Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

This emotional episode of Faithful Politics is in response to America seeing over 100,000 lives lost to the COVID-19 virus, but also to the George Floyd killing by a Minneapolis Police Officer. We invited a listener of the podcast who currently is serving as a police officer to get his take on current events. Because he is actively serving, he is using the nom de plume of Officer Kidd. His insight working within the police department, combined with him being an African-American provides a unique perspective on the riots, the protesting, and the justice system. 

As always, please be sure to check out our website (www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.com) , and join our Facebook Group @ Faithful Politics Podcast. 

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

On this episode of Faithful Politics, Will and Josh discuss the Johnson Amendment. The repeal of this law was brought up a number of times by President Trump in early 2017 because he argued it hindered freedom of speech for the religious community.  The Johnson Amendment is a provision in the U.S. tax code, since 1954, that prohibits all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations (to include religious) from endorsing or opposing political candidates. Josh gets into the significance of the law, the biblical perspective on taxes, especially as it pertains to religious institutions. Will discusses some possible motivations for why Trump wanted to repeal it, and advocates that the law be left alone for fear of increasing the integrity and fairness of our elections. 

**One correction** - Will incorrectly stated that Lyndon Johnson (democrat) was acting as president in 1954, when the bill passed. It was actually Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican. 
 
Sources used in the discussion:

• https://www.natlawreview.com/article/president-trump-signs-johnson-amendment-executive-order-limiting-treasury-s-actions
• https://nccs.urban.org/publication/nonprofit-sector-brief-2018#the-nonprofit-sector-in-brief-2018-public-charites-giving-and-volunteering
• https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1151341
• https://www.memphis.edu/law/documents/goldfeder_and_terry_torepealornotrepeal.pdf

For more information about the show, or the host, please check out our website: www.FaithfulPoliticsPodcast.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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

In this longer than usual podcast Josh and Will talk about an issue that surprisingly made its way into the 24/7 COVID-19 news cycle; racism. On the heels of the Ahmaud Arbery Case, the hosts of Faithful Politics decided to take a different approach in dealing with racism. Josh begins by looking at the way the Bible was used, or used incorrectly, to substantiate slavery in this country. An argument was made that our modern day use of the word slavery, is not how the writers of the Bible envisioned it. Afterwards Will discusses how the framing of stories in the media help or hinder the racial divide in the country, and ends the show with a surprising encounter between the Black Lives Matter Movement and a Trump Rally. 

Sources used in the show:

• Bartchy, S. S. (1992). Slavery: New Testament. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 6). New York: Doubleday.
• Harris, M. J. (1999). Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ. (D. A. Carson, Ed.) (Vol. Downers Grove, IL; England: InterVarsity Press; Apollos.
• Eltis, D., Engerman, S., Drescher, S., & Richardson, D. (Eds.). (2017). The Cambridge World History of Slavery (The Cambridge World History of Slavery). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Bradley, K., & Cartledge, P. (Eds.). (2011). The Cambridge World History of Slavery (The Cambridge World History of Slavery). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Whitehouse was built on slaves: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/questions/did-slaves-build-the-white-house
• Police Shooting Stats: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4634878/
• Blacks Lives Matter vs. Trump Supporters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fukHd60uAkI
• 
  

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

In this week's episode Josh and Will finish up the second of a two part look at the Coronavirus and how it is impacting both the church and average citizens. Will discusses the Reopen Rallies around the country, and how the desire for expected outcomes (confirmation biases) are fueling conspiracy theories. They have a quick moment of reflection about murder hornets and how it's such a 2020 thing to do. Then finally they end with some coping mechanisms for both secular and non-secular types.

Sources referenced in the show:

• The 'mind-blowing' story of the ex-Green Beret who tried to oust Venezuela's Maduro (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/mind-blowing-story-ex-green-beret-who-tried-oust-venezuela-n1201981)
• National Day of Prayer:  (https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2011/0414/Legal-challenge-to-National-Day-of-Prayer-thrown-out)
• Mixed messages - Who has responsibility?
  • Trump says the responsibility belongs to him: April 13th, https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1249712404260421633?s=20
    Trump says that governors are responsible: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-04-14/trump-claims-he-has-total-authority-over-reopening-economy
• Cable TV and Coronavirus: How Americans perceive the outbreak and view media coverage differ by main news source | Pew Research Center (https://www.journalism.org/2020/04/01/cable-tv-and-covid-19-how-americans-perceive-the-outbreak-and-view-media-coverage-differ-by-main-news-source/)
• 7 ways to cope with covid: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hope-resilience/202004/7-ways-cope-covid-19

Please check out out our new website: www.faithfulpoliticspodcast.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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

In this episode Pastor Josh and Will tackle a subject that is affecting the global community, the Novel Coronavirus (aka: COVID-19). They discuss the origins, some theories about where it came from, and talk about some famous diseases that the Bible includes in God's story. 

The show ends with a message of hope from Pastor Josh and a "Call to Action" for the Christian Community during these perilous times.

Sources referenced in show:

• Where did Covid-19 come from? What we know about its origins - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/01/could-covid-19-be-manmade-what-we-know-about-origins-trump-chinese-lab-coronavirus
• Pandemic Disease Is a Threat to National Security - https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-03-03/pandemic-disease-threat-national-security
• DNI World Threat Assessment 2019 - https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/2019-ATA-SFR---SSCI.pdf
• New York Times op-ed blames coronavirus on conservative Christians - https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/new-york-times-op-ed-blames-coronavirus-on-conservative-christians
• Some of the Most Visible Christians in America Are Failing the Coronavirus Test - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/christian-cruelty-face-covid-19/610477/

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

On this special bonus episode, Will speaks with an everyday German citizen to gain a perspective on how they are dealing with the Novel-Coronavirus. They discuss a wide range of topics dealing with daily life, the government response, and the place of America on the world stage under the leadership of President Trump. They end it with a message of hope and a positive outlook of the future. 

*Warning this episode contains explicit language*

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

On the first episode of Faithful Politics, Josh and Will discuss the seemingly bizarre fascination of Christians' affinity for the Republican Party. Then they take a trip through time and talk about the origins of Red vs. Blue, Left vs. Right, and the Donkey vs. Elephants. Finally, they end the show with a controversial pontification of who Jesus would vote for in the 2020 election. 

Sources used in this podcast:

• America's True History of Religious Tolerance https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/
• Red state, blue state: How colors took sides in politics https://theconversation.com/red-state-blue-state-how-colors-took-sides-in-politics-93541
• History of the Democratic Party https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/democratic-party
• History of the Republican Party https://www.history.com/topics/us-politics/republican-party
• Why the Donkey vs. the elephant https://www.rferl.org/a/us-politics-why-donkey-vs-elephant/24762343.html
• Origins of the Religious Right https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133
• Roots of the Religious Right are still present in the Trump Era https://washingtonmonthly.com/2016/10/21/the-roots-of-the-religious-right-are-still-present-in-the-trump-era/

Join the discussion:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FaithfulPoliticsPodcast/

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]

You ever wonder why we’ve always been told not to talk about religion and politics? These two subjects ostensibly run every aspect of our life, from creating the framework of how society is ran to define our basic understanding of morality and well It’s a tragedy that these two topics are so taboo and discouraged at work or around the dining room table.

Could it be that people have such a cultural, social , and even spiritual investment into their beliefs or political ideology that to question it...question something that is so deeply rooted in their personal identity...is to question their very existence? 

Maybe so. But I actually think that people want to talk about these things but either don’t know how to or are unsure how others will receive it. Well that’s why Faithful Politics exists and it’s what I hope to accomplish with this podcast. 

My name is Will Wright, political junkie and analyst and joining me in this social experiment is Joshua Burtram, lead pastor of Short Pump Community Church, in Short Pump, Virginia. I’ve only known Josh for a few months, so to be honest, I don’t know exactly where he stands on certain issues.  But that’s part of the experiment there will be some things we agree on and other things we may not. Together we’ll talk about current events and stories that center around religion and politics and hopefully do it in a way that allows us to make strong arguments, but also help build stronger relationships between us and some of the other guests we hope to have on the show down the road. 

You will get a front row seat to the birth of a relationship between Josh and myself. But more importantly, you’ll get to listen to two people discuss religion and politics while respecting, not vilifying, each other.  This is Faithful Politics, and I hope you’ll join us. 

Join the conversation!

You can find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FaithfulPoliticsPodcast

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/

Support the show

Keep the conversation going.

Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, suggest a future guest, or connect with us directly?

Visit our website:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com

Browse our bookstore, featuring books from many of our guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore

Support the show and help us keep these conversations going:
patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics

Subscribe for behind-the-scenes content, reflections, and updates:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Contact the hosts:
Josh Burtram, Faithful Host: [email protected]
Will Wright, Political Host: [email protected]

Follow Faithful Politics:
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast