In this episode of Religion Matters, we explore the complex and deeply human intersections of religion and immigration in the United States. How has immigration shaped American religious communities — and how are those communities being reshaped in return?

We examine the impact of immigration enforcement and ICE policies on congregations across the country, including the erosion of sanctuary protections once reserved for sacred spaces. What does it mean when places of worship, historically seen as refuges, are no longer safe havens?

Our conversation also traces the long history of the dehumanization of immigrants and refugees, revealing how fear-driven narratives have surfaced again and again throughout American history. Yet amid these challenges, we ask an urgent question: How can religious communities respond differently?

This episode calls faith communities to re-humanize themselves by re-humanizing others; through relationship-building, solidarity, and courageous engagement. At stake is not only immigration policy, but the moral and spiritual identity of religious life in America.

Books and Articles referenced in this episode:

Campese, Gioacchino. “A PEOPLE OF GOD WHO REMEMBERS: THEOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON A ‘REFUGEE CRISIS.’” In Migration and Public Discourse in World Christianity, edited by Afe Adogame, Raimundo C. Barreto, and Wanderley Pereira da Rosa, 2:215–28. Augsburg Fortress, 2019.

Rajendra, Tisha. Migrants and Citizens: Justice and Responsibility in the Ethics of Immigration. Eerdmans Publishing, 2017.

"One of the Bible's Biggest Moral Revolutions" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/opinion/immigrants-religion-bible-politics.html?searchResultPosition=3. February 22, 2026

Emily Belz "Refugees Disappeared. Churches Prayed and Layered Up". In Christianity Today. February 18, 2026. https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/02/minnesota-ice-refugees-detention-immigration-persecution/

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

Christmas is more than a Christian holiday; it’s a global response to darkness, uncertainty, and the need for hope. In this episode of Religion Matters, we explore Christmas alongside Roman Saturnalia, Yule fires, saints and monsters, La Posada, global South celebrations, Kwanzaa, and Asian traditions of light and home. A journey through ritual, food, and meaning that asks what humans do when winter, either literal or symbolic, sets in.

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

Kirk Sandvig explores global traditions that connect the living and the dead through ritual, memory, and, yes, food. From Celtic Samhain and soul cakes to Día de los Muertos, Buddhist ghost festivals, Japanese Obon, and Korean Young San Jae, we dive into how different cultures honor their ancestors through multisensory practices. Drawing on stories, scholarship, and the theology of Alfred North Whitehead, this episode asks: what does it mean to feed the dead, and what does that say about the living?

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions