✊🏽 About Our Guests

Brian Kaylor is a Baptist minister with a PhD in political communication. A former professor of political communication and advocacy studies, he now serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Word & Way, where he writes and speaks on issues of faith and public life. He previously served at churches and denominational organizations affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, American Baptist Churches USA, and Southern Baptist Convention. An award-winning writer, his pieces have been published by numerous outlets, including Boston Globe, CNN, Houston Chronicle, Kansas City Star, Nashville Tennessean, Sojourners, and Washington Post. Kaylor serves as board treasurer for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and on the board of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America. He also chairs the Resolutions Committee for the Baptist World Alliance. He lives in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Beau Underwood is the Senior Minister of Allisonville Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is also a contributing editor to Word & Way. He holds graduate degrees in both religion and public policy from the University of Chicago and is currently a doctoral candidate in public affairs at the University of Missouri. Underwood is the co-author of a book on Christian fatherhood called, Dear Son: Raising Faithful, Just, and Compassionate Men that is also published by Chalice Press. His writing has appeared in Religion News Service, Sojourners, The Christian Century, Religion & Politics (now ARC), Sightings, Religion Unplugged, and other places. In addition to pastoring and writing, Underwood has past ministry experience in faith-based advocacy and hospital chaplaincy. He has also held a variety of leadership roles within his denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Together, Brian and Beau are the co-authors of Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism, published by Chalice Press.

🎧 Episode Summary

In this episode, Bruce sits down with Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood to explore the uncomfortable but necessary truths about how mainline Protestant churches have played a role in shaping Christian nationalism in America. With humor, insight, and deep historical context, the conversation covers faith’s role in public policy, the complicity of religious institutions, and what it means to reckon with our past in order to build a more just future.

Expect to laugh, think, and—most importantly—leave smarter than when you started.

🔗 Episode Links & Resources

• Baptizing America (Chalice Press)
• Christian Century Review of Baptizing America
• The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power (Chalice Press)
• How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism (article that gave rise to the book)
• Civil Religion as a Gateway to Christian Nationalism 
• Word & Way
• Allisonville Christian Church

🎧 The Amalgamation Podcast

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The Amalgamation Podcast Team: Emmie Hix (Producer), Dessiree McFarland (Editor), Merisssa Magdael-Lauron (Music)

🎙️ Your Host, Bruce Reyes-Chow

Bruce Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is a 3rd Generation Filipino/Chinese American and an active speaker, writer, and coachsultant on topics of faith, leadership, activism, culture, race, and technology. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he is the author of six books, most recently Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith. He and his wife live in San Jose, CA, with too many animals and houseplants.

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🏷️ Tags / Hashtags

#TheAmalgamationPodcast  #ProgressiveChristianity #StorytellingForChange #PodcastLife #ChristianNationalism #MainlineProtestantism #FaithAndPolitics #BaptizingAmerica