Religious freedom in America may be headed toward the edge of a cliff. Why? Because survey after survey shows that younger generations of Americans neither understand nor value the crucial role religious freedom plays in our democracy.

What's behind this worrying trend? And can anything be done to rehabilitate the reputation of religious freedom in the eyes of Gen-Zs and Millennials?

Interview with Jaziah B. Masters, Research Fellow, Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation, Baptist Joint Committee.

Note: This is a replay with our Oct 3, 2023 interview with Jaziah Masters. The video version of this episode can be found on Youtube:

Show Notes

Article |  "A Religious Freedom Wake-up Call" - by Jaziah Masters for Liberty magazine: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/a-religious-freedom-wake-up-call

It's far more than simply charm, or rhetorical skill, or political savvy. Charisma is a powerful force that has shaped American public and religious life--for both good and ill--for more than four centuries. Could an undertanding of this phenomenon help us make better sense of our national story? And why does it seem that Americans of faith are particularly vulnerable to its allure?

Interview with Molly Worthen, author of Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Purtians to Donald Trump.

Note: This is a replay of our July 15, 2025 interview with Molly Worthen. The video version of this episode can be found on Youtube:

Show Notes

Replay: An investigative journalist spent years exploring the politicization of American Christianity. Her work resulted in not just two best-selling books, but also a documentary, God & Country, which was produced by Hollywood actor and producer Rob Reiner.

What first sparked her interest in this topic, and what lessons has she learned about the dangers of Christian nationalism?

Interview originally recorded Feb 12, 2024, and released in Episode 13: Power Worshipping and Christian Nationalism on May 28, 2024.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/RQSPE4QfAD4

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Guest: Katherine Stewart, investigative journalist and author of The Power Worshippers and Money, Lies and God

X: @kathsstewart

Katherine Stewart's website: https://katherinestewart.me/

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Show Notes

How can we make sense of competing visions for the role of religion in American governance? We can start by following the paper trail left by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

Interview originally recorded March 27, 2025, and released in Episode 46: Skeptics of church-state separation versus the historical record" on April 29, 2025.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/2DWjEjg5vrg

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Guest: Steven K. Green, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette University

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Show Notes

Replay: No--"In God We Trust" wasn't inscribed on our currency during the founding era. And the motto "One Nation Under God" has a more recent origin than many might suspect. 

We take a fascinating journey into a little-known era of American history; a time when the government was in the business of creating an "American religion."

Guest: Andrew R. Polk, Associate Professor and Director of History Education, Middle Tennessee State University.

Originally recorded on Nov 13, 2023 and released on May 23, 2024 in Episode 10: American propaganda and the making of a civil religion.

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/8VpDfMgQtqA

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Show Notes

Book: Faith in Freedom: Propaganda, Presidential Politics, and the Making of an American Religion by Andrew Polk - https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501759222/faith-in-freedom/

Liberty magazine article by Andrew Polk - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/religious-propaganda-and-the-making-of-an-american-religion;

Many Christians are exhausted by politics—caught between culture wars, partisan pressure, and a sense that something vital has been lost. This episode explores a healthier vision of public faith, drawing on the Black church’s tradition to ask how moral clarity, spiritual depth, and faithful witness can take us beyond "politics as usual."

This episode was recorded on January 14, 2026.

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Guest: Justin Giboney, Founder and President, AND Campaign

Social media: @JustinEGiboney

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Foreign aid and refugee policy rarely stay in the headlines—but their consequences can be life-or-death. This episode looks at the quiet dismantling of U.S. humanitarian aid, sweeping changes to refugee policy, and how decisions made in Washington are reshaping care for the world’s most vulnerable, with profound moral and religious implications.

This episode was recorded on January 14, 2026.

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Guest: Matthew Soerens, Vice President of Advocacy & Policy, World Relief

X: @MatthewSoerens

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewsoerens/

When ISIS left northern Iraq eight years ago, the headlines moved on. But for some of Christianity’s oldest communities the trauma and danger remain. In this episode we discuss the fight to defend religious freedom and rebuild destroyed churches in a region where Christians face immense economic and legal challenges. Can these ancient Christian communities survive? 

This interview was recorded on January 14, 2026. 

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Guest:

Sean Nelson, Senior Counsel, ADF International

@adfinternational

The religion clauses of the First Amendment didn’t arrive with fireworks or fanfare. In this episode, we explore the surprising evolution of the American idea of religious freedom from constitutional afterthought to culture war battleground. What exactly did America's founders mean when they talked about "religious free exercise"?

This episode was recorded on January 14, 2026.

Show Notes

The saga continues over the fate of the so-called Johnson Amendment—a provision in the U.S. tax code that prohibits tax-exempt houses of worship from endorsing political candidates. What would greater political involvement mean for American churches, and what are the potential benefits and risks? And why has the Seventh-day Adventist Church historically taken a somewhat different approach than many other Protestant denominations in the United States?

This episode was recorded Nov 25, 2025.

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Article | "Divine Endorsements," Liberty magazine (September-October 2025) https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/divine-endorsements

Article | "The Johnson Amendment and the First Amendment--A No-Nonsense Protection" (January-February 2018) https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/the-johnson-amendment-and-the-first-amendment-a-no-nonsense-protection 

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