In Good Faith

Every week on the In Good Faith podcast we take you on a journey—usually that’s a guest sharing their personal journey of faith and belief. Starting this week, however, we’ll take you on a literal journey—a 10-part series we recorded with a crew in Turkey, a place which has seen huge shifts in religious beliefs over the centuries. We’ll talk with historians, leaders, and of course modern-day believers about the amazing place they call home. In April 2023, just as the Holy Fast period of Ramadan was ending for the Muslim world, our team traveled to Turkey to see how the world of faith came to be. Our intent was to capture the lived experience of a country that is 97% Muslim but has a long history of being Christian, and before that, the polytheism of Romans and Greeks, all the way back to the Hittites of the 18th century BC. We're digging deeper into the history and how different religions have occupied the same space--sometimes peacefully, sometimes not--in Turkey. We believe that all faith traditions have something to teach us about how God is working in the world and in our lives. Let's explore the crossroads of faith.

Join us for a special series in Turkey, where we explore the history, culture, and religions of this ancient land and modern nation. This new series of In Good Faith starts Sunday, Sep 3.

Join Heather in talking with fellow podcasters Robert Monson, Zaiba Hasan, and Samuel Gay. Robert Monson Jr. is a writer, musician, creative, avid reader, and theologian who does work around the intersection of Black liberation and womanist theology. He is a graduate of United Theological Seminary and is currently working towards a Ph.D. His two podcasts, Three Black Men and Black Coffee & Theology, along with his work as co-director of the organization Enfleshed seek to bring about thought around liberation for all. Zaiba Hasan is an American Muslim, born and raised in Chicago. Growing up biracial and bicultural, Zaiba’s Irish/Pakistani heritage and interfaith upbringing gave her a head start navigating between identities. When she isn’t busy with podcasting, public speaking, fostering interfaith community, or working with her parent coaching clients at Emerge Consulting Solutions, Zaiba can usually be found on the basketball court or baseball field with her husband and their four children. Sam Gay is a writer, theologian and cohost to Three Black Men Podcast. Sam has been a dedicated youth pastor and musician who has yielded his talents to local congregations. He holds a B.A. in digital cinematography from Full Sail University and an A.A. in Biblical Studies from Reformation Bible College.

Join Steve in talking with fellow podcasters Adela Cojab, Trey Ferguson, and Uzma Jafri. Adela Cojab is a speaker on Jewish rights and equality under the law. She speaks at conferences and college campuses about anti-Semitism, Zionism, and human rights. Cojab believes that all students are entitled to learn in a harassment-free environment, and works to advocate on their behalf. She has also authored and contributed to published pieces about Judaism, activism, and anti-Semitism. Trey Ferguson is a Miami-Dade County-based minister, writer, and podcaster whose passions include jokes, justice, and Jesus. He’s the creator of New Living Treyslation–a podcast that retells and relates scripture in a modern vernacular–and a co-host of Three Black Men, a podcast where he muses on theology and culture with Sam Gay, Robert Monson, and a wide array of riveting guests. The author of the forthcoming Theologizin’ Bigger with Lake Drive Books, Trey also writes and publishes regularly in his newsletter: The Son Do Move. When he’s not creating content, he can be found annoying his wife Jessica and their three children with his childlike sense of humor. Uzma Jafri was born in Chicago and raised in Houston, Texas. The daughter of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and India, Uzma’s primary job is mothering her four children, but the one that pays is as a solo physician running her own medical practices. She is also medical director of an assisted living and hospice agency, and serves as graduate medical faculty training future physicians. She volunteers with multiple organizations to support refugees, her favorite pet project being the biannual refugee baby shower she coordinates with her team at Gathering Humanity.

Steve talks with fellow podcasters from "3 Black Men" and "Mommying While Muslim" about how their different podcasts have created community for their listeners. Steve was able to host this week's guest in studio, because all of them attended the BYU Law School's "Annual Religious Freedom Review," where they spoke together on a panel about this topic. Look for those panel sessions in our extras. Hosts of the podcast “3 Black Men”--Trey Ferguson, Samuel Gay, and Robert Monson–muse on theology and culture with a wide array of riveting guests. Trey Ferguson is a Miami-Dade County-based minister, writer, and podcaster whose passions include jokes, justice, and Jesus. Samuel Gay is a writer, theologian, and father, who uses music to strengthen others. Robert Monson is a writer, musician, creative, avid reader, and theologian who does work around the intersection of Black liberation and womanist theology. Mommying While Muslim is hosted by second-generation friends Zaiba Hasan and Uzma Jaffri. Zaiba Hasan is an American Muslim, born and raised in Chicago, who grew up biracial and bicultural. Zaiba’s Irish/Pakistani heritage and interfaith upbringing gave her a head start navigating between identities. Born in Chicago, Uzma Jafri was raised in Huston, Texas. She is the daughter of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and India. Uzma’s primary job is mothering her four children, but the one that pays is as a solo physician running her own medical practices.

Steve prepares for the 2023 Parliament of World Religions in Chicago by speaking with Bernie Newman, Shoaib Khadri, Barb Maloof, and Bruce Duffield about interfaith service projects in Chicagoland. Bernie Newman is a Past-President of Congregation Beth Shalom in Naperville, Illinois, where he has lived with his wife, Judi, for 39 years. He teaches the Introduction to Judaism course at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, and he is on the board of directors of the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association. Bernie received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in 1976 and his Master of Science Degree from Stanford University in 1977. Shoaib Khadri is a member of the Islamic Center of Naperville and has led their Mosque’s interfaith involvement, including participation in the Naperville Interfaith Leaders Association for many years. ICN’s “Open Mosque Days” teach thousands about Islam, its traditions and practices. In addition to ICN, Shoaib serves as an officer of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, an umbrella organization for more than 60 Islamic organizations serving the more than 400,000 Muslims in the Chicago area. Barb Maloof spent a career in public service management for the City of Chicago and Cook County government. Now retired, Barbara teaches English as a Second Language (ESL), as needed, after studying with Literacy Works in Chicago. Several decades ago, Barbara joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Currently living in Hyde Park, she has been called to be the Director of Communications for the Chicago Stake. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in Public Service from DePaul University. Bruce Duffield has served as president of the Chicago Illinois Temple, public affairs specialist, a temple sealer, and a former bishop, stake presidency counselor and high councilor for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Senior Counsel for Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, he was born in Magrath, Alb

Steve discusses love and grief with Colin Campbell, author of Finding the Words: Working Through Profound Loss with Hope and Purpose. Colin Campbell is a writer and director for theater and film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Seraglio, a short film he wrote and directed with his wife, Gail Lerner. He has taught Theater and/or Filmmaking at Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, Cal Poly Pomona University, and to incarcerated youth through The Unusual Suspects. His one person show titled, Grief: A One Man S**tShow, premiered at the Hollywood Fringe Festival where it won a Best of Broadwater Award. He lives in Los Angeles and sometimes Joshua Tree. In the second half of the hour, Steve chats with Daniela Lee, the priest-in-charge at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Provo, Utah. The Reverend Daniela Lee is originally from Romania and has traveled from the Baptist world through the Lutheran world and ended up in The Episcopal Church. With her husband and two kids, she likes to travel and stargaze. They currently live in Utah where they enjoy the two seasons, the dry air, and the beautiful landscape. Dani is passionate about evangelism and about how to live responsibly in the world.

Steve discusses how religious identity might get in the way of a more genuine faith life with Haroon Moghul, author of "Two Billion Caliphs: A Vision of a Muslim Future." Haroon Moghul is an Account Director at Unitas Communications, where he helps international clients tell their stories. An award-winning journalist and opinion columnist, Haroon's essays have been featured by The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, CNN, NBC News, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, and The Guardian, among many others. He’s also appeared on all major US news networks as an expert commentator on Islam, the Muslim world, and U.S. foreign policy, has dedicated years to interfaith engagement, and has spoken at universities, conferences, think tanks, houses of worship, bookstores, and libraries on five continents. Heather chats with Yelena Lembersky, an architect in Boston who immigrated from the USSR with her mother in 1987. Her memoir "Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour" discusses the dramatic events that lead up to their departure from the Soviet Union and Heather and Yelena pick up where the memoir ends--with Yelena's committment to raise her children within the Jewish tradition that Yelena herself was not allowed to explore as a youth. Yelena graduated with a double Bachelors in Art and Science from the University of Michigan. She moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue her Masters of Architecture at MIT. Yelena has also published a monograph on her grandfather's art, "Felix Lembersky: Paintings and Drawings."

Heather speaks with Dan Groody at the University of Notre Dame about his book "A Theology of Migration: The Bodies of Refugees and the Body of Christ" and how Christianity teaches an ethics of love for the refugee and migrant. Father Groody’s expertise in and passion for refugee and migration issues has also been applied as executive producer of One Border, One Body: Immigration and the Eucharist and Dying to Live: A Migrant’s Journey. He has also worked with the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and the United Nations on issues of theology, globalization, migration, and refugees. In 2007-08 he was a visiting research fellow at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Centre. Steve chats with Yang Vang, a Hmong shaman, about making a home without a country. Yang also discusses Hmong beliefs about creation and sacrifice. Yang Vang who has just graduated from BYU's Master of Anthropology program. Photo Credit for Yang Vang: Bradley Slade

Steve chats with two historians about the importance of ancient Christianity today. Elizabeth Schrader Polczer discusses how an answered prayer developed her interest in Mary Magdalene and led to a new career in biblical scholarship. Dr. Schrader Polczer is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Villanova University, having recently defended her PhD in Early Christianity and New Testament at Duke University. Her studies focus on textual criticism, Mary Magdalene, and the Gospel of John. Craig Evans maps out the ideas in his book "From Jesus to Church." Craig A. Evans is the John Bisagno Distinguished Professor of Christian Origins at Houston Baptist University in Texas. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, he received his M.Div. from Western Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Claremont Graduate University in southern California. A well-known evangelical scholar, Evans is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He also serves as the Director of the Christian Thinkers Society Fellows Program and Strategic Studies.