Capitol Conversations

With the first COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer being delivered throughout the U.S., we wanted to bring you a discussion about the vaccines between Dr. Russell Moore and Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Collins is one of our nation’s key scientific leaders battling the pandemic. In this conversation, he shares insights about the development of the vaccines, misconceptions about them and what it will take to get our church life back to "normal."

This discussion was hosted as an ERLC webinar on December 3, 2020.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of Searching for Christmas by JD Greear. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. was appointed the 16th Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate. He was sworn in on August 17, 2009. On June 6, 2017, President Donald Trump announced his selection of Dr. Collins to continue to serve as the NIH Director. In this role, Dr. Collins oversees the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research.

Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. He served as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH from 1993-2008.

Before coming to NIH, Dr. Collins was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of Michigan. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007, and received the National Medal of Science in 2009. In 2020, he was elected as a Foreign Member of the Royal Society (UK) and was also named the 50th winner of the Templeton Prize, which celebrates scientific and spiritual curiosity.

• During the webinar, Dr. Collins mentioned a website where you can find more information about joining vaccine or clinical trials or donating plasma to help win the fight against COVID-19. Click here to learn more: combatcovid.hhs.gov
• Read more: Why We Plan to Get Vaccinated: A Christian Moral Perspective by Matthew Arbo, C. Ben Mitchell, and Andrew T. Walker
• Watch the original webinar
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Stay up to date on ERLC’s resources regarding COVID-19
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

Chelsea Patterson Sobolik and Travis Wussow are both back around the table with Jeff Pickering for a wide ranging policy conversation about the ERLC’s priorities for the Lame Duck Congress and then the Biden Administration.

Then on the second half of the show, China expert Michael Sobolik joins us for a deep dive on Chinese Communist Party politics, history of the U.S. China relationship, and what it means for human rights advocacy today.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of Searching for Christmas by JD Greear. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

Michael Sobolik is a Fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foriegn Policy Council. His work covers American and Chinese grand strategy, regional economic and security trends, America’s alliance architecture in Asia, and human rights. Michael also serves as editor of AFPC’s monthly newsletter Indo-Pacific Monitor. His analysis has appeared in The Diplomat, The Hill, Jane's Defence Weekly, The National Interest, National Review, Newsweek, Providence, and RealClearDefense. Prior to joining AFPC, Michael served as a Legislative Assistant to Sen. Ted Cruz from 2014 to 2019 and managed his Indo-Pacific policy portfolio. While in the Senate, Michael drafted legislation on China, Russia, India, Taiwan, North Korea, and Cambodia, as well as strategic systems and missile defense. Michael is a graduate of Texas A&M University, where he also earned his Master of International Affairs degree in American grand strategy and U.S.-China relations at the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

• Connect with Michael Sobolik at AFPC
• Sign up for Michael’s monthly newsletter, the Indo-Pacific Monitor
• Read more: How the Chinese Communist Party is persecuting Uyghur Muslims by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik and Michael Sobolik 
• Listen: Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian of AXIOS on China’s rising influence and the threat to human rights
• Read the EIT Press Release: Evangelical Coalition outlines Immigration Policy Priorities for new Congress, Biden Administration
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

This was a unique year for the ERLC interns as the program moved online. Rather than working together in the Leland House, the ERLC’s Capitol Hill office, students joined the policy team from all over the country. For this week’s episode after Thanksgiving, the interns joined Jeff Pickering and Brooke Kramer to reflect on their favorite projects, memorable meetings through Zoom, and what it’s like to be a college student during a global pandemic.

Our internship program exists to prepare students and young professionals with a gospel-centered, kingdom-focused perspective on the issues of everyday life. We offer semester and year-long programs with both of our offices in Nashville and D.C.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of the advent family devotional, A Better Than Anything Christmas. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

In this episode you will hear from Justin, Sam, Jackson, and Seth – our 2020 fall interns with the ERLC team in Washington, D.C.

• Learn more and apply at ERLC.com/internships
• ERLC internships: Investing, life-changing by Tom Strode
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

Thanksgiving is a great American holiday and welcoming refugees to our country has been, and should be again, a great American tradition. Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcome John Cusey to the roundtable to talk about one of his career passions, caring for refugees. John is currently the Vice President of Communications at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He has a rich career of government service throughout Washington across multiple administrations and in Congress. Most recently John served in the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services.

America’s refugee resettlement program has fallen short of our ideals in recent years by turning inward due to a rising trend of nationalism in our politics. Jeff, Travis, and John believe that Christians can lead the revitalization of America's commitment to be a beacon of freedom and safe harbor for the endangered and persecuted.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of the advent family devotional, A Better Than Anything Christmas. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

John Cusey is the Vice President of Communications at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He has a long record of government service including working for multiple presidential administrations and members of Congress. In 2019, John served in the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the Department of Health and Human Services. In his time on Capitol Hill, he served as the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-life Caucus for five years with Congressman Chris Smith and as the Legislative Director and Press Secretary for Congressman Gary Miller for two years. Prior to working in DC, John worked for three different Members of the California State Legislature where he focused on budget issues.

• Check out Governor Herbert’s letter notifying President Trump of Utah’s desire to welcome more refugees and the letter refugees who resettled in Utah wrote to Governor Herbert
• Check out the Sriracha documentary John mentioned
• How the Refugee and Asylum System Works in the US by Joe Carter
• Southern Baptists: A History of Refugee Care by Travis Wussow
• Lets Demand Honesty in Refugee Rhetoric by Matt Hawkins
• 7 Ways to Serve our Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors During a Pandemic by Eric Costanzo
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson Sobolik welcome back ERLC president, Russell Moore, to the podcast to talk about his new book, The Courage To Stand, and what we can learn about truth and tribalism from the 2020 presidential election. The message of Dr. Moore’s newest book is timely for this fearful and anxious year as he helps readers see where Christ-empowered courage comes from, from the way of the cross.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of the advent family devotional, A Better Than Anything Christmas. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

• Get Russell Moore’s new book | The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear without Losing Your Soul
• Read Russell Moore’s article from his newsletter on truth and tribalism: Looking for Truth in Post-Election America
• Subscribe to Moore to the Point
• Check out the book Jeff recommended: Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Fulton v. Philadelphia, a crucial religious liberty case whose outcome could determine the ability of faith-based foster care and adoption providers to continue serving consistent with their convictions. The ERLC filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the case in support of Catholic Social Services. In this episode, Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow welcome Lori Windham, the Becket attorney who argued before the Court on behalf of foster moms and Catholic Social Services, to discuss the case.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The Christmas We Didn't Expect by David Matthis. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com. 

Lori Windham is Senior Counsel at Becket Fund, where she has represented clients on cutting-edge religious freedom issues since 2005. She has represented parties before the Supreme Court, including Becket’s victories in Hosanna-Tabor, Hobby Lobby, and Little Sisters of the Poor. Lori is a graduate of Harvard Law School and earned her B.A. summa cum laude at Abilene Christian University.

Resources from the Conversation

• Connect with the Lori Windham on Twitter | @LoriWindham1
• Connect with the Becket Fund on Twitter | @becketlaw
• Read more: Explainer: What you need to know about Fulton v. Philadelphia
• Go deeper: What happened at the SCOTUS case on foster care and religious liberty?
• Read more: Christians, Let’s Pray for President-Elect Joe Biden by Russell Moore
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

The right to vote is at the heart of our nation’s grand pursuit of a more perfect Union. Though restricted at the founding, this right was secured more fully through the dedicated advocacy of suffragettes and civil rights activists. In 2020, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which secured the right to vote for women.

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. . . . Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.” - Amendment XIX, Constitution of the United States of America

On this episode of Capitol Conversations on Election Day 2020, Chelsea Paterson Sobolik commemorates this centennial with interviews covering the history, the role of faith, and the meaning of the Women’s Suffrage movement. The conversations with a historian, a seminarian, and a lawyer also highlight inspirational role models and why it’s important for women to be engaged in the public square.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The Christmas We Didn't Expect by David Matthis. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com. 

Andrea Turpin is an Associate Professor of History at Baylor University. She is the author of A New Moral Vision: Gender, Religion, and the Changing Purposes of American Higher Education, 1837-1917. Dr. Turpin received an A.B. at Princeton University, an M.A. at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. at the University of Notre Dame. 

Missie Branch is the Assistant Dean of Students to Women and Director of Graduate Life at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS). Years ago, Missie and her husband, Duce, co-planted a church in Philadelphia, PA where she served as a pastor’s wife, a children’s ministry director, and a women’s ministry leader. Missie and Duce have four children.

Palmer Williams is a Founding Partner of The Peacefield Group where she specializes in legal and policy analysis related to international human rights, sanctity of life, non-profit operations and government affairs. She earned her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and Community Development from Vanderbilt University. Palmer and her husband, Joseph, have two sons, Jack and Henry, and live in Nashville, TN.

• Read more: What we can learn from the road to the 19th Amendment by Palmer Williams
• Go deeper: How the Gospels show that Jesus values women by Rebecca McLaughlin
• Learn more about the 19th Amendment from the National Constitution Center
• Learn more about Missie Branch’s work at Women around Southeastern Seminary
• Learn more about Dr. Andrea Turpin’s work at Baylor University’s History Department 
• Download the Courage and Civility Church Kit
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Sobolik welcome Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to the roundtable to talk about the fractures in America public life and the way forward. Levin’s work in recent years have been instrumental to many of us here at the ERLC in thinking well about what has gone wrong in the public square and to see clearly why now is a time to build toward renewal.

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The Christmas We Didn't Expect by David Matthis. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com. 

Yuval Levin is the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy. The founding and current editor of National Affairs, he is also a senior editor of The New Atlantis and a contributing editor to National Review. He holds an MA and PhD from the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. Dr. Levin served as a member of the White House domestic policy staff under President George W. Bush. He was also executive director of the President’s Council on Bioethics and a congressional staffer at the member, committee, and leadership levels. In addition to frequent radio, television, and podcast appearances, Dr. Levin regularly publishes essays and articles in a range of outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Commentary. He is the author of several books on political theory and public policy. And our conversation today is rooted in his most recent two books, most recently “A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream” (Basic Books).

• Learn more about Yuval Levin and his work at AEI
• Check out Levin’s books
  • A Time to Build
  • The Fractured Republic
• Download the Courage and Civility Church Kit
• Check out The Good Book Company
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcome Charles Hedman, a pastor and elder from Capitol Hill Baptist Church, to the show to talk about the journey this church took to meet again in D.C. during the pandemic. This conversation also happens to come while the U.S. Senate is considering the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Charles is also an attorney, and a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where, you guessed it, Amy Coney Barrett was one of his professors. So we had to start today’s conversation about his experiences with Judge Barrett.

Charles Hedman was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana. After growing up a devout Catholic, Charles came to a definitive understanding and belief in the gospel during his senior year in college at the University of Notre Dame. After graduation, Charles attended Notre Dame Law School and, later, worked as a corporate litigation attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana. Called into ministry, Charles left the practice of law and joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (“Cru”) in 2009, working there until 2013. In addition to earning his B.A. and J.D., Charles has also earned Masters degrees in Teaching and Divinity from the University of Southern California and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, respectively, and is currently completing a Masters degree in Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Charles joined the staff of CHBC as a Pastoral Assistant in September of 2014. He and his wife Jamie live on Capitol Hill with their children.

• Read Jeff’s articles on CHBC’s journey
  • Why I’ve looked forward to church outside during COVID-19
  • Explainer: Religious liberty and Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s lawsuit in Washington, D.C.
  • Update: Capitol Hill Baptist wins in District Court
• A Q&A for churches on government restrictions with a religious liberty attorney
• How do you know if your religious liberty is violated?
• Download the Courage and Civility Church Kit
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter

In recent years, the Chinese government has escalated its persecution of religious minorities. The communist regime is using totalitarian tactics of forced labor, mass sterilization, and pervasive surveillance targeting Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Since 2017, China has detained more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps. Countering China morally for these atrocities is a key part of the ERLC’s international engagement. To continue that work, Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson Sobolik welcomed Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian of Axios to share her reporting on China.

“China is committing a cultural genocide against an ethnic minority and the world is basically, hardly even blinking. And that matters because this shows the kind of government, and the kind of ideology, that is driving what will be the most powerful country later in the 21st century.”– Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Axios China

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian is the China reporter at Axios, where she covers China's influence in the United States and abroad. Before joining Axios, she served as the lead reporter for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' China Cables project, a major leak of classified Chinese government documents revealing the inner workings of mass internment camps in Xinjiang. She also previously worked as a national security reporter for The Daily Beast and as an editor and reporter for Foreign Policy magazine. Allen-Ebrahimian holds a Masters in East Asian studies from Yale University. She is the author of the weekly Axios China newsletter. 

• Connect with Bethany on Twitter | @BethanyAllenEbr
• Sign up for Bethany’s newsletter | Axios China
• Read Bethany’s reporting on China’s human rights abuses | U.S. sanctions Chinese officials over Uighur hhuman rights abuses + Disney's Mulan was filmed in Xinjiang amid cultural genocide + China is censoring Hollywood's imagination
• Watch ERLC’s webinar | China’s Rising Threat to Human Rights
• The U.S. should oppose China’s forced labor practices by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik
• How the Chinese Communist Party is persecuting Uyghur Muslims by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik and Michael Sobolik
• Download the Courage and Civility Church Kit
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter