Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

Latest Episodes:

Dr. Francis S. Collins: Are science and faith at odds? Or two different ways of understanding God's creation? Feb 01, 2024

Show notes

Are science and belief in God incompatible? Dr. Francis S. Collins, renowned for having led the Human Genome Project and the former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), says science and faith are two different ways of understanding God's creation.

We dove right in and had so much to explore!

His father's folk music collection that is a true national treasure;
Connecting music with the mysteries of the universe both as a scientist and a person of faith;
An encounter with a heart patient that led Dr. Collins to his faith in Christ;
How he got the job to lead the Human Genome Project (no, it wasn't an answer to an ad on Craigslist);
Leading the NIH during a worldwide pandemic;
The ongoing harrassment and even death threats he and his colleagues at NIH have had to endure;
Struggling to understand the emergence of the anti-vax movement;
Nurturing relationships with folks who hold very different views such as the late Christopher Hitchens;
The BioLogos Foundation;
And the most interesting book club in the world!

Dr. Francis Collins is the former director of the National Institutes of Health. And was the longest serving director of NIH — spanning 12 years and three (very different) presidencies. Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. Dr. Collins' research laboratory has discovered a number of important genes, including those responsible for cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, a familial endocrine cancer syndrome and, most recently, genes for type 2 diabetes among others. Dr. Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007 and the National Medal of Science in 2009.

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Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

biologos.org/

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Your Votes Are Like Empty Calories Unless... Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

Tackling the hard truth that so many of our votes are actually empty calorie votes. "Empty calorie votes!?!? What in the world is that?" you might ask.

It's important to state at the top that it's still important to vote. So, go out and VOTE! But there are several factors that render a vast majority of votes as electoral stuffing for all intents and purposes. It could be due to some voters always going for the Rs or always going for the Ds right down the line and would never even consider the possibility of checking a box for the "other team." There are also districts and states that are so heavily favored for one party or another, that the results are essentially predetermined.

But there are some districts and some states and, most importantly, some people that really can swing from one side to another. And that’s what decides our elections! So that's what we dive into on this edition of the program. Plus, we address what we can do about it, i.e. How do you persuade the persuadables?

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Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

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2024 - A Look Ahead with Our Friends on the Freedom Road: Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton, Dr. Claudia Owens Shields and Lisa Sharon Harper Jan 25, 2024

Show notes

On this episode, Corey was part of a roundtable conversation over at Freedom Road with Lisa Sharon Harper. We were also joined by Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton and Dr. Claudia Owens Shields. This circle of friends came together to reflect on 2023 and consider what's ahead for us in 2024. It was originally recorded for the Freedom Road Podcast which you can find on all the major podcast apps.

Waltrina is the executive director of Community Renewal Society and a senior consultant with Freedom Road, specializing in Spiritual Formation. Claudia is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in multi-ethnic psychology, formerly tenured professor at the Chicago School of Psychology. Claudia also serves as a senior consultant with Freedom Road. Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder of Freedom Road, a consulting group dedicated to shrinking the narrative gap, and the author of several books including FORTUNE: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair It All and THE VERY GOOD GOSPEL: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right.

It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts:

https://bit.ly/TPandRPod

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

www.threads.net/@lisasharper

www.threads.net/@freedomroad.us

freedomroad.substack.com

waltrina.org/

freedomroad.us/who-we-are/dr-claudia-owens-shields-ph-d/

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Respectfully, You're Wrong About the Economy Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

If you don't like nuance, you're gonna hate this episode. If you see everything through a binary, either/or partisan lens, this edition ain't for you. If you think those who don't share your political views are the enemy, just don't bother. For the rest of us...

This talk is about the economy. Corey recently posted about the S&P hitting a record high as a way to initiate a conversation about the domestic macro economy. And boy howdy! Some folks just didn't want to hear it. So this is a response to a number of the comments that were shared. The challenge in such threads is to practice the objective of who we are. Can we talk about this issue in a better way? Ya know, the whole "without killin' each other" part of this endeavor.

For reference, here are links on several key indicators of the economy:

Inflation - https://www.statista.com/statistics/1394307/monthly-inflation-vs-core-inflation-us/
Unemployment - https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/us-job-growth-beats-expectations-december-wages-rise-solidly-2024-01-05/
GDP growth - https://www.statista.com/statistics/188185/percent-change-from-preceding-period-in-real-gdp-in-the-us/
Stock Market (Dow, S&P, Nasdaq) - https://stockcharts.com/freecharts/historical/marketindexes.html

It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts:

https://bit.ly/TPandRPod

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Banter, Beliefs, and Ballots with Will Wright and Josh Burtram of Faithful Politics Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, we're joined by Will Wright and Josh Burtram of the Faithful Politics podcast. They’ve been on the show before and we have a lot of crossover listeners. Will did a great job with the show notes. So here's our "duplicative language..."

"...We explore the evolving role of churches in promoting diversity and inclusivity, reflecting on how religious institutions navigate today's political and social landscape. The discussion also tackles the varied perceptions of Donald Trump's faith among Republicans and Democrats, offering a nuanced view of how political allegiances can influence religious perspectives.

"The episode further addresses the contentious topic of Christian nationalism in the context of the upcoming 2024 election. Through a balanced and thought-provoking dialogue, the hosts analyze the interplay between faith and politics, considering how religious beliefs shape and are shaped by political ideologies...."

It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts:

https://bit.ly/TPandRPod

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

Definitely look up, subscribe to and support the Faithful Politics Podcast if haven't already:

www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

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Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression discusses the coddling and canceling of the American mind Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

In this conversation, we're joined by Greg Lukianoff, the President of FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. As illiberal tendencies are on the rise among extreme factions of our democracy, it was refreshing to speak with Greg whose organization is on the front lines of protecting the basic freedoms outlined in the First Amendment. We discussed:

Greg's own background and how he came to form his views on free speech;
a benchmark Supreme Court case from the late 70s when the ACLU defended Nazi's right to march in Skokie, IL;
the "bedrock principle" as well as the limitations of free speech;
contemporary issues such as whether Donald Trump was within his rights on January 6th as well as whether protesters on college campuses shouting "from the river to the sea" at Jewish students are protected under the freedom of speech;
and advice for leaders of organizations who are the targets of cancel culture mobs.

Greg Lukianoff is President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, aka FIRE, and one of the country’s most passionate defenders of free expression. He is an accomplished author of several books including Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate, The Coddling of the American Mind with Jonathan Haidt and his most recent book The Canceling of the American Mind with Rikki Schlott. He has also written on free speech issues on his Substack and for such outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and was executive producer of the documentaries Can We Take a Joke? and Mighty Ira. Greg earned his undergraduate degree from American University and his law degree from Stanford.

It would mean so much if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts:

https://bit.ly/TPandRPod

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

www.mezawealth.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

www.thefire.org/

www.threads.net/@glukianoff

greglukianoff.substack.com/

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Tim Keller and Michael Gerson, A Tribute with Pete Wehner and Jonathan Rauch Dec 27, 2023

Show notes

What a highlight it was for us to have two of our favorite guests of TP&R, Pete Wehner and Jonathan Rauch, on together to give tribute to Tim Keller and Michael Gerson.

Tim Keller and Michael Gerson were both at the top of the list of guests we wanted to have on TP&R. Sadly we lost both gentlemen within the last year. Mike passed away last November and Tim died in May of this year. But we’re lucky to have Jonathan Rauch and Pete Wehner for this conversation because they were all friends and had a big impact on each other’s lives.

Timothy Keller was senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. As Sam Roberts described him in The New York Times, Tim was "...a best-selling author and theorist of Christianity who performed a modern miracle of his own — establishing a theologically orthodox church in Manhattan that attracted thousands of young professional followers..."

Michael Gerson was a nationally syndicated columnist writing for The Washington Post from 2007 until his death on Nov. 17, 2022. He was the author of HEROIC CONSERVATISM and co-author of CITY OF MAN: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN A NEW ERA. He appeared regularly on the “PBS NewsHour,” “Face the Nation” and other programs. Gerson served as senior adviser at One, a bipartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. Until 2006, Gerson was a top aide to President George W. Bush as assistant to the president for policy and strategic planning. Prior to that appointment, he served in the White House as assistant to the president for speechwriting, policy adviser, deputy assistant to the president and director of presidential speechwriting.

Jonathan Rauch is the author of numerous books including THE CONSTITUTION OF KNOWLEDGE: A DEFENSE OF TRUTH. He’s a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing writer at The Atlantic among other publications.

Pete Wehner is also a contributing writer at The Atlantic as well as The New York Times, he’s a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum and the author of several books including THE DEATH OF POLITICS: HOW TO HEAL OUR FRAYED REPUBLIC AFTER TRUMP.

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

https://www.mezawealth.com/

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

www.ttf.org/about-us/senior-fellows/peterwehner/

www.jonathanrauch.com/

www.democracygroup.org/shows/talkin-politics-religion

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Adam Kinzinger, U.S. Congressman, IL 2011 to 2023: ”Bringing People Together to Learn How to Do Democracy Again” Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

"Bringing people together to learn how to do democracy again. And we're gonna go after the crazies in the political environment that do not have the interest of the country at heart." - Adam Kinzinger

Congressman Adam Kinzinger served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2023, representing Illinois’ 16th Congressional District. During his tenure, he served on the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, as well as the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Kinzinger is the founder of Country First, an organization that works to activate the MUTED Majority to reject division and seek proven solutions to the challenges not being addressed by our leaders. He is also the author of RENEGADE: DEFENDING DEMOCRACY AND LIBERTY IN OUR DIVIDED COUNTRY. Prior to being elected to Congress, he served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air National Guard and a Senior Political Commentator on CNN.

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

https://www.mezawealth.com/

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

adamkinzinger.substack.com

www.country1st.com

www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723495/renegade-by-adam-kinzinger-with-michael-dantonio/

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Mattie Jo Cowsert, an #Exvangelical on God, Sex and Rich People Dec 13, 2023

Show notes

What does it mean to be an EXvangelical? For Mattie Jo Cowsert, how did that deconstruction of her faith, the tradition that she grew up in, all come about? How have family and friends back home reacted to Mattie Jo's journey, specifically with her being an outspoken exvangelical? What's it been like to go back and examine the truth of certain pillars of today's American Evangelicalism such as the Kanakuk Kamps, now known to have employed and protected serial sexual predators? We get into so much more, too - including plenty of politics!

Mattie Jo Cowsert is an #exvangelical whose blog God, Sex & Rich People traces her journey from the Bible Belt to New York City as she deconstructs Christian fundamentalism to embrace personal and sexual freedom. Her book of the same name will be out this coming winter and her pilot based on her series premiered this year at the Omaha Film Festival.

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

https://www.mezawealth.com/

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as

www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

www.mattiejocowsert.com/

On Instagram: @mattiejocowsert

www.mattiejocowsert.com/godsexandrichpeople

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Tim Alberta, Staff Writer at The Atlantic: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Dec 05, 2023

Show notes

We're joined by Tim Alberta upon the publication of his new book, The Kingdom, The Power and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. After starting out with some fun banter about Tim's beloved Detroit Lions and veering off into kids' names, we delve into weighty topics such as whether Tim still considers himself an #evangelical - more specifically, if there are aspects of his faith he's begun to question. Much of this conversation is about the new book: "The main thing is no longer the main thing" for so many megachurch pastors; Donald Trump is "a creation of the culture gone crazy" (especially in the American Evangelical church); whether hucksters like Trump and Paula White, when they're behind closed doors, laugh at all their "suckers" that buy into their various schemes; who Tim thinks is the audience for THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY - and who he hopes the audience is; and we get to hear some input from Charles Mingus the 3rd!

Tim Alberta is a staff writer for The Atlantic and the former chief political correspondent for Politico, and has written for dozens of other publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and Vanity Fair. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump and the newly released The Kingdom, The Power and the Glory. He co-moderated the final Democratic presidential debate of 2019 and frequently appears as a commentator on television programs in the United States and around the world. And as listeners will quickly learn, Tim is a big time Detroit Lions fan.

Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.

Please support our wonderful sponsor Meza Wealth Management:

https://www.mezawealth.com/

We're also pleased to give a shoutout to our friends at a great new podcast:

https://leftylooseyrightytighty.podbean.com

And you can find Corey on all the socials @coreysnathan such as www.threads.net/@coreysnathan.

www.bytimalberta.com/

www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Power-Glory-Evangelicals-Extremism/dp/006322688X

www.theatlantic.com/author/tim-alberta/

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