The Jim Wallis Podcast

Anne Nelson is author of the book “Shadow Network: Media, Money and the Secret Hub of the Religious Right,” which examines the history of a secretive group called the Council for National Policy. The council, a mix of money men, religious fundamentalists, political operatives and media moguls, includes Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway and Wayne LaPierre of the NRA. As Nelson explains, its goals are cu...

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University, reveals why white evangelicals have become Donald Trump staunchest supporters, even after his lies about the election, his multiple affairs and his decidedly un-Christian behavior before, during and after his presidency. Challenging the commonly held assumption that the “mora...

During her time at Fox News, Kirsten Powers once ground her teeth so hard that she cracked a molar. That was the Road-to-Damascus moment for the author and columnist when she decided that -- even when dealing with political adversaries– we must approach them with grace. “I am talking about this very transformative kind of grace, which is really for the people we don’t like and may even hate. Grace...

Dr. Eddie Glaude, chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, reveals how religion contributes to racial bigotry in America. “What are we fighting about? It's these basic ideas that all men and women are equal. White supremacy has overdetermined, distorted, disfigured democracy in this country,” says Glaude. “The situation that's at the heart of the rot of the poli...

In conversation with Rev. Jim Wallis recorded before a live audience at Georgetown’s Center on Faith and Justice , Rep. Jamie Raskin, who serves on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, made international news when he said the investigation's findings will “blow the roof off the house.” “It is a story of the most heinous and dastardly political offense eve...

Harvard professor Steven Levitsky, author of How Democracies Die , says, "Our politicians have not yet come to grips with the fact that the house is on fire, that our democracy is directly threatened. And that if we don't behave as if there is a crisis, if we don't step outside of the box of normal politics, we will lose. Or at least, we are at risk of losing our democracy." In order to preserve o...

Representative Terri Sewell and Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock discuss their ongoing battle to protect voting rights for people who are at risk of losing their franchise to participate in our democratic elections. “People talk about how divided our country is,” adds Senator Warnock. “Both Democrats and Republicans are saying that something is broken in our Democracy. How can we not have a debate...

Jim Wallis is the Inaugural Chair of Faith and Justice at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy and Founding Director of the university’s new Center on Faith and Justice . As part of our work at the Center on Faith and Justice , we are happy to share that The Soul of the Nation podcast will be returning to full production.  In our new season Democracy in Peril –launching Wed...

In this very special repeat episode of The Soul of the Nation, Roman Catholic sister, author, and social justice advocate, Helen Prejean speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about the executions of federal death row inmates by the Trump administration. Sister Prejean shares how she became one of the pioneering leaders in the movement to abolish the death penalty. She tells her 30-year journey and how she k...

On this very special episode of  The Soul of the Nation , Rev. Jim Wallis revisits his conversation with Most Rev. Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. They discuss our current political and moral crisis, whose antecedents are even longer than the very history of our country itself. Wallis and Curry share King's vision of a beloved community and a multi-racial democrac...

On this very special episode of The Soul of the Nation , Rev. Jim Wallis revisits his conversation with Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institute of Health, during this critical time of the Delta Variant of the coronavirus. Rev. Wallis and Dr. Collins break down the current state of our country with COVID-19 and how the faith community can help with vaccine distribution and...

On this special edition of The Soul of the Nation , Rev Jim Wallis revisits his conversation with Heather McGhee Author of the  New York Times  bestselling book,  The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together , Heather McGhee speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis on the impacts racism has on our economy, changing the narrative, she says, go...

On this very special episode of  Soul of the Nation , Rev. Jim Wallis talks with ice cream entrepreneur and social justice advocate Ben Cohen (of  Ben and Jerry's )   about ending the systemic violence committed by police across the United States against communities of color.    Cohen advocates for the end of qualified immunity for p...

uthor of  Without Oars: Casting Off into a Life of Pilgrimage , Wesley Granberg-Michaelson shares his reflections on recent violence in Israel and Palestine with Rev. Jim Wallis. Granberg-Michaelson offers insight to help open the eyes for people of faith. "Do we see the people that are involved at the most grassroots level . ? Do we get beyond all the politics and actually see...

Vice President of AACC and author, Michelle Reyes speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about her new book, Becoming All Things: How Small Changes Lead To Lasting Connections Across Cultures. Reyes discusses the Christian community and the uprise of targeted hate crimes against the AAPI community in America. "The Asian community has been targets of systemic racism, from exclusion of immigration of the Unite...

Author, Chuck Collins speaks to Rev. Jim Wallis about his latest book,  The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions . Collins sheds light on the architecture of wealth inequality and the spiritual consequences of hoarding wealth. "Privilege is a disconnection drug, it keeps you apart from people. Wealth and privilege can create a boundary&nbsp...

Hyepin Im, the founder and president of Faith and Community Empowerment, talks with Rev. Jim Wallis her experience as a Korean American woman of faith in the U.S. Hyepin speaks about the long history of hate Asian Americans have endured, and how the pandemic has so gravely effected the Asian American community. "When they talk about America, there's no...

Award-winning author and preacher, Diana Butler Bass speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about her latest book Freeing Jesus. Diana shares how her experience of Jesus has changed over the years and how the Christian that is she is today is much different than she was before. And according to Bass, many people are eager to experience Jesus in a new way. “I often hear people who tell me ‘Oh, I’m no longer a...

Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, senior pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, N.Y., and author of  Witness to Grace: A Testimony of Favor , speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about how to reject injustice and racial inequity. The greatest legacy of the African American struggle in these 400 years, is the determination of African American people to seek full inclusion in a society...

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) is a forceful, progressive voice in the United States Congress. Focusing on matters of social and economic justice, international relations, and human rights, Lee speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis on how she finds the strength to speak out even when standing alone. "This is not about personal responsibilities for the enslavement of Afri...

Jim Wallis, in conversation with William Matthews and Allison Trowbridge, explores the themes of Chapter Ten, “Salt and Light” from his new book Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Author of the  New York Times  bestselling book,  The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together , Heather McGhee speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis on the impacts racism has on our economy, changing the narrative, she says, goes hand in hand with comprehensive policy. "There's this sense of stinginess, miserliness that nothing about...

Jim Wallis, in conversation with William Matthews and Allison Trowbridge, explores the themes of Chapter Nine, “The Discipleship Question” from his new book Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Jim Wallis, in conversation with William Matthews and Allison Trowbridge, explores the themes of Chapter Eight, “The Peacemaker Question” from his new book Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University. Wen speaks with Rev. Jim Wallis about the current state of the pandemic in the United States and its public health implications. She shares what she is hopeful for and her major concerns with trust and vaccine distribution. "Building trust is not going to happen over night," Wen says."We also, as t...