Reza Aslan isn’t your typical religion scholar. The Iranian American author, professor, and commentator once brilliantly humiliated a Fox News host who had questioned what a Muslim would have to offer by writing a book about Jesus—ignoring Aslan’s status as a widely respected religious academic who has four degrees in the field. That book, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, would go on to become a #1 New York Times bestseller.
More recently, Aslan’s popular TV documentary series, Believer, was dropped by CNN last June, when, in the wake of President Trump’s call for a Muslim ban, Aslan tweeted that the president was a “piece of shit,” and “an embarrassment to humankind.”
In Aslan’s new book, God: A Human History, he presents a different approach to understanding the divine—one that’s more inclusive, and present in all of creation. Dr. Aslan recently spoke with the Mercury about God, and the constantly evolving nature of religion and spirituality. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.