Preach

Host Lee Hale finds himself talking to strangers about religion a lot. So when he was test driving cars, it was bound to come up. It turned out the car salesman, Pete Philbrook, grew up a strict Jehovah’s Witness. And he was willing to answer all of Lee’s questions about the other door-knocking faith. From KUER and PRX.

The Oracle of Los Angeles and author Amanda Yates Garcia talks with host Lee Hale about being raised a witch, how she practices magic now, and the power of Saturn. From KUER and PRX.

The host of NPR’s It’s Been A Minute opens up about his Pentecostal roots, the power of church music and what he's praying about in these challenging times. From KUER and PRX. Hosted by Lee Hale.

She describes herself as a fat, black and queer yoga teacher. And Jessamyn Stanley has garnered a massive following online for her authentic, unapologetic love of yoga. The author and podcaster talks with host Lee Hale about leaving behind her strict upbringing in the Bahá'í Faith and wandering in a spiritual wilderness. Plus, how to combat cultural appropriation. From KUER and PRX.

Host Lee Hale woke up to an earthquake in Salt Lake City Wednesday morning. Between that, and all the coronavirus news, it seemed like a good time to call his friend Jakob Lewis. Jakob hosts the podcast *Neighbors *from Nashville. They had an honest chat about finding faith in times of need, existential uncertainty, and how maybe we can all be better neighbors (even while we keep our physical distance). From KUER and PRX.

The former Saturday Night Live writer and creator of the TBS comedy talks about how his Hebrew school days inspired him to create a God character perfect for Steve Buscemi, writing through his existential anxiety and why he’s agnostic about pretty much everything. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX.

This episode is packed with goodness from Preach’s first ever live show, including: Mindfulness expert Thomas McConkie on why he ran away from home as a teen. The founders of The Emerald Project on training FBI agents to combat Islamophobia. Millennial Rabbi Samuel Spector on leading Utah’s largest Jewish congregation. Comedian Stacey Harkey on navigating being black, gay and Mormon in Utah. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX.

Hideo Higashibaba was born into the Unification Church. Its members are commonly known as “Moonies” because of their devotion to the self-proclaimed messiah Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Hideo left the church in his 20s and has since come out as queer and transgender. He now calls the church a cult, and mined his own story to create a podcast called “Growing Up Moonie”. He talks with host Lee Hale about why he decided to delve into his painful past, and what he learned from it. From KUER and PRX. Find more at preachpod.org

Makinde Adedapo grew up practicing an ancient West African tradition in Chicago. He talks with Lee Hale about discovering your destiny, the explosion of interest in Yoruban culture and how things can get complicated when your dad is also your priest. From KUER and PRX. More at preachpod.org

The unofficial pastor of public radio talks with Lee Hale about her time as a chaplain for patients with Alzheimer's, why she’s a ‘little bit allergic’ to the language of belief and why mystery matters so much. From KUER and PRX. Find more at preachpod.org

The second season of Preach launches Feb. 14. Here's a taste of what's coming up. From KUER and PRX. Hosted by Lee Hale. More info at preachpod.org.

In this bonus episode, host Lee Hale enlists the help of some friends to learn about a phenomenon that’s wildly popular these days, especially among millennial Christians. But what is the Enneagram, exactly? Lee talks to an expert, and then he and Nerdette host Greta Johnsen take an Enneagram personality test and see what it reveals about them. From KUER and PRX. Note: The test used in this episode is from enneagramtest.net

She’s half of the comedy writing duo so well known for being Catholic that her husband, Jim Gaffigan, once opened for the Pope. But her faith was seriously tested when she found out she had a brain tumor. Hear how faith, family and funny people helped her survive. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX. More at preachpod.org

The host of NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me is also a dedicated long-distance runner. It’s the closest thing the agnostic has to a spiritual practice. So host Lee Hale, who just struggled through a marathon, enlists Sagal as his running rabbi. And then they switch seats, because Peter has a LOT of questions about Mormonism.

Plenty of people fall away from the faith they were raised in (either for a little while or permanently) when they head off to college. But Satin Tashnizi did the opposite. In fact, she converted to Islam while flying over the Grand Canyon with a friend. And her journey to that moment was a long and complicated one. Hosted by Lee Hale. More at preachpod.org

Sister Helen Prejean has spent more than 60 years as a nun. Her spiritual counseling of death row inmates inspired the Oscar-winning film “Dead Man Walking.” She opens up to host Lee Hale about life in the convent, the priest who wanted to marry her, and what she prays for.

Raised in a mixture of Jain, Hindu and Catholic traditions, Anjali Kumar wasn’t sure what she believed. Then, after the birth of her daughter, she decided she needed answers to her existential questions. So the former Google lawyer ventured into the spiritual fringe with witches, faith healers and mediums to find answers. Hear what she learned along the way. Hosted by Lee Hale. Find more at preachpod.org

The second half of our VeggieTales story. The Christian cartoon features singing vegetables that teach kids bible stories. It was huge in the 90s. Then it went bankrupt. Now, it’s making a comeback. The show’s two creators, AKA Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, first met on their Bible College Puppet Team. Hear how they created a Christian media empire, why it all fell apart, and what they learned about their faith along the way. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX. More at PreachPod.org

VeggieTales is a Christian cartoon featuring singing vegetables that teach kids bible stories. It was huge in the 90s. Then it went bankrupt. Now, it’s making a comeback. The show’s two creators, AKA Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber, first met on their Bible College Puppet Team. On the eve of VeggieTales’ return, hear the story of how they created a Christian media empire, why it all fell apart, and what they learned about faith along the way.  This is part one of a two part story. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX. More at PreachPod.org

As a kid in Texas, Simran Jeet Singh and his brothers were the only boys around wearing turbans. Hear what it was like to stick out because of his faith, the existential question he struggled with as a teen, and what he now calls a Sikh ‘superpower’. Hosted by Lee Hale. Find more at preachpod.org

On paper, Kerry and Steve Spencer were the perfect Mormon married couple. They got hitched in their early 20s — and that meant being together forever. They had a couple of kids. Then, after more than a decade together, they both came out of the closet. In this unconventional love story, hear about their new and complicated relationship to each other, to God, and to religion. From KUER and PRX. Find more at preachpod.org

Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus is a feminist Orthodox Jewish sex therapist. She talks with host Lee Hale about the complicated aftermath of being taught God has strict rules for your sex life. Plus, the ‘Woodstock’ moment she sparked by carving out space for feminists of faith.  From KUER and PRX. Find more at preachpod.org

The host of Snap Judgment opens up about being agnostic and rethinking the role of belief after growing up in an apocalyptic cult. Plus, the parts of your spiritual upbringing that stick with you in unexpected ways. Find more at preachpod.org

On the first episode of Preach, actor Rainn Wilson—best known for his role as the oddly obsessive Dwight Schrute on The Office —opens up about his messy journey to find a religion that felt right. Hosted by Lee Hale. From KUER and PRX. Find more at preachpod.org

Host Lee Hale talks to people of all religions about living in the messy middle when it comes to faith. Some of them are famous. All of them are fascinating. And you can count on each episode to serve up a frank, fun conversation about how we wrestle with life’s biggest questions. From KUER and PRX. Our first season starts Friday, Sept. 6. More at preachpod.org.