Faithful Politics

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhat does it mean to live out brave faith in the world’s most violent neighborhoods? In this episode of Faithful Politics, we sit down with Dr. Kurt Alan Ver Beek, a sociologist, missionary, and co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) in Honduras. Dr. Ver Beek’s decades of work tackling systemic corruption, homicide reduction, and police reform are the focus of Ross Halperin’s book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land.From moving his family into one of Honduras’s toughest neighborhoods to helping lead a national police purge that cut homicide rates by nearly 70%, Dr. Ver Beek shares the risks, faith, and persistence behind real change. This conversation dives into Christian courage, the challenges of confronting drug trafficking and corrupt systems, and how ordinary people can build trust where institutions have failed.Guest BioDr. Kurt Alan Ver Beek is a sociologist, missionary, and co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ), a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to fighting corruption and defending the vulnerable in Honduras. For more than 30 years, he and his wife Joanne have lived in one of Tegucigalpa’s most dangerous neighborhoods, working alongside local leaders to reduce homicide, reform policing, and advocate for systemic justice. Ver Beek’s leadership helped drive Honduras’s historic police purge, which dismissed thousands of corrupt officers and introduced new accountability structures. His work is profiled in Ross Halperin’s book Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land (available on Amazon). Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhy do claims of “persecution” surge whenever Christians lose cultural power? PRRI’s 2024–25 state-by-state analysis shows three in ten Americans qualify as Christian nationalism Adherents or Sympathizers—a durable share shaping law, policy, and public life.  Sociologist Andrew L. Whitehead—author of American Idolatry and coauthor of Taking America Back for God—joins Will and Josh to unpack why power, fear, and violence function like modern “idols,” and how that maps onto fights over schools, parental rights, religious liberty, and the 2024–26 political landscape. Moving from gut-level intuition (Haidt’s “elephant”) to reasoned analysis (the “rider”), we explore how Christian nationalism frames “liberty” as domination, why persecution narratives persist, and what the latest PRRI data reveals across all 50 states. Keywords: Christian nationalism, religious liberty, school choice, persecution narratives, 2024 election, SCOTUS, political theology. If you’re wrestling with faith, power, and democracy—and what a faithful public witness might look like—this conversation brings clarity without the culture-war fog. Andrew L. Whitehead is a professor of sociology at Indiana University Indianapolis and executive director of the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA). He is the author of American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church and coauthor (with Samuel L. Perry) of Taking America Back for God. His research and commentary appear in outlets like The New York Times, NPR, and Time. 🔗 Resource LinksAmerican Idolatry — Andrew L. Whitehead (Brazos Press): https://www.amazon.com/American-Idolatry-Christian-Nationalism-Threatens/dp/1587435764 AmazonTaking America Back for God — Andrew L. Whitehead & Samuel L. Perry (OUP): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/taking-america-back-for-god-9780197652572  Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comMore than 60 years after MLK's “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” 11 a.m. on Sunday remains one of the most segregated hours in America. Why? And can the church finally become a catalyst for real racial healing?In this compelling conversation, Dr. David McFadden joins hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram to discuss Kingdom Racial Change, a new book co-authored with Pastor Michael A. Evans and sociologist Michael Emerson. Drawing from lived experience and decades of ministry, medicine, and research, McFadden unpacks why systemic racism remains embedded in our institutions—and how the church must become a diverse force for justice rather than a segregated echo chamber.The episode explores micro, meso, and macro levels of racial inequality, interracial church collaboration, and the emotional and spiritual cost of pushing for unity in a divided time. For anyone committed to building a kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven,” this conversation offers both conviction and hope.➡️ Subscribe, share, and join the conversation.👤 Guest BioDr. David L. McFadden is a medical doctor, community leader, and co-author of Kingdom Racial Change. He co-founded a multiracial men’s ministry that brings together Black, white, Hispanic, and Asian Christians to model unity and reconciliation. His work bridges faith, healthcare, and social justice.🔗 Resource LinksKingdom Racial Change (Eerdmans): https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Racial-Change-Michael-Emerson/dp/0802879152 Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhy doesn’t the U.S. Constitution mention God—and what does that silence mean?Steven Smith, one of the nation’s foremost legal scholars on law and religion, joins Will and Josh to unpack the complex—and often misunderstood—relationship between the Constitution, religious liberty, and American identity. His new book, The Godless Constitution and the Providential Republic, argues that while the Constitution omits references to God, the nation’s political life has long been shaped by a providential worldview.Together, they explore landmark court cases like Engel v. Vitale and Kennedy v. Bremerton, the shift toward secular governance in the 1960s, and the ongoing culture war over Christian nationalism. Smith challenges both theocracy and militant secularism, offering a third path: a framework rooted in institutional church-state separation that preserves space for pluralism and public faith expression.If you’ve ever wondered whether America is—or was ever meant to be—a “Christian nation,” this conversation offers clarity, nuance, and constitutional insight.Subscribe, share, and join the conversation.👤 Guest Bio:Steven D. Smith is a retired law professor from the University of San Diego and one of the country’s leading scholars on law and religion. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has written extensively on the First Amendment, church-state relations, and constitutional interpretation. His latest book is The Godless Constitution and the Providential Republic.🔗 Resource Links:The Godless Constitution and the Providential Republic: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780802885227 Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhy do everyday Americans feel more divided than ever—despite living side by side?Anthropologist Anand Pandian joins Faithful Politics to explore the literal and metaphorical walls shaping American life. Drawing from his new book, Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life and How to Take Them Down, Pandian reflects on how gated communities, armored SUVs, and isolated media bubbles reinforce our moral divisions and political tribalism. From border walls to suburban surveillance, the conversation investigates how social infrastructure amplifies fear, reduces neighborly contact, and fosters moral distance.Pandian doesn’t just critique—he models empathy across difference, even recounting his own experience at a Trump rally. Together with hosts Will and Josh, the episode challenges listeners to reconsider what “safety” really means and how we might rediscover shared belonging.Whether you're wrestling with polarization, cultural identity, or moral responsibility, this episode offers a hopeful reframe grounded in anthropology, faith, and civic curiosity.👉 Subscribe, share, and join the conversation.Guest BioAnand Pandian is a professor of anthropology at Johns Hopkins University and the author of Something Between Us: The Everyday Walls of American Life and How to Take Them Down. His work blends ethnography, cultural theory, and storytelling to explore how we live with difference, both globally and within the U.S. He has conducted fieldwork across multiple continents and brings a deeply personal lens to the study of American social divisions.Something Between Us by Anand Pandian: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781503637870Anand Pandian's Website: https://anand.studio Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhy does so much political dysfunction begin before Election Day? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright speaks with Nick Troiano, Executive Director of Unite America and author of The Primary Solution. They unpack how gerrymandering and redistricting battles in states like Texas and California are only part of the problem. The real issue? Closed primaries that shut out millions of voters and reward partisan extremes.Troiano explains how open primaries, ranked choice voting, and reforms already working in states like Alaska, Colorado, and New Mexico could restore competition, accountability, and majority rule to American elections. This conversation blends history, constitutional context, and on-the-ground reform efforts to show how we can strengthen democracy from the ground up.If you’ve ever wondered why your vote feels like it doesn’t matter—or what can be done about it—this episode is your roadmap to meaningful reform.Guest BioNick Troiano is the Executive Director of Unite America, a nonpartisan organization advancing political reform to foster a more representative and functional government. A nationally recognized leader on electoral reform, Troiano has been at the forefront of efforts to end gerrymandering and promote open primaries across the country. His book, The Primary Solution (2024), makes the case for abolishing closed party primaries and empowering voters with real choice. He has been featured in national outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and C-SPAN, and is widely regarded as one of the leading voices on fixing the structural roots of polarization in American politics.Relevant LinksNick Troiano’s book: The Primary Solution https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-primary-solution-nick-troiano/Unite America: www.uniteamerica.org Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhat happens when your zip code determines your child’s future?In this episode, Will and Josh talk with Jason Bedrick, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, to unpack the complex—and often contentious—landscape of school choice. Bedrick shares his 20+ year journey in education reform, tracing his advocacy for parental rights and religious liberty back to a post-9/11 awakening and Milton Friedman’s theories.The conversation explores vouchers, education savings accounts (ESAs), the history and distortion of school choice post-Brown v. Board, and how pandemic-era frustrations accelerated parental engagement. Bedrick also addresses the tension between religious freedom and government schooling, pushing back on claims that school choice fuels segregation or undermines civic unity.If you’re wondering how school choice intersects with parental rights, government responsibility, First Amendment protections, or the values debate in public schools, this episode is a must-listen.Subscribe, share, and join the conversation as we examine what true educational freedom looks like—and who gets to decide.👤 Guest BioJason Bedrick is a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Education Policy, where he focuses on education freedom, religious liberty, and classical education. A former New Hampshire state legislator, Bedrick has spent over two decades working in the school choice movement and is one of the nation's most prominent voices advocating for education savings accounts and parental rights. Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Roy Scranton, a writer and former U.S. Army soldier, dives deep into the philosophical complexities of climate change. He challenges the optimistic narratives surrounding progress and innovation, arguing they may hinder genuine action. Reflecting on his military experiences in Iraq, he emphasizes the importance of confronting harsh realities with compassion and honesty. Scranton advocates for ethical responses to our environmental crisis, urging listeners to find meaning in a collapsing world rather than solely focusing on salvation.

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comWhat happens when a religious sect rooted in patriarchy and Christian nationalism gains influence over America’s largest government agency?Dr. Samuel P. Perry, a scholar of race, religion, and rhetoric at Baylor University, joins Will to unpack the rise of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC)—a small but strategically influential network founded by Doug Wilson in Moscow, Idaho. Perry explains how the CREC uses media, schools, and publishing arms like Canon Press to shape a hyper-patriarchal, theocratic vision of society. He also explores the implications of Pete Hegseth—Trump’s Secretary of Defense—being a member of a CREC church.The conversation covers Christian reconstructionism, the erosion of church-state separation, militant rhetoric, and the creeping normalization of extreme ideology through polished media ecologies. Perry also warns how these theological fringes have real-world implications, from women in combat to anti-LGBTQ policies in the military.If you've never heard of the CREC, now is the time to pay attention.Subscribe, share, and join the conversation.👤 Guest Bio:Samuel P. Perry is a scholar of rhetoric and public discourse at Baylor University, specializing in the intersection of race, religion, and politics. He is the author of Rhetorics of Race and Religion on the Christian Right, and his research has appeared in leading journals and outlets like Salon and The Conversation.🔗 Resource Links:CREC Overview: https://crechurches.orgDoug Wilson’s Canon Press: https://canonpress.comHeath Druzin’s Podcast Extremely American: https://www.extremelyamerican.comSam Perry’s Article in Salon: https://www.salon.com/2025/06/23/what-is-crec-the-christian-nationalist-group-has-a-vision-for-america-and-pete-hegseths-backing_partner/ Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.comNearly 60% of Americans still believe the Pope speaks infallibly—but what does that actually mean?In this illuminating episode, Dr. Stephen Okey, a Catholic theologian at Saint Leo University, helps us unpack the mysteries of the papacy—from apostolic succession and the theology of confession to why popes change their names and how AI may shape the next Catholic revolution. With humor and clarity, Okey demystifies concepts like papal infallibility and ex cathedra pronouncements, clarifying that only two infallible statements have ever been made—and both were about Mary.As the Catholic Church wrestles with moral leadership in an age of automation, this episode also explores the social teachings of Pope Leo XIII, how they inspired the new Pope Leo XIV, and what all this means for the dignity of work, human agency, and religious liberty in 2025.Subscribe, share, and join the conversation as we ask: How should theology engage public life in a digital world?Guest BioDr. Stephen Okey is a Catholic theologian and Associate Professor of Theology at Saint Leo University, where he specializes in theological anthropology, Catholic social teaching, and the intersection of faith, technology, and public life. He writes the Substack Okey Doxy and hosts a podcast where he interviews leading theologians.🔗 Resource LinksDr. Stephen Okey’s Substack: https://stephenokey.substack.comOkey Doxy Podcast: https://stephenokey.substack.com/podcast Support the show🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com 📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore ❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:donorbox.org/faithful-politics-podcast 📩 Reach out to us: Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: Josh@faithfulpolitics.com Political Host, Will Wright: Will@faithfulpolitics.com 📱 Follow & connect with us: Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik Instagram: faithful_politics Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:faithfulpolitics.substack.com 📅 RSVP for upcoming live events:Chec...