In Good Faith

This week, Steve meets Sam Wilkinson, author of "Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence." They discuss the idea that knowledge, both in science and in religion, are ever expanding. They also explore the psychological connection between serving a greater cause and feeling joy. Samuel T. Wilkinson is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Yale Depression Research Program. He received his MD from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His articles have been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.

In this episode of In Good Faith, Steven Kapp Perry speaks with Antonia Tomao. She shares a touching story of recovery from a brain tumor. During this difficult time, she learned to lean on God. After her recovery, she started a business to help others who are enduring a difficulty realize that they are not alone. Antonia is the CEO of Antonia’s Promise, originally creating cross jewelry as a symbol of “brokenness” and a reminder that prayer and our trust in God will help us heal as a symbol of hope. She hopes that wearing or having these crosses will remind people that they are not alone in their suffering because God is with them.

How do you teach kids spiritual values? How do you have conversations that increase their empathy with other religious traditions? Steve sits down with podcaster and curriculum developer Jon Ogden. Jon shares how his religious upbringing inspired him to create a method to help families practice spirituality by drawing on the world's wisdom literature. Jon has worked as a teacher, curriculum creator, content director, and writer. He’s coupled that work with a decades-long study of the world’s wisdom traditions. John seeks for ways to keep the best of the past alive while evolving beyond its limitations. At Uplift Kids, he’s taking this interest in wisdom literature from around the world to help create community, alongside his spouse, for his two sons.

Why do bad things happen to good people? How can we wrestle with God in times of trial? In this episode of In Good Faith, Steve sits down with local friend Susan Murphy. The discussion follows her journey with Catholicism and Christianity. Susan Murphy shares what she has learned in helping victims of sexual assault and incest, and how religion can provide a unique sense to healing. Susan Murphy is on the Children’s Church Committee at the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ. She holds a seminary degree from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis and is a co-founder of Daughters of Lot, an abused women’s resource in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Steve speaks with Philip Goldberg about spirituality and how it can affect our understandings of other religions. Never before has the spiritual landscape been as diverse and abundant as it is today. Philip explains his anti-religious upbringing, how he learned about Eastern traditions, and how hosting an interfaith podcast has changed his life. Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of numerous books, public speaker, spiritual counselor, and ordained Interfaith Minister. A resident of Great Barrington, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires, he leads American Veda Tours to India, conducts online courses and workshops, and contributes regularly to several publications. He also hosts the Spirit Matters podcast.

Steve sits down with Bishop Gregory Gordon and Father Elias Kabuk to discuss attacks on Catholics in Nigeria and what we can do about it, here in the US. This is a sobering interview that covers the recent history of Boko Haram in Western Africa, a terrorist group that has killed over 50,000 people in the last 20 years. Originally from Philadelphia, the Most Reverend Gregory W. Gordon, STL, is the first Auxiliary Bishop of Las Vegas. In the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Gordon serves on the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. He also serves within the Archdiocese as chaplain to the Catholic Medical Association, and is a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, the Knights of Columbus, and the Knights of Peter Claver. Father Elias Kabuk is Bajju by tribe, speaks Jju, and is from Kaduna State Nigeria. He was ordained a Catholic Priest for the Archdiocese of Kaduna in 2009. During the last 15 years, he has been appointed to work in the Kaduna Archdiocese, Nigeria, the Helena Diocese Montana, and the Archdiocese of Las Vegas. He attended St. John Vianney Minor Seminary, Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, Nigeria and Villanova University in Philadelphia. Father Kabuk loves visiting the sick and homebound and working with those on the margins of society.

This week on the In Good Faith podcast, Steve speaks with Corey Nathan, host of the "Talkin’ Politics and Religion Without Killin’ Each Other" podcast. Together, they discuss how we can have conversations with people who have different core values from us; even if we strongly disagree, we can have these deep, meaningful discussions. He even shares ways that we can revitalize the media that is overwhelmed by antagonistic voices. Corey Nathan shares how his personal journey has necessitated the ability to have healthier conversations about politics and religion. Corey Nathan is passionate about respectful discussion. He was raised Jewish, later converting to Christianity, and knows the importance of speaking with those closest to you about what you hold most dear. He has also been involved in many entrepreneurial and creative pursuits, including starting his own media company.

Steve and Ashton from the IGF team are joined by BYU English professor Paul Westover and student Ruth Thomas. Together, they discuss C.S. Lewis' "A Grief Observed." In this book, C.S. Lewis openly reflects on the reality of life and death in the wake of his wife's tragic death. This book provides an honest account of the whirlwind that follows a loss—sometimes causing even the strongest believers to waver—and how one can regain their bearings after such disruption. Paul Westover joined the BYU faculty in 2008. His specialties are Romantic-era British literature and cultural history. Westover is co-editor of the Romantic Circles electronic critical edition of "William Wordsworth’s Guide to the Lakes" (2015) and of a volume called "Transatlantic Literature and Author-Love in the Nineteenth Century" (2016). He currently serves as Book Review Editor for the Journal of British Studies and as Graduate Coordinator for the English Department. The discussions in this episode come from many different places and perspectives. Each guest shares their own unique experience reading the book. Whether you are familiar with "A Grief Observed" or not, this episode is for you. Enjoy this engaging and vulnerable episode of In Good Faith.

In this conversation, Steve Kapp Perry interviews James Early. James describes his desire to get back to the original Christianity of Jesus. He has taught this philosophy for years as a member of the Christian Science Church. This episode also includes James' prison ministries and what he learned from teaching inmates. James Early is a Bible teacher and gives talks and conducts workshops on the Bible to churches and groups, in person as well as online. Since October 2008, he has conducted weekly Bible study classes at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT. In fall of 2019, he started "The Bible Speaks to You Podcast," which has had listeners in 173 countries and focuses on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus.

This week, Steve sits down with Cassidy Hall to discuss the power of queerness and silence. In this conversation, Cassidy describes her experienced with contemplative, toxic, and loving silences. She also explains the way that she sees and understands queerness. In fact, her new book is dedicated to "the queerness in all of us." This book ("Queering Contemplation: Finding Queerness in the Roots and Future of Contemplative Spirituality") releases on May 21, 2024—just two days after this episode drops! Cassidy Hall is an author, award-winning filmmaker, podcaster, ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and leading voice in contemplative spirituality. She is the co-host of the Encountering Silence podcast and the creator of the Contemplating Now and Queering Contemplation podcasts. Cassidy is widely published and currently resides in Indianapolis, where she is studying for her Doctorate degree.