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In a time of ecological, political, and social upheaval, Dr. Liza J. Rankow locates a path to healing at the intersection of mystic spirituality and social action. In her new book Soul Medicine for a Fractured World: Healing, Justice, and the Path of Wholeness, the longtime grassroots activist shows readers how to live with purpose and meaning as a response to the rising tide of calamities around the globe. In this episode Fred Stella speaks to her about what influenced Liza to take the path that she has and how the contemplative spiritual life and social activism can make for an exhilarating existence. Soul Medicine has been praised by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker, who described it as: “Wise and beautiful, an offering of great depth.” Dr. Rankow believes the medicine the world needs is in each of us.Drawing upon spiritual wisdom that has been passed down through millennia, her guidance is rooted in our kinship with one another, the Earth, and all of life. She points to “something more powerful than the chaos: our belonging to a wholeness that is ancient, infinite and eternal.” Theme music "Nigal."

In these episodes Fred speaks with Professor Robert Wuthnow about his book, ‘Nurturing Happiness: How Religion Shapes Emotional Practice.’ His research explores how religious institutions in America have historically managed and shaped their followers' experiences of happiness, viewing it not just as a feeling but as a social and emotional practice. He argues that religious leaders use their authority to define what constitutes "proper" happiness, distinguishing it from worldly pursuits, and create social spaces (like revival meetings or church socials) where these emotions are cultivated, managed, and expressed according to specific rules. Wuthnow examines this through historical examples, from colonial-era ideas of heavenly joy to modern concepts of spiritual play, revealing an ongoing tension between strict religious rules and the encouragement of joy. Bio from Oxford University Press: Robert Wuthnow is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Princeton University. He is also an elected fellow of the American Philosophical Society, an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, former president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and the recipient of numerous awards for his scholarly work. Theme music "Nigal."

Host Fred Stella discusses the new book ‘The Future of God’ with its author Steve Schwalbe. Together they explore the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) to determine how adherents will accommodate God in the future. While there are many publications about the future of God or the future of religion, they tend to reflect a specific academic field, such as theology or sociology. This book reviews the future of God reflected in 4 primary academic fields, including theology (dealing directly with God and religion), sociology (addressing how societies evolved with God and religion), biology (dealing with the scientific evidence of the existence of God), and physics (addressing God’s intelligent design of the universe). Then the book analyzes each field’s future projections for God in order to determine the most likely future. Theme music "Nigal."

Another classic from our radio archives that we recently discovered, these 2009 episodes involve a conversation with Ravi Joshi of Medha Journal. While most often our interviews are with the actual authors, this time we analyze a book that was written by someone else. Invading the Sacred is the seminal work of Rajiv Malhotra, a longtime critic of how Hindu Dharma is taught at the college level. It's a riveting discussion that unveils a prejudice that few outside of the Hindu community are aware of. Theme music "Nigal."

Well, we are getting close to the bottom of the pile. By that I mean the pile of CDs that I discovered in my basement of old CT episodes I'd forgotten about. This one, if I am correct, is from 2008. It's an interview with Dean Overman, who wrote the book A Case for the Existence of God. There is at least one other book from a different author with the same title, but what I appreciate about Dean's book is that it is rather universal in its approach. That is, for the most part it does not try to sell any particular faith (though the author is Christian). I recall this being a great conversation. Theme music "Nigal."

There are so many vulnerable populations around the world, and it's hard to keep up with them all. One group that sustained very serious abuse is the Hindu community in the Asian nation of Bhutan. Oddly, for centuries there existed a comity between Hindus and Buddhists that was inspiring to see. In Nepal, many people practice both. So it's quite disheartening to learn that over 20 years ago, the despotic Buddhist king of Bhutan expelled over 100,000 Hindu citizens of Nepali heritage. For 2 decades these hardworking people lived in cramped huts in refugee camps in Nepal before being dispersed to welcoming countries. In these episodes we talk with Narad Adhikari from the Global Bhutanese Hindu Organization about this travesty that he, his family and many dear friends survived and ultimately thrived. This one is a heartbreaker, kids. But very inspirational. Theme music "Nigal."

In recent weeks we've been uploading some episodes from about 15 years ago that were recently discovered. This, however, is not one of those. It aired in early 2026. Stay tuned though. More oldies are on their way! When comparing the world's religions on the subject of contemplation/meditation, Christianity can point to a tradition of monasteries where monks and nuns have engaged in such practices for centuries. Yet, very little has filtered down to those in the pews. One reason so many Christians turned to the wisdom of the East is the the deep-seated desire to learn the art of sitting in silence. In our conversation with Jacob here we see that there is an attempt to encourage Christians (in this case, Catholics) to embrace this path of sacred stillness. Theme music "Nigal."

Without Buddha I Could not be a Christian narrates how esteemed theologian, Paul F. Knitter, overcame a crisis of faith by looking to One more from the newly found archive! So let's set the Wayback Machine for 2009 again. This time we spoke to Dr. Paul Knitter, the author of "If It Were Not for Buddha I Would Not Be a Christian." I recall really enjoying this conversation. This book narrates how esteemed theologian, Paul F. Knitter, overcame a crisis of faith by looking to Buddhism for inspiration. From prayer to how Christianity views life after death, Knitter argues that a Buddhist standpoint can encourage a more person-centered conception of Christianity where individual religious experience comes 1st, and liturgy and tradition 2nd. Theme music "Nigal."

OK Kids, here's another classic Common Threads that was misplaced ages ago and is now available. The Kaufman Interfaith Institute (of which Interfaith Dialogue Association is an affiliate) holds conferences each year. In 2009 we hosted 3 thought leaders from the Abrahamic traditions to discuss the challenge of modernity and religion. We decided to interview James Carroll, a noted Catholic influencer (in '09 we did not even know that was a word, but that's what he was). As with most, if not all, of these archived episodes, the relevance of the conversation holds up against time. Theme music "Nigal."

Dipping into our newly discovered tranche of old episodes once more, we have another 2009 pair that explores a very power book about the power of forgiveness. Michael Henderson is a British freelance journalist and author of numerous books including Forgiveness: Breaking the Chain of Hate and All Her Paths Are Peace. He is convinced that forgiveness is like a muscle that must be exercised. He has gathered inspiring and edifying stories of individuals and organizations around the world who have sought to advance reconciliation among enemies and to bring about peace rather than sustain enmity. In the foreword, His Holiness the Dalai Lama writes: "When something terrible happens, instead of finding some individual or group to blame, fostering hatred and a desire for revenge, we should try to take a broader view and consider the long term. Much more constructive than stoking feelings of resentment and revenge is to forgive and transform the negative event and its consequences into a source of inner strength." Theme music "Nigal."

Another one from the newly discovered batch of old recordings. I'm assuming this is from 2009 as most of them are. This 2-parter is a conversation with Daniel Hyde, a pastor in the United Reformed Church. We invited him to discuss his book on Christian images "In Living Color," but also delved into the Calvinist movement within Protestantism. You see, Common Threads is produced in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And this part of the state is an epicenter of Calvinism (also known as Reformed Theology). I think these episodes are the most in-depth dive we've taken on this show. Sorry it's taken so long to get online. Theme music "Nigal."

Once again we delve into the vault of recently discovered recordings that never made it to the podcast universe. These come from 2009. So please disregard any information about the conference on Islam that is being promoted. I've thought about these conversations over the years. I'll tell you why. As you might know, while I may ask probing questions, and on occasion uncomfortable ones, I'm not out to go all 60 Minutes on a guest, right? But every once in a while someone does say something that I just can't ignore. Well, in this case I did. At some point (either in Part 1 or 2, I can't recall) I ask our guests if there was any country on earth that they would put up as an example of a model Muslim nation. There wasn't much discussion. Immediately one of them said it would be Saudi Arabia. Wait...what...? Saudi Arabia? You mean that repressive state that controls personal behavior in almost every aspect? Where women were not allowed to drive until 2018? Seriously? I can't believe I let that go unchallenged. But I did. My bad. But other than that it was a reasonably good discussion. You will notice that the terrorist attack of 9/11/01 took up a fair amount of time. Obviously, only 8 years from that date the incident was still quite present in our minds as we continued to deal with the trauma. Theme music "Nigal."

Here we go again! As mentioned recently, I discovered a trove of old recordings on CD and cassette tape that I was not aware of. So now I'm posting these here. These episodes of Common Threads originally aired in 2007. They have to do with the very "Jewishness" of Jesus. The book in question is "The Halakhah of Jesus of Nazareth According to the Gospel According to St. Matthew." Scholars agree that it is the most Jewish of all the Gospels. It was written by Rabbi Phillip Sigal, who held the distinction of being a rabbi with an advanced degree in New Testament studies. Since he died prior to the release of this 2007 version of the book we discuss its contents with 3 people who know this material well: Lillian Sigal (Phillip's widow and scholar in her own right), Rabbi Simcha Prombaum and interfaith academic Leonard Swidler. Yes, a cassette from almost 20 years ago might not sound as crisp as we'd like, but we think it's still quite a good listen. By the way, Lillian Sigal is a co-founder of Interfaith Dialogue Association and still a dear friend. Theme music "Nigal."

Hey All, we've got ourselves a blast from the past! For those of you who have been following us for a few years you might recall that not long after we started podcasting we decided to go into The Vault and grab as many old analog recordings that survived over the decades, digitize them and add to our podcast library. So if you're not aware already, keep scrolling down and you'll see episodes from as far back as the late 90s. I really thought we were done with all that, but in cleaning out a desk drawer I found a few more. This one dates back to 2009. Here we interview Stephen Knapp, a brilliant writer on Vedic culture. We discuss his new (at the time) book called "The War Against India." Here's how he explains it: India has one of the oldest and most dynamic cultures in the world. Yet, many people do not know of the countless attacks, wars, atrocities, and sacrifices that Indian people have undergone to protect and preserve their country and spiritual tradition over the centuries. Neither do many people know of the numerous ways in which this profound heritage is being attacked and threatened today, and what we can do about it. Therefore, we should carefully understand: How there is presently a war against Hinduism and its yoga culture. The weaknesses of India that allowed invaders to conquer her. Lessons from India's real history that should not be forgotten. The atrocities committed by the Muslim invaders, and how they tried to destroy Vedic culture and its many temples, and slaughtered thousands of Indian Hindus. How the British viciously exploited India and its people for its resources. How the cruelest of all Christian Inquisitions in Goa tortured and killed thousands of Hindus. Action plans for preserving and strengthening Vedic India today. How all Hindus and concerned people must stand up and be strong for protecting the universal spiritual traditions of Vedic culture. Theme music "Nigal."

Born in the Old City of Sana’a, Yemen, to a pair of middle-class doctors, Mohammed Al Samawi was a devout Muslim raised to think of Christians and Jews as his enemy. But then he started connecting with Jews and Christians on social media, and at various international interfaith conferences, Mohammed became an activist, making it his mission to promote dialogue and cooperation in Yemen. Due to his work, Mohammed found himself fighting for his life amidst the sectarian strife in Yemen. The story of his escape, which is recorded in his new book The Fox Hunt, is at once thrilling and disturbing. Fred Stella speaks with Mohammed Al Samawi, discussing the backstory of this compelling account as well as Mohmmed's interfaith work here in the U.S. that was inspired by the TV show Friends. Theme music "Nigal."