Episode 7
Complicated Women in Scripture: A Jewish-Christian Conversation
This final episode of the first season of the Unlikely Conversations podcast is a lively dialogue between Rabbi Jennifer Hartman and Pastor Andrea Roske-Metcalfe. Together, they explore how they each teach and preach tricky holy passages in a way that keeps female characters complex and layered. Listen for how beautiful things can get when we dwell in the muck of messy human stories and allow women to be multi-faceted.
Episode 6
Getting Curious About Difference: A Jewish-Catholic Conversation
Claire Shea is principal at a Catholic middle school. She is also married to a Muslim. Aaron Weininger is a Jewish Rabbi. He is also openly gay. In this episode, Claire and Aaron talk about having tough conversations in their homes and families as well as in the public sphere. Starting in their homes has helped them prioritize relationships in doing courageous work in their communities.
Episode 5
Worship During A Pandemic: A Hindu-Jewish Conversation
In this episode, which was recorded in late April, hear a conversation between Neha Markanda and Rabbi Jennifer Hartman talk about being faith leaders in the time of COVID-19. They discuss holding grief and gratitude simultaneously. They express the difficulty of postponing huge milestone markers and celebrations and the heartbreaking work of conducting funerals online. This is a touching and poignant interfaith conversation about faith communities gathering, celebrating and grieving in new ways, holding onto what makes us human.
Episode 4
Race and Justice in Interfaith Spaces: A Muslim-Buddhist Conversation
In this episode, Fardosa Hassan and Genjo Conway – young faith leaders in the Muslim and Zen Buddhist communities respectively – have a frank conversation about race in interfaith spaces. This episode was recorded before the racist murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, but the themes speak prophetically to this moment. Fardosa and Genjo were participants in the first cohort of the Collegeville Institute’s Multi-Religious Fellows program.
Episode 3
From Interfaith Dialogue to Multi-Religious Action: A Conversation with Rabbi Barry D. Cytron and Dr. Marty Stortz
How have interfaith relations shifted in the last century? Why is there still so much religious violence in the world? And how can we know if our lives have made a difference?
This episode takes a step away from the conversations between fellows to offer some history and context from two masters of multi-religious work—Rabbi Barry D. Cytron and Dr. Marty Stortz.
Episode 2
Love is a Verb: A Muslim–Catholic Conversation on Social Justice
How do our faith communities grapple with injustice and inequality? Are our financial budgets moral documents? And what do the Koran and Bible say about advocating for the oppressed?
Listen to an unlikely conversation between Tamim Saidi and Joe Kruse as they discuss social justice, economics, and the call to love in their respective Muslim and Catholic Worker communities.
Episode 1
Religion and the Next Generation: A Hindu–Christian Conversation on Youth Spiritual Engagement
In these days when young people are leaving organized religion in droves, how do our faith communities form, educate, and empower youth? And how can we build healthy, multi-religious relationships when, let’s face it, they can be hard and uncomfortable?
Listen to an unlikely conversation between Pooja Bastodkar and Andrea Roske-Metcalfe as they discuss youth spiritual engagement in their respective Hindu and Christian communities.