Faith Angle EPPC Podcasts

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
 
 
 

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
 
 

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

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

In this episode, we are joined by Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent at NPR, to discuss her book Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. In it, Sarah tells a compelling, personal story about family, marriage, politics, and church—and she concisely boils down insights from scholars like David Gushee, Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Christian Smith, and others you’ll hear her reference. If the great de-churching currently happening in American society is most acutely felt by Gen Z and Millennials, Sarah’s story is right in the heart of that. And since no one really knows where the future is headed, one question to ask is: If evangelicals or other religious Americans leave the fold, what replaces that unique sense of purpose, transcendent faith, and community? Joining Sarah to discuss that and other urgent questions is Ruth Graham, the brilliant New York Times’ religion, faith, and values reporter.
 
Guests:
Sarah McCammon
Ruth Graham
 
Additional Resources:
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, by Sarah McCammon
"Evangelical Writer Who Influenced Purity Culture Separates from Wife," by Sarah McCammon and Ruth Graham
"Two Evangelical Leaders on 'Radical Faith'," by Ruth Graham 
Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation, by Jon Ward 

In this episode, we are joined again by Tim Alberta of The Atlantic and Michael Wear of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, to discuss Michael's brand new book The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life. Michael has been engaging the condition of American politics for more than 15 years, after serving in the White House, helping to launch and lead the AND Campaign, and advising leading policymakers, journalists, practitioners at the intersection of faith and public policy. 
Drawing from this experience as well as the work and influence of noteworthy Christian philosopher Dallas Willard, Michael argues that our politics will only get better if we get better. The only way to transcend the current polarized morass we’re in is to deepen and revitalize our spiritual formation. Our politics is downstream of the kind of people we are.
The Spirit of Our Politics argues that the way forward is to better align our political and civic engagement with our religious commitments. And while the democratic answer for believers is never theonomy, or Christian nationalism, or privileging a majority identity—Michael and Tim sketch the contours of what faithful, integrated living might produce.
 
Guests:
Michael Wear 
Tim Alberta 
 
Additional Resources:
The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life, by Michael Wear 
The Center for Christianity & Public Life
The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, by Tim Alberta
"The Surprising Link between the Gospel and Politics," by Michael Wear
Wear We Are Podcast, with Michael and Melissa Wear 
"Tim Alberta and Michael Wear: The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory," Faith Angle podcast episode