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Virginia is for lovers, so they say, but how is it that the first colonial settlement has been so instrumental, nay, influential in capital punishment? The commonwealth of Virginia is known for its fall colors, beautiful skylines, and developing a well oiled machine that executes people faster and with greater frequency than any other state. This week, we do a deep dive into the states rich history of executions, and talk about Virginia's recent abolishment of the death penalty. Could this bold act, the first in the south, have greater implications for the way the death penalty is applied at the national level? You'll have to listen to find out!

Guest Bio:
Professor Corinna Barrett Lain is a constitutional law scholar who writes about the influence of extralegal norms on Supreme Court decisionmaking, with a particular focus on the field of capital punishment. Her scholarship, which often uses the lens of legal history, has appeared in the Stanford Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Duke Law Journal, UCLA Law Review, and Georgetown Law Journal, among other venues. Professor Lain is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and received the University of Richmond’s Distinguished Educator Award in 2006. She is a former prosecutor and an Army veteran.

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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The Bible is a strange book, and yet people still read it gain insight from it, and worship the person for whom it was written about. On the flip side, it's also used as a weapon, from believers to atheists to push narratives that ostensibly go against the very foundations of the teachings found within its pages. To help us make some sense of this centuries-old document Josh and Will talk with world-renowned New Testament historian and scholar Luke Timothy Johnson. They talk about the rise of Christian Nationalism, what the Bible says about LGBTQ+, and how Christians should respond to the existence of aliens! 

Guest Bio:
Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson is Candler School of Theology’s Robert W. Woodruff Professor Emeritus, Emory’s most distinguished endowed chair. A noted scholar and an award-winning teacher, Johnson taught at Yale Divinity School and Indiana University prior to arriving at Candler in 1992. His research concerns the literary, moral and religious dimensions of the New Testament, including the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Letters, and the Letter of James.

A prolific author, Johnson has penned 31 books, more than 70 scholarly articles, 100 popular articles and nearly 200 book reviews. His 1986 book, The Writings of the New Testament: An Interpretation, now in its third edition, is widely used as a textbook in seminaries and departments of religion throughout the world. A decade later, Johnson made national headlines with The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels(HarperOne, 1996), the first book to systematically challenge the Jesus Seminar’s controversial claims, among them that Jesus said only 18 percent of what the Gospels attribute to him.

Homosexuality & The Church: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/homosexuality-church-0

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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NOTE: Apologies for the audio in the first 30 seconds or so, we had a little Bear insurrection to deal with, but we neutralized the problem. Enjoy the show!

Bears want to kill you is not only the title of a book that Creative Director of Babylon Bee, Ethan Nicolle wrote, but it's just a scientific fact. We talk with Ethan about his book and the research that went into forming this now proven hypothesis. The conversation then shifts towards the work he does at Babylon Bee, and how the battle lines have been drawn between the Woke and non-Woke crowds. They also talk about which political party  is the most gullible, and why Snopes seems to not understand satire. It was a fun episode to record, and I'm sure you'll be laughing just like the guys were when they recorded it!

Guest Bio:
Ethan Nicolle first broke into comics when he created two volumes of Chumble Spuzz for SLG Publishing in 2007 which was nominated for an Eisner Award for humor in 2009. He went on to create a web comic called Axe Cop with his little brother that became a viral sensation and went on to become an animated series on FOX and FXX. He has had multiple pitches optioned at Cartoon Network and worked as a staff writer and story editor on VeggieTales in the House at Dreamworks Animation for NetFlix, writing over 50 episodes. Nicolle has also written on other shows like Teen Titans Go! and Bunnicula. He did the book illustrations for Nick Offerman's books Gumptionand Good Clean Fun.

To learn more about Ethan, visit his website: https://www.ethannicolle.com

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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In this episode your faithful host Josh and your political host talk with cybersecurity expert Paul Rosenzweig. Join them as they discuss the nature of cybersecurity, the state of the art as it pertains to America, the vulnerabilities we all face, and some practical tips on how to keep yourself and your information secure.

Guest Bio:
Paul Rosenzweig works on legal and policy issues related to cybersecurity, homeland security, national security and tech policy, including the intersection of privacy and security. He was recently appointed to the American Bar Association’s Cybersecurity Legal Task Force.

In addition to his work at R Street, Paul continues to manage a small cybersecurity consulting company called Red Branch Consulting. He also teaches at the George Washington University School of Law. Previously, he was deputy assistant secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In an earlier life, he was a Senior Counsel on the Whitewater investigation of President Clinton.

Paul is the author of Cyber Warfare: How Conflicts in Cyberspace are Challenging America and Changing the World and of three video lecture series from The Great Courses: Thinking About Cybersecurity: From Cyber Crime to Cyber Warfare, The Surveillance State: Big Data, Freedom, and You, andInvestigating American Presidents.

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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When you think about the image of masculinity, what comes to mind? Many, and I mean many, people think of William Wallace from Braveheart, others think of folks like Oliver North, and even some think of John Wayne, the movie legend, who has brought us films like "Sands of Iwo Jima" or "the Green Berets". But why is it that those are the figures we conjure up, and why are they all white? This week Josh and Will get a chance to speak with author, professor, and all around super woman, Kristin Kobes Du Mez   (Du Mez=‘do’ ‘may’) about her most recent book 'Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation'. They answer some of the aforementioned questions by examining her book and learn more about the role that evangelicals played in crafting this idea of manhood.

Guest Bio:
Kristin Kobes Du Mez is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and Christianity Today, and has been interviewed on NPR, CBS, and the BBC, among other outlets. Her most recent book is Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

To learn more or buy a copy of her book, please visit: https://kristindumez.com

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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Elections are a foundation in our American democracy. They allow us to pick our presidents (sorta), vote for local representatives, and basically give us a voice in this country. You can think of elections like a much more impactful survey from Survey Monkey. However, unlike Survey Monkey, you would be hard pressed to find people willing to storm your office and stop the tallying of the results. This week we talk with someone who knows way more about elections than any human could possibly know. Jessica Huseman is a journalist from Texas who is the editorial director of Votebeat, a nonprofit newsroom and Chalkbeat spin-off which devotes itself to election reporting. She was the lead reporter at ProPublica’s Electionland project, is a frequent guest on CNN discussing election issues and her writings have appeared in The Atlantic, Ms. Magazine and the Dallas Morning News.

We discuss a wide range of issue from the state of election security, to the recent changes in election laws around the country, and then Jessica gives us some really good insight about the religious voting block and why they have been so effective at pushing for policies they believe in.

Guest Bio:
Jessica Huseman is the editorial director of Votebeat, an independent, non-profit newsroom covering voting rights, redistricting and election administration. She teaches investigative journalism at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and New York University, and was previously a reporter for ProPublica, where she led voting and elections coverage.

VoteBeat, is an independent, nonpartisan pop-up nonprofit newsroom covering local election administration and voting in eight states. If you'd like to support the work they do please visit: https://votebeat.org

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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Former President Trump might be out of the White House, but he still has a hold on the Republican Party in ways that are trivial so many conservatives. One such conservative is  Olivia Troye, who is the daughter of immigrants and was raised with conservative values. Her career has taken her all over the world and her experience in national security landed her a job in the Trump Administration. Her assignment in the White House was in the Office of the Vice President of the United States as the Homeland Security and Counterterrorism advisor to Vice President Mike Pence and she also served on the White House Coronavirus Task Force as Pence's lead staffer on the Task Force. Olivia chats with Will and Josh about her career and the decision to ultimately leave her post at the White House and become the Director for the Republican Accountability Project, an organization dedicated to holding Republicans accountable for abandoning the core principles of conservatism, the least of which includes supporting an insurrection at the Capitol.

Guest Bio:
Olivia Troye is an American national security official who worked on national security and homeland security issues at the National Counterterrorism Center, the United States Department of Energy Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis. She now serves as Director of the Republican Accountability Project.

For more information about the Republican Accountability Project, click here: https://accountability.gop

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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Join Faithful co-host Josh Burtram in a fascinating discussion with Dr. Ramon P. DeGennaro. Their discussion ranges from science fiction to explanations to gas shortages. You won't want to miss this interesting conversation with a world class expert in economics!



Guest Bio:

Dr. Ramon P. DeGennaro is the CBA Professor in Banking and Finance at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In addition, he consults in the areas of business valuation, investments, and financial management and is a Luminary Member of the Angel Capital Group. He also served as a Visiting Scholar at the Federal Reserve Banks of Cleveland and Atlanta and for the American Institute for Economic Research. Professor DeGennaro holds a Ph.D. in Finance from The Ohio State University.

At The University of Tennessee, Professor DeGennaro has been nominated for the Allen H. Keally Outstanding Teacher Award, the John B. Ross Outstanding Teaching Award (three times), and the College of Business Outstanding Teaching Award.

Professor DeGennaro has presented original research at dozens of professional conferences, and he is the recipient of more than 50 research and professional development grants. His current research involves investments, financial markets, and entrepreneurship. He has published more than 40 refereed articles on investments, financial market volatility, small-firm finance, the term structure of interest rates, financial institutions, and prediction markets. He also has written research reports, book chapters, book reviews, and several Federal Reserve publications.

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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Join co-host Josh Burtram as he interviews Dave Mann, a man with a lot of experience in government and the intelligence community. In this episode they talk about the concept of Truth Decay, the idea that our concept of truth and our trust in the institutions that supposedly provide it, is deteriorating in with each passing year. You won't want to miss this fascinating discussion! 

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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On a special Mother’s Day episode, Margaret Wright and Ashley Burtram (wives of Will and Josh) along with their friend Nicole McKinney, talk about faith and politics as it pertains to motherhood.  From mothering during a pandemic to women in church leadership, the ladies share their experiences, thoughts, and insights.

Support Sarah Stankorb’s work and preorder Damned If She Does: Why Women Quit Church and What It Means for the Future of Religion, Releases September 15, 2026.  Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889837091

Website: https://www.sarahstankorb.com/

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