Religion in the American Experience learns from scholars and every day Americans how religion has shaped America and how America has shaped religion in order to assist citizens in better comprehending and perpetuating the American experiment in self-government including what is perhaps its greatest innovation and the essence of the American project: religious freedom as defined by the Constitution’s Article VI and First Amendment religion clauses.

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Religion in the American Experience

Following scholars and everyday citizens deep into America's religious history to better understand today.

Episodes

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Episode List (click on the episode for more details)

​71. "Black Power, Jewish Politics in 20th Century America" with Marc Dollinger

70. "History of Religious Freedom in the U.S." with Chris Beneke

69. "The Erie Canal's Influence on American Religion" with S.B. Rodríguez-Plate and Matthew Smith

68. "No god but God' Twentieth Anniversary" with Reza Aslan

67. "St. Luke's Historic Church and Museum" with John Ericson

66. "American Religion: The Nation of Islam" with Joseph Stuart

65. SPECIAL EPISODE: The Antichrist in American History, with Matt Sutton and Christopher Blythe

64. "The Vietnam Veterans Memorial" with Rabbi Arnie Resnicoff and Jim Knotts

63. "Religion and Rock 'n' Roll" with Randall Stephens

62. "Chaplaincy in America: Part 1" with Rabbi Arnie Resnicoff​

61. "The Women and Men of American Religion. Story 8: Roger Williams" with Charlotte Carrington-Farmer​

60. "Sacred Rebellion: Congregationalists in Revolutionary Massachusetts" with Tricia Peone and Kyle Roberts

59. "American Religion: Methodism" with Ashley Boggan

58. "The Movie 'Conclave' and Choosing a New Pope" with Christopher Bellitto​

57. "The Making of U.S.: Lived Religion in America with Méli Solomon"​

56. "A Journalists View of 20th-century American Religion" with Kenneth Woodward​

55. "American Religion: The Seventh-day Adventist Church" with David Trim

54. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Responds to American Primeval" with Matthew Godfrey

53. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Trey Ferguson"

52. "The Women and Men of American Religion. Story 7: Dr. Betty Shabazz" with Tazeen Ali

51. "Pentecostalism and the American Religion Landscape: Part II" with Ruthie Oberg and Darrin Rodgers

50. "Religion and the Great Depression: Part IV" with Jonathan Ebel

49. "Religion and the Great Depression: Part III" with Lisa Olsen Tait, Ben Park, and Matt Bowman​

48. "The Women and Men of American Religion. Story 6: Abraham Joshua Heschel" with Susannah Heschel

47. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Kathleen Wall"

46. "Religion and the Great Depression: Part II" ​with Randall Stephens

45. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Arshan Khalid"

44. "FDR's Clergy Letters" with Alison Greene and Randall Stephens

43. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Andy Berger"

​42. "Pentecostalism and National Politics 2016 – 2022" with Valerie Cooper and Dale Coulter

41. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Debbie Richards Johns"

​40. "Religion and the Great Depression: Part I" with Alison Greene

​39. "The Religion of Thomas Jefferson" with Tommy Kidd

​38. "The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with Kristy Nabhan-Warren"

​37. "Martin Luther King and His Religion" with Paul Harvey

​36. "Religion and the Life and Work of Charles Schulz" with Stephen Lind

​35. SPECIAL EPISODE: The War in Gaza

​34. "The History of Christian Nationalism" with Catherine Brekus and Mark Edwards

33. "Religion’s Role in Native American Boarding Schools"

​32. "What Have America‘s Clergy Told Us During Times of National Tragedy?"

​31. “Religion at the National Museum of African American History and Culture” with Teddy Reeves

​30. “How Has Religion Influenced the Development of the U.S. Prison System?”

​29. “What Roles Has Religion Played in the American Environmental Movement?” with Mark Stoll

​28. “How Has Religion Seen and Treated Mental Illness Throughout American History?”

​27. “The Making of US: Lived Religion in America with David Black”

​26. “America Still Believes: Religious Beliefs About History’s End and American Political Behavior”

​25. “American Minority Religions and Their Foodways” with Kate Holbrook

​24. “God Says Come or God Says Stay Away: The History of Religion & Immigration in America”

​23. “An Unusual Feast: Gumbo and the Complex Brew of Black Religion” With Derek Hicks

​22. “What is American Civil Religion & Why Was It On Display at President Biden’s Inauguration?”

​21. “Why Does Religion Play So Prominently in the Saga of American Oil?” with Darren Dochuk

​20. “What Is the Relationship Between Religion, Race and Sports in America?” with Jeffrey Scholes

​19. “What Counsel are America’s Places of Faith Offering During the Pandemic?”

​18. “How Are Sports and Religion Interconnected in America?” with Rebecca Alpert

​17. “The Women and Men of American Religion - Elizabeth Seton” with Catherine O’Donnell

​16. “The Women and Men of American Religion - Fannie Lou Hamer” with Maegan Parker Brooks

​15. “January 6, 2021 & the History of Religion and Politics in the United States”

​14. “The Women and Men of American Religion - Billy Graham” with Grant Wacker

​13. “The Women and Men of American Religion - Joseph Smith” with Richard Bushman

​12. "What Role Did Religion Play in the Founding of the American Republic" with Mark David Hall and Daniel Dreisbach

​11. "For What Purposes Has Religious Freedom Been Invoked in US History" with Tisa Wenger

​10. "How Have Baptists Influenced the American Narrative?" with Barry Hankins

​9. "The Missionaries Who Spied for the United States During the Second World War" with Matthew Sutton

​8. "The Political Mobilization of Black Churches" with Eric McDaniel

7. "Has Religion Influenced American Diplomacy and War?" with Andrew Preston

​6. "Are Race and Religion Intertwined in American History?" with Paul Harvey

​5. "Religion and the Shaping of Native Cultures in Early America" with Linford Fisher

​4. "The Civil War as a Theological Crisis" with Mark Noll

​3. "Evangelicals’ Influence on U.S. Foreign Policy, 1970s – 1990s" with Lauren Turek

​2. "Religion in the 1800 Election" with Ed Larson

​1. "Tornado God: Religion and Violent Weather" with Peter Thuesen