John Thomas Pinna is Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development for Religion News Foundation. Over his 20-year career, Pinna has personally secured and managed $600 million dollars and $12.7 billion dollars as a leader of a team across 43 projects, with engagement in 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa and Asia.
After leaving an international career in industry in 2009 to focus on positioning the Muslim community positively with other faiths, Pinna joined the American Islamic Congress (AIC) as their Director of Government and International Relations. After AIC, he continued for three years to develop multi-faith events while executing international programming as the executive director at the Development Organization for Societies in Transition (DOST), culminating in events with Muslim leaders and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
In 2016, Pinna was named the Vice President of Development for the USAID-funded American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) where he managed the non-academic departments and established several functional departments. Pinna also managed two USG funded projects: the Business Innovation Hub and the International Center for Afghan Women's Economic Development, and USG and non-USG funded projects. Pinna also drafted parts of the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) and supported the logistics of the first DOS Ministerial. He advises the National Security Council Directorates on Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tunisia, and international religious freedom (IRF), as well as DOS bureaus on Afghanistan, Libya, Tunisia, and the Ukraine, and on countering radical ideology.
John Pinna has hosted 148 Episodes.
-
150: Creationism and the Multiverse with Rabbi Aaron Zimmer and Rabbi Eli Feder
February 10th, 2025 | Season 9 | 55 mins 11 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
Rabbi Aaron Zimmer and Rabbi Eli Feder discuss their endeavor to explore the relationship between science and religion, specifically focusing on using physics to argue for the existence of God.
-
149: 149: Adi Sharabi
January 13th, 2025 | Season 9 | 49 mins 37 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
In this thoughtful conversation between John Pinna and Adi Sharabi, they explore themes of identity, cultural heritage, and religious traditions across multiple communities. Adi, who identifies as an Arab Jew with Yemeni roots currently living in Thailand, discusses her journey from being a tour guide in Israel to becoming an online educator and content creator reaching millions of viewers.
-
148: 148: Archetypes, agendas and interference
January 6th, 2025 | Season 9 | 51 mins 57 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, John and Elliot engage in a conversation about the archetypal influences behind Star Wars that eventually leads to an examination of how ideological agendas can reduce the effectiveness of humanitarian intervention.
-
147: 147: Good News for Me, but Not for Thee?
December 23rd, 2024 | Season 9 | 35 mins 56 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, John pushes back against Elliot's suggestion that the Gospel is the cornerstone of Western Civilization by asking: Who's Gospel?
-
146: Dinosaurs in Ordinary Time
December 16th, 2024 | Season 9 | 1 hr 4 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, John and Elliot discuss the function of religion in superimposing meaning over apparent meaninglessness.
-
145: 145: Sharia Law in the Wild West
December 9th, 2024 | Season 9 | 1 hr 2 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics.
-
143: 143: Lucien Greaves
November 11th, 2024 | Season 9 | 42 mins 39 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
Lucien Greaves is a prominent social activist and the co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Greaves studied neuroscience at Harvard University, specializing in false-memory syndrome.
-
142: 142: A Conversation about the 2024 US Presidential Election
November 4th, 2024 | Season 9 | 1 hr 2 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, John and Elliot chat about the presidential election.
-
141: 141: Reem Alsalem
November 4th, 2024 | Season 9 | 53 mins 31 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
Ms. Reem Alsalem is United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences.
-
140: 140: Rabbi Josh Franklin
October 28th, 2024 | Season 9 | 45 mins 58 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
In this engaging conversation between host John Pinna and Rabbi Josh Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, they explore the intersection of faith, humor, and community leadership.
-
139: 139: Zina, Temporary Marriage and Sexual Law in Islam
October 21st, 2024 | Season 9 | 1 hr 9 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
In the conversation, John Pinna, a Muslim, and Father John Anderson, an Orthodox Christian priest, discuss various aspects of Islamic law, particularly focusing on "Zina" (adultery or illicit sexual relations).
-
138: 138: Joseph Atwill - "Caesar's Messiah"
October 14th, 2024 | Season 9 | 1 hr 26 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
Joseph Atwill is an American author known for his controversial theories about the origins of Christianity.