The right to believe what you want is baked into the fabric of American society. But throughout U.S. history, there has been considerable disagreement over how much influence those beliefs should have in law and government — particularly the Christian ideals many believe the nation was founded on.

Michael O. Emerson joined the podcast to explore not only the role of faith in U.S. politics, but the intersection of American Christianity and racial identity and what it means for public policy. Emerson recently co-authored the related book “The Religion of Whiteness: How Racism Distorts Christian Faith” (Oxford University Press, 2024) with Glenn E. Bracey II.

Discussants

Michael O. Emerson, Ph.D. Harry and Hazel Chavanne Fellow in Religion and Public Policy, Baker Institute

The Honorable David M. Satterfield  Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy