John Pinna
Co-Host of Crossing Faiths
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 114 Episodes.
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92: The West's Claim to Western Values
November 20th, 2023 | Season 9 | 34 mins 36 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion and politics. This week, John and Elliot discuss Ayaan Hirsi Ali's essay, "Why I Am Now a Christian," in which the popular thought leader describes her transition from Muslim to atheist to Christian. This leads to a lively discussion on the appropriateness of the West's claim to what are popularly called "Western values."
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A War of Minorities
November 6th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 19 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
This conversation covers a wide range of topics related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the roles of Hamas, Hezbollah, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran. Hot takes on Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro's perspectives, with cautions against holding views that are too simplistic. There is debate over the religious and territorial roots of the conflict, with mention of displaced European Jews and indigenous populations. The recent Hamas attack in Israel is discussed, with speculation about security lapses.
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90: Straw Men and Henchmen
October 31st, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 6 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. Beginning with a clip in which an Evangelical preacher accuses Muslims of being aligned with the Antichrist, John and Elliot discuss the dangers of catering to echo chambers and the pitfalls of oversimplifying complex problems.
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89: Israel and Hamas
October 17th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 3 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
John Pinna and Elliot Toman had a discussion about the Israel-Palestine conflict, unpacking their different religious perspectives on the situation. John spoke about his background growing up in a multifaith community with close Jewish friends and his experiences visiting Israel. He provided analysis on the conflict, criticizing actions by both Israel and Hamas. He argued that a two-state solution seems unrealistic currently given the positions of both sides, and that a third party may need to intervene to find a solution. Elliot shared his perspective as an evangelical Christian, noting the support for Israel among evangelicals.
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88: Dignity of Human Life
October 16th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 8 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A conversation between John Pinna, a Muslim, and Father John Anderson, a Christian priest, discussing the current Israel-Palestine conflict sparked by recent Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli retaliation. John condemned Hamas' attacks on civilians as inconsistent with Islamic teachings. They discussed principles in Islam like human dignity, jihad, and protecting civilians in war. John argued Palestinian leadership and the broader Muslim community should clearly condemn Hamas as un-Islamic. They agreed peace will require creative solutions giving concessions to both sides. John advocated designating Jerusalem an international city and the UN securing it. The conversation aimed to clarify an Islamic perspective on the crisis.
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87: Eastern Orthodoxy
October 5th, 2023 | Season 9 | 57 mins 6 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. This week, John Pinna speaks with Father John Anderson, a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Church.
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86: Montezuma's Revenge
October 5th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 24 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, John and Elliot engage in a meandering discussion about colonization and historical revision.
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Accidents of Substance
October 1st, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 9 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, we discuss transubstantiation, internal factions within Christianity and the question of primacy.
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Double Standards for Muslims?
September 15th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 5 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics.
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Textual Integrity and Cognitive Dissonance
September 9th, 2023 | Season 9 | 57 mins 15 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics.
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The religious veneer of Conservatism
August 29th, 2023 | Season 9 | 57 mins 42 secs
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. Today we’re talking about a Pew Research survey suggesting that many Americans see ourselves as highly religious, but the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily agree. Why the disconnect? But first, let’s talk about parfaits.
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Putting the Man Back in "Son of Man"
August 25th, 2023 | Season 9 | 1 hr 6 mins
bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion
A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics.