What do you do when the systems around you feel like they’re crumbling—and calling your senator doesn’t feel like enough? In this heartening episode of Complexified, author and ritual innovator Casper ter Kuile joins Amanda to talk about spiritual practices, civic exhaustion, and why small politics and sacred relationships might be our best tools for weathering chaos. From vigils in a blizzard to midsummer festivals in Brooklyn, this conversation weaves together policy and poetry, tea and transformation, with humor, honesty, and hope. If you’ve ever felt torn between marching in the streets or staying home under a blanket—this one's for you.

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In overwhelming times, spiritual practice starts small—and stays true.

When the world feels too big to fix, it’s tempting to shut down—or spiral. In this intimate conversation, author and scholar Simran Jeet Singh joins Complexified to talk about what happens when we finally let go of the pressure to save the world, and instead tend to our corner of it with humility, joy, and spiritual grounding. Drawing from Sikh wisdom and his own experience of burnout, Simran invites us to trade ego-driven change for something more lasting: connection, presence, and compassion that transforms us from the inside out. If you’ve ever wondered how to keep caring without collapsing, this one’s for you.

Simran Jeet Singh is a scholar, writer, and public advocate known for his work at the intersection of religion, justice, and culture. He is the author of The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life and Executive Director of the Aspen Institute’s Religion & Society Program. A proud Sikh American, Simran writes and speaks widely on equity, empathy, and the power of small, meaningful acts to create lasting change.

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What if the most powerful protest starts with getting a good night’s sleep?

How do we keep going when everything feels like too much? Union Theological Seminary president Serene Jones joins host Amanda Henderson to talk about navigating trauma, disorientation, and political despair without giving in to collapse. From sleep to protest marches, they explore how small, rooted acts of care can ground us in a moment designed to disempower. If you’ve been wondering what faith looks like when the wheels fall off, this episode is a balm—and a call to stay in the fight.

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In this stirring episode of Complexified, we sit down with scholar, poet and community elder Rachel Harding to remember what the Civil Rights Movement was really made of — not just legal wins, but music, food, family and radical hope. Raised among icons and everyday visionaries, Rachel offers a vision for change that begins not in courts, but in kitchens. This is a story about memory and movement, but also about presence — the kind of deep connection to people, place and purpose that makes liberation feel not just possible, but near. If you’re longing for a different way to be human in the chaos, this one’s for you.

GUEST:

Rachel Elizabeth Harding is a native of Georgia and a writer, historian and poet. Rachel is a specialist in religions of the Afro-Atlantic diaspora and studies the relationship between religion, creativity and social justice activism in cross-cultural perspective. A Cave Canem Fellow, she holds an MFA in creative writing from Brown University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado Boulder. She's the author of A Refuge in Thunder: Candomblé and Alternative Spaces of Blackness (Indiana University Press, 2000) as well as numerous poems and essays. Rachel’s second book, Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism and Mothering (Duke University Press, 2015), combines her own writings with those of her mother, Rosemarie Freeney Harding, on the role of compassion and spirituality in African American social justice organizing.

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The complicated legacy of Pope Francis — part reformer, part rule-breaker, and always hard to pin down.

Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church — but how far did he really go? In this episode of Complexified, Vatican reporter Claire Giangravè joins host Amanda Henderson to reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis. From his early image as a reformer to his efforts to include marginalized communities, we explore the tensions that defined his papacy. Plus, what actually happens when a pope dies — and how a new one is chosen.

00:00 Why Pope Francis Matters

01:52 A Reformer from the Start

03:50 Comfort in Chaos: COVID and Global Nationalism

05:09 LGBTQ+ Catholics and Vatican Politics

07:27 Synodality and Church Governance

09:10 How the Conclave Works

13:07 Language, Power, and Papal Politics

15:04 Divisions and the Future of Catholicism

17:03 Structure vs. Relational Religion

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One of the most powerful religious institutions in America is also one of the most chaotic. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), with its billion-dollar budget and massive political influence, operates without centralized authority or even an effective system of accountability. But as the Executive Committee meets in Nashville this week, a long-simmering crisis of governance is coming to a head.

In this episode of Complexified, Amanda Henderson speaks with RNS reporter Bob Smietana to break down the scandals, factional divides, and power struggles shaping the SBC today. The conversation delves into:

With fights over money, power, and theology unfolding behind closed doors, the SBC’s current turmoil is more than just denominational drama—it’s a mirror of America’s broader political and cultural battles.

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USAID has been a pillar of American foreign policy and humanitarian relief for over 60 years, but under the Trump administration’s latest push for government downsizing—driven in part by Elon Musk’s influence—the agency is facing deep cuts that could disrupt life-saving aid in over 100 countries. What does this mean for the millions of people who rely on U.S. support for clean water, healthcare, and disaster relief? And how are faith-based organizations, some of the biggest USAID partners, preparing for a future with drastically reduced funding?

In this episode of Complexified, Amanda Henderson sits down with former USAID official Adam Nicholas Phillips to explore the history, purpose, and political pressures surrounding USAID, from its Cold War origins to its vital role in today’s humanitarian crises. They discuss how religious groups—trusted in their communities—are often the backbone of aid delivery, why cutting USAID isn’t just about budget efficiency, and whether resistance movements might emerge to counter these drastic changes. With over 50,000 aid workers already furloughed and countless lives hanging in the balance, this episode unpacks the high-stakes battle over foreign aid, faith-based partnerships, and America’s role on the global stage.

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JD Vance took the stage at the March for Life to thunderous applause, positioning himself as a champion of conservative Catholic values. With Republican heavyweights like Ron DeSantis and Mike Johnson in attendance, the rally was a display of political and religious unity—or so it seemed. Just two days later, Vance went on Face the Nation and publicly attacked Catholic bishop, seeming to accuse them of financially benefiting from immigration policies and failing to support law enforcement.

In this episode of Complexified, Amanda Henderson and RNS journalist Aleja Hertzler-McCain explore the contradictions in Vance’s political and religious journey—his late-in-life conversion to Catholicism, his embrace of Catholic integralism, and his balancing act between conservative ideology and Trump’s agenda. Why did he shift from echoing traditional Catholic rhetoric at the March for Life to distancing himself from the church’s leaders on immigration? What does this reveal about the evolving priorities of the religious right and the tensions between power and principle?

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God and Trump collide in a week of political and religious tension, sparked by a prophetic sermon at the National Cathedral. Host Amanda Henderson and RNS Executive Editor Roxanne Stone delve into how this sermon—calling for mercy and justice—reshaped the national discourse and exposed the fractures between competing Christianities. From Trump’s invocation of divine authority to the shifting influence of evangelical power, they explore how faith and politics are shaping America’s identity and future.

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"By the grace of God, by Jesus, and Jenny."

Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense avoided overt debates on his faith or claims of moral redemption, leaving the politics of his nomination largely unspoken. Amanda Henderson and RNS reporter Jack Jenkins examine how Hegseth’s Christian nationalism, personal controversies, and claims of transformation served as a stormy backdrop to the hearing, raising deeper questions about the unacknowledged intersections of religion, power, and leadership in his path to the Pentagon.

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