In response to the latest video on Satanism, we've had a huge influx of new patrons! Welcome to everyone, and thank you so much for supporting this channel!
As I suspected, the Satanism video was demonetized. I immediately appealed because I knew that the video was academic and educational, but even after manual review, YouTube maintained their decision. So that means 11,000 views without ...
2018-07-02 15:44:45 +0000 UTC View Post
After a crazy final week of traveling (where I photographed this medieval church in Ashkelon), I've finally returned to the USA! This means I'll be getting back on schedule.
1) If you've messaged me about perks (mugs / books), I'll be putting those in the mail this week.
2) $5+ patrons, I'll be scheduling a livestream this week too. Stay tuned for date and time
3) I'll be in An...
2018-06-17 00:29:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Yesterday I visited the Baha'i Gardens in Haifa, one of the most sacred sites for Baha'is. This is a relatively recent monotheistic religion with around 6 million adherents worldwide. You are looking at the Shrine of the Bab, the tomb of Siyyid Ali Muhammad Shirazi who inspired the founder of the Baha'i faith. The experience visiting this site was a little surreal. The gardens were almost complete...
2018-05-14 07:34:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone! Sorry for the radio silence over the past few weeks. I've been busy traveling and writing my thesis. Here are upcoming videos you can expect:
1) "What is the Dome of the Rock?": I got an exclusive tour inside the Dome of the Rock a few weeks ago and got some excellent footage. This is a rare opportunity for a non-Muslim. I'll be producing a thorough video on the religious, political...
2018-05-04 16:48:52 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone! What you're looking at is a pillow fort I built for recording audio. The dorm where I am living in Jerusalem has terrible acoustics (lots of echo, loud traffic outside), so I'm improvising! It actually resulted in some pretty good audio.
I've been traveling a lot around Jerusalem and have tons of footage from a dozen different sites (Megiddo, Bethlehem, Capernaum to name a few...
2018-03-14 12:04:24 +0000 UTC View Post
I had the opportunity to meet longtime patron of the show Roee in Jerusalem yesterday. Great conversation about archaeology and biblical studies over pizza.
I'm narrowing down the topics I'll be covering on this region, so feel free to send along suggestions!
~Andrew
2018-02-16 16:28:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Here it is, Intro to Islam. My co-host is a friend and colleague Dr. Hussein Rashid, a scholar of religion and expert on educating the public about Islam. You can check out his work here: husseinrashid.com
Let's hope the comment section stays civil...
~Andrew
2018-02-05 19:50:44 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! Finally, after months and months of delay, my "Intro to Islam" video will be published Monday. Of course it is impossible to introduce an entire religion in a 16 minute episode, I nevertheless tried my best to be comprehensive and substantive. Thank you for your patience!
~Andrew
2018-02-02 07:35:14 +0000 UTC View PostI might have mentioned it before, but RFB struggles a lot with YouTube's demonetization algorithms. Nearly every video I post will be demonetized on the first day (sometimes before I even publish it) and will be monetized only after the first 24 or 48 hours when it receives the most views.
Some of the videos, I can understand why the algorithm flags them. My recent video on animal sacrific...
2018-01-19 11:25:46 +0000 UTC View PostWe passed 10K subscribers a few days ago! Thank you everyone for your continued support. This is a huge accomplishment, and I'm diving into 2018 with renewed energy. Here are a few things to expect in the coming months:
1) I filmed 6 videos in one sitting over my winter break. So I will have a steady stream of videos coming in January and February.
2) Patron suggested videos: I am working ...
2018-01-08 15:34:07 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone, I just wanted to send a quick update because I've been slow on the uploads this month. The Intro to Islam video has proven to be very difficult to edit (super long, lots of green-screen keying). I'm very excited about it, but it has slowed down my process. So, all this to say, you will definitely be seeing a video on exorcism on Halloween, and PROBABLY be seeing Intro to Islam this mo...
2017-10-24 13:03:37 +0000 UTC View PostFollow this link!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84-P9fU0XEU
2017-10-07 16:59:14 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! It has been a while since we've last done a livestream. Last time Saturday at 1:00 worked for a bunch of you, so let's stick with that time. I'll go live around 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and share the link here. Hope to see you there!
Andrew
2017-10-06 16:31:30 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! Last year I published a History of Halloween and a video on Salem Massachusetts to coincide with Halloween. I'm trying to decide what to do this year for my Halloween special, so vote on one of these three options! I'd be excited to make a video on any of these topics, but I only have time for one, and I'd need to start researching and planning for it now!
2017-09-15 12:35:35 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone. I made a quick update video for the channel. You all will know most of this info since I've posted about it here in the past (i.e. working at the Religious Freedom Center all summer, new format videos coming up, etc.). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4t4hrRlhv6A
I'll be posting one of these new video...
2017-08-31 15:41:12 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone here is the correct link to the livestream. Drop by and say hi!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuv_islF8mY
There is an 8 second delay on the stream, so I will be a bit slow. Not sure how to fix that.
2017-08-05 17:06:09 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone! To celebrate passing 6000 subscribers, I'm hosting a patron-only livestream tomorrow, Saturday August 5th at 1:00 PM (US east coast time). I'll post the link here tomorrow around that time. Put it on your schedules, and then drop by to chat!
~Andrew
2017-08-04 14:33:34 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone. Last week I filmed two videos, Intro to Sikhism and Intro to Islam at a professional studio at the Religious Freedom Center in downtown Washington D.C. The picture is me joking around with Dr. Hussein Rashid while filming the Islam video.
I think both videos turned out great! I wanted to make sure to collaborate with actual scholars of each of these traditions. Sure, I know a ...
2017-07-20 17:39:19 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone. I'm unfortunately missing my regular every-other-Tuesday schedule because the audio for "You Don't Need to be Religious to Study Religion" was totally messed up. I need to re-shoot the video today, and I'll try to publish it tomorrow. Sorry of the delay!!
Part of the reason why my production cycle has been slower this summer is because I am making some big "Intro" videos using the s...
2017-07-11 14:40:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hope you enjoy! The winner of yesterday's poll was: "You Don't Need to Be Religious to Study Religion." Look for the next vid by the end of June!
2017-06-20 23:58:40 +0000 UTC View PostNew video drops tomorrow titled: "Does Your Religious Affiliation Predict Your Political Affiliation?" I'll immediately start working on the next video which I am aiming to publish the last week of June or the first week of July. But I'd love to get your input on what that may be! I have 3 video ideas. Which one should I prioritize?
2017-06-19 19:31:41 +0000 UTC View PostBecause I'm a video game nerd, I am posting a religious studies analysis of the Legend of Zelda next week. I missed my every-other-week schedule last week because this video was super hard to research and produce (and I needed to re-record the audio after some technical problems). But I'm making sure to get it out this month since I aim for 2 videos every month.
I'm also excited to announc...
2017-05-25 20:31:28 +0000 UTC View PostWe passed 4000 subscribers last night! I wanted to tell you all first. As always, you patrons keep the channel going, and I'm so thankful for each and every one of you!
A quick update. I just moved to Washington DC yesterday starting a new job at the Religious Freedom Center. I will be producing 8 "intro" videos this summer on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Yoruba, an...
2017-05-07 13:39:09 +0000 UTC View Post
Here it is! A short biography of my journey from my Bachelor's to my PhD program. Thanks everyone for voting!
2017-05-02 17:41:52 +0000 UTC View PostKeeping with my every-other-Tuesday schedule, I'm aiming to post a video on May 2nd. I have three ideas, but which one should I do first?
2017-04-24 13:51:38 +0000 UTC View PostHi everyone. I'll be making small changes to the Patreon perks in the coming days (hopefully improving them). Basically I'd like to bring you all into the decision making process with video topic polls and video topic suggestions. The channel has grown to such a size that I can no longer accommodate every subscriber's suggestion or question, so I'd like to give priority to patrons. I'll be posting...
2017-04-23 20:13:10 +0000 UTC View PostWe just hit 3000 subs! I wanted to tell you all first. Thanks for supporting and believing in this channel!
I also wanted to mention my summer plans. I got a job as a faculty member at the Religious Freedom Center—a non-partisan, non-sectarian think tank in Washington DC. We will be designing online religious studies courses for pre-service public school teachers, which is super exciting (reme...
2017-03-20 20:41:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone, sorry for missing my usual every-other-Tuesday schedule. I was at a conference in New Jersey all week, which threw off my flow. But I finally got my St. Patrick's day vid out! Better late than never!
Stay tuned Sunday for another video...a review of Reza Aslan's new TV series on CNN: Believer.
2017-03-18 00:05:28 +0000 UTC View PostI have exciting news that I wanted to share with you all first! Every quarter, YouTube tycoons John and Hank Green (famous for CrashCourse, SciShow, and Vlogbrothers) award up-and-coming YouTube channels with small grants to help grow their audiences. I applied for this sponsorship months ago and had all but given up hope, but Complexly (the Green brother's YouTube company), contacted me today to ...
2017-01-11 22:01:14 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone! I just wanted to send out a quick message to you all. Two weeks ago I attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. Try to imagine 10,000 graduate students and scholars of religious studies descending upon the same convention center in San Antonio, TX to share their research. It truly is a crazy spectacle to behold!
I had the opportunity to present a paper o...
2016-12-05 14:07:59 +0000 UTC View Post