What's at the root of the differences between generations? How different are those in the Silent Generation (that's who came after the Greatest Generation) from GenZ and "Polars" (which is the working name of the youngest generation)? Are major historical events like the Great Depression, World War II or, more recently, the Great Recession and COVID 19 the most significant factors in shaping a generation? Or could it be technology? Our guest, Dr. Jean Twenge, says it's the latter. In particular, Dr. Twenge asserts that it's technology's "daughters," the slow life strategy and individualism that have evolved over the course of the six generations she covers in her latest book, GENERATIONS. And that's just scratching the surface!
 
JEAN TWENGE, PHD, is a professor of psychology at San Diego State University and has written extensively on generational change, including many scientific papers and several books including her most recent one titled Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future. Dr. Twenge’s work on generational differences and technology is based on a dataset of 39 million people. Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and National Public Radio.
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
www.threads.net/@coreysnathan
 
www.jeantwenge.com
 
jeanmtwenge.substack.com
 
www.jeantwenge.com/generations-book-by-dr-jean-twenge

This is a special presentation of Let’s Find Common Ground from our friends at Common Ground Committee. CGC’s mission is to bring healing to the national challenges of polarization and incivility, inspiring and motivating the public to find common ground. They do this by demonstrating how influential people of opposing views can find agreement without compromising core values. Here are the show notes from this episode of Let’s Find Common Ground:
 
"Moderate Republican Will Hurd insists that across the country 'there is more that unites us than divides us.' The former GOP Congressman threw his hat into the ring in June with a video announcement that he's running for President of the United States. Our latest episode of 'Let's Find Common Ground' re-visits our interview with Will Hurd, recorded one year ago.
 
"Hurd stresses the need for both pragmatism and nuance when tackling guns, immigration, and other hot-button issues. But don't call him a squishy moderate. 'In the media in Washington DC…moderate means middle of the road,' he says. 'But in reality, moderates are the ones that do the hard work and get things done because they’re the ones that are having to take a philosophy to people that may not identify with it.'
 
"Will Hurd served as a CIA agent overseas and conducted briefings for members of Congress. This experience inspired him to run for Texas 23rd Congressional district, which he won in 2014. Congress. He was elected three times in a swing district where Democrats often win. Hurd says in our podcast interview that he succeeded by engaging with voters from both sides, not just voters who shared all his beliefs."
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
www.threads.net/@coreysnathan
 
commongroundcommittee.org/podcasts/
 
commongroundcommittee.org/

Will Saletan returns to discuss his book, The Corruption of Lindsey Graham: A Case Study in the Rise of Authoritarianism. It's a fascinating, well-sourced study on the public record of Lindsey Graham since 2015 that helps us better understand what's happened to the Republican Party since the rise of Trump. When and why did many Republicans start capitulating to Donald Trump? We discussed how it's not just the rhetoric that changes; but the people themselves that change. As Will profoundly points out, "The more evil you are convinced the other party is, the more evil you will support on the theory that your guy is less evil than theirs." We also covered how Will does "after-action reports" as a journalist to see what he got wrong in his earlier writing in order to calibrate his current work; making better arguments overall, i.e. "What we're not gonna do is punch the referees;" and we went head first into political prognostications about 2024. 
 
Will Saletan wrote for Slate for 25 years, having written over 2700 pieces for the daily online magazine. He’s also the author of Bearing Right: How Conservatives Won the Abortion War. Will joined The Bulwark in early 2022. The Bulwark is an important media outlet which provides political analysis and reporting free from the constraints of partisan loyalties or tribal prejudices. And Will Saletan is now the author of the aforementioned The Corruption of Lindsey Graham: A Case Study in the Rise of Authoritarianism.
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
www.threads.net/@coreysnathan
 
www.thebulwark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Corruption-of-Lindsey-Graham.pdf
 
www.thebulwark.com/
 
www.threads.net/@wsaletan

It was a pleasure to be joined by the Editor in Chief of CHRISTIANITY TODAY, Dr. Russell Moore, to discuss his new book LOSING OUR RELIGION. So, of course, we started with the very controversial topic of whether dogs go to heaven! But it was actually a nice way to break the ice before getting into the serious subject of depression. We talked about so much including: How professing Christians dismiss the words of Jesus as being "not for our time"; becoming disillusioned, as in losing some illusions that we previously held; the problem of "protecting the ministry," truth be damned; old coalitions blowing up and surprising new coalitions forming; and much, much more.
 
Dr. Russell Moore is Editor in Chief of Christianity Today and is the author of Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America. Dr. Moore served previously as President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and, before that, as the chief academic officer and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also taught theology and ethics. Moore was a Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics and currently serves on the board of Becket Law which exists to defend the free exercise of all faiths, from Anglican to Zoroastrian. He also hosts the weekly podcast The Russell Moore Show and is co-host of Christianity Today’s weekly news and analysis podcast, The Bulletin. And certainly not least among his roles is husband to Maria, dad of five sons and Bible teacher at their congregation, Immanuel Church.
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
www.threads.net/@coreysnathan
 
www.threads.net/@russellmoore
 
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709965/losing-our-religion-by-russell-moore/
 
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/russell-moore-show/

We are joined in this episode by Writer, Producer, Actor and Mentor, LARRY WILMORE! We discussed what drew Larry to comedy, writing, acting and producing; and, yes, we did talk about the WGA strike; why, as a kid, he was compelled by the work of such greats as Houdini, Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers and Flip Wilson; rebounding from professional setbacks and keeping a healthy mindset; his thoughts on the "TP&R question" - how to be better at talking about politics and religion across our differences; and we got pretty deep with the concept of consciousness, meaning and why humans have a desire to have a life of meaning.
 
Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore is a prolific producer, actor, comedian, and writer. He is also the host of the excellent podcast Larry Wilmore: Black on the Air. Larry is perhaps best known for his role as host of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore and as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Off-screen, Larry serves as co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s Insecure, and helped to launch ABC’s black-ish as an executive producer and is a co-creator of the spin-off Grownish. Previously, he has written for In Living Color, The PJ’s (which he co-created), The Office (on which he also appeared), and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He also served as creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him his Emmy for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a 2001 Peabody Award. In 2016, Larry hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Larry is also an author, having released his first book, I’d Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts, in January 2009.
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
www.threads.net/@coreysnathan
 
www.theringer.com/larry-wilmore-black-on-air
 
Reasonable Doubt on Hulu - www.hulu.com/series/reasonable-doubt-226c1cc5-ecc9-4d26-83a6-40131a93ed19
 
Jerry and Marge Go Large - www.paramountplus.com/shows/paramount-plus/video/B8wTNAzgYrU2jPLef3IehO_xl_sg15pn/jerry-marge-go-large-cast-featurette-paramount-/
 
twitter.com/larrywilmore
 
www.threads.net/@larrywilmore

First, can we talk about polling? Todd Rose can! Todd and his team at Populace are figuring out how to do better surveys to get more accurate information. No, really. It’s all about methodology. And wow, do they have some surprising and encouraging takeaways! In particular, WE’RE NOT REALLY AS DIVIDED SO MUCH AS WE THINK WE’RE DIVIDED. So how much are the loudest, most extreme voices driving the conversation in public spaces? And how many of the rest of us are self-silencing? What about COLLECTIVE ILLUSIONS? What’s the definition of collective illusions? And what are some of the most prevalent ones?
 
Todd Rose is the co-founder and president of Populace, a think tank committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to pursue fulfilling lives in a thriving society. Prior to Populace, he was a faculty member at Harvard University where he founded the Laboratory for the Science of Individuality and directed the Mind, Brain, and Education program. Todd is the best selling author of Collective Illusions, Dark Horse, and The End of Average. 
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
The Power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel - https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/wp-content/uploads/1979/01/the-power-of-the-powerless.pdf
 
http://www.populace.org/
 
http://www.toddrose.com/
 
https://www.amazon.com/Collective-Illusions-Conformity-Complicity-Decisions/dp/0306925680
 
https://www.threads.net/@coreysnathan

Tim Keller and Michael Gerson were both at the top of the list of guests we wanted to have on TP&R. Sadly we lost both gentlemen within the last year. Mike passed away last November and Tim died in May of this year. But we’re lucky to have Jonathan Rauch and Pete Wehner for this conversation because they were all friends and had a big impact on each other’s lives.
 
Timothy Keller was senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. As Sam Roberts described him in The New York Times, Tim was "...a best-selling author and theorist of Christianity who performed a modern miracle of his own — establishing a theologically orthodox church in Manhattan that attracted thousands of young professional followers..."
 
Michael Gerson was a nationally syndicated columnist writing for The Washington Post from 2007 until his death on Nov. 17, 2022. He was the author of HEROIC CONSERVATISM and co-author of CITY OF MAN: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN A NEW ERA. He appeared regularly on the “PBS NewsHour,” “Face the Nation” and other programs. Gerson served as senior adviser at One, a bipartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. Until 2006, Gerson was a top aide to President George W. Bush as assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning. Prior to that appointment, he served in the White House as assistant to the president for speechwriting, policy adviser, deputy assistant to the president and director of presidential speechwriting.
 
Jonathan Rauch is the author of numerous books including THE CONSTITUTION OF KNOWLEDGE: A DEFENSE OF TRUTH. He’s a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic among other publications.
 
Pete Wehner is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic as well as The New York Times, he’s a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum and the author of several books including THE DEATH OF POLITICS: HOW TO HEAL OUR FRAYED REPUBLIC AFTER TRUMP.
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion

Jonathan Rauch and Pete Wehner both return to the TP&R pod. Only this time we get them together! For a little background, Jon and Pete have a number of fundamental differences (eg. Jon is an atheist and Pete is a devout Christian); yet, they also happen to be good friends. So the conversation was flowing before we even hit record. We were discussing Pete's recent essay in THE ATLANTIC "Morality Is for Trump What Colors Are to the Color-Blind." We discussed pervasive cognitive dissonance, specifically on the part of people of faith and their continued embrace of Donald Trump. We also talked about our own need to have epistemological humility. Then we explored a construct that Jon is fleshing out for an upcoming book. That is, the 4 existential questions of 1) Morality, 2) Mortality, 3) Malevolence, and 4) Miracles. 
 
Pete Wehner is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum. His books include The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump, City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, which he co-wrote with Michael Gerson, and Wealth and Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism. He was formerly a speechwriter for George W. Bush and a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Peter is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and his work also appears in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and National Affairs.
 
JONATHAN RAUCH, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, is the author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government. He is a contributing writer for The Atlantic and many other publications including The New Republic, The Economist, Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and interestingly Religion News Service among many others. His latest book is The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, which we discussed last time Jon joined us on TP&R. One of his earlier works, Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought (published originally in 1993 and then expanded in 2013) defends free speech and robust criticism and remains a highly influential work. And of course, it must be mentioned that Jon is arguably most famous for not liking shrimp!
 
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.
 
www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion
 
twitter.com/coreysnathan
 
www.theatlantic.com/author/peter-wehner/
 
jonathanrauch.typepad.com/
 
https://braverangels.org/
 
The Dark Knight clip - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIYkhb2NjfE
 
The article on the "Need for Chaos" - royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rstb.2020.0147