The Deconstructionists

Stephen Prothero "God The Bestseller"

05.22.2023 - By John WilliamsonPlay

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Guest Info/Bio: This week I had the chance to talk one of my favorite scholars, Dr. Stephen Prothero. Stephen Prothero is the C. Allyn and Elizabeth V. Russell Professor of Religion in America in the Department of Religion at Boston University. He is the author of numerous books including Religion Matters: An Introduction to the World’s Religions (W.W. Norton 2020), Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (HarperOne, 2016), God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World—and Why Their Differences Matter (HarperOne, 2010), and the New York Times bestseller Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know—and Doesn’t (HarperOne, 2007). His books have been published on five continents and translated into eight languages.

Prothero has commented on religion on hundreds of National Public Radio programs, and on television on CNN, MSNBC, FOX, PBS, and all the major networks. He was also a guest on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, "The Colbert Report," and "The Oprah Winfrey Show." A regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, he has written for the New York Times, Slate, Salon, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe. Prothero was the chief academic adviser for the critically acclaimed six-hour WGBH-TV series, "God in America." He also worked as a Senior Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, and as the chief outside writer for CNN's "Belief Blog." He received his BA from Yale in American Studies and his PhD in the Study of Religion from Harvard. He lives on Cape Cod, and he tweets @sprothero.

Guest (selected) Publications: American Jesus: How the Son of God became a National Icon; Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know - And Doesn’t; God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run The World; The American Bible: How Our Words Unite, Divide, and Define A Nation; God The Best Seller: How One Editor Transformed American Religion A Book At A Time. 

Guest Website/Social Media:  www.stephenprothero.com  Twitter: @sprothero 

Special Music by: Jayne Sugg https://jaynesugg.com  www.linktr.ee/jaynesugg  Instagram: @seejayne 

Songs featured on this episode were: “It’s So Dark” and “Can You Love Me?” from the It’s So Dark EP. 

You can find Jayne's music on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere good music is found!

This episode of the Deconstructionists Podcast was edited, mixed, and produced by John Williamson 

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