Faith Angle

EPPC Podcasts
Faith Angle

Faith Angle brings together top scholars and leading journalists for smart conversations around some of the most profound questions in the public square. Rather than a current-events debrief, our goal is a substantive conversation one notch beneath the surface, drawing out how religious convictions manifest themselves in American culture and public life.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Jon Rauch and Pete Wehner: Christianity and Democracy in America

    Journalist Jon Rauch’s smart new book from Yale University Press, Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain With Democracy, offers three provocative and insightful essays. Though an outsider to Christianity—as he tells his long-time friend Pete Wehner of the Trinity Forum, Jon is a “gay Jewish atheist born in 1960”—Jon’s new treatise follows a dozen books, and hundreds of articles, covering topics from free inquiry to gay marriage, political realism to happiness, and the constitution of knowledge to matters of American political economy.  The book explores the history and implications of three modes of the Christian faith in America. The first Jon terms Thin Christianity, embodied by mainline Protestantism. The second is Sharp Christianity—really MAGA white evangelicalism, what Jon calls a “fear-based” church. But the third chapter, Jon makes a case for Thick Christianity, exemplified by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other creative exilic religious minorities who have made peace with the fact of pluralism and the democratic opportunity of compromise and negotiation—the principles James Madison also affirmed. He calls this book a sort of atonement for his past arguments that American society, and its political system, would be better without the influence of religions convictions. What changed for Jon? Partly it was his realizing that religion is a load-bearing wall, in any democracy. But partly it was an emergent friendship with Pete Wehner and with other thinking believers who have enlarged Jon’s vision.   Guests Jonathan Rauch Peter Wehner   Additional Resources “Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy,” by Jonathan Rauch “Let It Be: Three Cheers for Apatheism” by Jonathan Rauch "Evangelicals Made a Bad Trade" by Peter Wehner

    54 min

  2. 10/23/2024

    Brad Fulton and Amber Hacker: Religion & American Philanthropy

    In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Brad Fulton, professor of Nonprofit Management and Social Policy at the O’Neill School of Public Affairs at Indiana University, alongside Amber Hacker, Chief of External Affairs at Interfaith America. Our guests discuss the role of religious giving in philanthropy and the surprising trends that emerge from the underlying data. Out of the $557 billion dollars given annually in the United States to charities, twenty percent of the funds come from foundations. Does religious commitment influence that giving? Do we know from available data that generosity makes a person healthier or happier? Does the generation a person’s born into—say, a Boomer vs. a Millennial—impact giving patterns? They also discuss new networking tools as it relates to philanthropic giving.    Guests Dr. Brad Fulton Amber Hacker   Additional Resources “Religious Organizations Crosscutting the Nonprofit Sector,” by Brad R. Fulton “Faith-Based Public Foundations: Identifying the Field and Assessing its Impact,” by Allison Ralph and Brad R. Fulton “Money, Meet Meaning,” by Amber Hacker and Tom Levinson

    45 min

  3. 09/26/2024

    Knox Thames and Jaweed Kaleem on Religious Freedom

    In this episode, we are joined by Jaweed Kaleem of The Los Angeles Times alongside Knox Thames, author of the new book Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom. Knox reflects on his long career advancing the cause of religious liberty around the world, including in the some of the world's most repressive contexts. Our guests assess the current state of religious freedom across different contexts, from India to Israel and Gaza, and reflect on how the eroding of religious freedom often serves as a "canary in the coal mine" for the loss of other fundamental human rights.    Guests Knox Thames  Jaweed Kaleem   Additional Resources  Ending Persecution: Charting the Path to Global Religious Freedom, by Knox Thames "France Struggles to Confront One of Its Biggest Taboos: Race," by Jaweed Kaleem "Swastikas, bullhorns, guns: Antisemitic Incidents in U.S. Hit 43-Year High," by Jaweed Kaleem

    44 min

  4. 08/27/2024

    Eliza Griswold and David French on "Circle of Hope”

    In this episode, New York Times opinion columnist David French sits down with Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold of The New Yorker to discuss her brand new book, Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church. These two journalists with firsthand familiarity and longstanding expertise in covering religion embark on a fascinating exploration of the book's coverage of Philadelphia's Circle of Hope, a little-known yet influential progressive evangelical movement, and how the sobering disintegration of that spiritual community mirrors broader dynamics at work in American Christianity.    Guests Eliza Griswold  David French    Additional Reading  Circle of Hope: A Reckoning with Love, Power, and Justice in an American Church, by Eliza Griswold  "The Church Preached Love and Tolerance. Then Racial Politics Tore It Apart," by David French  "Losing a Beloved Community," by Eliza Griswold

    38 min

  5. 07/23/2024

    Elizabeth Oldfield and Damir Marusic: "Fully Alive" in a Post-Christian World

    On this episode, we are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield to discuss her newly-released book Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. After beginning her career covering religion for the BBC, Elizabeth for a decade ran a London-based think tank called Theos, which seeks to stimulate the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events. Under her leadership, its staff increased tenfold—and still supports podcast she hosts today, "The Sacred." Joining Elizabeth is Damir Marusic, an assignment editor at The Washington Post. Along with Shadi Hamid, a longtime friend and advisor to Faith Angle, Damir co-founded the podcast "Wisdom of Crowds." Damir writes extensively on US politics, polarization, US foreign policy, and European affairs. Bringing a non-religious vantage point, he highlights with Elizabeth key themes in Fully Alive and the two get right into it, not mincing words even when there are differing views of sin, grace, evil, and the possibilities for human community.   Guests Elizabeth Oldfield Damir Marusic   Additional Resources Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, by Elizabeth Oldfield "The Sacred" Podcast, with Elizabeth Oldfield, a Theos Think Tank podcast  Fully Alive Substack, with Elizabeth Oldfield Wisdom of Crowds Podcast and Substack, with Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid

    45 min

  6. 06/14/2024

    Leading Insights from the 2024 Michael Cromartie Forum

    Building on the legacy of Michael Cromartie (1950-2017), who founded Faith Angle Forum a quarter-century ago, MCF brings together a select group of exceptionally talented, early-career journalists for a three-day conference in the nation’s capital, focusing on the intersection of faith, culture, and journalism today. This year’s forum explored new narratives in American history, reconsidered the relationship between spirituality and vocational journalism, and examined the interplay between race, religion, and identity in diverse democracies.   Additional Resources: Michael Cromartie Forum 2024 Journalism, Religion, and Vocation with Will Saletan and Eugene Scott Religion and Journalism: An Integrating Workshop with Miranda Kennedy and Molly Ball The Spirit of Our Politics with Michael Wear and Jon Ward  The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story with Kermit Roosevelt and Pete Wehner  Understanding Race, Religion, and Identity for Diverse Democracies with Simran Jeet Singh

    38 min

  7. 05/09/2024

    Brad Wilcox and Isabel Sawhill: On Marriage

    In this episode, recorded at Faith Angle Miami 2024, we are joined by Brad Wilcox and Isabel Sawhill for a fascinating, timely conversation about marriage patterns, family structure, shifting gender norms, and poverty rates. In a time of deep polarization, are certain approaches better than others when it comes to exploring the benefits of marriage for children? How does marriage compare with cohabitation, and how do we avoid getting caught in culture war cul du sacs when discussing gender roles, marriage norms, and solutions that can benefit low-income families? Two seminal scholars in this field, Brad and Belle highlight themes from their decades of scholarship on these topics and, in particular, from Brad's most recent book, Get Married.   Guests W. Bradford Wilcox Isabel Sawhill   Additional Resources  "Poverty, Religion, and the New Marriage Debate," Faith Angle Miami 2024 session video with Brad Wilcox and Isabel Sawhill Brad Wilcox PPT Slides Isabel Sawhill PPT Slides "How to Think - and Talk - About Marriage Today," by Will Saletan  Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, by Brad Wilcox Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage, by Isabel Sawhill  The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind, by Melissa Kearney

    48 min

  8. 04/02/2024

    John Inazu and Matthew Kaminski: Learning to Disagree

    In this episode, we are joined by John Inazu, who is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law & Religion and Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. This week, he published his fourth book: Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. John sits down to discuss differences, respect, bridge-building, and the unique role of journalism in all this, with Matt Kaminski, editor-at-large of POLITICO, and the co-founder of POLITICO Europe. Matt served as editor-in-chief of POLITICO from 2019-2023, and he’s covered international politics for more than a quarter-century, still writing regularly on global affairs today.  Together they discuss whether it is possible to disagree in ways that somehow build bridges with neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones, and what role journalists can play in helping us see reality more clearly.   Guests John Inazu Matthew Kaminski   Additional Resources  Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect, by John Inazu Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference, by John Inazu "'Beyond Crazy': The Liberal Jew Mugged by a Post-Oct. 7 World," by Matthew Kaminski

    50 min
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Trailer

4.8
out of 5
60 Ratings

About

Faith Angle brings together top scholars and leading journalists for smart conversations around some of the most profound questions in the public square. Rather than a current-events debrief, our goal is a substantive conversation one notch beneath the surface, drawing out how religious convictions manifest themselves in American culture and public life.

Information

  • Channel
    EPPC Podcasts
  • Creator
    The Aspen Institute
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    97
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Faith Angle

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