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ReligionWise

ReligionWise

Written by: Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding
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ReligionWise features educators, researchers, and other professionals discussing their work and the place of religion in the public conversation. Host Chip Gruen, the Director of the Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding of Muhlenberg College, facilitates conversations that aim to provide better understanding of varieties of religious expression and their impacts on the human experience. For more about the Institute for Religious and Cultural Understanding, visit www.religionandculture.com.

© 2026 ReligionWise Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • The Nonviolent Jesus: A Conversation with John Dear

    The Nonviolent Jesus: A Conversation with John Dear
    Feb 15 2026

    What if the center of Jesus' teaching isn't the cross but the Sermon on the Mount? Father John Dear, peace activist, author, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, has spent four decades living out that claim and challenging the church to take nonviolence seriously. In this conversation, Dear shares his journey from witnessing jets drop bombs over the Sea of Galilee to facing 20 years of incarceration for hammering on an F-15 fighter jet. Now leading the Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus and hosting "The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast," Dear continues to build a community around Gospel nonviolence. We talk about his book The Gospel of Peace, the cost of his convictions, and what ordinary people can do to follow the nonviolent Jesus.

    Show Notes:

    • The Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus (https://beatitudescenter.org)
    • The Nonviolent Jesus Podcast (https://johndear.org/podcasts)
    • Books (https://johndear.org/books)
      • Universal Love: Surrendering to the God of Peace (February 2026)
      • The Gospel of Peace: A Commentary on Matthew, Mark & Luke from the Perspective of Nonviolence (October 2023)

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Religion in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - Mark Graves

    Religion in the Age of Artificial Intelligence - Mark Graves
    Jan 15 2026

    Artificial intelligence is forcing engineers to define concepts that philosophers and theologians have wrestled with for centuries: consciousness, personhood, and morality, to name a few. The technology may be new, but the questions it poses are ancient. In this conversation with Mark Graves, Research Director at AI and Faith, we discuss what AI development reveals about humanity and what we can learn from the conversation between religion and technology.

    Show Notes:

    • AI and Faith (https://aiandfaith.org/)


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    50 mins
  • A Systems Approach to Faith and Pluralism - Michael Trice

    A Systems Approach to Faith and Pluralism - Michael Trice
    Dec 15 2025

    Michael Trice combines theological training with an executive MBA to engage business leaders, nonprofits, and diverse religious communities. As founding director of Seattle University's Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement, he works at the intersection of faith traditions and public life. Our conversation explores what "public theology" means in practice and the tensions inherent in pluralistic engagement.

    Show Notes:

    • Encountering Cruelty: The Fracture of the Human Heart (https://brill.com/display/title/18104?rskey=cf10gy&result=1)

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    1 hr and 1 min
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