{"podcast":{"title":"Holy Smoke","slug":"holy-smoke-637985","podcast_index_feed_id":637985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6835905c2780b226c72e9d0d","website_url":"https://audioboom.com/channels/4905584-holy-smoke","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6835905c2780b226c72e9d0d/1784644193676-15771d02-c401-4dea-aff4-c3af43bd06c3.jpeg","author":"The Spectator","episode_count":236,"summary":"The most important and controversial topics in world religion, thoroughly dissected by a range of high profile guests. Presented by Damian Thompson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T10:17:18.971180+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/holy-smoke-637985"},"episode":{"title":"When Mary Calls: why Protestants are praying to the Mother of God","slug":"when-mary-calls-why-protestants-are-praying-to-the-mother-of-god","published_at":"2026-07-19T07:32:49+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/holy-smoke-637985/when-mary-calls-why-protestants-are-praying-to-the-mother-of-god","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/holy-smoke-637985","url":"https://shows.acast.com/holy-smoke/episodes/mary-why-is-a-figure-associated-with-healing-so-divisive","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6835905c2780b226c72e9d0d/e/6a5c7c507a878a3380f7c699/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=BuhXf_DYYZCWmsHaHhlI0q0FQF5dQOHYWcXNKXoW0pc","summary":"For many Christians, devotion to the Virgin Mary is deeply moving. For others, it raises uncomfortable theological questions. Is the veneration of Mary a vital part of Christian faith or does it risk elevating her to something resembling a goddess? And why are growing numbers of Protestants, as well as Catholics and Orthodox Christians, rediscovering Marian devotion today? Damian Thompson is joined by theologian and author Margarita Mooney Clayton to discuss her new book When Mary Calls: Surprising Encounters with the Mother of God . They explore modern claims of Marian apparitions, why stories of Mary continue to resonate across Christian traditions and what devotion to the Mother of God reveals about the search for spiritual renewal in the modern world. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts . Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"For many Christians, devotion to the Virgin Mary is deeply moving. For others, it raises uncomfortable theological questions. Is the veneration of Mary a…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2157,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/holy-smoke-637985/episodes/when-mary-calls-why-protestants-are-praying-to-the-mother-of-god/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/holy-smoke-637985/when-mary-calls-why-protestants-are-praying-to-the-mother-of-god.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}