Happy to say that How God Works is a @signalawards finalist for best podcast in the Religion & Spirituality category. That means we're also competing for a Listener's Choice award. So if you're a fan, please head on over and give us a vote! vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

A good explanation for the jarring juxtaposition of vengeance and mercy from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social. Also, research shows that when people feel their way of life is threatened, they come to see God as more punitive, making it easier for hate to rise.

On #RoshHashanah, Jews celebrate the new year. But in preparing to make it a better one, they pause to remind themselves it might be their last. That’s good advice for anyone to follow. www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/o... @nytopinion.nytimes.com

Awe’s links to spiritual renewal from @peter-wehner.bsky.social. Just in time for Judaism’s Days of Awe. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Many evangelicals work to hear God through a long practice of having conversations with Him. The growing popularity of spiritual AI chatbots is making this desire easier for everyone. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/u... @nytimes.com 1/2

This is how you do it. @jamestalarico.bsky.social is bringing the language of faith back to the left. It should never have been ceded to the right.

I'm often asked what to do if you want to start a spiritual path but feel like you just can't believe in a higher power. Here's Rabbi Shira Stutman with my favorite answer. Sometimes it's the doing - and doing good - that comes first. From @aspenideas.bsky.social www.aspenideas.org/sessions/los...

From my conversation with @hubermanlab.com, here's why you shouldn't believe any scientist who says they know for certain that God doesn't exist. Science can & does adjudicate ideas about how the world works. But it can't answer whether God is out there. www.hubermanlab.com/episode/scie...

Data show that happiness drops at midlife. But, according to Arthur Brooks and Swami Tyagananda, it doesn't have to if you make the right changes. We explore the science & spiritual wisdom of thriving at midlife. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Prayer & action should go together. But the left makes a mistake when it cedes spiritual language & motives to the right or says things that seem to condemn faith practices -- practices that help people in times of distress. From my session at @aspenideas.bsky.social, here's Rabbi Shira Stutman 1/2

Interesting piece with great insights form @gregmepstein.bsky.social

A poignant essay from ⁦‪Anne Lamott. It reminds me of something ⁦‪@joanhalifax.bsky.social once told me. “Wise Hope” is an act of resistance. It’s living your morals even in the face of events you might not be able to control. ⁦‬⁩

Is there a rational case for religion? What accounts for its benefits for health and wellbeing? @hubermanlab.com and I discuss why science & religion aren’t mutually exclusive, and what wisdom & practices religion offers that can help you flourish.

🚨 New paper out in JEP: General! psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-... Does adversity make us wiser? Spoiler: Not by default.

Is there a rational case for religion? What accounts for its benefits for health and wellbeing? @hubermanlab.com and I discuss why science & religion aren’t mutually exclusive, and what wisdom & practices religion offers that can help you flourish.

Thus, although I am a liberal and progressive Democrat, I agree with communitarian conservatives about the importance of community and shared values, especially shared morality (and to some extent religious values).”-Robert Putnam. The left should listen & not cede the spiritual ground to the right.

Can AI write sacred texts? @sigalsamuel.bsky.social with some incisive analysis 👇🏻

Hope is rising in most of the world, but not the US. There are many reasons why, but David Brooks points to an important one: a hyper-individualistic ethos that isn't good for our social or spiritual health. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/o... @nytimes.com

Paul Bloom on what pundits, thought leaders, and Christian influencers get right and wrong about his empathy critiques.

Interesting conversation here with @jessgrose.bsky.social on growing links of right-coded religion and the thin ideal. As @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social has noted, conservatives tend to value purity, and you can see those overtones in the discussion of food and MAHA. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/o...

Why do we have religion? As society becomes more secular, what are we leaving behind? Is there a way to regain religion's benefits? Out now on How God Works, a discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stuntman from @aspenideas.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Excellent piece by @jenszalai.bsky.social. She and @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social are right. Empathy unfettered can be a problem. But this is why religions tend to cultivate it, but also put guardrails around it. Empathy is the fire, but principles constrain its focus & limits.🧵

A very thoughtful and nuanced piece about the potential promise and pitfalls of AI companions from @paulbloomatyale.bsky.social

Great piece from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social on the crisis men are facing, & different views on why. Many turn to Jordan Peterson, but David offers a critique and IMHO better view. Following is an episode where we explore the role religion can play here, with Richard Reeves, Russell Moore, & others🧵

This is an important piece on philosophy of science from @minzlicht.bsky.social. It also should be a wake-up call for journal editors who demand more & greater theoretical contributions for publication. Theories can build from bottom up descriptives. And that allows perspectivism a la Bill McGuire.

I was happy to explore two fundamental yet frequently underestimated dimensions of the human experience - mattering and creative making - with @JBrehenyWallace & Kelly Corrigan @aspenideas. We need them both to flourish. www.youtube.com/watch?v=quXw...

As Americans leave organized religion, the moral & emotional needs once met by faith communities remain. Is there a danger in leaving faith, or can we adapt its wisdom to meet our needs today? My discussion with Krista Tippet, Father Greg Boyle, & Rabbi Shira Stutman www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJAJ...

Speaking in tongues might sound like a fringe practice, but it's a lot more common than most think. We take a look at the science showing it's not a fake or performative act. Like meditation, it changes the brain in verifiable ways that open the mind podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @prx.org

Elizabeth Bruenig gets the psychology and the theology right!

Humans have two important traits. We need to know we matter — that others value us for who we are. And we need to make — to create things that don’t exist from things that do. I enjoyed discussing the import of both with Jennifer Wallace & Kelly Corrigan @aspenideas.bsky.social. Video to come.

Speaking in tongues might sound like a fringe practice, but it's a lot more common than most think. We take a look at the science showing it's not a fake or performative act. Like meditation, it changes the brain in verifiable ways that open the mind podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @prx.org

Do we lose anything as a society if we leave religion behind? Do we ignore spiritual wisdom at our peril? I was honored to moderate a panel exploring these & similar questions @aspenideas.bsky.social with Krista Tippett, Rabbi Shira Stutman, & Father Greg Boyle. Episode video to come.

A beautiful morning in Aspen. If you’re interested in the intersection of religion, science, & society, and at @aspenideas.bsky.social, stop by our panel discussion today with Krista Tippett, Rabbi Shira Stutman, & Father Greg Boyle to join the conversation.

Prayer isn’t just about asking for things. It can actually change the person who is praying for the better. Rabbi Shira Stutman & neuroscientist Andrew Newberg discuss the purpose of prayer & the science behind it with me podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Religion has shaped lives for millennia. As society becomes more secular, what are we in danger of losing? Are there ways to reconstruct the wisdom contained in those traditions? I’m excited to moderate a discussion @aspenideas.bsky.social with Krista Tippett, Fr. Greg Boyle & Rabbi Shira Stutman🧵

Prayer is common to every faith. It's so central to life that many people pray even when they're not sure who or what they're praying to. But what does prayer do for us? We explore the neuroscience & meaning of prayer with Dr. Andrew Newberg & Rabbi Shira Stuntman. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Young women are leaving the church in record numbers, even as many young men are looking to it for meaning. What direction this goes next depends on how the debate about the roles of men & women plays out: dominance or complements? My chat with Richard Reeves & @drmoore.bsky.social 1/2

Young women are leaving the church in record numbers, even as many young men are looking to it for meaning. What direction this goes next depends on how the debate about the roles of men & women plays out: dominance or complements? My chat with Richard Reeves & @drmoore.bsky.social 1/2

Great piece from @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social on the whole selfishness / empathy is a sin argument. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/o... 1/2

Molly Worthen with an insightful piece on charisma and charismatic faiths/spirituality. It’s not as fringe in America as you might think. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The rise of Jordan Peterson & similar influencers among men doesn't stem from their advice & guidance. Those are pretty basic. It's the demand that signifies the crisis men are facing, and society's failings. I talk with Richard Reeves of @aibm.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Does growing secularity play a role in the crisis of meaning men are facing? And if so, can embracing faith, or learning from its emphasis on community, service, and rites-of-passage help men find their way? I talk with Richard Reeves & others podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @aibm.bsky.social 1/2

Does growing secularity play a role in the crisis of meaning men are facing? And if so, can embracing faith, or learning from its emphasis on community, service, and rites-of-passage help men find their way? I talk with Richard Reeves & others podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h... @aibm.bsky.social 1/2

There’s a better word for this: shaman!

Men in the US are facing a crisis of meaning. Many are turning to Christianity for answers. I talk with Richard Reeves, @drmoore.bsky.social & Rasool Berry about how we got here, how religion can help men find their way, and its potential dangers if not done right. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

A great read from @michaelpollan.bsky.social on how psychedelics can help people access the experiential part of religion. There doesn’t need to be a “church” of psychedelics, but rather they can be used within the context of extant traditions to gain transcendence (as other technologies have been).

How do faiths based on love and compassion justify violence? From conflict in the Middle East to Christian Nationalism in the US, I urged journalists to understand and write about religion as a technology, not just as a set of beliefs, @wgbh.org media summit. 1/2

It might not just be a rallying cry. It’s a view panpsychism and many spiritual traditions (including forms of Christianity) set forth. We discuss here 👇🏻

How do faiths based on love and compassion justify violence? From conflict in the Middle East to Christian Nationalism in the US, I urged journalists to understand and write about religion as a technology, not just as a set of beliefs, @wgbh.org media summit. 1/2

Is religion a divider or uniter? Does it stoke empathy or hate? And how can journalists better grapple with its complexity? We discuss👇🏻 m.youtube.com/watch?v=vlg_...