Interfaith Conversations

14 - What is Interfaith and Why Does it Matter?

What does the word interfaith even mean? And why does interfaith work matter across the world in the digital age? In this episode, I share key points to understanding the interfaith space: 1. Examples of what happens when religious intolerance occurs 2. What is interfaith 3. The Who of interfaith  4. The Outcomes of interfaith 5. The How to interfaith You can use this as a tool to help you in your own community get involved in interfaith engagement! Links to interfaith resources: Local Utah Valley Interfaith Association https://uvinterfaith.org/ [https://uvinterfaith.org/] Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable https://www.interfaithroundtable.org/ [https://www.interfaithroundtable.org/] Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington ( or IFC) https://ifcmw.org/ [https://ifcmw.org/]  Montgomery Alabama https://interfaithmontgomery-al.org/home/ [https://interfaithmontgomery-al.org/home/]  National  Interfaith America https://www.interfaithalliance.org/ [https://www.interfaithalliance.org/]  Interfaith Alliance https://www.interfaithalliance.org/history-of-impact [https://www.interfaithalliance.org/history-of-impact]  Pluralism project https://pluralism.org/about [https://pluralism.org/about] Association for Interreligious / Interfaith Studies (AIIS) https://www.aiistudies.org/ [https://www.aiistudies.org/] Global General  Parliament of World Religions https://parliamentofreligions.org/ [https://parliamentofreligions.org/]  United Religions Initiative https://www.uri.org/ [https://www.uri.org/]    Peace oriented  The Gülen Movement  https://www.gulenmovement.com/ [https://www.gulenmovement.com/]  Religions for Peace https://www.rfp.org/ [https://www.rfp.org/]    Dialogue based KAICIID:  https://www.kaiciid.org/who-we-are [https://www.kaiciid.org/who-we-are]  Network of Centers for Christian-Muslim Relations (NCCMR) https://nccmr.org/about-nccmr/ [https://nccmr.org/about-nccmr/]   Arno Michaelis  https://rememberoakcreek.org/story-of-oak-creek/ [https://rememberoakcreek.org/story-of-oak-creek/] https://www.lifeafterhate.org/ [https://www.lifeafterhate.org/]  Al Ahmed Story https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/bondi-hero-ahmed-al-ahmed-awarded-key-to-city-terror-attack/106495970 [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-25/bondi-hero-ahmed-al-ahmed-awarded-key-to-city-terror-attack/106495970]

13 - Baptists and Latter-day Saints: A Conversation with Pastor Earnest Thomas

Can Baptists and Latter-day Saints (#Mormons) have positive conversations and serve together? Absolutely! In this episode, I sit down with Pastor Earnest Thomas from the community leading Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. We talk about what unites us and how Baptist and Latter-day Saint--or really anyone from any background--can learn to build positive relationships with each other. Please join us!Saint Mark Baptist Church websitehttps://smark.org/Black Church History https://www.pbs.org/show/black-church/https://savingplaces.org/stories/the-black-church-is-a-cultural-laboratory-a-conversation-with-dr-henry-louis-gates-jr“The Black Church” Book on Amazonhttps://a.co/d/ae9qet8Copy of W. W. Phelps Essay in 1833 which led to destruction of Church of Jesus Christ property in Independence Missourihttps://bhroberts.org/records/dAzxtc-nRI2yc/phelps_says_we_have_no_special_rule_in_the_church_as_to_people_of_colorAll In Podcast Episode w/ Mauli Bonner and Paul Reevehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiQhzwYb9Zo&t=131sPresident Nelson’s story of inviting Baptist Pastor to a choir concert and vice versa. Speech given at the NAACP's 110th Annual National Convention.- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JpIyW2S-WA

12 - Interfaith Dialogue with The Reverend Patricia Matthews

In a world of division, how can we relate across our differences in religion or other beliefs? In this episode, I interview The Reverend Patricia Matthews from The Interfaith Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. We talk about each other’s faiths—her Episcopalian tradition and my Latter-day Saint tradition—and discuss how people can engage in interfaith efforts. You don’t want to miss this one! Link to Rev. Patricia and her colleagues' panel discussion at BYU Religious Freedom Annual Review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFJrn8c71jk&t=2s The Interfaith Center https://www.theinterfaithcenter.org/ Link to their newsletter https://www.theinterfaithcenter.org/newsletter The Episcopal Church of Utah https://episcopal-ut.org/ Utah’s St. John's Anglican Church (in ACNA) https://www.acna.org/admin_units/158 Book of Common Prayer History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer Link to Book of Common Prayer in Episcopalian tradition (1979) https://www.bcponline.org/

11 - Hartford International with Dr. David Grafton

Have you wondered where people can study in an inter-religious way? Where one can continue in their own faith, but learn from other faiths both in a scholarly and experiential way? In this episode, I highlight Hartford International University, which has a strong track record in teaching religion and peace. I sit down with Dr. David D. Grafton, a professor at the University, to discuss HIU's origins, purpose, and current educational opportunities. I also talk with Dr. Grafton about his career as a top Christian-Muslim relations scholar. Hartford International University websitehttps://www.hartfordinternational.edu/Educational opportunitieshttps://www.hartfordinternational.edu/academic-programs/degrees-and-graduate-certificatesDuncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relationshttps://www.hartfordinternational.edu/religion-research/macdonald-center

10 - Krishna Temple with Caru Das

After learning of an attack on the Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah, I contacted the local priest Caru Das. I wanted to show my solidarity for the good this faith community has brought to Utah Valley and the world for over 30 years.  Caru Das shares about the temple, how his tradition understands God, and their primary sacred text, the Bhagavad Gita. There’s so much wisdom to learn in this clip! Consider helping them recover from this tragic event by donating at their GoFundMe page. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-repairs-to-the-krishna-temple-today [https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-repairs-to-the-krishna-temple-today] Check out the links below for the Krishna Temple’s website and social media platforms https://www.utahkrishnas.org/ https://www.facebook.com/krishnatemple [https://www.facebook.com/krishnatemple] https://www.youtube.com/utahkrishnas Krishna Consciousness Website https://www.iskcon.org/ Read the Bhagavad Gita online https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/