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In 1954, white Southern churches declared that school integration “defied God’s design.” Seven decades later, many of those congregations champion “color-blindness” instead. What changed—and what hasn’t? Historian Rusty Hawkins (Indiana Wesleyan University), co-editor of The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy, joins Faithful Politics to trace the theological through-line from Jim Crow sermons to modern debates over CRT and DEI. Hawkins explains how pastors and laypeople alike used Scripture to sanctify segregation, then re-branded the same resistance as a fight for “quality education” and “parental choice.” He also argues that today’s church can still become a force for racial reconciliation—if it learns from the prophetic witness of the Black church and rejects power for service. Whether you’re a pastor, activist, or history buff, this conversation equips you with the receipts—and the hope—to confront racism’s religious roots.

Guest Bio
Rusty Hawkins is Associate Professor of History at Indiana Wesleyan University, specializing in American religion and race. He co-edited the award-winning The Bible Told Them So and is currently writing a religious biography of Alabama Governor George Wallace. Hawkins’s scholarship appears in Christianity Today, the Journal of Southern Religion, and other outlets, making him a leading voice on how evangelical theology has shaped—and been shaped by—America’s color line.

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In June 2024, Louisiana passed a law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom—reviving old debates about church-state separation and moral authority. But what if we’ve misunderstood the Ten Commandments all along?

Dr. Mark Glanville, Old Testament scholar, jazz pianist, and director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at UBC, joins the podcast to reframe how we read scripture in public life. Drawing on his essay “Ten Commandments, Zero Context,” Glanville explains how these ancient laws were never about symbolic domination or individual morality, but about shaping a just, compassionate community freed from oppression.

From biblical law’s roots in slave emancipation to today’s debates over Christian nationalism, immigration, and public theology, this episode asks: What kind of society are we really trying to build? And whose law are we following—Pharaoh’s or God’s?

🎧 Listen in, then share this episode with a friend or pastor.
📬 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith and politics.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Mark Glanville is an Old Testament scholar and the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. A professional jazz pianist and theologian, Glanville is the author of Improvising Church and Preaching in a New Key. He also hosts the Blue Note Theology podcast—“the only theology podcast hosted from a grand piano.”

🔗 Resource Links

• Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781514007457
• Mark Glanville’s Website: https://www.markglanville.org/

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88% of Americans believe our political system isn’t working—and they’re not wrong. In this episode, Will sits down with Meredith Sumpter, CEO of FairVote, to unpack one of the most promising reforms in American democracy: ranked choice voting (RCV). With over 800 elections already conducted using RCV and growing bipartisan support in states like Maine and Alaska, this episode explores how RCV reduces negative campaigning, empowers majority rule, and encourages candidates to actually engage with all voters—not just their base.

Meredith explains how RCV works, where it’s spreading, and why local communities are leading the charge. Can a voting method really make elections more civil? What would it take to implement RCV nationwide? And why are some politicians resisting it, even if their constituents support it?
This isn’t just a conversation about ballots—it’s about restoring faith in the democratic process.

👤 Guest Bio
Meredith Sumpter is the CEO of FairVote, a nonpartisan organization working to make American democracy more representative and functional. With a background in diplomacy, global strategy, and policy, she leads efforts to expand ranked choice voting and other election reforms nationwide.

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Why does Xi Jinping, one of the world’s most powerful leaders, believe the Communist Party deserves unwavering loyalty—even after it persecuted his own family?

Author and political historian Joseph Torigian joins Faithful Politics to unpack his groundbreaking biography, The Party's Interest Come First, a deeply researched portrait of Xi Zhongxun, father of China’s current president. With insights drawn from rare archival material, spy memoirs, and even interviews with the Dalai Lama, Torigian helps us understand how personal suffering shaped the elder Xi’s devotion to party discipline—and how that legacy forged Xi Jinping’s authoritarian vision for modern China. We explore the moral logic of elite politics in Beijing, the party’s uneasy relationship with religious minorities like Christians and Catholics, and why understanding history is essential to forecasting China’s future.
As China’s global influence grows and tension with the West intensifies, this conversation couldn’t be more timely—or more vital.

👤 Guest Bio
Joseph Torigian is an associate professor at American University and a leading expert on authoritarian regimes, elite politics, and the Chinese Communist Party. His latest book, The Party’s Interest Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping, draws on rare archival sources and interviews to offer new insights into the foundations of China’s modern political power.

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Most of us think we know more than we do. But what if our beliefs—especially political ones—are shaped less by facts and more by the people around us? In this mind-expanding episode, Dr. Steven Sloman, professor at Brown University and co-author of The Knowledge Illusion, explores how humans think, why we rely on others for knowledge, and how sacred values—not reasoned analysis—drive political polarization. He explains the tension between intuitive and deliberative thinking, the communal nature of belief, and why asking people why they believe something rarely changes minds—but asking about consequences might. If you're wondering why people dig in on issues like immigration, tariffs, or abortion—and how to bridge deep divides—this episode is for you.

👤 Guest Bio
Dr. Steven Sloman is a professor of cognitive, linguistic, and psychological sciences at Brown University, where he has taught since 1992. He’s the co-author of The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone and author of The Cost of Conviction (MIT Press). His research focuses on reasoning, decision-making, and belief formation, and his work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Scientific American.

🔗 Resource Links
The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone by Steven Sloman: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780399184369

The Cost of Conviction: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780262049825

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Why would the U.S. strike Iran’s nuclear facilities—and what does it mean for global stability?

In this episode, former U.S. diplomat and Middle East expert Ethan Chorin returns to break down the escalating tensions between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. Chorin, author of Benghazi and writer of The Middle East Told Slant, gives a nuanced view of how the region arrived at this inflection point—from the JCPOA withdrawal to the October 7 Hamas attack and the long shadow of the Abraham Accords.

With deep knowledge of regional proxy wars, U.S. foreign policy, and Iran’s theocratic regime, Chorin explores how power, ideology, and politics collide across borders. He unpacks why Iran's nuclear ambitions are so destabilizing, how Israel’s strategy has evolved, and what the American public often misunderstands about both allies and adversaries.

🔗 Resource Links

Ethan Chorin’s Website: https://ethanchorinauthor.com/
The Middle East Told Slant (Substack): https://ethanchorin.substack.com
Benghazi: A New History: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780306829741

Guest Bio:

Ethan Chorin is a former U.S. diplomat and Middle East expert with over two decades of experience in diplomacy, strategic consulting, and regional analysis. He served in Libya with the State Department and has worked extensively across the Gulf and Red Sea regions. He is the author of Benghazi: A New History of the Fiasco that Pushed America and its World to the Brink and writes the Substack newsletter The Middle East Told Slant.

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What happens when your faith and your politics collide? In this powerful episode, content creator and author April Ajoy shares her journey from being a self-proclaimed Christian nationalist to becoming a progressive Christian voice calling out religious extremism. Raised in a family of traveling evangelists, April grew up believing America was a Christian nation blessed by God—until personal tragedy, political disillusionment, and her brother’s coming out shattered that worldview.

She opens up about her time working at the 700 Club, the pain of deconstructing toxic theology, and how humor became her tool for resistance. April’s story offers a deeply personal window into how faith can evolve without being abandoned—and why standing up to Christian nationalism is both necessary and hopeful.

👤 Guest Bio
April Ajoy is a content creator, author of Star Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith, and co-host of The Tim and April Show. Raised in a Pentecostal family steeped in evangelical and nationalist ideology, April now uses satire, storytelling, and social media to challenge Christian nationalism and promote a more inclusive, justice-centered faith.

🔗 Resource Links
Star Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781546006688
The Tim and April Show: @TimandAprilShow ​on YouTube

Support the show

🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
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Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing branch of Christianity worldwide—expected to top 1 billion by 2050. But what happens when elements of this movement intersect with far-right politics and spiritual warfare rhetoric? In this episode, Canadian scholar Dr. André Gagné returns to Faithful Politics to unpack the rise of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), dominion theology, and the Seven Mountain Mandate—ideologies fueling an increasingly militant form of Christian nationalism. Gagné explains how these movements evolved from church growth strategies into political frameworks now embraced by Trump allies like Paula White-Cain and Lance Wallnau. The conversation explores how spiritual language can dehumanize political opponents, what “spiritual warfare” really means, and why Christians should be concerned about the blurring line between faith and authoritarianism.

👤 Guest Bio
Dr. André Gagné is a professor of theological studies at Concordia University in Montreal and a leading expert on the intersection of religion and politics. His research focuses on how the Bible is mobilized in contemporary politics, with a particular interest in dominion theology, Pentecostal-charismatic networks, and religious violence. He is the author of American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and End Times and co-editor of Religion and Violence in Western Traditions. He also hosts the Spirit, State, and Society podcast.

🔗 Resource Links
American Evangelicals for Trump by André Gagné:https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781032415680

Spirit, State, and Society Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCg1iGewURbw0G1Ggfo0I7fA

André Gagné on Substack: https://substack.com/@andregagne

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🎧 Want to learn more about Faithful Politics, get in touch with the hosts, or suggest a future guest?
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