The Understory

Comment

In late May 2026, more than a thousand people gathered for three days beneath the vaults of Washington National Cathedral for the first Understory Festival: a living experiment in Christian humanism, where argument and silence, music and lament, poetry and debate were honored as different ways of attending to reality, and of exploring this question of what might be struggling to be born today. This limited series gathers the festival's main-stage talks and carries them to everyone who wasn't in the room, as well as to everyone who was and wishes to return. Voice by voice, you'll hear the thinkers, weavers, institution-builders, artists, and pastors who came together to ask: what is struggling to be born, what is a human being, and who is Christ for us today. Presented by Comment.

Episodes

  1. Is There a Word from the Lord? — Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates

    Jun 18

    Is There a Word from the Lord? — Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates

    Is there a word from the Lord for us today? Pastor Charlie Dates closes the Understory festival with a sermon that speaks to a weary age hungry for both truth and hope. Introduced by Anne Snyder and preceded by a live musical offering from Grammy-winning gospel musician Kevin Bond, this final session asks the question beneath the entire gathering: Who is Christ for us today? Mentioned: Breaking Ground (Comment) Who Is Christ for Us Today?, asked by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Frederick Douglass Ain't I a Woman?, by Sojourner Truth Raphael Warnock Matthew 22:42: "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?" Gospel of Matthew, King James Version The dual paternity of the Messiah: Son of David, Son of God Psalm 110 Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episode Highlights "The identity of Jesus Christ confronts our theological arrogance and silences our moral malice." "Christ is the sum total of every cure for what ails the human condition." "Time cannot age Him, and ages do not time Him." "He died till death died. Yes. He died till sin apologized." "He never preached a funeral because the dead always got up after he started talking." About Charlie Dates Charlie Dates is the senior pastor of both Salem Baptist Church and Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago, two of the most storied Black congregations in the nation. In 2011, at thirty, he became the youngest senior pastor in Progressive's history; in 2023 he succeeded James Meeks at Salem. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he holds an MDiv and a PhD in historical theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where his research centered on the burden and brilliance of Black preaching. He is an affiliate professor at Baylor's Truett Seminary and Wheaton College, a contributor to Letters to a Birmingham Jail, and author of the forthcoming What Hath Justice to Do with Righteousness? Helpful Links and Resources The Understory Festival: https://comment.org/understory/ Comment magazine: https://comment.org Cardus: https://www.cardus.ca Charlie Dates: https://www.preachingdates.com #TheUnderstory #CommentMagazine #Cardus #CharlieDates #WhoIsChristForUsToday #BlackPreaching #ChristianHumanism #AnneSnyder #Christology

    28 min
  2. Is This a Time to Build, or a Time to Re-found? — David Brooks and Ross Douthat

    Jun 18

    Is This a Time to Build, or a Time to Re-found? — David Brooks and Ross Douthat

    Do our institutions need repair—or replacement? In one of the festival's most anticipated conversations, longtime friends and conservative public intellectuals David Brooks and Ross Douthat debate whether our moment calls for rebuilding existing institutions or re-founding them altogether. Introduced by Christine Emba and reflected upon by Mark Labberton. Mentioned: Albert O. Hirschman Frederick Buechner American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony, by Samuel P. Huntington James Baldwin Gregory of Nyssa and the Song of Songs "Fast Car," by Tracy Chapman The papal encyclical Magnifica Humanitas Comment's Manifesto Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episode Highlights "We look through the world through mud-colored lenses." (Brooks) "Culture change happens more by example than by argument, via admiration more than by persuasion." (Brooks) "Romanticism is an insurrection of the whole person against the tyranny of the part." (Brooks) "In this period, it's easier to coast, to slide, and often to despair." (Douthat) "What is the new university, and why isn't Silicon Valley money funding it?" (Douthat) About David Brooks David Brooks is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the inaugural senior presidential fellow at Yale's Jackson School of Global Affairs, after twenty-two years as a New York Times columnist. He wrote The Second Mountain and How to Know a Person. About Ross Douthat Ross Douthat is a New York Times Opinion columnist and hosts the podcast Interesting Times. A fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, he wrote The Decadent Society and Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious, and lives in New Haven, Connecticut. Helpful Links and Resources Comment's manifesto: comment.org/manifesto/ The Understory Festival: comment.org/understory/ Comment magazine: comment.org #TheUnderstory #CommentMagazine #DavidBrooks #RossDouthat #ChristianHumanism #CulturalRenewal #FaithAndPublicLife #BuildOrRefound

    1h 13m
  3. The Christian Humanist Lens on Our Moment — Luke Bretherton

    Jun 15

    The Christian Humanist Lens on Our Moment — Luke Bretherton

    What happens when people no longer feel capable of shaping the world around them? Oxford theologian Luke Bretherton argues that beneath our political and cultural turmoil lie twin crises of agency and institutional trust. Drawing on the Christian humanist tradition, he proposes a recovery of the human person rooted not in autonomy or power but in participation, responsibility, and the image of Christ. Before Luke took the stage, we watched a short film titled What Does It Mean to Be Human? created by our friends at ChristianStory—linked in the show notes. It helped frame the conversation you're about to hear. Mentioned: What Is a Human? (from ChristianStory) Christ and the Common Life, by Luke Bretherton A Primer in Christian Ethics, by Luke Bretherton Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episode Highlights "Christian humanism is not a theory. Rather, it's a therapy for recovering our humanity in and through Christ." "Jesus is remade into a tribal God, and love of neighbor is labeled toxic empathy." "Democracy in this sense is fundamentally a practice of neighboring." "People feel acted upon by forces they can neither understand nor resist." "We cannot live by money and technology alone." About Luke Bretherton Luke Bretherton is the Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford and director of the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life. Before Oxford he was the Robert E. Cushman Distinguished Professor of Moral and Political Theology at Duke University. His books include Christ and the Common Life (2019), A Primer in Christian Ethics (2023), and What Is Political Theology? (2025), and he hosts the Listen, Organize, Act! podcast (Oxford Faculty of Theology and Religion). Learn more and follow at theology.ox.ac.uk/people/rev-canon-professor-luke-bretherton Helpful Links and Resources Luke Bretherton at Oxford: theology.ox.ac.uk/people/rev-canon-professor-luke-bretherton The Understory, from Comment: comment.org/issues/the-understory/ #ChristianHumanism #LukeBretherton #TheUnderstory #CommentMagazine #ImagoDei #PoliticalTheology

    53 min
  4. Unfinished Business: Picking Up the Mantle — Anika Prather

    Jun 15

    Unfinished Business: Picking Up the Mantle — Anika Prather

    What work has been left unfinished—and who will carry it forward? Scholar, educator, and founder Anika Prather traces a mantle passed from Elijah to Elisha, from Abraham Lincoln to later generations, and ultimately to us. Drawing on Scripture, history, song, and the Black Church tradition, she argues that the work of reconciliation, education, repair, and beloved community remains unfinished. Recorded live in the nave of Washington National Cathedral. Mentioned: The Black Intellectual Tradition, by Angel Adams Parham and Anika Prather Human Tapestries, by Anika Prather The Autobiography of Malcolm X The spirituals Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Let Us Break Bread Together Human Family, by Maya Angelou Recommended reading: My Life, My Love, My Legacy, by Coretta Scott King Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you listen. Episode Highlights "Because love keeps no record of wrongs." "We have modern-day Elijahs, and we are called to be Elisha. We have a mantle to pick up." "Home is where we are one based on what's in here. Our love for one another." "Everyone is fighting to center their own story." "My rod is the classical tradition because historically it has been used to bring people together, to bring us together. What is yours?" About Anika Prather Dr. Anika T. Prather is a classical educator and scholar who has helped recover the Black classical tradition. She holds a B.A. from Howard University, a master's from St. John's College, and a PhD from the University of Maryland, and her work builds literacy with African American students through the great books. She co-authored The Black Intellectual Tradition with Angel Adams Parham, self-published Living in the Constellation of the Canon, and has a forthcoming book, Human Tapestries (Anthem Press). She founded The Living Water School and is an assistant professor at the Catholic University of America. Learn more and follow at drprather.com. (Sources: drprather.com; coopercollege.org/leadership; biola.edu events listing for Human Tapestry.) Helpful Links and Resources Dr. Anika Prather: drprather.com The Understory, from Comment: comment.org #TheUnderstory #AnikaPrather #BelovedCommunity #ClassicalEducation #BlackClassicalTradition #FaithAndPublicLife

    27 min
  5. What Is Struggling to Be Born? — Fr. Tomáš Halík

    Jun 11

    What Is Struggling to Be Born? — Fr. Tomáš Halík

    When old certainties crumble, what is God bringing forth? Opening the Understory festival from Prague, Czech Republic, priest and theologian Tomáš Halík reflects on faith after Christendom, the wounds that become sites of encounter with God, and why Christianity's future may depend less on restoration than on spiritual maturity. His remarks are followed by responses from Makoto Fujimura, Romanita Hairston, Amber Lapp, and Christian Wiman, woven together with live cello by Slovak musician Jozef Lupták. Mentioned: Touch the Wounds, by Tomáš Halík  The Afternoon of Christianity, by Tomáš Halík "And I Was Alive," from Stolen Air: Selected Poems of Osip Mandelstam — Osip Mandelstam, translated by Christian Wiman Nihonga (Japanese mineral-pigment painting) The Liberty Bell "Great is thy faithfulness" (Lamentations) Thales Heraclitus Meister Eckhart Vincent van Gogh Pope Francis and synodality Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. ——— Episode Highlights Tomáš Halík: "It is difficult to distinguish the pain of dying from the birth pangs of something struggling to be born." Makoto Fujimura: "But rather than rush to fix the crack, now is the time of beholding." Romanita Hairston: "We have not yet learned how to be valuable apart from being useful." Amber Lapp: "It made me wonder how many of our social troubles are downstream from people doubting their dignity, feeling badly about themselves." Christian Wiman: "I believe we've entered a time in which the preservation of individual consciousness will be the great battle." ——— Links The Understory festival: https://comment.org/understory/ Comment: https://comment.org Cardus: https://www.cardus.ca Makoto Fujimura: https://makotofujimura.com Romanita Hairston: https://romanitahairston.com Tomáš Halík: http://halik.cz/en/ Amber Lapp: https://comment.org/contributors/amber-lapp/ Christian Wiman: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/christian-wiman Jozef Lupták: https://www.jozefluptak.com/ ——— Show Notes Opening night in the Cathedral nave; the question beneath the others Tomáš Halík, from Prague: incarnatio, passio, resurrectio continua; resurrection as transformation, not restoration Makoto Fujimura: to understand is to stand under; Nihonga, the Liberty Bell's crack, and broken beauty Romanita Hairston: the move from physical to cognitive labor; twins of a new humanity and new institutions; beloved before useful Amber Lapp: a working-class Ohio town, the marriage gap, doubted dignity, and micro-institutions of recovery Christian Wiman: Mandelstam's last poem; quantum strangeness; consciousness as something shared Live cello by Jozef Lupták; closing word from Anne Snyder ——— #TheUnderstory #UnderstoryFestival #CommentMagazine #Cardus #ChristianHumanism #WhatIsStrugglingToBeBorn #MakotoFujimura #ChristianWiman #BrokenBeauty

    44 min
  6. Welcome to the Understory, Where the Future Quietly Takes Root — Anne Snyder

    Jun 11

    Welcome to the Understory, Where the Future Quietly Takes Root — Anne Snyder

    In this opening episode, Comment editor-in-chief Anne Snyder delivers the remarks she offered on the first night of the Understory festival—a three-day gathering hosted by Comment at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Drawing on history's overlooked seedbeds of moral imagination, Anne reflects on what stirs beneath the surface of our exhausted public life: a scattered, largely invisible constellation of people committed to building across difference, recovering what has been lost, and reimagining what might yet be born. Something is dying, and something is being born—and they may just be the same story. Welcome to the Understory.

    32 min
  • 6 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

In late May 2026, more than a thousand people gathered for three days beneath the vaults of Washington National Cathedral for the first Understory Festival: a living experiment in Christian humanism, where argument and silence, music and lament, poetry and debate were honored as different ways of attending to reality, and of exploring this question of what might be struggling to be born today. This limited series gathers the festival's main-stage talks and carries them to everyone who wasn't in the room, as well as to everyone who was and wishes to return. Voice by voice, you'll hear the thinkers, weavers, institution-builders, artists, and pastors who came together to ask: what is struggling to be born, what is a human being, and who is Christ for us today. Presented by Comment.

Information

  • Channel
    Comment
  • Creator
    Comment
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    The Understory

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