Bill Kristol is editor at large of The Bulwark; host of the podcast Conversations with Bill Kristol; and Chairman of the Board of the Republican Accountability Project. In this conversation, we discuss neoconservatism; the diversity of people and perspectives at Harvard; what happened to Tucker Carlson since his time at the Weekly Standard; whether isolationism and bigotry have taken hold; what we should read into recent special elections; and where we go from here.

Jeff Harding is the Area Coordinator at National Network of Youth Ministries, which means he’s a leader of leaders; he is also Youth Minister at Trinity Fellowship Church; and is the Founder and Host of the Youth Ministry Maverick Podcast. We discuss some of the unique challenges youth face today, the divide of social and political leanings between Gen Z  and their parents’ age groups (Gen X), and how to engage with the “Biggest generation ever, with the shortest attention span ever.”

Will Wright and Josh Burtram are the hosts of Faithful Politics where they talk to experts, scholars, theologians, politicians, journalists, and everyday people in order to understand how political decisions affect people of faith and the faithless and are “proving that it is much more rewarding to discuss topics in an effort to understand each other rather than just score points.” Will Wright, a lifelong student of politics who enlisted in the Army after 9/11 and traveled the world as a consultant after his time in the service, is a former atheist, disabled Veteran, and African-Asian American whose political views tend to be more Liberal Progressive; Josh Burtram, who has traditionally stayed out of the political environment is a full-time Pastor at Short Pump Community Church outside of Richmond, Virginia and is a Conservative Republican, who has a heart and passion for theology.

Michael Wear served in the Obama White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships from 2009-2012, and led religious outreach for Pres. Obama’s re-election campaign. In 2020, Michael was Sr. Advisor to Not Our Faith PAC, a bipartisan effort that made a Christian case against re-electing Donald Trump. Today, Michael is the founder of Public Square Strategies, a consulting firm at the intersection of faith and public life. Michael is also Sr. Fellow at The Trinity Forum, and has written for The N.Y. Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, Christianity Today and other major publications. He is an author of, among other contributions, Reclaiming Hope, and has a newsletter of the same name, as well as a recent report he co-wrote for Trinity titled Christianity, Pluralism, and Public Life in the United States.

In this conversation, we get to see “inside the room” to learn how decisions at the highest levels of our military and government get made. We get to hear how folks who spent a lifetime serving our country processed personal decisions of working for and then leaving the Trump Administration. David Lapan served more than 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring in 2015 as a colonel. Col. Lapan is a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and was most recently the spokesperson under Secretary John Kelly at the Dept. of Homeland Security. Prior to that, our guest was spokesperson for several Secretaries of Defense; the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Commander, Int’l. Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces – Afghanistan; and for multinational forces during military operations in Haiti and Iraq. Dave also volunteers with Tragedy Assistance Program For Survivors (TAPS), a great organization that cares for the families of America’s fallen heroes.

Beth Braunstein was elected to be a Director on the SCV Water Board which provides “responsible water stewardship to ensure the Santa Clarita Valley has reliable supplies of high quality water at a reasonable cost.” We discuss water shortages, how an area like SCV is able to source water, how to provide safe water as well as strategies of conserving water. We also branch out into subjects like what prompted Beth as an engaged citizen to run for elected office and even get into some other political issues.

Bill Goebel and Odell Cleveland are the co-hosts of Bill & Odell Are Finding Common Ground. As they describe it, “One Republican, one Democrat, one black, one white, both devoted Christians that love the Lord and one another!” In this conversation, we discuss how two fellows with very different backgrounds and many differing viewpoints have been able to find common ground on some of the most challenging issues from race to politics to religion and everything in between.
Check out Bill and Odell’s program here: http://www.thecommonground.show/
And here’s a great non-profit they support: https://youthofnc.com/

James Patton, CEO of International Center for Religion and Diplomacy joins TPandR along with colleague, Loujain Kiki, to discuss the economic roots of extremism and how their efforts to counter violence overseas are returning home to address our domestic divides.  We cover how to prepare a community for the influx of refugees from Afghanistan and why American xenophobia is on the rise.  Perhaps most important of all, we explore how religious understanding is an underutilized tool in diplomacy and peace-making.
For more information on ICRD: www.icrd.org
Register here for their annual Faith in Action Awards dinner on September 23, 2021.
To discover Center for Women Faith & Leadership: http://www.centerforwomenfaithandleadership.org/