Peter Wehner

Today’s guest is Peter Wehner — Vice President and Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a contributing editor for The Atlantic magazine. He served in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush Administrations prior to becoming deputy director of speechwriting for President George W. … Continue reading Trump, Evangelicals &amp; Faith in Politics (Peter Wehner) →

Trump, Evangelicals & Faith in Politics (Peter Wehner)

This one is a doozy! And it’s both here and in the You Have Permission Podcast feed because it’s just that good. Sociologist Michael O. Emerson breaks down his and Christian Smith’s argument as to why White Evangelical Christians have such a bad track record on racial issues, summarized in their co-authored “Divided by Faith.” … Continue reading Evangelicalism’s Racial Blindspot, Explained →

Evangelicalism’s Racial Blindspot, Explained

(This episode is appearing on both the You Have Permission and Depolarize! Podcast feeds.) How do we know that we aren’t caught up in a “mob mentality” on social, political, or theological issues? Can universities be places where we teach young people to think critically? Can an openly gay woman and her conservative “marriage-is-between-one-man-and-one-woman” sister … Continue reading How to Resist the Mob (on the Left and Right) →

How to Resist the Mob (on the Left and Right)

You Have Permission, Dan’s new faith-focused podcast, is out now, with 4 full length episodes launching from the get-go. Search for it on your favorite podcast app, or head to youhavepermissionpod.com to listen now, or listen to the trailer/intro episode right here. Also, we will be back in February, or early March at the latest, … Continue reading Dan’s New Podcast / Season 3 Update →

You Have Permission, Dan’s new faith-focused podcast, is out now, with 4 full length episodes launching from the get-go. Search for it on your favorite podcast app, or head to <a href="http://youhavepermissionpod.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">youhavepermissionpod.com</a> to listen now, or listen to the trailer/intro episode right here. Also, we will be back in February, or early March at the latest, … Continue reading Dan’s New Podcast / Season 3 Update →

Dan’s New Podcast / Season 3 Update

We are taking the holiday season off, and will return with the remainder of Season 3 after New Year’s. Dan’s new show You Have Permission will be launching Jan 14th! Sign up for occasional updates at dankochwords.com

We are taking the holiday season off, and will return with the remainder of Season 3 after New Year’s. Dan’s new show You Have Permission will be launching Jan 14th! Sign up for occasional updates at <a href="http://dankochwords.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dankochwords.com</a>

Breaking Mid-Season for Holidays / New Show Coming!

Dr. Allen Yeh (Biola University) joins Dan and Ellen to talk about 1) the fact that most Christians in the world do not live in the West (Europe, North America), and 2) the difference between Orthodoxy (right thinking) and Orthopraxy (right action). Allen’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Yeh/e/B002Z8UFLY – – – – Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch … Continue reading “Majority World” Christians &amp; How They Help Us →

Dr. Allen Yeh (Biola University) joins Dan and Ellen to talk about 1) the fact that most Christians in the world do not live in the West (Europe, North America), and 2) the difference between Orthodoxy (right thinking) and Orthopraxy (right action). Allen’s Books: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Yeh/e/B002Z8UFLY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Yeh/e/B002Z8UFLY</a> – – – – Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch … Continue reading “Majority World” Christians &amp; How They Help Us →

“Majority World” Christians & How They Help Us

Keith Ward

Another installment of “While You Were Evangelizing,” where Dan and Ellen consider what was going on in less separatist, non-Evangelical Christian contexts over the previous 70 years or so. Were other types of Christians raised to be suspicious of science? Dr. Keith Ward (Cambridge) helps us answer that question, and argues that a robust understanding … Continue reading While You Were Evangelizing: Science (with Keith Ward) →

While You Were Evangelizing: Science (with Keith Ward)

The first of two episodes (non-consecutive) focusing directly on the phenomenon of tribalism. Dan and Ellen hear from and respond to Donna Freitas (2:00), Michael Blake (15:00), and Christena Cleveland (37:00). Donna: https://www.donnafreitas.com/ Michael: https://phil.washington.edu/people/michael-blake Christena: http://www.christenacleveland.com/ – – – – Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch &amp; mixed by Chris Keene &amp; Scott Cangemi … Continue reading Tribalism: Power, Bias, Performance →

The first of two episodes (non-consecutive) focusing directly on the phenomenon of tribalism. Dan and Ellen hear from and respond to Donna Freitas (2:00), Michael Blake (15:00), and Christena Cleveland (37:00). Donna: <a href="https://www.donnafreitas.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.donnafreitas.com/</a> Michael: <a href="https://phil.washington.edu/people/michael-blake" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://phil.washington.edu/people/michael-blake</a> Christena: <a href="http://www.christenacleveland.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.christenacleveland.com/</a> – – – – Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch &amp; mixed by Chris Keene &amp; Scott Cangemi … Continue reading Tribalism: Power, Bias, Performance →

Tribalism: Power, Bias, Performance

Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

We are fortunate to have philosopher Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (Duke University) on the podcast today, talking about arguments — not the kind you have when you’re angry, but the kind you construct in favor of a position or policy. Arguments respect people by treating them as real agents capable of reason; they have myriad other benefits, … Continue reading The Beauty of a Good Argument with Walter Sinnott-Armstrong →

The Beauty of a Good Argument with Walter Sinnott-Armstrong

Karen Swallow Prior is an author and literature professor at Liberty University — yes, THAT Liberty University. Her contribution to the InterVarsity Press essay collection “Still Evangelical?” explores why she is sticking with Evangelicalism, but not for the reasons you might assume. She is also at the center of the #ChurchToo movement in the Southern … Continue reading #ChurchToo &amp; More with Karen Swallow Prior →

#ChurchToo & More with Karen Swallow Prior

Common Ground at the intersection of Politics, Psychology and Faith.

I love so much that you are opening communication among Christians. We are all ONE church regardless of what denomination we belong to! I have been both catholic and Protestant and researched church history the early Christian church, and I believe that in the end, God wants us to be whole. I’d love to share my testimony with you!

Interdenominational Christian

Love Dan&#39;s willingness to explore and discuss so many volitile and sensitive subjects and yet still talk openly and honestly about them.

Additionally, Dan is a standup guy, always interesting to talk with and a lot of fun to boot.

Love Dan's honesty and openness.

Depolarize! Podcast

David Bazan

touring brings him especially close to a slice of modern America.  David is a ruthlessly honest, compassionate and concise man, a deep thinker and a great conversationalist.  Their chat touches on songwriting and artistry in this new era, how to have compassion for a new set of marginalized people, and much more.

32: Artistry & Compassion in the Trump Era with David Bazan

Dan &amp; Ellen continue their interviews of White Evangelical Trump voters. This episode is best listened to after Part 1. Timeline: 3:16- How political is your church environment? 5:05- “Information super MYway”: News sources and accepted bias 12:10- Is Donald Trump a Christian? 19:05- “Grab ’em by the statute of limitations”: The Access Hollywood tapes … Continue reading White Evangelical Trump Supporters, Pt 2 →

White Evangelical Trump Supporters, Pt 2

Mike Erre

Former megachurch pastor Mike Erre and I interview each other about topics ranging from my two podcasts, a communion/eucharist-based church service, and how their church's experiment of holding neither a gay-affirming nor non-gay-affirming stance is going.

Bonus: Depolarizing Evangelicalism, a Mutual Interview with Mike Erre

Aimee Murphy

Aimee Murphy is the Executive Director of Life Matters Journal, a pro-life consistent life ethic publication. A victim of sexual assault, Aimee explains what it is to be truly pro-life and to oppose all forms of aggressive violence against human beings.

26: Nonviolence and the New Pro-Life Movement with Aimee Murphy

Color

We're back to our voters this week, introducing five new voices.  But this episode is also different: no reaction commentary from Dan &amp; Ellen, and only minimal narration from Dan for context.  Rather, we are going to practice the discipline of *simply listening* to the stories of these Christians, who happen to have been born to parents who are not both of Caucasian descent.  Timeline:  4:01- Meet our voters   4:58- "...Like a shirt that is ill-fitting": Their stories   21:03- "The ROOT and the FRUIT": The history of the Municipal Police Departments   31:23- How does Jesus speak into all of this?  36:32- "How many African Americans listen to Hillsong?": The overlap of racial tension and church life  46:02- Do you consider yourself Evangelical?  53:55- "Dumb white-boy question"  Justin Giboney's Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-church-politics-podcast/id1289898626?mt=2 The &amp; Campaign: http://theandcampaign.com/ Jemar's Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pass-the-mic/id766830494?mt=2 The Witness: https://thewitnessbcc.com/  Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch &amp; mixed by Chris Keene  Support the show financially &amp; receive bonus content: patreon.com/depolarize depolarizepodcast.com depolarizepodcast (at) gmail

We're back to our voters this week, introducing five new voices.  But this episode is also different: no reaction commentary from Dan &amp; Ellen, and only minimal narration from Dan for context.  Rather, we are going to practice the discipline of *simply listening* to the stories of these Christians, who happen to have been born to parents who are not both of Caucasian descent. Timeline: 4:01- Meet our voters  4:58- "...Like a shirt that is ill-fitting": Their stories  21:03- "The ROOT and the FRUIT": The history of the Municipal Police Departments  31:23- How does Jesus speak into all of this? 36:32- "How many African Americans listen to Hillsong?": The overlap of racial tension and church life 46:02- Do you consider yourself Evangelical? 53:55- "Dumb white-boy question" Justin Giboney's Podcast: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-church-politics-podcast/id1289898626?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-church-politics-podcast/id1289898626?mt=2</a> The &amp; Campaign: <a href="http://theandcampaign.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://theandcampaign.com/</a> Jemar's Podcast: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pass-the-mic/id766830494?mt=2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pass-the-mic/id766830494?mt=2</a> The Witness: <a href="https://thewitnessbcc.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://thewitnessbcc.com/</a> Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch &amp; mixed by Chris Keene Support the show financially &amp; receive bonus content: <a href="http://patreon.com/depolarize" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/depolarize</a> <a href="http://depolarizepodcast.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">depolarizepodcast.com</a> depolarizepodcast (at) gmail

*Simply Listening* to Christians of Color

Adrian Wyard

This week Adrian Wyard, Executive Director of Counterbalance, stops by to share some thinking points from his many years of research of common ancestry and theology.

27: Apes, Humans, and American Christianity with Adrian Wyard

On our previous episode, Dan &amp; Ellen took a backseat to the stories of five Christians of color, told in their own words.  This episode is a more standard Depolarize approach: dissecting and responding to these voters’ answers to Dan’s questions, and comparing them to what we heard from White Evangelicals (on either side of … Continue reading Going Deeper with Christians of Color →

Going Deeper with Christians of Color

Matt Stoller

Author and policymaker Matt Stoller joins Dan, and Dan picks Matt's brain, a delightful garden full of non-partisan insights into economics, anti-trust laws, and the populist soul (or lack thereof) of both Trump and Obama.

19: Trump, Obama, and Big Companies with Matt Stoller

Becket Adams

Media reporter Becket Adams gets candid with Dan this week to share his views on our relationship with partisan media and how we should be navigating all the noise.

33: The Media with Conservative Reporter Becket Adams

John Raines

Dan talks with John Raines, his co-host for their new Reconstruct podcast, about polarization in the world of theology, why they started the podcast, and how the two shows aren't quite as different as they might at first seem.

38: Depolarizing and Reconstructing with John Raines

David Lapp

This week David Lapp stops by to talk about depolarization in action as seen through his experiences with the organization he is with, Better Angels, which facilitates candid conversations between voters from the left and the right.

35: Everyone Knows They’re Being Judged with David Lapp

Chris Arnade

Chris Arnade is a PhD and former Wall Street trader who ended his career to capture addiction and poverty in America as a photographer and friend. He talks to Dan this week about his experience with the Americans he came to know.

23: Humiliation, Trump, and America’s Shadow Communities with Chris Arnade

Judd King

Dan is joined by Islamic Studies professor Judd King (American University) to give us something almost all of us could use: a basic primer on Islam.  Shariah Law, the Five Pillars, whether or not there are non-practicing Muslims — all the hits!  This is Part 1 of a 2-part series, mostly because Dan doesn’t really know anything, and therefore had a lot of questions.

22: Islam 101 with Judd King, Part 1

Thomas Morton

VICE journalist Thomas Morton reveals the intent behind his unique approach to complete immersion with various subcultures in his docuseries Balls Deep.

31: Empathy & Immersion with VICE’s Thomas Morton

Aurelian Craiutu

This week professor and author Aurelian Craiutu illustrates the political and ideological moderate and the value of partisanship.

30: In Defense of Moderation with Aurelian Craiutu

Candice Clem

Candice was originally interviewed as one of our five Christians of Color, but our conversation went far enough afield, and was interesting and entertaining enough that we decided to give Candice her own episode.  She breaks down her experience growing up in the Korean American Church, her take on Donald Trump, and much more, all … Continue reading Candice Clem Hijacked Her Interview And It Was Great →

Candice Clem Hijacked Her Interview And It Was Great

Michael Wear

Michael Wear, author of the new book Reclaiming Hope, gives us a behind-the-scenes look into what was going on in the Obama administration in regards to faith and politics.

24: Faith, Victories, and Failures in the Obama White House with Michael Wear

Dan is joined by Islamic Studies professor Judd King (American University) to give us something almost all of us could use: a basic primer on Islam. Shariah Law, the Five Pillars, whether or not there are non-practicing Muslims — all the hits! This is Part 2 of a 2-part series, mostly because Dan doesn’t really know anything, and therefore had a lot of questions.

22b: Islam 101 with Judd King, Part 2

Christena Cleveland

Christena Cleveland, social psychologist at Duke Divinity, shares her expertise on how and why we categorize people. It’s an interesting explanation of our built-in biases: socioeconomic, gender, religious and cultural.

18: Why Do We Categorize People? with Christena Cleveland

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