Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

Sarah Isgur, staff writer at The Dispatch and host of its flagship podcast as well as Advisory Opinions with David French, has served on 3 presidential campaigns and in 3 branches of government. Sarah is a graduate of Harvard Law School where she was president of the Harvard Federalist Society and is a veteran of the U.S. Department of Justice. We cover a lot of ground in this energetic conversati...

As described on his new podcast, “Joe Walsh is a former U.S. Congressman, a former Presidential candidate, a radio host, and a man whose personal mission is to LISTEN. With WHITE FLAG with JOE WALSH, he surrenders the urge to fight and strives to find a path to unite, not divide.” Walsh is also the author of a book with one of our favorite titles ever: F*CK SILENCE: CALLING TRUMP OUT FOR THE CULTI...

Brad Edwards and Bryce Hales are co-hosts of Everything Just Changed , a podcast about good faith participation in community, grace-saturated conversations and committed to the common good. Their podcast has impressive, engaging guests and they have a knack for exploring the most relevant topics in thought-provoking ways. Brad and Bryce are also pastors at The Table Church which is, “rooted in sel...

Ron Steslow is the founder and host of Politicology , a leading voice in the fight against attacks on democracy in America and around the globe. Ron was a rising star in Republican politics before leaving the party in 2016. In 2019, he co-founded The Lincoln Project to lead its renowned marketing operation to defeat Trump and Trumpism. Just last year, Ron was named one of Fortune Magazine’s Top 40...

From social worker to small business owner to champion for other small businesses to political candidate, Selina Thomas ( linktr.ee/selinathomas ) is on quite a journey. Indeed, Selina is the first woman of color to be a candidate for City Council in Santa Clarita. On this episode we discuss how she ran toward the challenges small businesses have had to overcome over the last couple years, how she...

Known as “the Father of Faith-based Diplomacy,” Douglas Johnston has been in the room with such figures as Henry Kissinger and Robert McNamara, and experienced coming under fire from extremists while trying to negotiate peace in the Middle East. Doug is the Pres. Emeritus and Founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy . He is the author of numerous books on faith and diplomacy,...

There is still great journalism and excellent reporters contributing to our public square. One such newsman is Jake Sherman, co-founder of Punchbowl News , a daily news service focusing on Congress. After 11 years at Politico, Jake started Punchbowl with Anna Palmer and John Bresnahan. He also co-authored The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the Future of Trump’s America , which covers...

Jack Taggart is right at the cutoff between the Millenial and GenZ generations. He’s also part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormon Church. In this conversation, we explore what distinguishes the LDS church from other religions and hear some perspectives from a guy who’s a late Millennial early Gen Z.  Jack also has a really cool podcast called “ The Moderate Review ”...

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...

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), a...

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...

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...

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 i...

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 wha...

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 chal...

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 mo...

Hear how Craig Snyder (R), candidate for U.S. Senate , answers whether Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. It's different from what we've come to expect in politics today. We also discuss Craig's upbringing in Philadelphia; the formative years at U. Penn and Temple Law; being Sen. Arlen Specter's Chief of Staff; bringing leaders of diverse views together as head of World Affairs Council of Phila....

Del Walters is the Washington Bureau Chief of the Black News Channel .  Del hails from Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was the first African American on local television news. Del has reported on American racial justice for more than 40 years, ranging from infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan to outting Nazi Theodore Benzinger who conducted high altitude experiments on Jews. Del joins Jessica and Corey...

Matthew Colwell is Pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church in Pasadena CA and also the co-author of Our God is Undocumented: Biblical Faith and Immigrant Justice . Matt earned his Masters Degree in Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, his Doctorate from San Francisco Theological Seminary, and is also the author of Sabbath Economics: Household Practices . We discuss economic and military policies...

Dennis Quinn, of the Pew Research Center , is the Computational Social Scientist who was the Primary Researcher on their recent analysis PASTORS OFTEN DISCUSSED ELECTION, PANDEMIC AND RACISM IN FALL OF 2020 . We get great insights into what subjects were being covered in America's churches during election season, how 4 of the largest groups of churches were discussing those subjects and the stark...

With deep roots in Republican politics, Mike Madrid has now been on the front lines of defeating Trump and Trumpism. A graduate of Georgetown University and one of America's leading Latino political strategists, Mike has been changing the outcomes of Presidential, gubernatorial, congressional and local campaigns for 30 years. "Strategist, Entrepreneur, Teacher and Artist," Mike serves on the Board...

Edward-Isaac Dovere is staff writer at the Atlantic and author of the most authoritative account of the Democrats’ presidential campaigns of 2020, Battle for the Soul . In this conversation, Corey and Jessica dive into the book as well as Isaac's professional trajectory and his views on the current political landscape. In our discussion of the book, we learn intimate details of many of the candida...

Ayla Shea Nathan is a student and engaged citizen who has personally experienced anti-semitism. Whether it’s historic atrocities, more recent history such as men carrying torches shouting “Jews Will Not Replace Us” or current tensions that have resulted from the conflicts between Hamas and Israel, hostility and even hatred for Jews is all too familiar to our people. Along with co-host Ronnie Natha...

Ryan Burge is an American Baptist pastor and Doctor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, making him an ideal fit for our unique crossroads of politics ‘n religion.  Ryan is also the recent author of the book, THE NONES: WHERE THEY CAME FROM, WHO THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY ARE GOING . The book creates a comprehensive picture of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation. Ryan...

Our guest today, Anthony Scaramucci, is the Founder, Managing Partner of SkyBridge Capital , a global alternative investments firm, and the Founder, Chairman of SALT , a thought leadership and networking forum encompassing finance, technology and geopolitics. He’s also the author of 4 best selling books. Anthony served on Trump’s transition team then served as the White House Communications Direct...