Now this was an unusual interview!  By a namesake!  I’ve known about Bart Campolo for years, but mainly because of his father, Tony Campolo, a very well-known evangelical evangelist with left-leaning social and political views.  Tony, the father, has a very interesting history (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Campolo); among other things, he was a spiritual adviser to Bill Clinton.  But in some ways Bart, the son, has an even *more* interesting story.  He was raised an evangelical, and became an evangelist/missionary, but eventually left the faith and became a secular humanist — as am I.  Bart wrote a book about it, and together they helped produce a film released a few years ago, Leaving My Father’s Faith.  It’s quite a story.

Bart now has a secular ministry that  involves counseling people who are thinking about leaving the faith or who have already done so.  In addition, he has a weekly podcast, “Humanize Me.”

On May 13, 2020, he invited me to the podcast to discuss my book “Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.”  As you will see (or at least hear), a whole lot of the interview was on matters of mutual interest other than the afterlife.

As the PR for the podcast says, “Humanize Me” is about building great relationships, cultivating wonder, and making things better for other people. Hosted by veteran community-builder Bart Campolo, Humanize Me features friendly, thoughtful conversations with a wide array of scientists, activists, artists, and oddballs [sic].

Here is the interview!

Bart Campolo’s most popular books are Why I Left, Why I Stayed: Conversations on Christianity Between an Evangelical Father and His Humanist Son and Leaving My Father’s Faith