Don't Pull a 'White Lotus.' Sacred Travel vs. Spiritual Tourism. + Pico Iyer

Don't Pull a 'White Lotus.' Sacred Travel vs. Spiritual Tourism. + Pico Iyer

Author: Religion News Service May 8, 2025 Duration: 47:11
You don't want to be THAT tourist. We all need a vacation and many of us are seeking more than rest or fun on our next getaway. Pilgrimages, retreats, wellness centers — an industry has grown up around the desire to to find transcendence — or at least a bit of mindfulness — while escaping real life. On this episode, Katelyn and Roxy explore the cringe factors inherent in spiritual tourism — selfies in temples anyone? — and the true rewards that sacred travel can offer. We are joined by travel writer and spiritual seeker, Pico Iyer, who has turned his curiosity about the world's religions into a lifetime of finding grace in far-flung sacred spaces. GUEST: Pico Iyer is an essayist and author, perhaps best known for his travel writing. He has written 15 books and appeared in the pages of Time, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, among many others. His most recent book "Aflame: Learning from Silence," recounts his many visits to The New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Saved by the City, hosts Roxy and Katelyn explore a spiritual journey that defies expectations. Produced by Religion News Service, this podcast delves into their personal experiences of moving from the white evangelical heartland into the heart of a major metropolis, a transition they were told would threaten their faith. Instead of finding a spiritual wasteland, they discovered a complex, challenging, and ultimately enriching landscape that forced them to re-examine everything. Each episode is a conversation about navigating belief in a place where Sunday mornings look different and old certainties are constantly questioned. They talk about the surprising ways their faith has been both strengthened and stretched by urban life, confronting topics from community and service to doubt and belonging. This isn't a theoretical discussion; it's grounded in the real, sometimes messy, day-to-day life of seeking purpose and connection in a city that never sleeps. The podcast offers honest reflections for anyone who has ever felt their beliefs were too small for the world they inhabit, proving that sometimes faith doesn't need to be sheltered to survive-it needs to be tested to truly grow. Tune in for candid stories and insights that resonate far beyond city limits.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Saved by the City
Podcast Episodes
We Asked, You Answered: Why Women Are Leaving Church [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:03
Can you imagine a church without women? Us either. For as long as anyone alive today has been going to church, they've found the pews populated with more women than men. It's long been a given in American society that wo…
Eat the Rich! Jesus Had Something to Say About That + Malcolm Foley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:42
Is it a sin to be a billionaire? What about to own a house when so many are displaced? We're in a real "eat the rich" moment as tech billionaires flaunt their wealth on red carpets and flex their power behind presidents…
The Wedding Industrial Complex [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:20
Were Weddings Always This...Extra?In our parents' generation, most weddings took place in a house of worship, followed by a cake and punch reception in the basement or a local VFW hall, and everyone was decked out in pol…
The Hidden Religion in Your Self-Care Routine + Liz Bucar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:08
The evangelicals were right about yoga (kind of). Meditation, detox cleanses, sound baths, plant-based medicine ... these things were not invented by Gwyneth Paltrow. They did not appear in Brooklyn out of thin air. Many…
What JD Vance and the New Intellectual Right Want [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:43
The Brains Behind the Trump Era Vice President J. D. Vance recently criticized Pope Leo online over his criticism of the war in Iran. It was a bold move for a Catholic convert, but perhaps not surprising, given the large…
It's an AI World, and We're All Just Living In It [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:31
Don't worry, ChatGPT told us to just trust the robots...In a shockingly short period of time, AI has gone from tech novelty to a part of our everyday lives. More industries are incorporating AI into daily workflow so tha…
The Stranger Gospel + Bart D. Ehrman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:15
What if Jesus really meant what he said? Like, including all that love your enemy stuff. The better question maybe is what would happen if Jesus's followers believed he really meant what he said — and acted on it? It cou…
The Manosphere and the Gospel of Self-Optimization [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:07
Bro, do you even know your facial thirds? In an era of overexposure, perhaps looksmaxxing was inevitable. Clavicular, the face of this buzzy new internet phenomenon, tells us an uncomfortable truth we probably already kn…
Bible Stories That Scared the Hell Out of Us [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:47
The Noah's Ark story should come with a content warning. The Beginner's Bible. The Precious Moments Bible. The Jesus Storybook Bible. Children's Bibles remain an incredibly popular way for parents to teach their kids the…