Faithful Politics

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]
What happens when feelings become the test of truth?
Robert P. George joins Faithful Politics to talk about what he calls “the age of feeling,” a moment where many people treat personal emotion as the final word on what is true. George argues that this does not lead to tolerance. It often makes disagreement feel like a personal attack, which shuts down honest conversation and creates real problems for democracy. 
The conversation moves through faith, reason, truth, tribalism, intellectual humility, and the challenge of disagreeing with your own side. Will brings in Jonathan Haidt’s work on intuition and political identity, while Josh and George work through harder questions around same-sex marriage, gender, Obergefell, Loving v. Virginia, and the deeper moral assumptions underneath those debates.
At its core, this episode is about whether Americans can still disagree seriously without turning each other into enemies. George’s answer is that truth-seeking requires more than strong opinions. It requires reasons, evidence, humility, and the courage to listen when your tribe says one thing and your conscience says another.
website: robertpgeorge.com
Guest Bio
Robert P. George is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence at Princeton University and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. He is a legal scholar, political philosopher, and public intellectual whose work focuses on natural law, constitutionalism, religious liberty, conscience, civil discourse, and moral reasoning in public life. He is the author of several books, including Conscience and Its Enemies, Making Men Moral, Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth, and Truth Matters, co-authored with Cornel West. 
Support the show
🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com
📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore
❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics
📩 Reach out to us:
Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: [email protected]
Political Host, Will Wright: [email protected]
📱 Follow & connect with us:
Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast
LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]
What happens when people believe in religious pluralism, but still lean into Christian nationalism when they feel threatened?
In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with political scientists Brooklyn Walker and Paul Djupe about their research on Christian nationalism, religious pluralism, and why appeals to tolerance do not always work the way we assume. Their work shows something surprising: many Christian nationalists already say they support ideas like religious freedom, diversity, and pluralism. The issue is that when they feel their identity, rights, or way of life are under threat, those pluralistic beliefs often get pushed aside. 
Brooklyn and Paul help unpack why Christian nationalism is different from simply being Christian or patriotic. It places boundaries around who fully belongs in America and who the country is meant to serve. They also explain why threat plays such a powerful role in shaping political behavior, especially when religious and political leaders repeatedly tell Christians they are being persecuted, silenced, or replaced.
The conversation gets into some unexpected findings, including why some Black, Latino, LGBTQ, and religiously pluralist Americans may still hold Christian nationalist views. Rather than treating Christian nationalism as one simple ideology held by one type of person, this episode looks at the deeper identity dynamics that shape how people think about belonging, fear, citizenship, and power.
Research / Articles
“The weakness of anti-Christian nationalism: when religiously inclusive orientations can’t increase tolerance” by Paul A. Djupe and Brooklyn Walker, Politics and Religion: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/politics-and-religion/article/weakness-of-antichristian-nationalism-when-religiously-inclusive-orientations-cant-increase-tolerance/ABD3180209B76C360FC85AA2FECD0372
Guests bios
Brooklyn Walker is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on American politics, religion and politics, public opinion, and political psychology, with particular attention to Christian nationalism and how religious identity shapes political and social attitudes. 
Paul Djupe is a Professor of Political Science at Denison University and Director of the Data for Political Research Program. His work focuses on religion and politics, democratic life, public opinion, and the role religious identity plays in American political behavior. 
Support the show
🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com
📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore
❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics
📩 Reach out to us:
Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: [email protected]
Political Host, Will Wright: [email protected]
📱 Follow & connect with us:
Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast
LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]
What happens when the justice system becomes one of the central battlegrounds of American politics?
In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Adam Klasfeld, veteran legal journalist and editor in chief of All Rise News, about several major legal fights unfolding in the Trump era. Adam has spent years covering high-profile court cases from inside the courtroom, including Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the E. Jean Carroll litigation, the Epstein prosecution, impeachment proceedings, and major cases involving civil rights and due process.
The conversation begins with Trump’s proposed $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund. Adam explains where the fund came from, why its structure is raising alarms, and how taxpayer money could potentially be distributed with little public oversight. He also walks through why Capitol Police officers Harry Dunn and Dan Hodges are challenging the fund, and what the fight says about January 6, political loyalty, and accountability.
The episode then turns to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was sent to El Salvador despite a court order blocking his removal. Adam explains why this case has become such an important due process fight, why judges across the political spectrum have raised concerns, and why the case matters even to people who may not follow immigration law closely.
Finally, Adam breaks down the Trump Justice Department’s case involving the Southern Poverty Law Center. He explains the government’s claims about SPLC’s former informant program, the connection to Charlottesville and Unite the Right, and why the case raises larger questions about civil rights organizations, extremism, and the rewriting of recent history.
Relevant links for Adam Klasfeld:
All Rise News
https://www.allrisenews.com/
https://substack.com/@klasfeldreports
https://x.com/KlasfeldReports
https://www.instagram.com/adamklasfeld/

Guest Bio
Adam Klasfeld provides some of the “best legal writing inside the courtroom” (MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell) and insights that are “always so smart and on the money” (MSNBC’s Katie Phang). For more than a decade, he’s covered the top stories and court cases from state, federal and military courts across the United States.
A senior journalism fellow at Just Security, an online forum affiliated with NYU School of Law, Adam has served as a legal contributor for MSNBC's The Last Word. Previously, Adam served as the senior legal correspondent for The Messenger, the managing editor for Law&Crime, and a reporter for Courthouse News. He has appeared as a guest on the Dan Abrams Show on NewsNation, the Lawrence O'Donnell Show on MSNBC, CBS's Inside Edition, the BBC, and NBC on a variety of topics. He hosted the podcast "Objections: with Adam Klasfeld" and was prominently featured in the documentary "Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?" — which premiered on the Starz Network and the UK's Channel 4. International television appearances include Sky News, CBC, and CTV, discussing Jeffrey Epstein’s thwarted prosecution. Radio appearances: National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” “Here and Now,” and “Trump, Inc.”; BBC (World, Scotland and Wales); Radio New Zealand; SXM Canada Talks; Sirius FM and more. He cut his teeth at the legal news beat for a decade at Courthouse News, and his bylines also have appeared on NBC, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, and other outlets. Most major news outlets have cited his scoops and reporting, including the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, Reuters, U.S. News and World Report and the Associated Press.
Support the show
🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com
📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore
❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics
📩 Reach out to us:
Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: [email protected]
Political Host, Will Wright: [email protected]
📱 Follow & connect with us:
Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast
LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]
What happens when LGBTQ students navigate faith, identity, and education inside religious schools?
In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright talks with Jonathan Sawyer, a PhD in education policy from the University of Colorado Boulder, about his research on LGBTQ students in Catholic schools. His dissertation explores how educators support these students while working within a traditionally conservative religious framework.
The conversation looks at what these schools actually feel like for students, how experiences vary by region and leadership, and how some teachers lean on principles like dignity and care rather than directly challenging doctrine.
They also dig into bigger questions around school vouchers, public funding, and how religious freedom intersects with non-discrimination laws. Sawyer shares his own background in conservative Christian spaces and connects it to broader issues of faith-based harm and student well-being.
The episode adds context to a topic often reduced to politics, focusing instead on how students and educators navigate faith, identity, and belonging in real time.
Guest Bio
Jonathan Sawyer recently earned his PhD in education policy from the University of Colorado Boulder, where his research focuses on the intersection of religion, law, and LGBTQ student experiences in K-12 schools. His work examines First Amendment issues, school voucher policies, and the impact of religious education on marginalized students. His dissertation explores how Catholic educators support LGBTQ students within a conservative doctrinal framework using an ethics of care approach.
Support the show
🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com
📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore
❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics
📩 Reach out to us:
Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: [email protected]
Political Host, Will Wright: [email protected]
📱 Follow & connect with us:
Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast
LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: [email protected]
In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram talk with historian D.G. Hart about Christian nationalism, church-state separation, the American founding, and what can happen when Christianity becomes too closely tied to political power. Hart brings a distinctive perspective to this conversation. He is a conservative Presbyterian and a historian of American religion, but he is deeply skeptical of efforts to make Christianity dependent on government power.

Hart argues that one of the unusual features of the American experiment is that the United States broke from a long history of church-state entanglement. That separation was not just a legal technicality. It created space for religious pluralism and helped prevent Christianity from becoming coercive through the power of the state.

Book:
D.G. Hart, Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780268210823

Guest Bio
D.G. Hart is a historian of American religion and professor of history at Hillsdale College. His work focuses on Protestantism, American religious history, church life, and the relationship between Christianity and political authority. He is the author of several books, including Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant and Protestants and Patriots: Presbyterians in the Age of Revolution. In this conversation, Hart brings a historically grounded and theologically conservative perspective to debates about Christian nationalism, church-state separation, and the American founding.
Support the show
🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
👉 Visit our website: faithfulpoliticspodcast.com
📚 Check out our Bookstore – Featuring titles from our amazing guests:
faithfulpoliticspodcast.com/bookstore
❤️ Support the show – Help us keep the conversation going:
https://www.patreon.com/cw/FaithfulPolitics
📩 Reach out to us:
Faithful Host, Josh Burtram: [email protected]
Political Host, Will Wright: [email protected]
📱 Follow & connect with us:
Twitter/X: @FaithfulPolitik
Instagram: faithful_politics
Facebook: FaithfulPoliticsPodcast
LinkedIn: faithfulpolitics
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for behind-the-scenes content:
faithfulpolitics.substack.com