ReligionForBreakfast
An educational channel dedicated to the academic, nonsectarian study of religion. We promote improving the public's religious literacy by exploring humanity's beliefs and rituals through an anthropological, sociological, and archaeological lens.
Religion for Breakfast does not endorse any particular religious tradition or non-religious perspective. Please be respectful in the comments!
The host, Dr. Andrew M. Henry, is a scholar of religious studies. His research focus is early Christianity and late Roman religion. He earned his PhD at Boston University. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmarkhenry.
These videos are freely available here on YouTube. If you are an instructor, feel free to use the YouTube link to my videos in your syllabi and classrooms. I do not permit downloading my videos and re-uploading them to a separate site or channel. This is called freebooting, and it violates Religion for Breakfast's copyright.
ReligionForBreakfast
Register now for Dr. Leif Tornquist’s upcoming webinar on spirituality and fitness!: www.religiondepartment.com/health-fitness-spiritua…
Why are yoga, clean eating, CrossFit, and wellness apps so often framed as spiritual journeys?
Why do fitness goals come with moral overtones, like discipline, purity, and even transcendence?
Join scholar Dr. Leif Tornquist for a live Zoom seminar exploring how health and fitness have become spiritualized in American life. From Evangelical fitness programs to wellness influencers, we’ll look at how bodily mastery has become a modern expression of moral and even spiritual worth in 21st century America.
This lecture is pay-what-you-want, and I’ll be hosting and helping run the live Q&A after the talk!
Thursday, August 14
2:00 PM Eastern
Zoom Webinar
Pay what you want
Sign up here: www.religiondepartment.com/health-fitness-spiritua…
~Andrew
3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 172
View 12 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Register now for Dr. David Litwa’s upcoming webinar on Marcion!: www.religiondepartment.com/marcion
Was Marcion the first Gospel writer?
Did he edit Luke—or did Luke edit him?
And how did Marcion see himself—as a prophet, a reformer, or something else entirely?
Join my friend and fellow YouTuber and scholar Dr. David Litwa (@m.davidlitwa ) for a live lecture on one of early Christianity’s most controversial figures: Marcion of Sinope—a second-century thinker who rejected most of the emerging New Testament and promoted a radically different vision of Christianity.
Dr. Litwa will walk us through the cutting-edge debate about Marcion’s Gospel and whether Marcion was the author or editor of a preexisting text. I’ll be the host and helping to run the live Q&A session after his lecture!
Sign up here: www.religiondepartment.com/marcion
~Andrew
1 month ago | [YT] | 324
View 13 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
What did Jesus wear? This 19th-century painting by James Tissot imagines Jesus in a flowing white robe and mantle, but this isn’t particularly accurate. Join us for a live online class with Dr. Katie Turner, an expert in ancient Greco-Roman and Jewish clothing. From tunics and mantles to tzitzit and tefillin, this class dives into the fabrics, fashions, and religious symbolism of first-century Judea. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/jesus-wear
1 month ago | [YT] | 1,433
View 184 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Last chance to sign up! Our 8-week course Learning Coptic Through the Gospel of Thomas starts tomorrow. Taught by Dr. Lydia Bremer-McCollum, it’s perfect for beginners. You’ll learn the Coptic alphabet, grammar, and read the Gospel of Thomas in its original Coptic form—the version preserved in the Nag Hammadi manuscripts. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/coptic
2 months ago | [YT] | 692
View 23 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Whenever I cover Daoism, I try to go beyond the popular texts like the Daodejing and Zhuangzi and explore the wider tradition. In my recent video on the Jade Emperor, we dive into “Gaoshang Yuhuang Benxing Jijing,” or the Collected Scripture on the Deeds of the Jade Sovereign. According to this text, the Jade Emperor earned his throne through billions of lifetimes cultivating the Dao, healing the sick, and writing scriptures. Eventually, he achieved the title Tathāgata, a term usually reserved for the Buddha himself, before ascending even higher to become Jade Thearch. This bold Daoist narrative claims the Jade Emperor not only attained Buddhahood, but surpassed it, teaching bodhisattvas the true path to awakening. Watch the video here!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGg56...
2 months ago | [YT] | 1,131
View 45 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Want to learn Coptic with us? We're offering an 8-week intro seminar: Learning Coptic Through the Gospel of Thomas with my friend and colleague Dr. Lydia Bremer-McCollum. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/coptic
Designed for beginners or those looking to brush up on their skills, this class will introduce you to Coptic inductively using the Gospel of Thomas as your textbook. You'll learn the Coptic alphabet, basic grammar and syntax, and gain a deeper understanding of the Gospel of Thomas.
As with all of our seminars, there will be weekly lectures that are recorded live, with lifetime access. There will be an online discussion forum with a community, office hours, and weekly exercises.
This is our second language course we're offering, and I'm super excited about this one. I've long been fascinated by early Egyptian Christianity, and the Coptic language is an important element of that tradition and culture. I hope to see you there!
~Andrew
2 months ago | [YT] | 1,406
View 32 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Mega explainer video dropping next week. It’s ancient, it’s epic, and it’s been centuries in the making. Bonus points to whoever recognizes where I am.
2 months ago | [YT] | 3,261
View 144 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
New RFB guest lecture coming! Did environmental disasters help bring down the Roman Empire and boost the rise of Christianity? Join us for a deep-dive with friend of the show Dr. Travis Proctor. He's a scholar of early Christianity who will unpack how plagues, droughts, and climate shifts may have helped with the rise of apocalypticism. Register here: www.religiondepartment.com/offers/o2NGSTTf/checkou…
Cost: Pay What You Want
Where: Hosted on Zoom, you'll receive the link after registration
When: June 4, 1:30 - 2:45 PM Eastern time
3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 782
View 32 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
Just wrapped up an incredible week-long tour of ancient sites in western Turkey with an amazing group of people. We explored Greco-Roman temples, early Christian basilicas, and a few ruins off the beaten path. Huge thank-you to everyone who joined me. You were curious, kind, and genuinely a joy to travel with. You made this trip unforgettable. More tours like this are in the works. Stay tuned!
3 months ago | [YT] | 2,295
View 32 replies
ReligionForBreakfast
My friend and colleague @m.davidlitwa is offering an online class on the Gospel of Thomas! 8 weeks, every Monday starting on June 2. Register here: religionforbreakfast--mdavidlitwa.thrivecart.com/g…
In this 8-part online course, you’ll explore pressing questions like:
Is Thomas a Gnostic gospel?
How does it portray Jesus—and how does that differ from the Synoptic Gospels?
What’s Thomas’s relationship to the Gospel of John or Paul?
What role do women play in this mysterious text?
3 months ago | [YT] | 697
View 21 replies
Load more