Bishop Michael and Andy tackle a listener's question, inspired by a mother and daughter torn apart by politics, about how to stay close to people whose politics differ from yours. They land on why seeing past labels and choosing relationship over being right matters more than winning the argument.
Episode Highlights:
00:39 — Andy asks Bishop Michael if he's ever crushed a homily, only to find out later it fell completely flat
03:11 — Preaching to a congregation that spans newborns to 90 year olds, every political persuasion, and every kind of pain walking in the door
04:59 — The old seminary rule about crying babies, and why a silent congregation is the real warning sign
07:32 — This week's listener question: how do you stay friends with someone whose politics differ from yours, sparked by a mother and daughter who lost their relationship over it
09:45 — The studies on political division: how many Americans have lost a relationship over politics, and why people overestimate how far apart they really are
12:42 — Andy's case that most people agree on the same ten things and only disagree on how to get there, until you sit through an HOA meeting
15:51 — Choosing to love people unconditionally instead of basing it on whether they agree with you
17:48 — Why Andy thinks having friends who disagree with you, à la Lincoln's Team of Rivals, makes for a richer life and better decisions
23:20 — Practical advice for the mother and daughter: starting from “we're both made in God's image” and setting a loving boundary around political talk
27:55 — Andy on the time Bishop Michael chose unity over taking sides, and what it taught him about leadership
About Your Hosts:
Bishop Michael is a longtime friend and mentor to Andy, with more than three decades of shared history between them. A bishop known for his straightforward, often funny take on faith, he brings decades of pastoral experience, from teaching religious studies to serving as a first responder to his own community, to every conversation on the show.
Andy is a businessman, husband, and father who co-hosts This Should Be Good, bringing the questions real people are actually asking into conversation with Bishop Michael. Equal parts curious and irreverent, he keeps the conversation grounded in the everyday realities of work, parenting, and trying to keep up.
Connect & Resources:
Have a question or a topic you'd like covered? Submit it here: thisshouldbegood.show, your question could become a full episode.