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.
 
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In this conversation, we welcome back dear friend Lisa Sharon Harper, founder of Freedom Road. We explore Lisa's spiritual journey, its impact on her political views, her transformative high school years in church youth groups, marking her initial encounter with Christianity. The conversation also addresses the evolving political landscape, including Biden's leadership, the Gaza conflict, and the significance of Kamala Harris's vice-presidential role. We touch on the Republican National Convention, Trump's speech, the incident of Trump being shot at, and the strategic mistakes of selecting JD Vance as Trump’s running mate. We also highlight the importance of understanding historical and social contexts when interpreting theological and political beliefs, emphasizing the power of ongoing, respectful dialogue in addressing complex issues.
 
02:27 High School and Youth Group Experiences
03:46 Encountering Jesus and Transformation
06:26 Challenges and Realizations in Church
10:24 Political Awareness and Racial Reconciliation
13:31 Theological Reflections and Pilgrimages
20:20 Impact of Shalom on Politics
27:28 Election Concerns and Biden's Leadership
33:27 The Debate and Family Reactions
35:09 Calls for Biden to Step Down
37:23 The Role of Kamala Harris
43:23 Trump's Influence and the RNC
46:28 JD Vance and the MAGA Movement
54:27 The Outsiders and MAGA
56:20 Concluding Thoughts and Future Conversations
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
freedomroad.us
 
www.evangelicalsforharris.com

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 background in a working-class family, his educational journey, and his career in academia. Tom also discusses his views on democracy, international security, and challenges in contemporary politics. We get to reflect on Tom's Greek Orthodox faith and how it shapes his beliefs, while contrasting his temperamentally and philosophically conservative outlook with the current stance of the Republican Party. Additionally, Tom offers insights on the importance of a balanced media diet in today's political landscape. And since Tom is a 5x Jeopardy champion, we do a little Robert DeNiro-inspired Jeopardy at the end!
 
03:30 Tom Nichols' Background and Upbringing
07:49 Influence of Church and Community
10:49 Orthodox Christianity and Politics
19:51 Political Philosophy and Conservatism
25:49 Discussion on Israel and U.S. Politics
32:56 Debating the Choice Between Shapiro and Walz
33:49 Tim Walz: The Normal Guy in Politics
36:24 Tim Walz's Background and Achievements
40:09 JD Vance: A Controversial Figure
46:40 Kamala Harris's Electability and Political Evolution
53:29 Media Consumption and Political Discourse
 
We're on Patreon! Join the community: 
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Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/daily
 
www.threads.net/@radiofreetom
 

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 alienate the "Genocide Joe/Josh" crowd? Or if she were to give in to this faction by not choosing Gov. Shapiro (a canceling of sorts), does it risk pissing off a much greater and more critical share of voters - center left, center right, college educated suburban women, etc. - who will actually deliver the election to Kamala Harris. We examine some concerns about Vice President Harris as a presidential candidate; ex-president Trump's response to Kamala's candidacy; and MAGA world's various meltdowns after Kamala (sounds like "MOM-aluh") became the presumptive nominee. We also take a bit of time thinking through the racist notion that Jewish people who don't vote for Trump are somehow "crappy Jews." 
 
We're on Patreon! Join the community: 
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It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: 
https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
www.threads.net/@the_zen_trucker
 
www.instagram.com/monkeybumpmusic
 
dailycaller.com

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 Senate. Suzette delves into her family's storied history, explains her fiscal conservatism, and reflects on the significant influence of her parents and grandmother. We also cover the challenges of running a small business in California, the importance of mentorship, and finding common ground in political discourse.
 
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
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
https://suzettevalladares.com/
 
https://www.thevoicesofbusiness.com/

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 from 7/1/24 titled "The World Is Realigning | An emerging Axis of Resistance confronts the Liberal Alliance;" and the other from the 7/23/24 edition titled "The Party Is Not Over | Nominations belong to parties, not to candidates."
 
We're on Patreon! Join the community: 
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It would mean so much if you could leave us a review: 
https://ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
www.jonathanrauch.com
 
www.theatlantic.com/author/jonathan-rauch

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.)
 
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Elizabeth Bruenig is a staff writer at The Atlantic. She was previously an opinion writer for The New York Times and The Washington Post, where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. She has also been a staff writer at The New Republic and a contributor to the Left, Right & Center radio show. She currently hosts a podcast, The Bruenigs, with her husband, Matt Bruenig. Elizabeth holds a master of philosophy in Christian theology from the University of Cambridge. At The Atlantic, she writes about theology and politics - right up our alley!
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
https://www.theatlantic.com/author/elizabeth-bruenig/  
 
https://www.patreon.com/thebruenigs 
 
https://www.instagram.com/ebruenig/

"...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"
 
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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. After learning a bit about Steve’s renowned career, we explore some critical issues such as the health of American democracy, the effects of misinformation, and the role of NewsGuard in combating fake news. Steve also presents potential solutions to these issues, such as enforcing online platforms' terms of service and increasing news literacy. Then we dive into Steve's new book THE DEATH OF TRUTH, exploring how social media and the internet have eroded trust and polarized society.
 
03:07 Steven Brill's Background and Career Journey 
05:43 The Birth of NewsGuard 
32:31 The Importance of Transparency in Journalism 
35:34 The Role of Algorithms and Programmatic Advertising 
38:56 Understanding Section 230 and Its Impact 
48:21 The Human Element: Susceptibility and Demagoguery 
52:53 Proposed Solutions to Combat Misinformation 
56:43 Final Thoughts and How to Engage in Better Conversations 
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
http://reportfraud.ftc.gov/​#/form/​main 
 
https://www.newsguardtech.com/ 

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 documents case against Donald Trump
 
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
 
Let us know what you think. You can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.
 
Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
 
Very grateful for our sponsor Meza Wealth Management. Reach out to Jorge and his team: www.mezawealth.com
 
https://www.faithfulpolitics.us/ 
 
will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 
 
Stuart Stevens' piece in The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/antidemocratic-uprising-against-joe-biden/678865/ 
 
David French's column on the Aileen Cannon ruling - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/09/opinion/thepoint#documents-case-dismissed