God and Government Turkish Music, and Remembering Marcus Borg

Controlling Religion in Secular Turkey

On paper, Turkey’s government is secular. But the state controls nearly every aspect of religious life–and seems to prefer the Sunni Muslim variety.  The founders of modern Turkey thought the best way to keep Islam from competing with government was to take it over. Now critics say the country’s president is using his power not to control religion, but to promote the religion of the majority: Sunni Islam. We begin with the story of ‘Fatma,’ an Alevi Muslim teenager who was automatically enrolled in a state-run Sunni school.

In the Studio with Guitarist Celil Kaya

Celil Refik Kaya was born in Turkey and moved to Austin, Texas, to study classical guitar when he was 19. He’s also a master of the rebab, a three-stringed instrument that’s played with a bow. He came to the studio to play for us, and to explain how music can connect the listener and performer to the divine.

Celebrating the Life of Marcus Borg

Marcus Borg looked for the larger message in scripture. He used to say, “The Bible is true, and some of it actually happened.”  Although not a literalist, he handled scripture with reverence, curiosity  and rigor.  And it showed. The revered liberal theologian and Biblical scholar passed away on January 21st, so this week, we’re listening back to his final interview with us, from last June.

 


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