Episodes

In this episode, we delve into the topic of mental health, especially during this stressful election season. This is a departure from our usual conversations on politics and religion to emphasize the importance of stepping back from political chaos for mental well-being. One of the tools that are discussed include how meditation has been a transformative practice for many people, alongside other valuable “arrows for our quiver” like writing / prayer, physical exercise, nourishing the mind with g...

“The polls were wrong!” “My guy was down by 6 and he won!” Yeah, yeah, we’ve been hearing these jabs for years. So how can anyone say, “The polls weren’t wrong”? In this episode, we dive into all that and more! We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics We’re joined by Carl Allen, a researcher and analyst specializing in sports and political data. We dis...

“HOW CAN ANYONE THINK THAT?” “What person with a brain would actually think that way?” Many of us have heard folks say this out of exasperation. Let’s face it, many of us have thought this way. And if it’s not said out loud, it’s the subtext of too many encounters we have with people that occupy different 'epistemological bubbles.' We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.co...

So who won the debate? And will it matter? We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this special cross-over episode with our pal Will Wright of the Faithful Politics Podcast, we discuss our impressions of the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. We highlight key moments, such as Harris's ninja move at the top (i.e. the handshake) and her a...

Is it possible to have a healthy conversation with someone who's voting differently than we are? Who has a very different interpretation of key events than we do? Who has different concerns than we do? Yeah, it is possible. And here's a conversation where we give it a whirl. We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this episode, we’re joined by Core...

Bottom line: What's at stake in the 2024 U.S. election? And what does the pro-democracy coalition have to do to win? We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this episode, Reed Galen, co-founder of the Lincoln Project and "the pretty face" who launched jointheunion.us, shares his extensive experience in political campaigning and his views on the 202...

What's it like to get pounded by folks who passionately object to one's theological orthodoxy and political conservatism? And then to get mercilessly attacked for speaking out against the hypocrisy being exhibited by other supposed conservatives? We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this much anticipated conversation with New York Times columnis...

Ask an old Jewish guy from Brooklyn a question, and he's sure to answer with another question, a bissle of "on the one hand... but on the other hand..." and a megillah that involves a whole lot of talking over each other! We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this episode, we’re treated to the highly anticipated return of Ronnie Nathan, aka Corey...

Will the worship of Trump and further consolidation of the MAGA base be a winning strategy? Or will themes like joy, freedom, patriotism and the strategy of expanding the coalition lift the Democrats to victory? We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this episode, we do a comprehensive comparison between the 2024 Republican National Convention (RN...

After former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger delivered a kick-ass primetime speech at the Democratic National Convention, we thought it would be good to re-boot our conversation with him here. We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics "Bringing people together to learn how to do democracy again. And we're gonna go after the crazies in the politica...

In the 20th Century, we had Cold War adversaries. In the early 2000s, George W. Bush talked about the Axis of Evil. But are those frameworks the most accurate way to understand the forces attempting to undermine not just democratic nations but democratic ideas? And to what degree have these antagonists - those that are fundamentally opposed to our core principles such as the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and basic human rights - pervaded U.S. politics? We're on Pa...

How will the 2024 election be won? Who are the key voters who will decide this election? (And these were the softball questions we tackled!) This is part 2 of our convo with Lisa Sharon Harper of Freedom Road. Since we sat down for this discussion, Lisa was invited by Evangelicals for Harris to participate in the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (So, she's kind of a big deal!) In this edition, we candidly and lovingly explore a number of subjects where we have differences. Eg. Were th...

How does our faith journey affect our politics? Or to what degree have our politics shaped our religious identity? Hard questions. But in this election season, these are questions that need to be explored. *Special note: Since we recorded this conversation, Lisa Sharon Harper has been invited to join Evangelicals for Harris and will be attending the Democratic National Convention as part of her work with the organization. We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsa...

Let's talk candidly about why Gov. Josh Shapiro of PA wasn't chosen as Kamala Harris's running mate. Let's also assess the merits and potential drawbacks of Gov. Tim Walz of MN as the Democratic VP candidate. Oh, and while we're at it, how's that J.D. Vance pick working out for the Trump campaign? We're joined by Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic and professor emeritus of national-security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, to discuss all of this and more! We get into Tom's backgrou...

We'll be doing more of these "all the news that's fit to pod" episodes through the election (and possibly beyond). This is the "regular guys like me" edition with, brother of the pod, Eddie Nathan! After some introductions, we dive right into VP Palooza, giving our prognostications and sharing thoughts on what qualifications are most important in choosing a running mate. We explore some difficult questions around the possibility of choosing PA Gov. Josh Shapiro. By choosing him, does it alienat...

Navigating Politics, Business, and Legacy with Suzette Valladares In this episode, a special joint broadcast of the Voices of Business: SCV and Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other, Suzette Valladares shares her personal journey from a background in the nonprofit sector to politics. We discuss the LOCAL Santa Clarita Valley community, her career, the formation of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus at the STATE level, and her experience running for the California State Senat...

What are some of the weakest arguments against Kamala Harris's candidacy for president? As our brilliant guest Jonathan Rauch put it, "There's some really stupid sh!t." At the same time, there are some more justified concerns. Let's talk about all of it! We also get into rank prognostication on who the Democratic VP pick will be, as well as how we think the 2024 presidential election will end up. But before we get into all that, we dive into Jon's two most recent pieces in THE ATLANTIC: One fro...

What does it mean to be a Christian Social Democrat? Can one be pro-life and align with the political left? How Christian is American Christendom or a Trumpified Evangelicalism? Has contemporary American Christendom shaken your own faith? We asked these questions and discussed a great deal more with the brilliant writer, Elizabeth Bruenig. (Please note, this conversation was recorded prior to when President Biden opted out of the 2024 presidential race.) We're on Patreon! Join the community: h...

"...How Social Media and the Internet Gave Snake Oil Salesmen and Demagogues the Weapons They Needed to Destroy Trust and Polarize the World--And What We Can Do" We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this episode, we’re joined by Steven Brill, an acclaimed author and co-founder of NewsGuard, a service that rates the reliability of online news. Af...

There's so much happening in the news right now. We thought it'd be a good idea to get together with our pal Will Wright from the Faithful Politics podcast to think through some of the most relevant news stories from the last few days. The topics we discuss include: The attempted assassination of former President Trump The pick of Senator J.D. Vance from Ohio to be Trump's running mate To Biden or not to Biden (and "STFU" is not the answer) Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the classified ...

The events of July 13, 2024 underscore the central question we've been asking on this program: How can we do better at talking about politics and religion without killing each other or is it even possible? In this special edition, we provide comments by several prior guests of TP&R as well as a number of other leaders from both parties. We included statements from David French, Monica Guzman on behalf of Braver Angels, Fred Guttenberg, former Congressman Joe Walsh, Elizabeth Neumann, Pete Wehner...

What's it like to get pounded by folks who passionately object to one's theological orthodoxy and political conservatism? And then to get mercilessly attacked for speaking out against the hypocrisy being exhibited by other supposed conservatives? We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics In this much anticipated conversation with New York Times columnis...

This is a conversation with Mónica Guzmán from almost 2 years ago right after her book, I NEVER THOUGHT OF IT THAT WAY, came out. Moni is on the front lines of addressing the problem of polarization and helping people bridge the political divide in their everyday lives. Everything we discussed is even more pressing today than when we first talked. We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: https://ra...

ICYMI... Let's talk about the words, actions and character of Donald J. Trump in light of what the Bible says about virtue and vice. But instead of starting with our political preferences and prejudices and THEN backing shards of Scripture into what we want, what if we started with what the Bible actually says FIRST? Then we can more earnestly reckon with the implications of what we're dealing with today. We're on Patreon! Join the community: https://www.patreon.com/politicsandreligion It wou...