logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2022
2h 10m

Reza Aslan (scholar of sociology of reli...

Armchair Umbrella
About this episode
Reza Aslan is an author and expert on world religions. Reza joins the Armchair Expert to discuss where the idea of Christianity came from, the history of religious conversion in Iran and Persia, and what part religion plays in global conflicts. Reza and Dax talk about whether or not people are born believing in a higher power, who the historical Jes ... Show More
Up next
Today
James Gunn
James Gunn (Superman, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad) is a director, screenwriter, and co-chair of DC Studios. James joins the Armchair Expert to discuss the enduring impact of Super Friends, why people love the fact that Superman can beat up God, and how seeing the S ... Show More
1h 48m
Jul 7
Nicholas Hoult Returns
Nicholas Hoult (Superman, The Great, Nosferatu) is a Golden Globe-nominated actor. Nicholas joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how becoming a blonde for a role hasn’t changed his personality, how he inspired Dax’s body reckoning, and dramatically overreacting when he tore his A ... Show More
1h 46m
Jul 4
Armchair Anonymous: 4th of July
Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell about a crazy 4th of July disaster.Follow Armchair Expert on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch new content on YouTube or listen to Armchair Expert early and ad-free by joining Wondery+ ... Show More
42m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
#91 Filip Holm - What is Sufism? Islam and Mystical Experience
Filip Holm is the creator and host of "Lets Talk Religion", a YouTube channel which aims to educate on the subject of religion from an academic perspective. He joins the show to discuss Sufism, which can broadly be defined as the mystical tradition within Islam. 
1h 24m
Aug 2024
Are all religions HISTORICALLY verifiable? 📜 Christian vs. Muslim ⚡️
Welcome to today's Unbelievable Debate, recorded live at St Michael’s Aylesbury, where two distinguished scholars, Robert Scott and Muhammad Yasir Al-Hanafi, engage in a thought-provoking debate on the historical verifiability, truth, and societal contributions of their respectiv ... Show More
45m 42s
Jan 2023
Faithful Frontiers: A Turkish Scholar Describes How She Became a Catholic Apologist
Derya Little has been a Muslim, an atheist, and a Protestant; today she is a Catholic writer and apologist. She tells the story of her conversion, talks about faith, family, Islam, history, the role of women in our Church. Since she and I are both fans of Star Trek and some other ... Show More
1h 14m
Jan 2025
Science, Mysticism and Islamic Reform with Dr Arash Naraghi | Ep. 1
In this thought-provoking first episode of the 'Islam and Contemporary Challenges' series, Syed Arman Kazmi sits down with Dr Arash Naraghi, a Professor of Philosophy and Global Religion at Moravian University, to explore the nuanced relationship between science, mysticism, and I ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2025
#99 Penn Badgley - My Religious Conflicts With Playing a Killer
Penn Badgley is an actor best known for his roles in Netflix’s You and the popular drama series Gossip Girl. He is less known as a podcaster and member of the Baháʼí Faith, a religion which teaches that there is a historical unity between major world religions and their prophets, ... Show More
1h 57m
Dec 2021
Tim Hartman, "Kwame Bediako: African Theology for a World Christianity" (Langham Publishing, 2022)
Kwame Bediako was one of the great African theologians of his generation. Challenging the assumption that Christianity is a Western religion, he presented a non-Western foundation for theological reflection, expanded the Christian theological imagination, and offered a path forwa ... Show More
1h 11m
Jul 2024
Mahjabeen Dhala, "Feminist Theology and Social Justice in Islam: A Study on the Sermon of Fatima" (Cambridge UP, 2024)
Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, has an interesting legacy, one that is often shaped by sectarian differences and tensions. The sermon of Fatima, which is the focus of Mahjabeen Dhala's Feminist Theology and Sociology of Islam: A Study of the Sermon of Fatima (Cambridge ... Show More
1h 14m
Jun 2022
James Elisha Taneti, "Telugu Christians: A History" (Fortress Press, 2022)
Telugu Christians: A History (Fortress Press, 2022) narrates the history of Telugu Christians, a faith community located in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Pondicherry in southern India. A social history of a faith community, this volume analyzes how social aspiratio ... Show More
1h 29m
Sep 2023
Bryan Rennie, "An Ethology of Religion and Art: Belief as Behavior" (Routledge, 2020)
Drawing from sources including the ethology of art and the cognitive science of religion, An Ethology of Religion and Art: Belief as Behavior (Routledge, 2020) proposes an improved understanding of both art and religion as behaviors developed in the process of human evolution. Lo ... Show More
1h 8m
Jul 2023
Ep 3: The spirituality of Imam Ali with Dr Reza Shah Kazemi
Hazrat Ali ibn Abi Talib is one of the most important spiritual and intellectual authorities in Islam after the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He was the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet, the fourth of the four ‘rightly guided caliphs’ who led the nascent Muslim community, and the ... Show More
45m 9s