Crossing Faiths

A Christian & a Muslim talk religion & politics

About the show

Crossing Faiths is a podcast in which people from diverse religious backgrounds engage in open dialogue about all the things you're NOT supposed to discuss at the dinner table. Join hosts John Pinna, a military intelligence veteran 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 a wide variety of religious and experiential backgrounds to share their own insights.

The podcast was initially developed in collaboration with, Matt Hawkins, is a former policy director for the Southern Baptist Convention. Their conversations built on a decade of their collaboration, advocating in Washington, D.C. for religious freedom domestically and around the globe. The two developed the podcast with a desire to share conversations that model friendship and collaboration despite deep differences in religion and background. The podcast has a reach of almost 3 million multi-faith listeners, 83% of which are millennials.

Crossing Faiths on social media

Episodes

  • The Candy Cane Conspiracy

    December 18th, 2023  |  Season 9  |  1 hr 5 mins
    bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion

    A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. Today, an evangelistic bookmark that purports to tell the Christian origins of the candy cane sparks a discussion about religious persecution, propaganda, and the manipulation of narratives.

  • 95: Millennialism and Antisemitism

    December 11th, 2023  |  Season 9  |  50 mins 56 secs
    bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion

    A Jew and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this conversation, Jessica and John discuss issues around antisemitism and tensions between Israel and Palestine. They examine why there has historically been resentment and persecution of Jews in European countries, including due to beliefs that Jews killed Jesus, outrage over Jewish lending practices, and a desire by some Christians to expel Jews to Israel to fulfill prophecies around the second coming of Christ. The speakers criticize extremism on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They believe peace negotiations have failed and it will take reasonable compromises from Israelis and Palestinians, potentially with outside arbiter lawyers overseeing land distribution, to make progress. There is also discussion around the role of Hamas, concerns over one-sided media coverage favoring Palestinians, and whether a two-state solution can gain acceptance.

  • 94: There's Always Another Jerk

    December 4th, 2023  |  Season 9  |  1 hr 10 mins
    bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion

    John, a Muslim and Elliot, an Evangelical Christian, talk religion and politics. This week, the hosts discuss Chick Tracks, which are small evangelistic comic books that promote fundamentalist Christian beliefs. This leads to a discussion about common tendencies of fundamentalism seen in both faith traditions.

  • Unpacking the Resurfaced Bin Laden Letter

    November 27th, 2023  |  Season 9  |  1 hr 16 mins
    bible, christianity, islam, politics, quran, religion

    John and Elliot discuss Osama bin Laden's controversial 2002 "Letter to America" that recently resurfaced and went viral on TikTok. They debate the letter's authenticity and analyze it through various lenses - post-colonialism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, generational reactions to 9/11 and the War on Terror.

  • 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."

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.