Depolarize! Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dan Koch
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 & 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 →
(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) →
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 →
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
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 & How They Help Us →
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) →
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 & mixed by Chris Keene & Scott Cangemi … Continue reading Tribalism: Power, Bias, Performance →
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 →
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 & More with Karen Swallow Prior →
As we discussed last episode, it is indeed a crazy moment to be an Evangelical Christian. Then again, so what? Does that mean Evangelicals should leave their churches or their tradition to search for greener pastures? As we hear from authors Danielle (D.L.) Mayfield (3:30), Katelyn Beaty (33:00), and Jemar Tisby (47:30), the answer is: … Continue reading Should You Stay (Evangelical) Or Should You Go? →
What a time to be an Evangelical in America, or to have been raised as one: there’s all the politics, racial tension, “parallel institutions,” and culture wars that continue to rage, but there is also evidence of serious benefits for churchgoers. This week, Dan and Ellen are greatly helped in their understandings of Evangelicalism — … Continue reading It’s a Crazy Moment for Evangelicalism →
Welcome to a new season of Depolarize! Dan and Ellen are excited to be back in the saddle, and this week we are debuting a new episode style: While You Were Evangelizing. What was going on in the more liberal-leaning Mainline Protestant church over the last 70 years? Dale B. Martin helps us compare and … Continue reading While You Were Evangelizing: Hell (with Dale B. Martin) →
Part 2 of our episode featuring Mary, Jennifer and Father Tom, and also our last of Season 2! Thank you for your continued support, and we are already looking forward to Season 3. Depolarize! is produced by Dan Koch, edited by Scott Cangemi & Chris Keene, mixed by Chris Keene Support the show financially & … Continue reading A Catholic, a Mennonite & an Orthodox Priest Walk Into a Podcast, Part 2 →
The first of a two-part episode wherein Dan Koch and Ellen Mauro consider the worldviews and stories of Mary (Roman Catholic), Tom (Greek Orthodox), and Jennifer (Mennonite). This is part of our series on Christian voters who do not consider themselves “Evangelical.” Part 2 airs next week, and will be the final episode of Season … Continue reading A Catholic, a Mennonite & an Orthodox Priest Walk Into a Podcast, Part 1 →
Dan & Ellen continue their deep dive into Liberal Mainline Protestantism, hearing from voters Jack & Debbie Holloway, as well as experts Dr. Tripp Fuller (Homebrewed Christianity Podcast) and Dr. James Wellman (University of Washington). Tripp’s book and podcast: https://homebrewedchristianity.com/ http://fortresspress.com/product/homebrewed-christianity-guide-jesus-lord-liar-lunatic-or-awesome Jim’s book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/evangelical-vs-liberal-9780195300123 Homebrewed Culture Cast: http://www.christianpiatt.com/culturecast “A New Kind of Christianity”: https://www.amazon.com/New-Kind-Christianity-Questions-Transforming/dp/0061853992 “The … Continue reading An Alternative to Evangelicalism? (Liberal Mainline Pt 2) →
This week and next, Dan walks Ellen (and the rest of us) through the world of Liberal Mainline Protestants: Methodists, Episcopalians, some Lutherans, some Presbyterians, United Church of Christ, and others. This is Part 1, which includes a lot of Dan and Ellen talking through and clarifying various ideas. 3:00 – What does “Liberal Mainline … Continue reading What is a Liberal Mainline Protestant? →
Dan and Ellen confront the worry that has been nagging at Dan more than any other, since Trump’s nomination and election: did all those Christian voters actually believe that Trump was a Christian? 2:55- Are Trump supporters gullible, or simply following the status quo? 5:33- “True crime legend: James Dobson”: Trump’s status as a “Baby … Continue reading Who Really Thinks Trump is a Christian? →
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 →
On our previous episode, Dan & 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 →
We're back to our voters this week, introducing five new voices. But this episode is also different: no reaction commentary from Dan & 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 & 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 & mixed by Chris Keene
Support the show financially & receive bonus content: patreon.com/depolarize
depolarizepodcast.com
depolarizepodcast (at) gmail
Zombies? The Rapture? A country song about the Rapture? Check, check, and check. This week, Dan & Ellen take a break from voter-based episodes to discuss some more personal matters: anxiety and social media use, both of which are related to various forms of polarization in our current cultural landscape. Along with some of Dan's story/struggle with both of these, they hear from Dr. Donna Freitas and Jason Brooks about 1) what is going on our brains as we use social media, and 2) how college students use and think about social media.
Timeline:
2:25- "It's your podcast; I'm just here for the wine": Dan's anxiety-timeline
5:00- "A contentious relationship with thunder"
6:30- Zombies?
10:00- "96 problems, but the end times ain't one": Existential dread in Dan's 6th-grade mind
17:56- "The Mark of the Beach": How Florida and the Antichrist became Dan's anziety triggers
22:42- "The worst version of me. The best of everyone else." Anxiety and social media
35:37- "Basically: Drugs": Dopamine, isolation, social media, and the loss of a "third space"
52:58- Getting back to the real world
1:02:10- Recap/ We'll see you next time "...in the rapture"
Anxiety and social media:
http://www.health.com/depression/multiple-social-media-sites-depression-anxiety
http://www.health.com/depression/could-lots-of-time-spent-on-social-media-be-tied-to-depression
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/why-we-worry/201612/social-media-loneliness-and-anxiety-in-young-people
Andrew Sullivan:
http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/09/andrew-sullivan-my-distraction-sickness-and-yours.html
Dr. Freitas:
https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Effect-Driving-Generation-Perfect/dp/0190239859
Support the show financially & receive bonus content: patreon.com/depolarize
depolarizepodcast.com
depolarizepodcast (at) gmail
Dan & 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 →
The first of two episodes centered on interviews with 10 White Evangelical Trump voters. Timeline: 0:00- Intro/”Family Therapist Soapbox Time” 10:00- Why did you vote for Donald Trump? 13:40- How central was abortion to your vote for Trump? 15:00- “Ellen Mauro: Abortion Maniac”: Polling data and the importance of abortion in the 2016 election. 24:07- … Continue reading White Evangelical Trump Supporters, Pt 1 →
Ellen and Dan speak with journalists & polling experts — Roxanne Stone of BARNA Group, Jon Ward of Yahoo! News and Robert P. Jones of Public Religion Research Institute — to wrap their heads around that infamous statistic (81% of white Evangelicals voting for Trump), understand what it means, and to dig deeper both into … Continue reading Is That “81%” Statistic Reliable? A Closer Look at Evangelicals →
Dan & Ellen continue their interviews of White Evangelicals who did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. This episode is best listened to after Part 1. Timeline: 0:00- Intro/Recap 2:42- Why did you NOT vote for Trump? 8:02- Did you ever consider voting for Trump? 8:40- Did you even give him a … Continue reading White Evangelicals Who Don’t Support Trump, Pt 2 →
In the Season 2 premiere, Dan Koch and Ellen Mauro interview 6 White Evangelical Christians, none of whom voted for nor actively support Donald Trump. These voters are a partial sample of the other side of White Evangelicals, who infamously voted for Trump at an 81% rate in 2016; these, you might say, are the other 19%. Episode timeline:
0:00 - Intro & Season 2 Preview
05:42 - Meet our Voters
08:40 - Pro Life? Whole Life?
16:15 - Are they really Christians?
18:45 - Are their churches overtly political?
22:30 - Do they understand Jesus and politics differently?
31:15 - Dan feels "convicted"
34:30 - What do they love about America?
43:15 - How it feels to be in the minority
48:00 - What they wish Trump-supporting Christians understood about them.
depolarizepodcast.com
patreon.com/depolarize
dankochwords.com
Ellen will be joining Depolarize for Season 2, which begins next week. We hear about her background, political and psychological areas of interest, and we laugh a lot, because Ellen is very funny.
The final episode before Depolarize enters Season 2! Dan chats live at the BadChristian Conference in Nashville, TN, with author and journalist Jonathan Merritt (The Atlantic, WaPo, Religion News Service, The Week) about the state of White Evangelicalism in America today.
Dan stopped by the studio for "Break It Down with Matt Carter" to talk about taking a break from social media/Depolarize, recent events in Virginia, and what he has been thinking about and working on this past summer.
Greg Tomlin, filling in for Dori Monson, interviews Dan on Seattle's KIRO FM about this podcast and what he's learned about political polarization over the past year.
Dan discusses what he's learned making 41 episodes of Depolarize!, the principles he still finds valuable, why it is difficult sometimes to follow his own advice, as well as what is next for the show and for him, including breaking for the Summer.
Get to know your host a little more! Due to some emergency travel, this week's scheduled interview had to be postponed, so Dan took questions from listeners for his first Q&A episode.
Jer Swigart stops by to talk about what they're doing over at The Global Immersion Project where he is the Co-Founding Director. He shares some wonderful insight into the complicated conflict in the Middle East.
David R. Montgomery, a Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at the University of Washington invites Dan over to discuss soil, carbon dating, and how farmers are restoring profitability and reducing environmental impact.
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.
Dr. Ravi Iyer is doing the real social science work of depolarization as Executive Director of CivilPolitics.org and brings some surprisingly simple solutions to the most complex polarizing issues we face today.
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.
Josh Hafner is a former campaign reporter and now a resident journalist at USA TODAY. In this episode he and Dan discuss media identity and how to choose legitimate news sources.
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.
Dan chats with one of his favorite American theologians and pastors, Dr. Greg Boyd, for a particularly Christian-themed episode. Dr. Boyd lost about a quarter of his church’s congregants back in 2004 when the church came out as explicitly anti-war, focused on the call of God’s Kingdom to the exclusion of any call to the Kingdom of Americanism. He tells this story, and the two discuss what, exactly, a Christian might be called to in the realm of politics.
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.
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.
VICE journalist Thomas Morton reveals the intent behind his unique approach to complete immersion with various subcultures in his docuseries Balls Deep.
This week professor and author Aurelian Craiutu illustrates the political and ideological moderate and the value of partisanship.
Author, professor, and cultural critic David Dark joins Dan to talk about the despair that got Donald Trump elected, and how to invite those we disagree with into conversation and into a fuller communal life. David's latest book is called "Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious," but he mentions in this interview that he could have just as well titled it, "Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Political."
Diane Hessan is known for her entrepreneurial agency work, but in 2016 was tapped by the Hillary Clinton campaign to do some nonstandard polling of undecided voters, keeping in touch with them over long periods of time and building relationships. What she learned surprised her, but not only that, she is doing it all again with independent voters as Trump’s presidency continues to roll out.
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.
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.
David Dayen, author of Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street's Great Foreclosure Fraud answers the question, "Was Obama good for America on finances?".
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.
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.
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.
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.
Jessica Hecox joins Dan this week on a special double episode featuring Christian & Amy Piatt of Homebrewed CultureCast to discuss what she experienced at the Portland's Women's March and the conflicting feelings she walked away with.
This week Dr. Eddie Glaude, Professor of Religion and African American Studies at Princeton University, poses some interesting challenges to Dan about systematic inequality and what it's going to take to change it.
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.
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.
Drew G.I. Hart (author of “Trouble I’ve Seen”) breaks down the racial empathy gap and explains why America continues to function as a systematically racist culture, usually unrelated to individual racist feelings. He brings great clarity to some truly thorny questions.
Matt Carter, host of Break It Down podcast, sheds some light on the reasons he believes so many Americans voted for Trump.
Writer and speaker Julie Rodgers tells her story of growing up and coming out in the conservative world around her. She gives practical insight into what it really looks like to be a gay Christian and the ways conservatives have failed and succeeded to love LGBT people.
Robert P. Jones, Ph.D., CEO of PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute)joins us to take a closer look at polling results of white evangelicals and the statistics that show a shift in the Christian culture in America.
On this week's episode, we hear from Dr. Charles Hirschman (University of Washington), a social demographer who takes us through several complex and surprising aspects of immigration in the United States.
We hear our final set of reactions to the election of Donald Trump from previous guests D. L. Mayfield and O. Alan Noble, as well as future guest Billie Anne Davis.
Dan speaks with Ian Smith, a southern Trump voter who opens up about his views on media bias and how he believes it made an impact on the election.
We hear reactions to the election of Donald Trump from previous guests Chris Hoke (joined by Neaners Garcia), Neil DeGraide and Trisha Ananiades, as well as future guest Julie Rodgers. Dan also briefly discusses Trump's decision to select Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon for White House cabinet posts.
Well, there’s no way around it. We were all pretty surprised by Donald Trump winning the election. Where do we go from here? How do we reconcile while still working toward a just society? I share some thoughts, and we hear from author and podcaster Mike McHargue (The Liturgists, Ask Science Mike, “Finding God in the Waves”) on his reaction. What are we scared for, and what, if any, is the potential silver lining?
Writer D. L. Mayfield (McSweeney’s, Christianity Today, “Assimilate or Go Home”) joins Dan to talk about what she has learned over 10 years of living amongst refugees in Minneapolis and Portland.
Is there any other option? O. Alan Noble pops in briefly to talk about the recent rise of Independent candidate Evan McMullin, and Dan has a lengthy cordial debate with Libertarian Neil DeGraide.
Trisha Ananiades is an African-American lawyer who graduated from Harvard Law, and here she makes her case for the presence of serious institutional racism in the United States. Dan and Trisha discuss the constitutionality of "Stop & Frisk", Trisha's own life experiences of racism, and a host of other related questions.
Dan sits down with Christian ethicist, writer and pro-life advocate Matthew Lee Anderson (Vox, Mere Orthodoxy) to hear his argument that there is no pro-life case to be made for voting for Donald Trump. This is a truly unique and fascinating conversation.
Does every immigrant family automatically want Hillary as their president? Will they be happy with her? Actually, no. Dan is joined by Brett Shears of VoteAllies.org, and the two discuss eligible voters who voluntarily share their votes with non-eligible voters. This leads to fascinating territory, where civic engagement and empathy bleed together.
Dan is joined by his old friend and amateur political expert Robbie Evans for a quick-fire bonus episode. It's a "lightning round" of questions raised by recent electoral news: what is the Electoral College, and can our votes be "stolen" by it? What have learned about WikiLeaks and through its email dumps? Are there really ever any rigged elections?
Dan is joined by Chris Hoke, prison chaplain and author of "Wanted: A Spiritual Pursuit Through Jail, Among Outlaws," out now on HarperOne. Hoke lives and works among illegal immigrants, convicts, and ex-cons in Skagit Valley, Washington. He shares with us both heart-rending stories and mind-opening statistics surrounding the issue of illegal immigration.
Joe Rose (University of Chicago, Berkeley Law) joins host Dan Koch to both make his argument for conservative Supreme Court justices and his argument for why this motivation is insufficient to justify voting for Donald Trump. Topics: Intro to Supreme Court (3:30), the polarized fallout of Scalia's death (7:30), Affirmative Action (13:00), why conservative judicial stances and conservative politics don't always line up (24:00), Citizens United(28:00), why Trump will not select conservative justives after all (35:00), and a lightning round of 9 arguments from the Left for progressive justices (53:00).
On the first episode of Depolarize!, Dan chats with Jared Yeates Sexton, contributor to New Republic and The New York Times, about covering Trump rallies (2:15), the political divide in America (7:30), changing attitudes toward masculinity (31:30), generational differences (35:00), which rhetoric from Trump has no place in any discussion (42:00), narratives from the Left that fail (53:00), how to start to bridge the gap between Left and Right (1:03:00) and more.