Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

Kim Yaged has worked for the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations, and is also an award-winning writer having received the Kennedy Center Meritorious Achievement Award for her theater/dance hybrid America which explores ethnicity, race, religion, and culture in the United States as well as many other awards such as for her renowned work Hypocrites & Strippers. What’s even cooler is that Kim and Corey are from the same hometown in New Jersey. And, yeah, we both had the same high school English teacher as Bruce Springsteen! On this episode, Kim joins Ronnie and Corey for a very different conversation than we were planning.

On today's episode, our friend Paige Pendleton, who voted differently than Ronnie and Corey in the presidential election, came in for a great conversation about politics, the state of the media, how we engage and how we raise our kids among other topics. Paige is an author of children and adult fiction (including The Black Ledge series, The Keeper of the Rune Stone, The Keeper of the Alabaster Chalice and Reginald the Railway Rat). Paige also sits on the Maine Animal Science Committee and, with an educational background in biology/microbiology, has advised on infectious disease control. With the COVID-19 outbreak she's been working with businesses, schools and other organizations advising on infectious disease prevention full time all over the state of Maine.

Peter Englert, Adult Ministries Director at Browncroft Community Church in upstate NY, has a very innovative, practical approach to staying connected with his community using social and digital media, such as through his podcast Why God Why and his website peterenglert.com. We explore how he pastors at a church that has members who identify across the political spectrum. Ronnie also asks about the nature and purpose of prayer, the intersection of faith and politics (of course) and about a Christian pastor's mission.

On this bonus episode, our pal Harrison Leonard gets real about his journey from being a conservative (politically and theologically) to having a crisis (or crises) of faith, identifying as a libertarian, veering back towards conservatism and then ultimately to a more progressive political disposition and a "live and let live" theological one, all the while affirming both his Jewish heritage and Christian faith. 

R.C. Sproul, Jr. is a Christian writer and theologian who’s written over a dozen books on topics ranging from Homeschooling to Economics to Theology, including most recently a tribute to his  father, the renowned apologist and pastor of the same name, Growing Up (with) R.C. Ronnie and Corey have a candid conversation with R.C. about dealing with our own failings and scandal. They also do a deep dive on how to interpret Scripture and cover some current politics, each coming from a very different perspective.

On this episode, Ronnie and Corey talk with the brilliant, renowned economist, Michael Ferrantino. In his current role at the World Bank, Michael is ensconced in promoting recovery in global trade in the wake of COVID-19. We also mix it up with a discussion of our religious formation, get into some politics (of course) and even talk some baseball. Most importantly, back by popular demand is a special cameo by the now infamous Phyllis, aka Grandma. It's priceless. Trust me.

What is expertise? Does it still matter? How can we know things? How can we know what the truth is? How does our faith inform everything else? And what's up with anti-intellectualism? 

Dr. E. Johanna Hartelius is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She's the author of The Gifting Logos: Expertise in the Digital Commons and The Rhetoric of Expertise. She's also a co-host on the podcasts You're Not Accepted and Crackers and Grape Juice. And yeah, she's pretty bad-ass!

Dr. Amy Laura Hall is Assoc. Prof. of Christian Ethics at Duke Divinity School and the author of several books including Kierkegaard and the Treachery of Love; Conceiving Parenthood: American Protestantism and the Spirit of Reproduction; Writing Home, With Love: Politics for Neighbors and Naysayers; and Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich. 

Many will find our conversation highly engaging and fun while others may just get ticked off! Here's some of what we discuss:

• Who are "they"?
• The ministry of "that sucks!"
• Descending that damn escalator
• "...beautifully and wonderfully made gay by God..."
• Muscular Christianity
• Welcome to the “tzitzka-macha club”
• Plus, a cameo by Lisa Nathan

As you'll find, Amy Laura happens to be the most gracious, thoughtful, empathetic spit-fire of an activist, minister, teacher, mother, good trouble maker Durham’s ever seen!

Ross Patterson is a NY Times Best-Selling Author, Actor, Writer, Director, Producer, who has been leading the way in the podcast space, garnering millions of listeners with Drinkin’ Bros, Drinkin' Broettes, Ross Patterson Revolution, American Party Podcast and will soon be putting their sports show on it's own feed. On this episode, Corey and Ross talk about everything from the current state of media to politics (of course) and how Post Malone stole our beer pong show. Just totally ripped it off!

Dr. George Yancey is a sociologist and a professor at the Institute for Studies of Religion and Sociology at Baylor University. On this episode Corey and Ronnie cover critical issues such as Professor Yancey's alternative to anti-racism, mutual responsibility; Christianaphobia; the reasons for and dangers of the evangelical community's support of Donald Trump; the American Solidarity Party; and his read of the election results.

Dr. Yancey is a prolific author of many books including his most recent contributions So Many Christians, So Few Lions (dealing with Christianophobia); Transcending Racial Barriers; and Compromising Scholarship (on religious and political bias in Amer. higher education) among many others. And you can also have your paradigms shattered on the aptly called Shattering Paradigms his Patheos blog.

Rabbi Mark Blazer of Temple Beth Ami discusses how he became a rabbi, the differences between the Reform and Conservative movements of Judaism and his expanded role with JLTV, the network his father Phil Blazer started that garners 10s of thousands of Jewish, Christian and secular viewers from around the world. Ronnie and Corey also explore the state of politics today, in particular: Was Trump good for Israel? If so, was it worth it? You might be surprised by the answer!

Tommy Givens, author of We the People, Israel and the Catholicity of Jesus, is Assoc. Prof. of New Testament Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. Tommy talks with Ronnie and Corey about growing up as a "pastor's kid," his formative years as a missionary in Spain and working for his doctorate at Duke Divinity School, and how his theological convictions have shaped his participation in the greater redemption project, sometimes putting him at odds with the same Evangelical community he grew up in.

In the first of our series, "The Garbage Man and the Window Washer Save the Universe," two engaged citizens discuss everything from the final presidential debate of 2020, to "the Garbage Man's" background as a local businessman as well as his religious formation, to THE POLLS! We have a lengthy conversation about how to read the polls, different factors to consider, the fact that not all polls are equal, and Corey even gives some prognostications on key swing states!

An intro to co-host Ronnie Nathan and the back story about how Corey, after growing up in a very observantly Jewish family, became a Christian, the impact that had on Ronnie and Corey's relationship as father and son, how others absorbed the news (including Phyllis, Ronnie's wife and Corey's mom), and the conversation that started that Thanksgiving morning 20 years ago involving religion, family, politics and everything in between continues to this day.