service in her career in nursing as well as her current position as chair of the Salt Lake Interfaith Council. She is a woman who is comfortable with mystery and talking about the big questions in life.

"You can know--without a shadow of a doubt--you can know whether you know you know you are going to heaven." That's Walter Raber, he was born to an Amish family and later became Mennonite. He'll inspire you with his infectious happy nature and his heart for serving other people.

"Sometimes the thing we resist the most is maybe the thing that we're meant to do." Pastor Scott McKinney of CenterPoint Church shares his spiritual journey and talks about the importance of community and the benefits of simply "showing up."

It was a moment of mid-life crisis, a question, and a vision for a new kind of religious work that set Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein on his current path of promoting interfaith understanding. He is the founder of the Elijah Interfaith Institute and a prolific author. In this interview he shares his thoughts and experiences, and advice for those taking their first steps into understanding others and their differing traditions and beliefs.

Harry and Debra Bonner were each mentored by people of faith, from parents and priests to parishioners, and they've followed that faith wherever it led them; as a young missionary couple in Liberia, to directing a gospel choir in the Rocky Mountains. In the second half, you'll hear Debra soloing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

From her earliest memories of the Baha'i prayer book her mother gave her, Jan Saeed has sought and found comfort and peace in prayer. She talks about the oneness of humanity and being open to listen to others with differing beliefs.

Pastor Logan Wolf from CrossPoint Church Utah talks about following God when he is leading you to do something. And what if you don’t do it? Or, what if you follow that inspiration and things don’t turn out the way you expected? And does "love your neighbor" mean, like, the actual person next door? I think you'll enjoy getting to know Pastor Logan Wolf.

Looking up at the sky on starry nights was Rev. Molly Cameron's first intimation of something mysterious, big, powerful, and spiritual. She talks about "burning bush" moments that define your life, and how faith in God is actually good for you.

Rev. Deacon Sandra Jones shares a life-long faith that blossomed into ministry in her later years, when she stopped fighting a call she'd always felt. She tells how adding a little "Mary to her Martha" added meaning to her life and let her know she was always connected to God.

Nationally-acclaimed storyteller Kim Weitkamp shares stories of her faith, spiritual gifts, and how she's learned to find the good in just about anyone.

Dr. Rodger Sorensen has spent his life in the church and in the theater. He talks about ritual--both sacred and secular--and how it can ground us and move us, dealing with friends who believe differently, and having faith to wait for the things we don't yet understand.

A Trappist monk since age 19, the Right Reverend Casimir Bernas reflects on a life of study and devotion mixed with physical labor.

Shonaleigh is an internationally recognized storyteller in the Jewish Yiddish tradition of the Drut'syla--thousands of wisdom tales passed orally from grandmother to granddaughter. You'll laugh and you'll find a little wisdom yourself as she shares her stories and her faith.

Sahar Qumsiyeh is a Palestinian Christian from near Bethlehem. She shares her journey of faith, talks about Christmas in the place of Jesus' birth, and about finding personal peace through God--separate from your circumstances.

Dr. Eric Huntsman shares his personal experience with worship--"An experience with the Divine that transforms the worshipper"--in a way that may open your mind to how you can enhance your own worship.

Ala'a Asarhan and Rasha Qudisat are a Jordanian couple committed to God, to each other and their children, and to education. You'll hear about Ramadan and fasting, why questioning is good, and patience to trust God's will.

Linda Walton is a communicator. Whether it's her communications company, her work as an interfaith chaplain, or her ongoing freeway conversations with God, she connects in a refreshingly frank way.

Dr. Brent Slife is an award-winning professor and author, who began his path from atheism to faith as a young man, when he refused to profess anything he didn't believe. Now he studies the interface of faith and science in his professional discipline of psychology, in his private counseling practice, and in his own faith life.

Pastor France Davis began his journey in Gough, Georgia, in the early days of the Civil Rights movement and marched with Dr. King in Selma. He couldn't have guessed then how God would turn a 1-year assignment into a 40-plus year ministry of faith and community in Salt Lake City.

Reverend Susan Lukens' life took an unexpected turn after a family tragedy. She talks about the journey of faith, humor as God reminding us that there is joy to be had even in pain, and of learning humility as you quietly push for change.

Mariama Kallon-Olayemi is from Sierra Leone, where she alone in her family survived the civil war. She speaks with quiet power about God's timing, about forgiveness and becoming free of the burdens of the past--even those imposed by others, and living an open-hearted life.

Can a church be Arab but not Muslim, Catholic but not Roman, and Eastern but not Orthodox? Indeed. A Greek Melkite Catholic, Father Nabil Haddad, from Amman, Jordan, is a noted peacemaker in the Middle East and around the world. He talks about pursuing peace aggressively, how he feels the call to bridge-building, and why he considers his illiterate mother the greatest theologian he's ever known.

Pritha Lal is from India; she talks about choosing Karma--the path of service, finding strength in faith at her father's passing, and living in 'blissful discontent' to experience happiness while still moving forward.

Stephen Bridge, director of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, talks about walking the Christian walk in places where that might make you an outsider, and how he came to believe that God will never let go of us.

Shereen Salah, from Egypt, talks about the call to prayer--as a community and as a person, what helps her feel close to God, and how she's learned to thank God for hard times that led to happiness.

Rabbi Emeritus Fred Wenger talks about growing up orthodox, conservative, and reform, choosing to serve a congregation in a synagogue, and about the importance of ritual to our spiritual lives.

Pastor Mike Imperiale talks about living with the story God gave you, thinking of yourself as a forgiven person, and he sings the hymn that had a part in his religious conversion as a college student.

Dr. Julianna Boerio-Goates--retired professor of thermo-dynamics, discusses the intersection of science and faith, navigating a mixed-faith marriage, and what keeps her connected to God in her everyday life and in her service to her Catholic parish.