BJC Podcasts

BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler speaks with five Christian leaders who are taking a stand against the dangerous ideology: a Catholic, a Quaker, a Lutheran, a Cooperative Baptist, and an American Baptist. Hear from Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (starting at 5:19); Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (10:12); Diane Randall from the Friends Committee on National Legislation (15:02); Sister Simone Campbell of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice (19:14); and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray of American Baptist Home Mission Societies (23:13).

Dr. Andrew Whitehead talks about his work researching Christian nationalism in the second episode of our special podcast series. A professor of sociology at Clemson University, he explains what Christian nationalism is, how he and other researchers measure the ideology, and how it affects the way individuals see the world.

We take a look at the political and religious history behind the idea that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation.” BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler talks with Dr. Steven Green, author of Inventing a Christian America: The Myth of the Religious Founding, about the political history of this concept, including how, when and why it originated. On the second half of the episode, we hear from church historian Bill Leonard (starting at 21:38)on what religious leaders said and did during the founding of the United States and how that relates to the freedoms we have today.

What does the Bible have to teach us about Christian nationalism? How does that political ideology undermine the Christian faith and the nature of God? Author and scholar Walter Brueggemann talks about the theological dangers of Christian nationalism in the fourth episode of our podcast series. Don’t miss his thoughts on what the prophets have to teach us about our current times, the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection narrative in these conversations, and what the Bible says about oppression, hope, truth and power.

“Project Blitz,” a coordinated effort to draft and pass bills informed by Christian nationalism, is showing up in state legislatures across the country. What is this effort, and what are its goals? Frederick Clarkson, the writer who broke the story about Project Blitz, discusses its origins, motivations and definitions of success.

What happens when bills influenced by Christian nationalism appear in state legislatures? Minnesota State Sen. John Marty discusses his experience standing against legislation from the “Project Blitz” playbook in this episode of our podcast series on Christian nationalism. He talks about how his Christian faith influences his work defending the rights of all people, and he shares stories about the pushback and accusations he received as he worked to make sure his faith isn’t used to crush others.

What is the connection between the history of racism and Christian nationalism? On this podcast, Jemar Tisby shares a historical view of white Christian nationalism in America, including how conflations of politics, race and religion in our past continue to impact conversations today. The author of The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, Tisby discusses how American Christianity and racism have overlapped for more than 400 years, including examples across several centuries of history. Don’t miss this important conversation to better understand our country’s origins and how we can work together to dismantle the idea of white Christian nationalism.

As we continue to explore the overlap of Christian nationalism and white supremacy, this week’s episode looks at their connection and the impact on communities. Hear from the Rev. Dr. Aidsand Wright-Riggins about race, reconciliation, religious liberty, Christian supremacy and more in this wide-ranging conversation with BJC’s Amanda Tyler. Wright-Riggins has more than 40 years of community and congregational service, and he currently serves as the co-executive director of the New Baptist Covenant.

In light of our conversations about Christian nationalism, this podcast takes a broader view of work in the church-state realm. BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler is joined by Rabbi Ambassador David Saperstein, Melissa Rogers and BJC General Counsel Holly Hollman to look at the challenges to our constitutional commitment to religious liberty for all people. As they note, disagreement on the proper application of the First Amendment’s religion clauses is not necessarily evidence of Christian nationalism. Hear them discuss the complexity in this area of the law, the role of religion in public life, the dangers of government promotion of religion, how the Supreme Court tends to interpret the religion clauses, the protections provided by the separation of church and state, and more.

What’s the antidote to Christian nationalism? To conclude our podcast series, we take a look at what it means to embrace civic pluralism with Eboo Patel, the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core. He talks with BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler about the difference in religious and civic pluralism, the origins of the term “Judeo-Christian,” connections between anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Catholic bigotry, and how we can create a “potluck nation,” where everyone brings their unique contributions to the table.