Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other

Scan Media, LLC
  • 4.8 (175)
  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Politics and Religion. We’re not supposed to talk about that, right? Wrong! We only say that nowadays because the loudest, most extreme voices have taken over the whole conversation. Well, we‘re taking some of that space back! If you’re dying for some dialogue instead of all the yelling; if you know it’s okay to have differences without having to hate each other; if you believe politics and religion are too important to let ”the screamers” drown out the rest of us and would love some engaging, provocative and fun conversations about this stuff, then ”Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other” is for you!

  1. 1d ago

    Nobody Hated Dolly || Michael Reneau on Faith, Home, and the Craft of Editing

    A newspaper editor from East Tennessee on why Dolly Parton was one of the last people almost everyone agreed on, and what that says about faith, place, and the work of editing well. Michael Reneau, executive editor at The Dispatch, joins Corey to talk about growing up 50 miles from where Dolly Parton was raised, and what her death revealed about a country that still finds a handful of people impossible to dislike. The conversation moves from Appalachia and Hurricane Helene to Bryan College, Flannery O'Connor, and the hardest thing Michael has ever watched his parents live through. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who still thinks "dominionism" is a fringe word. Key takeaways Dolly Parton's death pulled praise from across the political spectrum, and Michael sees that as a clue about what Appalachia's isolation and hardship actually produced: solidarity, not the caricature.Editing longer-form work, learned in part from mentor Marvin Olasky, means being ruthless about finding a story's essence, and Michael treats AI strictly as a tool, never as a substitute for that judgment.The formative event of Michael's faith was watching his parents grieve his infant sister's death and hold onto their belief anyway, not any theological argument he later studied. About Michael Reneau Michael Reneau is executive editor at The Dispatch, where he oversees editing across the newsroom. Before joining The Dispatch in 2022, he was editor of World Magazine, and prior to that spent several years as editor and writer for an award-winning daily newspaper in East Tennessee. He lives in Greeneville, Tennessee, with his wife and four kids. Links The Dispatch: thedispatch.comMichael's tribute to Dolly Parton: thedispatch.com/article/dolly-parton-tennessee-music-philanthropy Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.comYouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligionInstagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Nobody agrees on much these days. Dolly was the exception. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Nobody Hated Dolly || Michael Reneau on Faith, Home, and the Craft of Editing

  2. 6d ago

    It's Hard to Hate Somebody Up Close || Walling In, Walling Out, an essay from The Fulcrum

    A friend's Facebook post asks who's afraid of the truth. Corey wonders if he's who she means. A couple weeks ago, The Fulcrum published an essay Corey wrote about an old friend's social media post, and what it stirred up about the walls we build online without meaning to. This episode, Corey reads it to you himself. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Links and Resources Read the original essay at The Fulcrum: Walling In, Walling OutRobert Putnam, Bowling AloneThe Village Square: villagesquare.us Connect with Us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.comLinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, X: @coreysnathanYouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Our Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room. Yes, really. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    It's Hard to Hate Somebody Up Close || Walling In, Walling Out, an essay from The Fulcrum

  3. Sep 1

    When "Listening to the Holy Spirit" Becomes a Trump Card || Dr. Keri Ladner on Christian Dominionism

    The theology quietly staffing Trump's cabinet, and why it doesn't need to make sense to work. Dr. Keri Ladner studies the radicalization of the American religious right, from the Moral Majority to the New Apostolic Reformation. She joins Corey to unpack Christian dominionism, the Seven Mountain Mandate, and how movements with contradictory theologies ended up governing together. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who still thinks "dominionism" is a fringe word. Key Takeaways: Contradictory theologies, same movement. NAR, Christian Reconstructionism, and neo-Confederacy don't agree on doctrine, but they've united around Trump and the belief that Christians are called to take dominion over government. The Seven Mountain Mandate isn't about church. It reframes government, education, and business as spheres apostles are called to control, well beyond the pulpit. A neo-Confederate is advising the Pentagon. Doug Wilson calls himself "paleo-Confederate." Ladner traces his influence in American Dominion, including his role leading prayer at the Pentagon. Dr. Ladner's advice is deliberately unglamorous. Vote in the midterms. Turn abstract political fights into stories about real people you already know. About Our Guest: Dr. Keri Ladner is the author of Endtime Politics: From the Moral Majority to QAnon (2024) and American Dominion: The Rise and Radicalization of a New Christendom (Bloomsbury). Her work has appeared in Christian Century, Religion Dispatches, and Good Faith Media. Links and Resources: American Dominion, published by Bloomsbury (also on Amazon, or ask your local library to carry it)Substack: "The Boogaloo," by Keri Ladner - keriladner.substack.com Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. "Just talk to people." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    When "Listening to the Holy Spirit" Becomes a Trump Card || Dr. Keri Ladner on Christian Dominionism

  4. Aug 28

    Gus Gusentine || A Navy SEAL Commander on Faith, War, and Identity

    A Navy SEAL commander on identity, faith, and why we fight the wars we fight. Captain Robert "Gus" Gusentine spent nearly 30 years in the Navy, commanding SEAL Team 10 and leading special operations forces from the Philippines to the Pacific. He joins Corey to talk about faith, painting, moral injury, and what it means to defend your identity without losing your soul. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it. Key Takeaways: Identity is the last citadel of the soul. Gus argues that when you back someone into a corner over their identity, there's nowhere left for the conversation to go. That's why wars of religion cut so deep. Faith and religion aren't the same fight. Drawing on a mentor's line, "we never go to war over faith, we always go to war over religion," Gus distinguishes belief itself from the practice and politics built around it. Moral injury outlasts the battlefield. Gus and Corey discuss what happens when service members carry out orders that conflict with their conscience, and why caring for that wound is a command responsibility. Art forces you to see differently. Gus talks about painting as a discipline that trained his eye long before it trained his hand, and how that same habit of seeing applies to leadership and writing. About Our Guest: Captain Robert "Gus" Gusentine served nearly 30 years in the Navy, including as an exchange officer with Germany's Kamphschwimmer Company, commander of SEAL Team 10, operations chief (J3) for Special Operations Command Pacific, and commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines. After retiring in 2014, he led the Strategic Leaders International course at the Naval Special Warfare Schoolhouse, teaching senior military officers and diplomats from around the world. He is also a painter and writes on Substack alongside Roger Herbert. Links and Resources: gusentineandherbert.substack.comrvgusentine-art.comHome Base Veteran and Family Care - homebase.org Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room. Yes, really. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Gus Gusentine || A Navy SEAL Commander on Faith, War, and Identity

  5. Aug 25

    A Democratic Senator and a Republican Delegate on the Fights Within Their Own Supermajorities || Terms of Service with Future Caucus

    Terms of Service with Future Caucus A Rhode Island Democrat and a West Virginia Republican, both serving in supermajorities, on why the toughest fights are sometimes within your own party. Terms of Service is a limited series from Future Caucus and TP&R, hosted by Future Caucus CEO Layla Zaidane. People run for state legislature to serve their communities, then find the fine print. This episode brings together Sen. Tiara Mack (D-RI) and Del. Andy Shamblin (R-WV), two lawmakers serving in supermajority chambers, on building coalitions across factions, pay that doesn't match the job, and what it takes to keep good people in office. This series is a partnership between Scan Media and Future Caucus. Executive Producers: Future Caucus and Layla Zaidane.  CALLS TO ACTION ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion KEY TAKEAWAYS A supermajority has its own fault lines. Both Mack and Shamblin serve in chambers where their own party holds overwhelming control, and both say their fiercest fights happen within the party, not across the aisle. The fine print of the paycheck. West Virginia delegates earn around $24,000 a year plus per diem, a disruption to career and family that Shamblin says surprises most people who assume lawmakers get rich in office. Building the next generation of lawmakers. Both point to campaign funds covering childcare as a bipartisan fix that's opened the door for more young parents, especially women, to run. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Sen. Tiara Mack (D) represents District 6 in Providence, Rhode Island, now in her third term after unseating a 30-year incumbent in 2020 to become the state's first openly queer Black state legislator. She is a former teacher and community organizer. Del. Andy Shamblin (R) represents District 59 in Kanawha County, West Virginia, now in his second term. He teaches history at Nitro High School and has served on Nitro City Council since 2012. Host Layla Zaidane is president and CEO of Future Caucus. LINKS AND RESOURCES Watch on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@FutureCaucus Future Caucus: futurecaucus.org CONNECT WITH US Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan PARTNERS Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room. Yes, really. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    A Democratic Senator and a Republican Delegate on the Fights Within Their Own Supermajorities || Terms of Service with Future Caucus

  6. Aug 21

    I'm Not "You Guys," I'm Your Buddy Corey || Talking TDS on the American Values Coalition Podcast

    A buddy at the dive bar hit Corey with "you guys and your TDS." The label stung less than the move behind it: getting turned into a "you guys" in the first place. This one's a feed drop. Napp Nazworth invited Corey onto the American Values Coalition podcast to unpack a recent op-ed in The Dispatch, "Does Trump Derangement Syndrome Have a Cure?" What opens as a riff on an overused phrase becomes something closer to home. How do you stay in real relationship with people you love when you can't reconcile what they're defending, and why does seeing the human across the table beat winning the point every time? Along the way: whataboutism at the bar, getting shown the door at Bible study for "getting political," collective narcissism, and a piece of advice borrowed from Al-Anon. Didn't cause it, can't control it, can't cure it. What's left is steadfast, loving presence and a better question than the one you walked in with.  Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Links and Resources Corey's op-ed in The Dispatch: "Does Trump Derangement Syndrome Have a Cure?" - thedispatch.com/newsletter/dispatch-faith/maga-christianity-donald-trump/  Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Clarity, charity, and conviction can live in the same room. Yes, really. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    I'm Not "You Guys," I'm Your Buddy Corey || Talking TDS on the American Values Coalition Podcast

  7. Aug 18

    Michelle Cottle on Getting Out of Your Bubble || National Politics, the New York Times, and Talking Across the Divide

    "Nobody I know voted for George Bush." Michelle Cottle has heard that line her whole career, and it explains almost everything about the mess we're in. A New York Times columnist on the bubbles we live in, the family we love anyway, and why the stereotype falls apart the moment you actually know someone. Michelle Cottle writes about national politics for New York Times Opinion and hosts the Times podcast The Opinions. She and Corey trace her path from humor columnist at the Vanderbilt Hustler to covering Washington since the Clinton administration, get into what the capital feels like right now and where the 2026 primaries are heading, and land on the father she loved and could never talk politics with. The through line: the caricatures almost always break the second a real person walks into the room. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Key Takeaways The bubble is the real problem. After decades in Washington, Cottle's rule is simple: if you don't know a single person who votes the other way, that's on you, not them. The media landscape pays the people ginning up our fear of each other, and the bubbles make us easy to work. You can love someone whose politics you find appalling. Her late father was a Trump voter she adored and, eventually, could not discuss politics with. Knowing him made the caricature impossible to believe. That, she argues, is the way out for the rest of us. The 2026 fundamentals favor Democrats, but the brand is toxic. A rough economy and midterm gravity cut against the party in power. Yet Democrats are radioactive enough in rural America that they're backing independents like Nebraska's Dan Osborn to take seats they otherwise couldn't. About Our Guest Michelle Cottle writes about national politics for New York Times Opinion and is a host of the Times podcast The Opinions. She has covered Washington since the Clinton administration, with earlier stops at The New Republic, the Washington Monthly, Newsweek and The Daily Beast, National Journal, and The Atlantic. A Chattanooga native, she holds a BA in English from Vanderbilt. Links and Resources Michelle Cottle at New York Times Opinion: nytimes.com/by/michelle-cottle The Opinions podcast: www.nytimes.com/column/the-opinions Connect with us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn: @coreysnathan Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. More conversation, less accusation. Now go talk some politics and religion with gentleness and respect. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    Michelle Cottle on Getting Out of Your Bubble || National Politics, the New York Times, and Talking Across the Divide

  8. Aug 14

    To the Republic... To the Pub || Trump's $100K Social Play & the 2026 Senate Races || With My Buddy Brandon at a Local Dive Bar

    Two megaphones, two drinks, one bar. Corey quits talking about talking and just gets to the talkin'. First edition of "To the Republic... To the Pub." Corey and his buddy Brandon post up at Doc's Inn and get into it: Iran and the case for the strikes, the $100K access Trump's charging on Truth Social, and three Senate races that tell you where 2026 is headed. Not talking about people we disagree with. Talking with them. Calls to Action ✅ Leave a rating and review: lovethepodcast.com/politicsandreligion ✅ Subscribe on Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ✅ Share this episode with someone who reads the news and someone who's given up on it Connect with Us Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok, X: @coreysnathan YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Our Partners Proud to be part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts examining what's broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it. Pull up a stool. Folks we disagree with? It's more fun to talk to 'em than to talk about 'em. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    To the Republic... To the Pub || Trump's $100K Social Play & the 2026 Senate Races || With My Buddy Brandon at a Local Dive Bar
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Politics and Religion. We’re not supposed to talk about that, right? Wrong! We only say that nowadays because the loudest, most extreme voices have taken over the whole conversation. Well, we‘re taking some of that space back! If you’re dying for some dialogue instead of all the yelling; if you know it’s okay to have differences without having to hate each other; if you believe politics and religion are too important to let ”the screamers” drown out the rest of us and would love some engaging, provocative and fun conversations about this stuff, then ”Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other” is for you!

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