Our 7 Neighbors: Religion and Resistance in America

Our 7 Neighbors: Religion and Resistance in America is a production of the InterReligious Institute at Chicago Theological Seminary. As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this season asks how the nation's complex religious landscape truly came to be. Guided by host Reza Aslan, the podcast moves beyond simple narratives of tolerance to examine the gritty, often painful history of belief in America. Each episode delves into stories of conflict, legal battles, community exclusion, and the persistent resistance that shaped the freedoms and fractures we see today. This isn't a congratulatory look at pluralism, but a deep, critical exploration of the moral struggles and hard compromises that define religious life in a diverse democracy. You'll hear about the communities and individuals who fought for their place, the ideologies that sought to marginalize them, and the ongoing tensions between faith, identity, and power. The conversation in this podcast is built on the understanding that America's religious diversity was never a given-it was, and remains, a project contested by every generation.