Mark Twain reportedly said that one should never discuss politics or religion in polite company. Yet, that’s exactly what’s on tap every other week when Mark Oppenheimer, executive editor of Arc: Religion, Politics, Et Cetera at Washington University in St. Louis, sits down with guests for his new podcast, “Arc: The Podcast.”
Oppenheimer described the podcast as an audio extension of the online journal Arc, which is a publication of WashU’s John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.
“I’ll be in conversation with guests who have something to say about religion, politics, et cetera. One criterion I am keeping in mind is that while not all my guests will be religious, they will all enjoy talking about religion — or the human quest for meaning and higher purpose, however defined,” he said. “The show will also include discussions of articles that the magazine has run, as well as some more fun stuff that has to be heard to be believed (or, at least, has to be heard).”
So far, the biweekly podcast has covered topics ranging from evangelical Christians and Donald Trump to social media and lost connections and even “The Karate Kid.” The guests have included scholars, authors and religious leaders.
Oppenheimer is an experienced podcaster. For seven years and 360 episodes, he hosted “Unorthodox,” the world’s most popular podcast about Jewish life and culture. He also hosted three limited-edition podcasts, including “Gatecrashers,” about the history of Jews at the eight Ivy League schools.
The first five episodes are currently streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube,