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New Books in Religion

New Books Network
Religious Freedom
Christianity
Relic Logic
Reformation
Islam
Civic and Religious Authorities
Tertullian
Judaism
Relics
Edict Of Milan
Hinduism
Cultural Objects
Physicality Of Objects
Death and Mortality
John Locke
Natural Law
John Owen
Slavery
Reincarnation
Chinese Pure Land Buddhism

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

PublishesDailyEpisodes2661Founded15 years ago
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Religion & Spirituality

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Artwork for New Books in Religion

Latest Episodes

Nurhaizatul Jamil’s Faithful Transformations: Islamic Self-Help in Contemporary Singapore (U Illinois Press, 2025) is a complex and meticulous ethnography of recent trends in Islamic self-help circles based in Singapore. Drawing on research conducted... more

Religion, Spirituality and Public Health: Competing and Complementary Epistemes (British Academy, 2025) focuses on exploring the role of different 'ways of knowing' or arriving at truth, i.e. epistemes, particularly those found in religious and alte... more

In this fifth episode of Season 5, I interview Professor Thomas C. Schmidt, a historian who focuses on the New Testament, Patristics, and Eastern Christianity. An Associate Professor at Fairfield University, he is currently a 2025-2026 Visiting Fello... more

Most accounts of Christian leadership in the first two centuries focus on the diversity of leadership structures and the various cultural influences that impacted it. The First Pastors: Early Christianity’s Vision for Ministry (Gorgias Press, 2026) d... more

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Recent Guests

Nurhaizatul Jamil
Associate professor of global South Studies at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Episode: Nurhaizatul Jamil, "Faithful Transformations: Islamic Self-Help in Contemporary Singapore" (U Illinois Press, 2025)
Karen O'Brien-Kop
Co-editor of the volume
Brithish Academy / Open Access publication
Episode: Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe eds., "Religion, Spirituality and Public Health" (British Academy, 2025)
Suzanne Newcombe
Co-editor of the volume
Brithish Academy / Open Access publication
Episode: Karen O'Brien-Kop and Suzanne Newcombe eds., "Religion, Spirituality and Public Health" (British Academy, 2025)
Leland Brown
Pastor and scholar, author
Pastor in Charleston, South Carolina
Episode: Leland Brown, "The First Pastors: Early Christianity’s Vision for Ministry" (Gorgias Press, 2026)
Amir Saemi
Author of Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond, A New Problem of Evil
Oxford University Press
Episode: Amir Saemi, "Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Thomas C. Schmidt
Professor of Religious Studies, Fairfield University; author of Josephus and Jesus
Fairfield University
Episode: The Gospel According to Josephus: A Conversation with Thomas C. Schmidt, Part 1
Derek Krueger
Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, UNC Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Episode: Derek Krueger "Monastic Desires: Homoeroticism, Homophobia, and the Love of God in Medieval Constantinople" (Cambridge UP, 2026)
Sarah Berman
Editor of Haggadah Shel Erev Rav, Director of Jewish Culture and Programming at Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue (Manhattan)
Episode: Sarah Berman, "Haggadah Shel Erev Rav: The Mixed Multitude Haggadah" (CCAR Press, 2026)
James McDougall
Professor, author of Worlds of Islam: A Global History
University affiliation mentioned in interview (context: academic)
Episode: James McDougall, "Worlds of Islam: A Global History" (Basic Books, 2026)

Host

Hithit Jain
Host, New Books Network

Reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars from 56 ratings
  • Erudite and in depth…. But where are the women?

    Love having these deep dives into religious history—but so many of these scholars are men. Maybe it’s a problem with academia or cafe mic publishing, and this podcast is just reflecting it. But there’s either a systematic problem, or a systemic one.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    AGbrooklyn
    United States3 years ago
  • Sound

    Surely you can get better sound quality. Such a shame. Otherwise excellent

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Brompton Listener!
    United Kingdom7 years ago
  • too much poor sound in some conversations

    Many interesting discussions- but why is the sound quality so poor in some of the phone interviews? It sounds like they were recorded from low quality VoIP lines on a noisy cell phone connection. Surely in an age of digital communications it shouldn't be so hard to record a phone conversation that doesn't sound like its coming through a distortion system muffled through a blanket.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    James Ettaman
    Canada11 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners appreciate the deep, scholarly insights shared by the guests, highlighting the unique academic focus of discussions.
There is an ongoing dialogue about the representation of women in the discussions, with some suggesting a need for more diverse guest selections.
Some reviewers have noted concerns about the sound quality in certain episodes, suggesting that it detracts from the listening experience.

Top Religion & Spirituality Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Amir Saemi, "Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Q: What is the new problem of evil, and why now?
The book centers on divinely prescribed evils within sacred texts, the divinity of scripture, and our contemporary moral judgments, arguing that these three propositions create a persistent tension that requires a careful, ethically informed approach to interpretation.
Amir Saemi, "Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Q: What got you here?
Amir describes his journey from Iran to France, then to California, where philosophical ethics and the tension between reason and religion drew him toward the problem of how to read scripture ethically within Islam.
Nurhaizatul Jamil, "Faithful Transformations: Islamic Self-Help in Contemporary Singapore" (U Illinois Press, 2025)
Q: Could you say a little bit more about how you came to this project and the origins of researching Islamic self-help classes in Singapore?
The research began serendipitously from fieldwork on formal madrasas; when access to traditional schools was restricted, graduates began offering seminars blending Islamic theology with pop psychology, which shifted the focus to self-help pedagogy and its appeal among educated Malay Muslim women.
Leland Brown, "The First Pastors: Early Christianity’s Vision for Ministry" (Gorgias Press, 2026)
Q: Could you start just by telling us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in early Christianity?
Brown describes being a pastor in Charleston and his scholarly journey through the Apostolic Fathers, leading to his focus on leadership and pastoral ministry in the early church.
S5E5 The Gospel According to Josephus: On the Final Days of Jesus Christ with Thomas C. Schmidt
Q: Bonus lightning round: If you could ask Josephus one thing, what would it be?
I'd want to know what his supreme commander Ananus II said about Jesus, because that commander would have been directly involved in the events around the trial and execution, shedding light on the provenance of Josephus' remarks.

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Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Religion

What is New Books in Religion about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Exploring a variety of scholarly themes in religion, this podcast engages in discussions with authors of recent publications in the field. Each episode features deep conversations that unpack pertinent research topics, offering insights across diverse religious traditions and contemporary issues. The content is distinguished by its focus on academic rigor, making it a valuable resource for those interested in deepening their understanding of religious studies, heritage, and the evolution of belief systems. Unique elements include the engagement with authors who are experts in their respective fields, leading to nuanced explorations of complex subjects.

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1. Hermitix
2. Homebrewed Christianity
3. Today in Focus
4. New Books in Intellectual History
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New Books in Religion launched 15 years ago and published 2661 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on New Books in Religion?

Recent guests on New Books in Religion include:

1. Nurhaizatul Jamil
2. Karen O'Brien-Kop
3. Suzanne Newcombe
4. Leland Brown
5. Amir Saemi
6. Thomas C. Schmidt
7. Derek Krueger
8. Sarah Berman

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