Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue

We did it! As I write this in November of 2020 the country is glowing in anticipation of a new administration that will, we hope, undo much of the dismantling of our country's foundations that happened under Trump. During these last 4 years I will admit to doing whatever I could to shed light on the underbelly (did it even have an overbelly?) of his swamp-filling efforts. Here is one example that...

Do you want to know a secret? Inside this rather centered post-middle-aged theologically minded radio host is a 14-year old girl who hasn't stopped screaming since she saw the Fab 4 on Ed Sullivan in 1964. To say I was & am a Beatles Fan borders on severe understatement. So to have chance to converse with someone who is not only like minded, but has the academic cred to (hobnail) boot was not some...

Even people who know little about Buddhism can often identify both the Dalai Lama & Thich Naht Hahn as major thought leaders today. Back in 2017 I was alerted that the latter had just published a book entitled The Art of Living. Excited at the chance to have such an august personage on the program, I contacted the people who make this sort of thing happen. Well, it turns out that Thich Naht Hahn w...

When we think of Hippies the 1st things that pop into many minds are drugs, music, hedonism, promiscuity, political activism & a disdain for hard work. These stereotypes are grounded in truth, but not the whole truth. There was also a deep spiritual search going on, sometimes in concert with the aforementioned proclivities. This 2017 conversation in 2 parts with author Dan Goldberg examines these...

The year is 2017, and many of us are still reeling at the thought of having Trump in the office he's in. Over the past 4 years (I'm writing this just after the '20 election, Yay!) I've made no bones about the fact that I believe this presidency has done great harm to this country. So here, Rev. Gary Dorrien joins us for a conversation on his Religion Dispatches article, “Irony Repeats Itself: Reco...

Eden Collinsworth joins us for conversation about her book, Behaving Badly: The New Morality in Politics, Sex and Business. Eden Collinsworth is a former media executive and business consultant. She was president of Arbor House Publishing Co. and founder of the Los Angeles-based monthly lifestyle magazine, BUZZ, before becoming a vice president at Hearst Corporation. She served as the chief operat...

Once again, one of the awesome people I met at the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC. These conversations with Ani Zonneveld took place in 2017. What I noticed at the CFR conference is that there was a significant tension between Ani, the Director of Muslims for Progressive Values and those more traditional, orthodox Muslims. Ani is very impatient with what are often termed "moderate Muslims." I...

These 2 episodes, which aired in 2017, feature conversations with well known pastor Tony Campolo & his son Bart. Together they wrote the book "Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son" Part 1 we discuss how the son of such a rock star minister could walk away from the faith that birthed him, & venture into the foreign territory of s...

Poet, teacher, and storyteller Mark Nepo joins us on Common Threads to discuss his book The One Life We’re Given in these 2017 episodes. Mark Nepo has published 18 books and recorded 13 audio projects. In 2016, he was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN's SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using...

There is no one way that women react after having an abortion. Some can move on with their lives almost immediately. Some may regret their decision. Yet others acknowledge a psychic and emotional pain that requires a healing, though they do not regret their choice. Kassi Underwood falls into that 3rd category. She uses that pain to investigate the healing rituals and practices of various religions...

Dr. Clair Brown joins us for these 2 episodes from 2016. Dr. Brown is the author of Buddhist Economics: An Enlightened Approach to the Dismal Science. Dr. Brown is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Work, Technology, and Society at the University of California, Berkeley. Clair has published research on many aspects of how economies function, including high-tech industries, devel...

Once again, here is a 2-part conversation with the author of a book that I recorded as an audiobook. If you are new to this podcast, it's something that happens now & then. Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche is a meditation master in the Nyingma lineage of the Buddhist tradition. He received his education and training for ten years starting at the age of fourteen at Larung Gar in Serta. In 2011, Rinpoche fou...

These episodes feature a conversation with Brian Lepard, one of the architects of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World’s Religions. Brian Lepard is a law professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a leading expert in the fields of international law, human rights law, comparative law, and tax law. Professor Lepard has multidisciplinary scholarly and teaching interests...

One of the great things about hosting CT is that I get to invite some of my more enlightened friends into the studio to have conversations like we would anyway. But I love sharing their wisdom. Well, here is a perfect example. A good way to describe Fr. Joachim Lally would be to mention that when my father-in-law died, my wife & her 3 siblings (all ex-Catholics) looked to me to find a priest to sa...

Please don't tell me you just saw the term "Free Love Utopia" & were hoping they were taking applications. Sorry to disappoint if you did. But these are really excellent conversations. The Oneida community is a true slice of religious Americana. What a fascinating history of folks who just thought they were doing all the right things. All this & some very stylish & sturdy dinner flatware. I grew u...

I know, that's a weird title for a program. But believe me, many of the guests I've hosted on Common Threads have me saying that to myself. Some of these folks have contributed SO much to the world community. And then there's me... Yeah, not so much. Larry Brilliant is one such person who seems to have lived about 14 lives in one incarnation. Larry Brilliant is a pioneering physician, visionary te...

Many years ago I interviewed a local minister for the Metropolitan Church here in Grand Rapids. The denomination was formed specifically to focus on the needs of gay Christians. In its early days, the church the same very fundamentalist theology that most of the congregations who expelled their gay members did. Over the years they have embraced a more progressive spiritual world view. I don't have...

If you've listened to Common Threads enough you know that we like to dive into "deep dialogue." What that means is that we aren't afraid to tackle issues that might ruffle feathers from time to time. Not all positions labeled "religious" are honorable or uplift the human spirit. Well, here are 2 episodes that make that deep dive. It's really one of my favorites from 2016. Richard Benkin, our guest...

Back in 2016, Grand Valley State University (where Common Threads originates) presented its 20th annual lecture on diversity. The guest speaker was Dr. Dafina Lazarus-Stewart. The topic was bringing religion into the public square, and how to navigate the appropriate protocol and respect for pluralism. These episodes preceded the event, serving as a bit of a sneak preview. Theme music "Nigal."

Not long ago we uploaded a couple of episodes that featured my dear friend Len Robinson from 2015. I am now going through the archives of '16, & found these conversations, which I'm thrilled to share. Len passed away in 2020, leaving many friends & supporters behind. It's a pleasure to share these interviews as well. Enjoy. Theme music "Nigal."

If you grew up in any major metropolitan area in North America or Europe in the late 60s/early 70s it's quite likely that you encountered a group of younger folk in the garb of Gaudiya Vaishnavs chants & dancing in public areas. They became known as the Hare Krishnas, due to the mantra they chanted. They went from being suspected as a cult to now being a fairly respected branch of Hindu thought an...

If you are not from West Michigan these episodes might not mean as much, but I think they tell a good story. Rev. Richard Rhem was ordained in the Reformed Protestant tradition, & was quite conservative. Spring Lake is a lovely community quite close to Lake Michigan. This is where he served when he led the congregation at Christ Community Church. Over the years his faith expanded in a direction co...

Not long ago I made my way through the limited series "Unorthodox" & the 2 full seasons of "Shtisel." Both offer more than a glimpse into the most orthodox of the Jewish communities. I wanted to get a practitioner's view on these. So I did. Enjoy. Theme music "Nigal."

One of the great things about having a talk show is being able to invite interesting friends on. You can just have a conversation similar to what you might have in "real life" with people listening in. I mentioned in the summary of a recent episode that a conference at the Council on Foreign Relations ended up inspiring several shows. This is one. My guest didn't attend that, but I appreciated his...

We don't do many programs on our organization (Interfaith Dialogue Association, an affiliate of Kaufman Interfaith Institute) because, well, that would be boring. But every now & then we do have something to share with the greater global community that I think may be of interest. One thing I'm quite proud of is our internship program. We have students from various local colleges (some religious, s...