269. Are All Religions True? Theology Without Walls & the New Axial Age | Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue

269. Are All Religions True? Theology Without Walls & the New Axial Age | Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue

Author: Jerry L. Martin February 5, 2026 Duration: 1:16:00

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Can multiple religions be true at the same time? Married philosophers, Jerry L. Martin and Abigail L. Rosenthal, explore one of the most challenging questions about God and ultimate reality.

They reflect on the idea that different cultures are given different spiritual tasks. The Hebrew focus on history and covenant stands alongside India’s inward contemplative traditions, showing that divine truth unfolds in different ways across civilizations.

Jerry explains that Theology Without Walls must take lived spiritual experience seriously. Personal transformation, moments of divine connection, and the individual spiritual journey are essential data for understanding spiritual reality.

Abigail recalls her intense yoga practice of suspended breath and reflects on what that path taught her. She also shares a vivid memory involving Thomas Altizer, the theologian associated with the “God is dead” movement and explores the difference between politeness and real engagement with ultimate questions

We are living at the beginning of a New Axial Age, a time when the world’s religions now meet directly. 

The conversation is candid, thoughtful, and deeply personal, like listening in on two married philosophers as they connect lifelong spiritual experience with some of the biggest questions of our time. 

Get the books: Radically Personal: God and Ourselves in the New Axial Age | God: An Autobiography, As Told to a Philosopher

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

Stay Connected: questions@godanautobiography.com

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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
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