246. What’s Your Spiritual Story: Joel Weiner on Rediscovering Judaism, God, and the New Axial Age

246. What’s Your Spiritual Story: Joel Weiner on Rediscovering Judaism, God, and the New Axial Age

Author: Jerry L. Martin August 28, 2025 Duration: 36:00

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What’s your spiritual story? In this episode of God: An Autobiography, The Podcast, philosopher Jerry L. Martin sits down with Joel Weiner to explore a journey that moves from childhood faith, through rejection, to rediscovery and renewal.

Joel grew up in a Jewish home in Philadelphia, went through Hebrew school, and walked away from synagogue life right after his bar mitzvah. Years later, he found his way back, first through the Reform movement at Keneseth Israel, and later as a leader at Temple Judea, where Torah study and community reignited his spiritual curiosity.

Along the way, Joel encountered Jewish Renewal, Hasidic inspiration, and the deeper wisdom behind Torah stories. Together, he and Jerry discuss what it means to be “chosen,” the role of Midrash, how different faiths can walk many roads to God, and why the New Axial Age invites us to see religion beyond walls and labels.

From ecology and technology as gifts of God, to the sacred task of tikkun olam—repairing the world—Joel shares how spirituality becomes real in everyday life. His story shows how faith can evolve with honesty, reason, and heart.

✨ Listen now to discover how Jewish tradition, spiritual renewal, and universal wisdom come together in a personal search for meaning.

Other Series:

The podcast began with the Dramatic Adaptation of the book and now has several series:

The Life Wisdom Project – Spiritual insights on living a wiser, more meaningful life.

From God to Jerry to You – Divine messages and breakthroughs for seekers.

Two Philosophers Wrestle With God – A dialogue on God, truth, and reason.

Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue – Love, faith, and divine presence in partnership.

What’s Your Spiritual Story – Real stories of people changed by encounters with God.

What’s On Our Mind – Reflections from Jerry and Scott on recent episodes.

What’s On Your Mind – Listener questions, divine answers, and open dialogue. 

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Imagine a philosopher, a dedicated scholar who spent his life in the realm of ideas without a trace of faith, suddenly finding himself in a dialogue he never sought. GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher-The Podcast is the unfolding account of Dr. Jerry L. Martin, a lifelong agnostic and former head of the National Endowment for the Humanities, who one day offered a prayer and received a clear, verbal response. This isn't a theoretical exercise or a sermon; it's a personal chronicle of what happened next, as a trained thinker with deep skepticism began asking the big questions about existence, purpose, and human nature, and recorded the answers he received. Each episode moves this extraordinary narrative forward, blending the disciplines of philosophy, spirituality, and raw personal experience. You'll hear Dr. Martin's thoughtful reflections on these conversations, which span topics from the nature of the divine to the practical challenges of living an ethical life, all grounded in his academic background. This podcast invites you into a story that challenges preconceptions, not to persuade but to present a profound and documented experience. It's for anyone curious about the intersection of intellect and the ineffable, where a philosopher's quest for truth took an utterly unexpected turn. The journey detailed here resonates across categories of religion, culture, and society, offering a unique perspective that is both deeply human and mysteriously transcendent.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 278

GOD: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher - The Podcast
Podcast Episodes
268. From God to Jerry to You: How God Speaks Across Religions [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:00
Questions? Comments? Text Us!Can God speak through more than one religion?In this episode of From God to Jerry to You, philosopher Jerry L. Martin explores a central insight from God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philo…
265. Radically Personal – William James on Religious Experience [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:18
Questions? Comments? Text Us!In this episode of Radically Personal, Jerry L. Martin turns to the work of American philosopher and psychologist William James to explore how divine reality is encountered in lived experienc…
264. Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue- Evil, Love, and God [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:00
Questions? Comments? Text Us!In this year-end intimate dialogue, philosophers Jerry L. Martin and Abigail L. Rosenthal return to one of the most enduring questions in philosophy and theology: why evil persists, and what…