In Good Faith

Steve hosts Corinna Tanner, Sudam Mane, and Joshua Rager for a discussion about what happens after we die. Corinna Trujillo Tanner joined the Brigham Young University College of Nursing as an Assistant Professor in 2019, after completing her PhD and a two-year National Institutes of Health Research Fellowship in cancer, aging and end of life. She holds post master’s certificates in Gerontology, Adult Nurse Practitioner training and an International Certificate in Caring and Healing. She is passionate about guiding students in honoring and fostering late life potential and creating an age-inclusive culture. Sudam Mane is a P.h.D student in Analytical Chemistry at Brigham Young University. He grew up in the Sahyadri Mountain Ranges in India, earned master’s degrees in chemistry from Shivaji University, and then worked 13 years in the pharmaceutical industry before coming to BYU. Joshua Rager is a pastor in the Crosspoint Utah network. Originally from Michigan, he served 14 years in various pastoral roles in North Carolina, where he received a bachelor's degree in Theology. His wife Amanda of 16 years and he moved to Utah in 2019 with their two children, to share the biblical Gospel and serve among a network of house churches in the state.

How can we continue learning and healing as we approach the end of our mortal life? Jewels Olsen sits down with Steve for a conversation about the end of life and how we can approach it with peace and reassurance, and how we can honor those we know who are dying. Jewels Olsen is a chaplain at Applegate Home and Hospice in Utah, where she has a passion for supporting those nearing the end-of-life transition. She is familiar with many traditions and practices and provides spiritual care for a wide variety of people.

What is a holy death and how can we make sure our loved ones experience peace and love as they die? Episcopal Bishop Phyllis Spiegel joins Steve to describe how we can prepare ourselves and those who are dying for a process we all experiences. The Rt. Rev. Phyllis A. Spiegel was consecrated as the 12th Bishop of Utah on September 17, 2022. She is passionate about The Episcopal Church’s work of deepening discipleship through daily practices of faith, believing that deepening our daily walk with God profoundly changes the way we walk in the world. She has done much study on the topic of death and afterlife in her tradition.

Welcome back to our mini-series on death. This week we are learning about near-death experience from Marianne Bahri. She speaks about her own NDE with senior producer Heather Bigley to discuss how her life was altered, and how introspective soul-searching helped her heal. Next week, we are speaking to Rev. Phyllis Spiegel and Jewels Chaplain to learn more about end-of-life care—stay tuned! Jyoti Marianne Bahri, an ethnologist and Indologist, teacher, facilitator and author, has written several transformative works. Her published book, "Freed from the Frame - A Miraculous Recovery", is a memoir of her near-death experience and her pilgrimage to find the healer within after a near-fatal road accident in South India. She is now working on a book about living and dying differently and is also conducting a series of workshops on this subject.

Welcome to part one of our death mini-series! We are exploring near-death experiences, working with those at the end of life, and grieving a loss. In this episode, Steve sits down with Martin Tanner from KSL to discuss how hearing near-death experiences from other people have impacted his own religion. This episode is jam-packed with powerful stories and a desire to believe. Martin Tanner co-founded Utah chapter of the International Association for Neath Death Studies in 1990. He is currently the chair of Utah IANDS and is the host of Religion Today on KSL Radio. He also produces a podcast for the Interpreter Foundation, focused on supporting the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through scholarship.

Dr. Alp Aslandogan joins Steve for a conversation about his personal journey from Turkey to the U.S., his experiences with interfaith interactions, and how he integrates faith, science, and art under his belief in God. Dr. Alp reflects on faith, love, and compassion, as well as his commitment to fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding in secular society. Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan is the Executive Director of the Alliance for Shared Values, a non-profit organization that promotes bringing together citizens of diverse backgrounds around shared values of humanity. Prior to his current position Dr. Aslandogan served as the board president of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog in Houston, Texas, and on the Board of Scholars and Practitioners of the Journal of Interreligious Dialogue.

Carmela Javellana chats with Steve about the importance of crisis as an opportunity for growth and the universal nature of suffering. She shares how she came to Buddhism and the vibrant differences within Buddhism. Dr. Carmela Javellana is a volunteer assistant minister at the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple since 2010, which includes leading meditation service, teaching Buddhism classes, and co-teaching a 6-week course on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism and Integrative Mental Health called “Into the Light: the Shin Buddhist Path through Difficulties.” She is also a practicing psychiatrist and the founder and director of SHIN, a sanctuary for healing and integration, in Bountiful, UT.

Anne Snyder, Editor-in-Chief of Comment Magazine, joins Steve for a conversation about public theology. Discover how faith can transcend individual congregations and touch communities, blending spiritual and secular efforts. Anne shares her unique perspective shaped by her childhood experiences in outside the US and discusses the significance of public trust in religious and governmental institutions. Anne Snyder is the founder of Breaking Ground, which seeks to leaven our common life with a Christian humanist lens. Anne is also the host of The Whole Person Revolution podcast, co-editor of Breaking Ground: Charting Our Future in a Pandemic Year, and author of The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Renewing our Social and Moral Landscape. Anne is a Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum and a Fellow at the Urban Reform Institute, a Houston-based think tank that explores how cities can drive opportunity for the bulk of their citizens. She has published widely, including The Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Post, City Journal, and, of course, Comment, and lives in Washington, DC..

Can I discuss faith at work? Does my faith fit into my job? In this episode Steve sits down with Scott Warren to discuss faith in the workplace. Scott Warren also tells his conversion story and how he, and his whole family, dove head first into organized religion. He explains how this changed every aspect of his life... including his place of work and how he treated his work colleagues. Scott Warren is the host of the Preach Where You Reach podcast, where he interviews “workplace apostles” about their experiences incorporating faith into their job. He is also the author of a book by the same name. As an author, podcast host, and speaker, Scott has experienced firsthand the profound impact of integrating faith into the fabric of his professional and personal life.

Steven Kapp Perry speaks in-person with the Smiths. They each share how they were called to ministry and answered that call. They describe how to discern the voice of God in our lives, including how He has helped them and their children find a higher purpose. Dr. Welton Smith is the pastor of the Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is involved in AIDS Awareness and Men’s Health issues. Reverend Debra Smith focuses on women’s issues and education. Pastor Welton Smith and Reverend Debra Smith have labored together in ministry for over twenty years. Both have served Churches, Conventions, and the U.S. Military as Facilitators, Messengers, and Instructors. They are anointed to teach, preach and heal through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Currently they serve at the Greater Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church in Las Vegas.