1. Today on the Almanac, we add another member to the Dr. Gene Scott All-Stars: Founder of the Pillar of Fire Church, Alma B. White.
  2. Today on the Almanac, we remember Ingwer Ludwig Nommensen, the German Dane in a Dutch Mission on the Island of Sumatra.
  3. Today on the Almanac, we remember a man who in the late 19th century was both a pastor and “the most famous man in America.”
  4. “We were baffled by climatic and cataclysmic events: earthquakes, tidal waves, storms, lightning. All of this was to us terrifying. Religion works as an attempt, then, to make sense of things. We are pattern-seeking mammals, after all. It’s a good thing that we are, because if we weren’t pattern-seeking mammals, our curiosity would have no outlet and we wouldn’t be capable of the great innovations that have liberated us from so many things, including religion.”
  5. Today on the Almanac, we tell the story of the Vox Pisces, a theological work found in the belly of a fish?
  6. Today on the Almanac, we remember the Dominican Yves Congar and his role in the reformed Catholic teachings of Vatican II.
  7. Today on the Almanac, we go to the mailbag to answer a spiky question about Polygamy.
  8. Today on the Almanac, we remember Belgian Priest and Scientist Georges Lemaître.
  9. Today on the Almanac is the anniversary of Edwards v. Aguillard the landmark SCOTUS decision regarding science in public schools.
  10. Christians Aren’t Good, or Moral. In this episode, we continue to read and discuss Christopher Hitchens’ speech on religion and morality. Does religion delete our need to confront reality?
  11. Today on the Almanac, we go to the mailbag to answer a question about heretics, blasphemers, and how to be a gracious historian.
  12. God is Good… or Not. In this episode, we read and discuss Christopher Hitchins’ speech about religion and morality. What’s the point of attaching the forgiveness of sins to morality?