Faithful Politics

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this conversation, Nadine Smith traces her journey from investigative journalism to becoming one of the country’s leading civil rights advocates. Drawing from decades of experience, she explains how organizations like Color of Change work to shift systems of power, amplify margi...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What is actually happening inside Congress right now—and how does it affect everyday people? In this episode, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan breaks down a wide range of issues shaping the current political moment, from rising healthcare costs and federal budget cuts to military a...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com This conversation takes a direct look at one of the most debated claims in American politics: whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation. John Fea, a historian of early America, walks through how historians approach that question and why it often gets misunderstood...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com The middle class in America didn’t just happen—it was built through government policies after World War II. In this episode, law professor Mechele Dickerson explains how things like affordable housing, stable jobs, and access to education helped create a strong middle class—and why...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics , Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Bunni Pounds to unpack America Reads the Bible , a national initiative tied to the 250th anniversary of the United States. The project brings together leaders from government, ministry, and cul...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with sociologists Michael Emerson and Glenn Bracey to unpack the core ideas behind their book The Religion of Whiteness . The conversation explores a challenging but important question: how cultural...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with political theorist and historian Hyrum Lewis to challenge one of the most basic assumptions in American political thinking: the left-right spectrum. Drawing from his work on The Myth of the Left...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What does it actually mean to “deconstruct” your faith—and why are so many people doing it? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Margaret Rose Bronson, founder of Deconstruction Doulas, a support network helping people navigate rel...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com *Note* Appologies for my audio, it was a bad microphone day! - Will  What role does Christian Zionism play in shaping American politics and foreign policy? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright sits down with investigative journalist Kiera Butler of Mother Jones to unpa...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What happens when faith becomes a source of harm instead of healing? In this episode of Faithful Politics , Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with therapist Morgan Piercy, who specializes in religious trauma, deconstruction, and identity rebuilding after high-control fai...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What if the abortion debate is missing the most important framework entirely? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Angela Weszely, founder of ProGrace and author of Becoming ProGrace . Drawing from her experience in both ministry a...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What happens when your faith tradition and your political reality collide? In this episode, we sit down with Peter Beinartto unpack the moral and theological tensions shaping the war in Gaza and the broader debate around Zionism. Beinart walks through his personal evolution from li...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Pastor Josh Burtram sits down with Old Testament scholar and author L. Daniel Hawk to unpack the theological roots and lasting impact of Manifest Destiny. What many Americans were taught as a story of courage and expansion is reexamined through...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics , Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Rachel Laser , President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, about the growing legal and political battles over religion in American public life. Laser argues the count...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What if the basic way we talk about politics is fundamentally flawed? In this episode of Faithful Politics , Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Verlan Lewis , professor of constitutional studies at Utah Valley University and co-author of The Myth of Left and Right: H...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What do the numbers actually tell us about Christian nationalism in the United States? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), to walk through the latest national...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com How secure are America’s elections, and what actually happens behind the scenes when votes are cast and counted? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Josh Burtram sit down with election journalist Jessica Huseman, Editorial Director of VoteBeat, to walk through the...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What does it mean to call America a “Christian nation”? And has it ever truly been one? In this episode, we sit down with Matt Avery Sutton, historian and author of Chosen Land, to unpack the long and complicated relationship between Christianity and American public life. From Chri...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Note: This episode was recorded prior to Tricia McLaughlin announced she was leaving DHS: ( read ) Minnesota-based YouTuber and former pastor Pat Kahnke returns to Faithful Politics to discuss federal immigration enforcement, media narratives, and the emotional toll on local commun...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Filmmaker Matthew Pridgen , director of The Sins of Our Fathers: Race, Religion and the Rise of Trump , joins Faithful Politics to examine the roots and rise of Christian nationalism in America. Drawing from his documentary, Pridgen traces connections between slavery, segregation,...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Christian nationalism is becoming a central force in American politics and public debate. In this episode, Congressman Jared Huffman joins Faithful Politics to discuss Christian nationalism in the United States, how it is defined, and how it is influencing government, policy, and p...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Sociologist Ruth Braunstein joins Faithful Politics to examine how Americans use faith and moral language to interpret citizenship, protest, and public life. Drawing on her research into religious activism across the political spectrum, Braunstein explains why democracy in the Unit...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, we sit down with James Michael Smith, founder of  @DiscipleDojo for a conversation about how Christians engage culture without losing clarity or charity. Smith draws on his background in theology and martial arts to frame public discourse as sp...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com This month’s live Point of View (POV) brings a close reading of several U.S. government social media posts that pair Bible verses and prayers with military messaging. We’re joined by author and journalist Brian Kaylor to examine how these passages are being used, what they mean in...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Note: We discuss social media posts in this episode that are shown on the screen. To see the actual images watch the YouTube episode: https://youtu.be/316SCgIX9qQ  The Department of Homeland Security has been posting Bible verses alongside immigration enforcement content. In this e...