About the show
Crossing Faiths is a podcast where people from diverse religious backgrounds openly discuss everything you're NOT supposed to discuss at the dinner table. Join hosts Jt Pinna, a career national security, international affairs, and D.C. insider, and Elliot Toman, a former media director in the Evangelical church, as they engage in lively conversations about the impact of faith on current events. Crossing Faiths also welcomes guests from various religious and experiential backgrounds to share their insights.
The podcast was initially developed in collaboration with Matt Hawkins, a former policy director for the Southern Baptist Convention. Their conversations are built on a decade of collaboration, advocating in Washington, D.C., for religious freedom domestically and globally. The two developed the podcast to share conversations that model friendship and cooperation despite profound differences in religion and background. The podcast has reached almost 3 million multi-faith listeners, 83% millennials.
Crossing Faiths on social media
Episodes
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    159: 159: Jeff Mitchell - Was Jesus Real?April 14th, 2025 | Season 9 | 1 hr 16 minsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionA conversation between John Pinna and Jeff Mitchell, an atheist and author of the book "Jesus Demigod", which argues that Jesus did not exist. 
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    158: Francesca Albanese - Palestinian Human RightsApril 7th, 2025 | Season 9 | 28 mins 29 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionThis episode features a conversation with Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who details the legal and political realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
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    157: 157: The Problem with Human PresidentsApril 2nd, 2025 | Season 9 | 1 hr 2 minsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionA Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. 
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    156: Hasia Diner - Food and Culture of Jewish ImmigrantsMarch 31st, 2025 | Season 9 | 34 mins 40 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionThis podcast episode explores the multifaceted relationship between food, identity, and community, particularly within immigrant and Jewish communities in America. 
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    155: 155: Momin SheikhMarch 24th, 2025 | Season 9 | 58 mins 26 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionA Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. 
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    154: 154: Roya Mahboob - Rule BreakersMarch 17th, 2025 | Season 9 | 23 mins 38 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionRoya Mahboob details how her organization, Digital Citizen Fund, has shifted from teaching digital literacy in Afghanistan to supporting underground education networks since the Taliban takeover. 
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    153: 153: Flipping the Script(ures)March 15th, 2025 | Season 9 | 58 mins 43 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionA Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this conversation, Elliot begins by asking John: "What is compelling about the Muslim depiction of Jesus?" 
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    152: 152: Michael Barton - American RevertMarch 9th, 2025 | Season 9 | 57 mins 10 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionIn this podcast interview, John Pinna speaks with Michael Barton, a Muslim revert from Wichita, Kansas who converted to Islam in 2006. 
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    151: Mustafa AkhwandFebruary 17th, 2025 | Season 9 | 1 hr 1 minbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionMustafa Akhwand, as executive director of Shia Rights Watch, emphasizes the importance of having the right advisors with on-the-ground experience rather than relying on those who lack direct cultural understanding 
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    150: Creationism and the Multiverse with Rabbi Aaron Zimmer and Rabbi Eli FederFebruary 10th, 2025 | Season 9 | 55 mins 11 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionRabbi 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. 
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    149: 149: Adi SharabiJanuary 13th, 2025 | Season 9 | 49 mins 37 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionIn 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. 
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    148: 148: Archetypes, agendas and interferenceJanuary 6th, 2025 | Season 9 | 51 mins 57 secsbible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religionA 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. 
