Sensing the Sacred

Why do some places make us feel closer to the world beyond ourselves? Whether it’s thunder reverberating through a canyon or light streaming through the stained glass of a cathedral, spiritual experiences don’t happen in our minds alone.  On this episode, we explore the world of the senses and the role it plays in spiritual life. Historian Kim Haines-Eitzen takes us into the deserts of the ancient Middle East, where the sounds of the natural environment helped shape the beliefs and practices of early Christian monasticism. And architect Julio Bermudez shows us how humans have intentionally engaged the senses to design sacred spaces that invite awe, contemplation, and connection to something beyond ourselves. Kim Haines-Eitzen is a professor of Ancient Mediterranean Religions at Cornell University, and the author of the book Sonorous Desert. To hear some of Kim’s desert recordings featured on this episode, visit Soundcloud. Read her writing on Substack, and learn more about her research on her website.Julio Bermudez is an architect, professor and researcher focusing on the relationship between architecture, culture and spirituality through the lens of phenomenology and neuroscience. He is also president of the Architecture, Culture, and Spirituality Forum. Learn more about his work here, and about his Templeton-funded research here. 

Let's face it, religion isn't known for being particularly fashion-forward. Many might even say they’re directly opposed—vice and virtue, decadence versus humility, maximalism versus modesty. But lately, scholars from both the fashion world and Christian theology are arguing that maybe the story isn't quite so simple. On this episode, we’ll talk to the pastor, theologian, and professor Robert Covolo about the long history of fashion in Christianity and clothing as a form of communication, a way to construct identity, interact in complex societies, and even connect with the divine. Whether or not the ultimate goal is to get closer to God or to one another, fashion and beauty can open our hearts and minds to something beyond ourselves. Robert Covolo is the Executive Director of the Center for Faith + Work Los Angeles and a Professor at the Honors College at Azusa Pacific University. He is the author of Fashion Theology. Learn more about his work on his website.

Money may not buy happiness. But it turns out that the way it’s distributed can affect everything from happiness and a sense of meaning to physical health and mortality. On this episode, we’ll explore the role economic inequality plays in the wellbeing of individuals and societies, and ask how religion fits into the picture. We’ll talk to psychologist Keith Payne about how our sense of where we stand in society can influence our behavior, our health, and even how religious we are. And we’ll also talk to religious studies scholar Bart Ehrman about Christianity’s complicated relationship with wealth, from the teachings of the historical Jesus to the establishment of modern welfare institutions and the rise of Protestant movements like the Prosperity Gospel.Keith Payne is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the author of the books The Broken Ladder and Good Reasonable People. Learn more about his work on his website.Bart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the author or editor of over thirty books on Christianity and the New Testament, including Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West. Find out more about his work on his website.

The United States is a country founded on the separation of church and state. But what did the founders really mean by that? Should religion be banished from public life and policy debates? Or could it serve a purpose in the pursuit of happiness and freedom for all? On this episode, recorded during the Aspen Ideas Festival, we'll explore what the US founding fathers really thought about the different roles religion could play in society, how that view has changed through history, and what it means for the upcoming US elections. David French is an American political commentator and current opinion columnist for The New York Times. He is a senior fellow of the Trinity Forum, a former senior editor for The Dispatch, and former staff writer for National Review.Jeffrey Rosen is CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center, a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic.

These days, it seems like advice for how to “find your purpose” is everywhere. But what if purpose isn’t some hidden answer waiting to be found? And what if anxiously searching for our one true calling actually makes it harder to live with purpose?On this episode, we explore some other approaches to the problem. Clinical psychologist Ross White tells us about how psychological flexibility can help us form purpose over time, and stay connected to it, even as our lives change. And we talk to philosopher Edward Slingerland about what early Chinese thinkers like Confucius and Zhuangzi would have made of our modern obsession with inventing a meaningful path from scratch. Ross White is an Honorary Professor of Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University, Belfast and the Founding Director of Strive2Thrive. He is the author of the book The Tree That Bends: How a flexible mind can help you thrive, as well as the article “Your purpose isn’t something you find, it’s something you form.”Edward Slingerland is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia and a Visiting Professor in the Department of Religion at Dartmouth. He is the author of many books, including Trying Not to Try and the forthcoming title, Learning to See: Literature, Moral Perception and Early Confucian Virtue Ethics. Find out more about his work on his website.

Join us for Season 11 of How God Works, starting next week!

How God Works will be back with all new episodes in September. In the meantime, we're excited to feature an episode from our friends at Oh God Now What, hosted by Niala Boodhoo.*In the debut episode, "Voting Your Morals," host Niala Boodhoo welcomes public theologian Curtis Chang and Rabbi Jill Jacobs. Using their expertise as religious thought leaders, they help us navigate aligning beliefs with how we vote. And they offer perspective and tools for strengthening democracy outside of high-stakes elections. Chang is the Executive Director of Good Faith, which helps politically ‘homeless’ Christians navigate a deeply divided world. Rabbi Jacobs is the CEO of T’ruah, which empowers rabbis and cantors to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights.

As humans increasingly turn to AI for moral guidance and answers to life’s biggest questions, the lines between technology and religion are blurring—even leading some in Silicon Valley to wonder if AI might have a spiritual life of its own or be destined to change the world’s religious landscape. What does the impulse to see a god in the machine reveal about our enduring hunger for meaning, belonging, and spiritual growth?Dave explores these questions and more with psychologist Paul Bloom, author Elizabeth Oldfield, and theologian Paolo Benanti in a discussion recorded live at the 2026 Aspen Ideas Festival.Paul Bloom is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale University. He's also the author of seven books, including his latest “Psych: The Story of the Human Mind.” Elizabeth Oldfield hosts “The Sacred” podcast, dedicated to conversations about being human, finding wisdom, building a more tolerant society, and what spirituality and religion might offer in answer to those questions. She is also the author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times.Paolo Benanti is a professor of moral philosophy at Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome and a professor of technology ethics at Seattle University. A Franciscan priest and leading global voice on AI ethics, he advises the Vatican on emerging technologies and the rise of generative AI and chatbots.

Religion is often about powerful beings coming down from the skies and humans yearning to go up to join them. Does that mean we can swap aliens in for God? More and more people seem to think so. In fact, many spiritually-minded people are looking to UFOs as opportunities to commune with enlightened alien teachers. Some believe they’re even aliens themselves, sent here to prepare us for a new age. But when religion gets mixed with conspiracy theory, things can sometimes take a darker turn.Join Dave as he speaks with religious studies professor Diana Walsh Pasulka, about what belief in UFOs might share with other religions, and with anthropologist Susannah Crockford about how and why conspiracy theories are giving rise to a new spiritual movement.Diana Walsh Pasulka is the author of Encounters: Experiences with Nonhuman Intelligence and  American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology. Find out more about her work on her website.Susannah Crockford is the author of Ripples of the Universe: Spirituality in Sedona, Arizona, and the host of the show Miss Information, a podcast about the ways online misinformation and conspiracy theories infiltrate wellness communities and conservative Christian spaces.

Throughout history, humans have searched for signs and symbols to help them navigate uncertainty. From ancient Chinese divination texts and Greek oracles to astrology, tarot cards, and modern occult practices, divination has appeared in nearly every culture on Earth. And while some might think of these practices as relics of a more superstitious age, divination turns out to be far more central to human history, and human nature, than most of us would ever guess.On this episode, we explore the surprisingly rich history of divination and what it reveals about our enduring need for meaning, guidance, and answers in the face of uncertainty. We talk to historian Michelle Pfeffer about divination's deep roots in both religion and science, and to sociologist and tarot reader Melissa Lavin about why practices like tarot are resonating with so many people today.Dr. Michelle Pfeffer is a historian of science and religion at the University of Oxford. She recently co-curated the exhibition Oracles, Omens and Answers at the Bodleian Libraries, and co-edited the accompanying book Divination, Oracles & Omens. Dr. Melissa Lavin is a sociologist at SUNY Oneonta and a tarot reader. She is the author of the forthcoming book Greater Secrets: Managing Fate Through the World of Tarot, available for purchase in February 2027.