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PODCAST

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue

Fred Stella, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, WGVU-FM, Interfaith Dialogue Association, Grand Valley State University

Rated as the #1 podcast on all matters interfaith by Feedspot (https://blog.feedspot.com/interfaith_podcasts/), this is a weekly program that airs on Michigan NPR affiliates WGVU and WGVK. These 2 stations cover the entire western portion of the state. The show is hosted by Fred Stella, President of Interfaith Dialogue Association, an affiliate of Kaufman Interfaith Institute, which operates out of Grand Valley State University, the license holder of both stations. Each week Fred invites clerics,

religion & spirituality religion

All Episodes

00:54:10

Oracle's Daughter Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/09/30

On a cool fall night in 1999, twenty-six-year-old Sarah Green crept out of her house, retrieved a backpack from its hiding place, and ran for her life. She was escaping not just the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, a paramilitary religious cult based in the New Mexico desert, but also the cruelty of the cult’s leader—her mother, Deborah. In his book ‘The Oracle's Daughter’ Harrison Hill traces the “extraordinary” twists and turns of the group’s development, from its early days as an

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00:55:27

Christian Zionism Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/09/23

Christian Zionism is a movement dedicated to reconstituting the Israel of antiquity. To be clear, the purpose of this effort has little to do with love or sympathy for Jews, but to hasten the return of Jesus. The social and political challenges this presents to world stability are manifold.And while radical Evangelicals have owned the narrative of this plan for over a century, there is now a counter movement led by Christians who maintain that this idea is nonsense. For 99% of the last 2,000 years,

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00:57:00

God Bless the Pill Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/08/25

Most people today understand contraception as central to women’s liberation, and when the birth control pill arrived in 1960, the media thought it would usher in a sexual revolution. But a surprising number of religious Americans in the mid-twentieth century also saw contraception as part of God’s plan, a tool to create happy, prosperous American families in the post–World War II era.In this episode, Fred Stella speaks with author Samira Mehta about her book "God Bless the Pill," which traces the

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00:57:23

Mediating God Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/08/15

On this episode of Common Threads, Fred Stella interviews author Arthur Zarate about his biography of the Egyptian Muslim theologian, scholar, and activist, Muhammad al-Ghazali (1917–1996), which provides the most comprehensive study to date of one of the most influential Sunni Muslim writers of the 20th century. Al-Ghazali shaped the views of multiple generations of Muslim activists and was a one-time leading intellectual of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Mediating God charts his rise as a leading

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00:53:12

Girl in a Box parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/08/02

In these episodes, Fred Stella speaks with Paldrom Catherine Collins, the author of ‘Girl in a Box: Seeking Enlightenment as a Tibetan Buddhist Nun.’ It’s a memoir of spiritual longing and the search for an end to suffering.As a wide-eyed spiritual seeker from Oklahoma, Paldrom believed enlightenment would free her from the messiness of being human, that she could somehow rest in a cloud of bliss. So she took monastic vows, shaved her head, changed her name, and agreed to forgo worldly

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00:51:52

The Bhagavad Gita with Guest (not host!) Fred Stella

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/07/15

This is very fun. We have here an episode from 1996, when I was not host, but guest. I didn't take over the hosting duties until the following year, but I was still active in other ways supporting Common Threads.Featured here is host Marc Evan Jackson, who has made quite a name for himself in Hollywood. I don't need to say much here, as I've provided a detailed introduction in the episode. Enjoy! Theme music "Nigal."

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00:57:02

Oasis of Peace Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/07/05

I can hardly believe that I am STILL finding cassette tapes with old episodes on them These 2 were recorded, I believe, in 2001. Oasis of Peace is a community in Israel where Jews & Palestinians live and thrive together. I can only imagine the heartbreak they must be feeling now after a horrendous war is and has been raging for the past few years. But please take a listen. It is a great example of just what can happen when peacemakers work together. Theme music "Nigal."

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00:57:59

Palmistry: Science? Pseudo-Science? You Decide Parts...

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/06/19

OK Kids, I'm really hesitant to share this with you, but I do want to upload as many episodes as I can. If you've been around for a while you know that every once in a while I find an old cassette tape or CD of shows we did decades ago. And the sound quality is not always great. Well, this is an example of that. I just found this in the basement after cleaning it out due to a flood. For those of you who can handle real lo-fi, you might enjoy these 2 examples of really, really early Common Threads. I

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00:59:14

Beyond Wellness Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/06/17

In the chaos of today’s world, we’re all searching for meaning. The wellness industry has sold us a promise that we can find it if we just buy the right products, attend the right retreats, and follow the right celebrity gurus. But is this true? Or are we picking and choosing from a self-care salad bar in ways that satisfy our hunger but don’t truly nourish us?When we approach practices like yoga and ayahuasca as fitness routines and life hacks, we miss out on the sacred wisdom they have to offer

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00:56:17

Coptic Christianity: The Challenges in Both Egypt and...

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/06/10

Coptic Christians, the largest Christian minority in Egypt, have maintained a distinct religious and cultural identity for centuries, but they often face challenges living as a minority in a predominantly Muslim society. They frequently encounter social discrimination, periodic outbreaks of sectarian violence, and economic or political marginalization, especially in rural areas. Despite constitutional protections, bureaucratic hurdles, such as difficulties obtaining permits to build or repair

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00:55:51

Longing: Your Quiet Power Within Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/06/04

What if your deepest longing wasn’t a problem to solve, but an invitation? Many of us move through life carrying an unnameable ache - an irrepressible void we try to fill with achievement, admiration, or distraction. Yet beneath this yearning lies something far greater: an invitation to awaken, heal, and reclaim our quiet power within. In Longing: A Pilgrimage to Your Quiet Power Within, Christopher Sansone, PhD, weaves personal insight, psychology, and spiritual wisdom to reveal how our innate

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00:00:07

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Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/04/03

Theme music "Nigal."

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00:55:54

Nurturing Happiness Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/04/03

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

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00:51:51

The Future of God Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/03/20

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

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00:57:34

Invading the Sacred: Academia's Bias Against Hinduism...

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/03/16

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.

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00:56:37

A Case For the Existence of God Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/03/03

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

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00:56:20

The Plight of the Bhutanese Refugees Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/02/13

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

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00:56:46

Contemplate: Toward an Expansive Heart Parts 1 & 2

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/02/06

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

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00:55:20

If It Were Not For Buddha I Could Not be a Christian...

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/02/03

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

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00:56:52

Religion & Modernity:The 2009 Kaufman Conference...

Common Threads: An Interfaith Dialogue ·

2026/01/29

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

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