Crossing Faiths

Crossing Faiths

Crossing Faiths is a podcast where people from diverse religious backgrounds openly discuss everything you're NOT supposed to discuss at the dinner table. Join hosts Jt Pinna, a career national security, international affairs, and D.C. insider, and Elliot Toman, a former media director in the Evangelical church, as they engage in lively conversations about the impact of faith on current events. Crossing Faiths also welcomes guests from various religious and experiential backgrounds to share their insights. The podcast was initially developed in collaboration with Matt Hawkins, a former policy director for the Southern Baptist Convention. Their conversations are built on a decade of collaboration, advocating in Washington, D.C., for religious freedom domestically and globally. The two developed the podcast to share conversations that model friendship and cooperation despite profound differences in religion and background. The podcast has reached almost 3 million multi-faith listeners, 83% millennials.

Episodes

November 17, 2025 34 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Brian Grim from the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation about his influential research on global religious freedom. Grim recounts how his personal experiences living in the Muslim world, particularly during 9/11, led him to develop the groundbreaking framework that measures religious restrictions through two distinct lenses: government actions and social hostilities. ...
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In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Rushan Abbas, an advocate for the Uyghur community and founder of the Campaign for Uyghurs, about the history and ongoing genocide of her people. Abbas explains the Uyghurs' distinct identity as a Turkic, Muslim people from East Turkestan (now called Xinjiang by China), tracing the evolution of their persecution from the Cultural Revolution to the present day. She details t...
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November 3, 2025 36 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Matt Hawkins (https://matthewthawkins.com/), a founder of the podcast, about his return to the international religious freedom (IRF) space and his new role as Executive Vice President of the IRF Secretariat. Hawkins explains how the Secretariat serves as an administrative support body for the global religious freedom movement, primarily by convening the IRF Roundtable (http...
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October 20, 2025 87 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, Elliot Toman speaks with Joseph Dumond, an author and expert on biblical prophecy and the Jubilee calendar. Dumond explains his theory that humanity has been allotted 120 Jubilee cycles of 49 years, a timeline derived from Genesis 6:3, which he believes provides a framework for predicting major prophetic events, including the beginning of the end times. He argues that the holy days described in L...
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October 13, 2025 42 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Despina Namwembe, a social scientist and regional coordinator for the United Religions Initiative (URI) in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Namwembe discusses her work coordinating dozens of grassroots interfaith organizations to address the area's complex challenges, primarily focusing on violence prevention, environmental protection, and community empowerment. She detail...
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October 6, 2025 56 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Michael Kinnamon, a novelist, professor of theology, and expert in interfaith relations, about his novel "A Rooftop in Jerusalem" and the broader themes of his life's work. Kinnamon discusses his three careers—as a professor, an ecumenical leader with the National Council of Churches, and now a novelist—and how they are all connected by the goal of fostering empathy and cro...
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In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Joseph Dumond, an author and subject matter expert on biblical prophecy and the Jubilee calendar. Dumond explains his decades-long research into establishing a precise timeline for the end of days based on 120 Jubilee cycles of 49 years each. Using historical and archaeological evidence like the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC and ancient tombstones, he outlines a pro...
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September 22, 2025 58 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Eric Roux from the United Religions Initiative (URI) about his personal and professional journey in interfaith collaboration and religious freedom advocacy. Roux recounts how his work began by defending his own faith, Scientology, against discrimination in France, but evolved as he recognized the greater power and necessity of working alongside other religious communities t...
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A Christian and a Muslim talk religion & politics. In this episode, cohosts John and Elliot have a typically wide-ranging discussion involving comparative religion, ancient cultures and the White House's recent "America Prays" initiative, loosely held together by the thread of Elliot's problematic popcorn habit.
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September 15, 2025 73 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Chad Brignac, an author, consultant, and self-described "transformationist," about applying principles of personal growth and faith to the divisive landscape of American politics. Brignac details his personal journey from workaholism to developing a philosophy of compassionate leadership, deeply rooted in his Christian faith and the model of Jesus's ministry. The conversati...
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September 8, 2025 40 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Dr. Sahar Khamis about the complex and evolving role of digital and social media, particularly within the Arab and Muslim world. They explore the concept of social media as a "double-edged sword," discussing its initial promise as a tool for liberation during events like the Arab Spring and its subsequent co-opting by authoritarian regimes for repression and control. Dr. Kh...
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August 25, 2025 30 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Ghazala Salam, a nonprofit leader, chef, and cultural storyteller, about the powerful intersection of food, culture, and identity. They discuss her participation in a recent chef competition, which she uses as a springboard to explain her core mission of food diplomacy and cultural storytelling. Salam introduces her project, "Spice Canvas," which aims to connect people thro...
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August 18, 2025 50 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Minhas Kahn about her book, Divine Diplomacy, which explores the impact of post-9/11 American evangelicals on Pakistan-United States relations. Kahn details how her research challenged initial perceptions of evangelicals, revealing that many engaged in positive diplomacy through humanitarian aid, fostering interfaith harmony, and advocating for religious freedom. She argues...
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In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Guy Elhanan, an Israeli actor and member of the Parents Circle–Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of bereaved families. Elhanan shares his personal journey from a typical Israeli upbringing to a peace activist, detailing how his artistic awakening in an arts high school was abruptly curtailed by the dehumanizing experience of mandatory military service...
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In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Joseph Yoo for a "wellness check" following the death of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, a shared childhood hero. They explore the complex emotions of mourning a figure they once idolized, grappling with the stark contrast between Hogan's heroic on-screen persona and the flawed, often controversial, reality of the man, Terry Bollea. The discussion delves into the power of...
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August 4, 2025 40 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Laila Alsheikh, a Palestinian from Bethlehem and a member of The Parents Circle-Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of over 700 bereaved families. Laila shares the deeply personal and tragic story of losing her six-month-old son, who died after being denied timely passage through an Israeli checkpoint for urgent medical care. She recounts her journey fr...
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July 28, 2025 62 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Sahar Aziz, a distinguished professor of law and director of the Center for Security and Race and Rights, about the profound impact of 9/11 on Muslim identity and civil liberties in America. Aziz introduces the concept of the "racial Muslim," explaining how the collective trauma and government overreach post-9/11 led to the racialization of Muslims, treating their religious...
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Chris Campbell—better known online as Chris CARESNONE, “The Babka King”—is a Chicago‑born speaker, podcaster, and viral food creator who uses humor and high‑energy storytelling to turn everyday dishes into unexpected lessons on unity. His cross‑cultural food videos have attracted nearly half‑a‑million TikTok fans, hundreds of thousands on Instagram, plus growing Facebook and YouTube communities, while mainstream outlets from NBC Ne...
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July 13, 2025 38 mins
In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Brad Knight, son of Paula White Cain and stepson of Jonathan Cain. Knight details his parents' unique meeting on a Southwest flight and how their diverse backgrounds (his mother as a faith advisor and his stepfather as Journey's keyboardist) have influenced their lives. The conversation then shifts to Knight's personal journey, sharing his experience as a pastor of Story Li...
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In this episode of Crossing Faiths, John Pinna speaks with Sumbul Ali-Karamali about transgender identity, emphasizing its nature as a medical condition rather than a choice. She explains gender dysphoria as a debilitating psychological state with potential biological roots, highlighting the high suicide rates among transgender youth. Ali-Karamali asserts that, from an Islamic perspective, being transgender is not forbidden; she po...
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