Just Liberty

What's the quickest way to turn any social occasion sour? Just steer the conversation toward either religion or politics. Or both. In today's polarized media environment, civil discourse seems like a long-lost art. But a new television program is daring to explore fresh, kinder ways to tackle topics that divide Americans.

We talk with attorney Orlan Johnson, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, and host of the weekly television show "Faith and Politics.

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"Faith and Politics" Website: https://www.faithandpolitics.tv. 

"Faith and Politics" YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@faithandpolitics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FaithAndPoliticsTV.

Liberty magazine interview with Orlan Johnson: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/where-angels-fear-to-tread

Who should we blame for the rise of Christian nationalism? Is it simply the work of white Christian supremacists or far-right evangelical political leaders? Or could it also have been fueled by ordinary American Christians, and their decades-long, unquestioning embrace of something called "civil religion"?

We talk with award-winning author and journalist Brian T. Kaylor about his newly published book, Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism.

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Follow Brian:

X: @BrianKaylor

Instagram: @BrianKaylor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantkaylor

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Book: Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. https://www.amazon.com/Baptizing-America-Protestants-Christian-Nationalism/dp/0827203381

Podcast: "Baptist Without An Adjective"  https://podcast.wordandway.org

Website: Word&Way https://wordandway.org

Website: Brian Kaylor https://briankaylor.com/

Over the past three decades, the federal government has come to rely on religious organizations to help deliver essential social services--everything from running domestic violence shelters and food pantries, to providing elder care and job training. But new regulations from the Biden administration are again highlighting longstanding concerns.

Can faith-based organizations take billions in federal dollars and still stay true to their religious identity? And, on the other hand, are some of these organizations serving up religion along with social support? We talk about the history and the future of federal funding for faith-based charitable organizations with Stanley Carlson-Theis, who served in the inaugural White House faith-based partnership office under President George W. Bush.

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Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance website: https://bit.ly/4d4Fnwf

Are there practical ways for Christians to innoculate themselves against the toxicity of today's politics? Can Christians be politically active--whether as Republicans or Democracts--without compromising their higher allegience to God?

Chris Butler, lead pastor of Chicago Embassy Church Network and cofounder of the AND Campaign, brings his years of experience in community organizing and politics--including a recent run for a seat in Congress--to this conversation about faithful civic engagement.

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Follow Chris Butler:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorchrisbutler

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AND Campaign website: https://andcampaign.org/about/

Book: Compassion (&) Conviction: The AND Campaign's Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement https://www.amazon.com/Compassion-Conviction-Campaigns-Faithful-Engagement/dp/083084810X

Could historical mis-readings of America's founding be helping fuel today's political polarization? What difference does it make what we believe about Thomas Jefferson's religious views or his attitude toward slavery?

An interview with Warren Throckmorton. 

Show Notes:

The "Telling Jefferson Lies" podcast hosted by Dr. Throckmorton: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/telling-jefferson-lies/id1720424853

Where to find Warren Throckmorton

X: @wthrockmorton

Mixing faith and politics? It's always a dangerous brew--at least, that's what common wisdom says. But is there a more productive way for Christians to engage with politics? And could Christian values actually help heal our country's widening political divisions?

A veteran political strategist thinks the answer to these questions is "Yes," but suggests the place for Christians to start is with their own spiritual life.

Interview with Michael Wear.

Show Notes

The Center for Christianity and Public Life https://www.ccpubliclife.org

Book: The Spirit of Our Politics by Michael Wear https://www.zondervan.com/9780310367239/the-spirit-of-our-politics/;

In America, we have the luxury of debating religious freedom questions that don't have life-or-death consequences attached. In many other countries, though, the price of freedom is extraordinarily high. Every year, from Pakistan to Iran to Saudi Arabia, men and women are imprisoned or sentenced to death for the so-called crime of blasphemy.

We talk with a Nigerian lawyer who risks his own safety to advocate in court for those accused of blasphemy, and who has become a eloquent voice on the international stage against these repressive laws.

Interview with Kola Alapinni.

Show Notes

Information about the Yahaya Sharif-Aminu blasphemy case: https://www.uscirf.gov/religious-prisoners-conscience/yahaya-sharif-aminu

Fact sheet about blasphemy laws internationally: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2020%20Legislation%20Factsheet%20-%20Blasphemy%20April%202020.pdf

On paper, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is one of America's smallest protestant Christian denominations. Yet through the years, it's had a surprisingly outsized influence on the national discourse around religious freedom issues. How and why did this happen?

We unpack the fascinating and little-known history of Adventist advocacy with one of the church's foremost historians.

Interview with Michael Campbell.

Show Notes

Short history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's religious freedom advocacy: https://www.religiousliberty.info/history

Liberty magazine, started by Seventh-day Adventists in 1906, is the world's oldest, continually published magazine of religious freedom: https://www.libertymagazine.org/

This week, podcast host Alan Reinach sits in the interview hot seat. As executive director of one of America's oldest religious freedom advocacy organizations, he's seen decades of evolution and turmoil in both the law and culture when it comes to how America protects religious liberty.

We take a look back at the Church State Council's 60 years of advocacy for people of all faiths and none. What's changed? And what could the future bring?

Show Notes

Church State Council website https://www.churchstate.org

News release about the Supreme Court decision in Groff v. Dejoy https://www.churchstate.org/religious-liberty-updates/GroffvDeJoy

Liberty magazine article by Alan Reinach about Groff v. Dejoy https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/religious-freedom-delivered

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 with Katherine Stewart. 

Show Notes

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

Movie trailer: God & Country https://godandcountrythemovie.com