Political theorist Laurie Johnson joins Caleb Campbell to unpack the deeper forces driving America’s culture wars and ideological divisions. Drawing from her book The Gap in God's Country, Laurie shares her own political and spiritual journey—from Fox News conservative to a more reflective and empathetic posture—exploring how economic upheaval, social dislocation, and a loss of place have fostered political extremism and spiritual confusion. Together, they explore how modern life has misenchanted us, severed our communal ties, and made us vulnerable to ideological possession. Laurie offers wisdom on how we might engage angry or radicalized loved ones—not with facts alone, but through empathy, relationship, and a shared search for meaning in a fractured age.

Dr. Laurie M. Johnson is a political theorist, author, and public educator whose work explores the intersections of political identity, spirituality, and social dislocation in modern America. A professor of political science with a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, she has written extensively on extremism, ideology, and the psychological roots of political division, including in her books Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right and The Gap in God’s Country. Laurie is also a co-founder of the Morin Academy, inspired by the Catholic Worker movement, and hosts a YouTube channel on political philosophy. Her work invites readers and listeners to explore how economics, place, and identity formation shape our public lives—and how empathy and rootedness might offer a way forward.

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