Episode 9: The Syriac Tradition, Digitizing Languages, and Cultural Memory | Dr. George Kiraz, Beth Mardutho
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Dr. George Kiraz joins us to trace the journey of the Syriac language from ancient monastic scribes to modern digital code. As a computational linguist and founder of Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, Dr. Kiraz shares how his family's roots in Bethlehem and Anatolia shaped his life's work keeping an endangered heritage alive. We dive into Syriac’s forgotten role in saving classical Greek philosophy, the painful history of the Sayfo, and how pioneer ...
26 Mar 2026
Episode 7: Judaism, Interpretation, and the Nature of Scripture | Dr. Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University
In this episode, I speak with Jon D. Levenson, the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard and one of the most influential scholars of Jewish theology and the Hebrew Bible. Our conversation explores core features of Judaism that are often misunderstood and its emphasis on covenant, law, and lived practice; the central role of interpretation in texts like the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic tradition; and the way Jewish theology resists being reduced to a fixed set of doctrines. We al...
23 Mar 2026
Episode 8: Technology, Faith, and the Human Person | Dr. Joe Vukov, Loyola University Chicago
In this episode, I speak with Dr. Joe Vukov, a philosopher at Loyola University Chicago whose work explores the intersection of technology, ethics, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Our conversation examines what it means to remain human in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. We discuss the relationship between faith and reason, the importance of philosophical clarity in public debates, and how emerging technologies are not only changing what we do, but also who we b...
30 Jan 2026
Episode 6: Buddhism, Ritual and the Search for Meaning | Professor Thompson, Christopher Newport University
Hi! Welcome back! In this episode I spoke with Professor John M. Thompson, a scholar of Buddhism, Asian religious thought, and comparative religion at Christopher Newport University. Together, we explored how Buddhist ideas challenge Western assumptions, why myth and ritual remain central to human meaning-making, and how religious traditions respond to suffering and violence. The conversation touched on compassion, emptiness, interdependence, ritual practice, religious pluralism, and what yo...
18 Jan 2026
Episode 5: Faith in Community: The Role of Churches as Community Builders | Brian Stiltner, Sacred Heart University
Welcome back to Mapping the Divine! I'm Ria Wilson and honored to be joined by Professor Brian Stiltner! Professor Stiltner a Christian ethicist at Sacred Heart University and author of the forthcoming book Faith in Community: Practices that Strengthen Churches and Neighborhoods. Drawing on five years of research in six congregations, Professor Stiltner argues that churches have a vital role to play in responding to what he calls the “crisis of community.” The erosion of social connection, tr...
20 Oct 2025
Episode 4: Journey to the Priesthood | Father Vincent Druding
In this episode of Mapping the Divine, Father Vincent Druding reflects on his decision to enter the priesthood and offers an intellectual exploration of Catholic theology, faith, and the meaning of vocation.
10 Oct 2025
Episode 3: The Christian Experience in Brazil | Felipe Jafet
In this episode, I'm joined by Stanford College student, Felipe Jafet as he discusses his evangelical upbringing, the legacy of the Catholic Church in Brazil, and new trends in Brazilian Christianity which are reshaping the nation’s religious identity.
8 Sept 2025
Episode 2: Plato, Buddha, and the Question of Reality | Dr. John Proios, The University of Chicago
In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. John Proios, professor of Greek philosophy at the University of Chicago. I took Professor Proios’s college course on the Philosophy of Life and Death this past summer, and I am honored now be interviewing him on Buddhist and Socratic, or rather Platonistic, ideologies, their similarities and effects on religion, their sociohistorical roles, and how they differ from contemporary understandings of reality.
20 Aug 2025
Episode 1: Sisters of the Church | Sr. Mary Grace & Sr. Ann Immaculee
Mapping the Divine is a new project that seeks to study religious experience, history, and philosophy through multiple faith traditions. -- In this first episode, I’m honored to be joined by Sr. Mary Grace and Sr. Ann Immaculee, both members of the Sisters of Life, a Roman Catholic community of women religious. In our conversation, we explore what inspired them to join the sisterhood, discuss Roman Catholic theology, the role of women in the Church, and their thoughts on the election of the ...
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