Christmas is more than a Christian holiday; it’s a global response to darkness, uncertainty, and the need for hope. In this episode of Religion Matters, we explore Christmas alongside Roman Saturnalia, Yule fires, saints and monsters, La Posada, global South celebrations, Kwanzaa, and Asian traditions of light and home. A journey through ritual, food, and meaning that asks what humans do when winter, either literal or symbolic, sets in.

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

Kirk Sandvig explores global traditions that connect the living and the dead through ritual, memory, and, yes, food. From Celtic Samhain and soul cakes to Día de los Muertos, Buddhist ghost festivals, Japanese Obon, and Korean Young San Jae, we dive into how different cultures honor their ancestors through multisensory practices. Drawing on stories, scholarship, and the theology of Alfred North Whitehead, this episode asks: what does it mean to feed the dead, and what does that say about the living?

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

In this episode, we discuss the domestic and international implications of President Trumps first 75 days of his second term of office. Since his return we have see the reimplementation of the Muslim ban in America, the reestablishment of the White House Faith Office, the creation of the Task Force to Combat Anti-Christian Bias, as well as sweeping anti DEI initiatives that impact domestic and international trade/cooperation. Many of these initiatives and executive orders have resulted in massive shifts in policy and practice, leading to a general sense of loss, confusion, dislocation, and depression. These are to topics discussed in the podcast, as well as the ways religious and educational institutions are able to find hope in these times of anxiety and uncertainty.

Book recommendations:

Katongole, Emmanuel, Born from Lament: The Theology and Politics of Hope in Africa. WmB. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2017.

https://www.eerdmans.com/9781467446983/born-from-lament/

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

In this episode, we get into the rhetoric and ideology used in the 2024 election. We discuss former president Trump's comparison to a controversial messiah figure similar to Cyrus, the calling for Christian/White Nationalism, the American people's frustration with current and former power systems, as well as the roles religion, gender, ethnicity, and identity have played and will play in political discussions, regardless of who will win the presidency.

References:

NPR segment - https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227070827/a-video-making-the-rounds-online-depicts-trump-as-a-messiah-like-figure

World Values Survey - https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSDocumentationWV1.jsp

Isabel Wilkerson - Caste

Kristin Kobes Du Mez - Jesus and John Wayne

Music by Caleb, Aiden, and Kirk Sandvig

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

Rev. Dr. Carver Pace helps us navigate the positives and negatives of maintaining online spaces for religious institutions. Since the Pandemic, religious institutions have been forced into the deep waters of not only increasing their online presence through virtual services, online giving, and digital prayer requests, but also hold responsibility to ensure this information stays safe and secure. This can be especially difficult for older populations and communities where internet access and technological know-how is limited. Having the right people and tools in place can make navigating these online spaces more inviting, safe, and secure. Rev. Dr. Pace shares with us his research and experience to make this possible.

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

In this episode we get into the connections between religion and the olympic games. Issues of nationalism, identity, belonging, migration, environmental sustainability, and physical/spiritual transcendence are all discussed. We welcome in our new co-host, Briana Wong, from Phillips Theological Seminary. Thanks for joining us!!

Janice McLean-Farrell is the Dirck Romeyn Associate Professor of Metro-Urban Ministry & Associate Dean of Doctoral Studies, at New Brunswick Theological Seminary.

Briana Wong is the Assistant Professor of the History of World Christianities at Phillips Seminary.

Kirk Sandvig is a Lecturer in the Department for the Study of Religion at San Diego State University.

Music composed in this episode comes from Aiden, Caleb, and Kirk Sandvig

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

This episode features a series of interviews from community members in Southern California who deal with death regularly. Rev. Greg Coppock, pastor at Sunrise Christian Fellowship in Fallbrook, CA and former San Diego Sheriff Chaplain; Dr. Lillian Harvey Banchik, retired trauma surgeon; Rev. Cate Luehr, Children's Hospital Los Angeles Chaplain and ELCA pastor; Dr. Nilesh Vora, Oncologist, Hematologist, and Palliative Care Physician at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, share their insights regarding death, as well as provide advice for people dealing with death.

Topics in this episode include:

1) Talking to children about death

2) Professionals coping with death

3) The impact of death on the lives of the living, including caregivers

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions

This episode features a series of interviews from community members in Southern California who deal with death regularly. Rev. Greg Coppock, pastor at Sunrise Christian Fellowship in Fallbrook, CA and former San Diego Sheriff Chaplain; Dr. Lillian Harvey Banchik, retired trauma surgeon; Rev. Cate Luehr, Children's Hospital Los Angeles Chaplain and ELCA pastor; Dr. Nilesh Vora, Oncologist, Hematologist, and Palliative Care Physician at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, share their insights regarding death, as well as provide advice for people dealing with death.

Topics in this episode include:

1) General introductions

2) The impact of faith and death

3) The role of platitudes when dealing with death

4) Medicalized death

Music by Kirk, Aiden and Caleb Sandvig.

Edited by Kirk Sandvig

Published by Hidden Wave Productions