Impolite Company

In this episode, we talk about the belief by many conservative charismatics in America that God helped put Donald Trump in the White House, the subject of a Politico Magazine story this week by Amy.

We also discuss new developments in Catholic activism, such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops submitting an amicus brief in supporting public sector unions in the Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME. This comes after decades of the U.S. church downplaying its support for labor unions and other more progressive causes in favor of activism on culturally-conservative issues.

And in the wake of reports that Hillary Clinton intervened to keep a senior aide in charge of faith issues on her 2008 campaign after he was accused of sexually harassing a subordinate, we talk about the sorry state of faith outreach in the Democratic Party.

This week, we introduce a new segment at the top of the hour: "Three Minutes of Twitter." Since Nish deactivated her Twitter account and now has one less place to put her rage, Amy decided it would be fun to give her three full minutes to rant, uninterrupted, about anything she wants. This week, she rants about the allegation that someone in the Trump campaign paid an adult film star hush money a month before the election. We're sorry and you're welcome.

We also tackle John Piper's suggestion that women shouldn't teach at Christian seminaries, as well as a piece written by Rod Dreher in which he blatantly dehumanizes the poor.

We recorded this episode on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. So, for our deep dive, we take a look at the state of American abortion politics--the labels that define each side, statistics that suggest punitive abortion restrictions don't work, and how each side is becoming more entrenched in ideological purity.

This week, we give an update on two stories from last week: the selection of a new prophet for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the Mormon church), and the story about a popular evangelical megachurch pastor who sexually abused a teenager when he was her youth pastor.

We also take a look at the broad support - politically and religiously - for two crucial policies at the crux of the budget battle: DACA recipients (or Dreamers), and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

And for our deep dive, we discuss Trump's "shithole" comments and the response to his remarks from prominent evangelical individuals and institutions alike.

Nish recently quit Twitter and has now focused her rage solely for the podcast. We’re sorry and you’re welcome.

Happy New Year! We're back with our first episode in 2018. This week, we discuss the 100 largest churches in America, and how none of them are LGBT-affirming. We also talk about the death of the Mormon prophet, and Nish interviews Anthony Sweat, a professor at Brigham Young University, about the process of selecting the new president in the LDS church. 

For our deep dive, we examine a case of sexual assault in the evangelical church, the response of the alleged perpetrator's current congregation, and reaping the consequences of purity culture. 

Nish also admits to being a Justin Timberlake fan and Amy tries not to talk in a British accent after watching too many episodes of The Crown.

In our final episode for 2017, we take a look at the dynamics, challenges, and benefits of interfaith families, particularly in Jewish communities. Amy shares her own experience as a Christian woman married to a culturally Jewish man, and raising their kids to be religiously Christian but culturally Jewish.

We also discuss an article in BuzzFeed that highlights the desire to merge Jewish religious traditions with "wellness," a trendy movement happening amongst millennial and Gen-X practitioners. And Nish has a related interview with author, journalist and UC Berkeley professor Kaya Oakes, about the trends, spiritual lives, and politics of the fastest-growing religious demographic: "The Nones," or those who say that have no religious affiliation.

Make sure you catch Amy's article this week in the NY Times: "America's New Religion: Fox Evangelicalism"

Doug Jones beats Roy Moore in the race for Alabama's Senate seat!

We dissect the exit polling - How did Evangelicals vote? What does this say about the status of the abortion debate? Will America finally learn to listen to the wisdom and leadership of black women? What now?

We discuss all of it!

This week, we take a look at the ramifications of Trump's decision to scale back two national monuments in Utah, particularly for Native American tribes and their spiritual lives. 

We also discuss the resurrection of Martin Luther King's "Poor People's Campaign," now being led by Rev. Dr. William Barber and Rev. Liz Theoharis, and how this new campaign could ignite the religious left. 

For our deep dive, we discuss the hotly-contested Supreme Court case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. What is this case, what are the implications, and what does this mean for religious liberty cases moving forward? To give us more insight, Amy talks to Melissa Rogers, a church/state lawyer, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, and former Executive Director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships under President Barack Obama. 

We also made a Spotify Christmas playlist for you! 

It's the start of the holiday season, which can only mean one thing: The War on Christmas! This week, we take a deep dive into what is basically a giant conspiracy theory perpetuated by FOX News. We also give updates on Liberty University and the Roy Moore allegations - including the continuing support of some evangelicals. Amy goes on a rant about the Johnson Amendment and we both get unreasonably giddy over the royal engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

In this episode, we discuss Notre Dame's birth control reversal and the epic disaster of Roy Moore, Alabama's Republican nominee for the US Senate. We also talk about white conservative evangelical Christians again, because they can't stop being terrible.

Nish also talks to pastor, author, and activist Jonathan Martin, about what the hell is going on at Liberty University.

This week, after the mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, TX in which 26 people were killed, we devote the entire hour to dissecting the link between white conservative evangelicalism and support of gun proliferation and culture. Amy discusses her experience reporting on Bible college students who cite theological reasons for supporting gun rights.

And we break down the impact of a fear-driven conservative media, a well-funded gun lobby that influences politicians, the theological connections, and the cost to both society and the soul of the church.