257. What's Your Spiritual Story: Dr. Richard Oxenberg on his Spiritual Journey and the Peace That Passeth Understanding

257. What's Your Spiritual Story: Dr. Richard Oxenberg on his Spiritual Journey and the Peace That Passeth Understanding

Author: Jerry L. Martin November 13, 2025 Duration: 1:02:01

Questions? Comments? Text Us!

In this deeply moving episode of God: An Autobiography, The Podcast, philosopher Richard Oxenberg—co-author of Two Philosophers Wrestle With God—shares his full spiritual story for the first time.

His journey begins with childhood tragedy: witnessing the sudden death of his seven-year-old sister. The shock shattered his early understanding of God, safety, and reality. From that moment, Richard became a lifelong seeker.

He describes moving through secular Judaism, atheism, and years of intellectual searching. Zen Buddhism, Hindu philosophy, and the symbolic theology of Paul Tillich each opened new doors, yet none fulfilled his deeper longing for spiritual connection.

Everything changed when he encountered an Indian guru and experienced overwhelming energetic phenomena—experiences that were both exhilarating and terrifying. This crisis pushed him toward Christianity, where a transformative encounter at a monastery in Conyers, Georgia offered unexpected peace.

Richard speaks honestly about trauma, mystical experience, fear, grace, and the long struggle to discern truth. He explores the difference between understanding God intellectually and encountering the divine directly.

Through reflections on samsara, the ground of being, baptism, communion, and the “peace that passeth understanding,” Richard reveals how faith finally took shape in him as trust in the ultimate goodness of reality.

This episode is a profound look at doubt, longing, spiritual awakening, and the human search for meaning—and at a God who meets us through every question.

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. 

Stay Connected

Share Your Story | Site | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube


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…