Faithful Politics

<p>Dive into the profound world of Faithful Politics, a compelling podcast where the spheres of faith and politics converge in meaningful dialogues. Guided by Pastor Josh Burtram (Faithful Host) and Will Wright (Political Host), this unique platform invites listeners to delve into the complex impact of political choices on both the faithful and faithless.<br /><br /></p><p>Join our hosts, Josh and Will, as they engage with world-renowned experts, scholars, theologians, politicians, journalists, and ordinary folks. Their objective? To deepen our collective understanding of the intersection between faith and politics.<br /><br /></p><p>Faithful Politics sets itself apart by refusing to subscribe to any single political ideology or religious conviction. This approach is mirrored in the diverse backgrounds of our hosts. Will Wright, a disabled Veteran and African-Asian American, is a former atheist and a liberal progressive with a lifelong intrigue in politics. On the other hand, Josh Burtram, a Conservative Republican and devoted Pastor, brings a passion for theology that resonates throughout the discourse.<br /><br /></p><p>Yet, in the face of their contrasting outlooks, Josh and Will display a remarkable ability to facilitate respectful and civil dialogue on challenging topics. This opens up a space where listeners of various political and religious leanings can find value and deepen their understanding.<br /><br /></p><p>So, regardless if you're a Democrat or Republican, a believer or an atheist, we assure you that Faithful Politics has insightful conversations that will appeal to you and stimulate your intellectual curiosity. Come join us in this enthralling exploration of the intricate nexus of faith and politics. Add us to your regular podcast stream and don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Let's navigate this fascinating realm together! <br /><br />Not Right. Not Left. UP.</p>

Holly Berkley Fletcher on Missionary Kids, White Evangelicalism, and the Myths of Calling

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will and Josh speak with Holly Berkley Fletcher, historian, essayist, former CIA Africa analyst, and author of The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Drawing from her childhood in Kenya as an MK and years of research on the American missionary movement, Holly explores how missionary culture has shaped white evangelic...

12-06
59:21

Corregan Brown on Building Better Arguments: Bridging Principles, Power, and Polarization

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com How do we argue without tearing each other apart? Corregan Brown joins us to explore the art of disagreement in an age of outrage. He breaks down the difference between arguing policy and clarifying principles, showing how many of our public fights aren’t about facts but about unspoken values. Brown also explains why recognizing power differentials matters in civic discourse and h...

11-30
51:16

China’s Crackdown on Zion Church: William Nee on the Fight for Religious Freedom

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will and Josh talk with China expert William Nee about the major October 2025 crackdown on Beijing’s Zion Church, one of the largest underground Christian networks in China. William explains what actually happened during the coordinated raids, why Pastor Ezra Jin (Jin Mingri) and nearly 30 church leaders were charged with “illegally using info...

11-29
53:51

Ethan Hollander on Democracy, Autocracy, and America’s Authoritarian Temptation

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this return visit to Faithful Politics, political scientist Dr. Ethan J. Hollander helps us take a hard, honest look at the health of American democracy—and why so many people around the world are tempted by strongman rule. Drawing on his Great Courses series Democracy and Its Alternatives, Ethan walks through a clear, working definition of democracy, why “constitutional republ...

11-25
01:04:34

Conflict Resilience with Bob Bordone — How to Disagree Without Giving Up or Giving In

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Can you stay in hard conversations without trying to “win” or walk away? In this episode, Harvard Law School Senior Fellow and USA Today bestselling author Bob Bordone joins us to unpack conflict resilience—the ability to stay grounded, curious, and compassionate when everything in you wants to shut down or strike back. Bob helps us understand how to build this muscle in our homes...

11-22
52:18

Jim DeMint on What the Bible Really Says About Creation, End Times, and American Politics

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Is the real crisis in American politics actually a crisis of biblical authority and interpretation? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint to talk about his new book, What the Bible Really Says: About Creation, End Times, Politics, and You. Drawing on more than two decades in business, Congress,...

11-18
58:33

Dr. Gavin D’Costa on the Jewish Roots of Christianity: From Sinai to Rome

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What does it really mean to say Christianity is “rooted in Judaism”? In this conversation, Dr. Gavin D’Costa—Emeritus Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Bristol and visiting professor at Rome’s Angelicum—unpacks the argument of his new book From Sinai to Rome: Jewish Identity in the Catholic Church. We explore how early Christian faith grew from Jewish soil, where...

11-15
01:00:32

Can Theology and Compassion Coexist? A Candid Talk with Dr. Preston Sprinkle

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com Can Christians hold fast to biblical convictions about marriage and still radically love their LGBTQ+ neighbors? In this deeply honest and thought-provoking conversation, Dr. Preston Sprinkle, president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, joins Will Wright and Josh Burtram to explore one of the most polarizing conversations in the church today. Drawing from his ...

11-11
01:02:37

Jennifer Webb (D) and Kurt Kelly (R): The Politics of Proximity and Peace

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What does it actually take to cool down American politics without compromising your convictions? In this episode, former Florida state representatives Jennifer Webb (D) and Kurt Kelly (R) join Faithful Politics to share how their unlikely partnership is helping Floridians rebuild trust and truth through Sunshine 100—a cross-partisan network supported by The Carter Center. They un...

11-08
01:09:28

Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States with Dr. Kevin Burke

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Josh and I sit down with Dr. Kevin Burke from the University of Georgia, co-author of the National Education Policy Center report Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States. We explore how Christian nationalism is reshaping public education—from classroom prayer and Ten Commandments laws to school choice and state-funded...

11-04
59:01

Reinventing Protestant Germany: Dr. Brandon Bloch on the Church’s Role in Nazi and Post-Nazi Eras

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Dr. Brandon Bloch, historian and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, about his groundbreaking book Reinventing Protestant Germany: The Religious Nationalists and the Contest for Post-Nazi Democracy (Harvard University Press). Dr. Bloch explores how German Protestants...

11-01
01:03:19

Ilana Trachtman: The Filmmaker Reviving Forgotten Civil Rights History

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram speak with Ilana Trachtman, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, about her newest documentary, Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round. The film uncovers the little-known story of the 1960 civil rights protest at Glen Echo Amusement Park in Maryland—a powerful moment when Howard University students and white Jew...

10-28
56:44

David Daley on Unrigging American Democracy and the Hidden Power of Gerrymandering

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this eye-opening episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with journalist and election reform advocate David Daley to unpack one of the most misunderstood forces shaping American politics—gerrymandering. Daley explains how invisible district lines can determine not only who wins elections but how our representatives govern once in office. Drawi...

10-25
51:03

In Defense of Christian Patriotism with Daniel Darling

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of more than 20 books, including In Defense of Christian Patriotism. Darling joins the hosts to discuss the difference between Christian nationalism and Christian pa...

10-21
59:08

Noelle Cook on The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this deeply human and revealing episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Noelle Cook, ethnographer, filmmaker, and author of The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism and the Lure of Belonging. Cook’s award-winning documentary and forthcoming book explore how ordinary women become entangled in conspiracy movements—from QAnon to spiritualiz...

10-18
50:40

Unpacking Christian Zionism: Kiera Butler on How Theology Shapes Foreign Policy

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, hosts Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram welcome back Kiera Butler, a senior correspondent for Mother Jones, to unpack her recent 5,000-word investigative feature on Christian Zionism—a movement where American evangelical theology intersects with foreign policy and billion-dollar influence in Israel. Butler explains how deeply-funded evangel...

10-14
49:33

Victims of the Revolution and the Moral Cost of Sexual Liberation with Dr. Nathanael Blake

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram sit down with Dr. Nathanael Blake to discuss his new book, Victims of the Revolution: How Sexual Liberation Hurts Us All. Blake argues that the sexual revolution—once heralded as a movement for personal freedom and fulfillment—has in fact left a legacy of loneliness, dissatisfaction, and moral confusion. He ...

10-11
01:02:20

The Bible According to Christian Nationalists with Brian Kaylor

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What happens when the Bible gets treated like a political toolkit instead of a sacred text meant to form our lives? In this conversation, Pastor Josh and Will sit down with Brian Kaylor—editor in chief of Word&Way, Baptist minister, and author of The Bible According to Christian Nationalists—to unpack seven common ways scripture gets twisted to serve power. We talk abou...

10-07
01:03:51

Taking Back the Narrative: Reality Winner in Her Own Words

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What happens when telling the truth collides with the full force of the state, and who gets to be called a patriot when the dust settles? In this episode, Josh and I sit down with Reality Winner, former Air Force linguist, NSA contractor, and author of I Am Not Your Enemy, to talk candidly about the choice that changed her life and the system that tried to define her. Reali...

10-04
57:14

Deconstructing Hell: Brian Recker on Fear, Faith, and a Spirituality of Love

Have a comment? Send us a text! (We read all of them but can't reply). Email us: Will@faithfulpoliticspodcast.com What happens to Christian faith when hell is no longer the centerpiece of the story? In this episode of Faithful Politics, Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram talk with Brian Recker—public theologian, former evangelical pastor, and author of the upcoming book Hellbent—about how a fixation on hell distorts the Christian life. Brian shares his powerful journey from fundament...

09-30
58:04

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