Spheres of Influence: Recent Episodes
Dennis Sanders
In our modern age, it's hard to find spaces where you can talk about these topics and where they might intersect without it becoming a shouting match. Join us as we discuss three important spheres of influence: culture, politics, and religion.
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Dennis reflects on the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police Derek Chauvin. Show notes:The complicated relief of the Chauvin verdict (Vox)
Why Chauvin’s conviction matters (Vox)
Chauvin’s Conviction Is the Exception That Proves the Rule (The Atlantic)
'It upsets me': Black man reacts to White friend's traffic stop (CNN)
The Trial of Derek Chauvin- Advisory Opinions Podcast
Anti-Anti-Chauvinism (The Bulwark)A 50-year Downward Spiral (Medium)Be sure to rate us and leave a review at your favorite podcast platform. That makes it easier for others to find us. Questions? Send an email: denminn@gmail.com.website: spheresofinfluence.orgTwitter: @CompanyPoliteFacebook:
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Is America a good nation? Can a nation with a past that includes slavery and the mistreatment of Native Americans be a force for good in the world? In this episode, Dennis tries to answer those questions honestly.If you have a question, email it to denminn@gmail.com.spheresofinfluence.orgShow notes:America the Good by Jonah GoldbergThe Problem With America's Patriotism Deficit by Jonah GoldbergLet America Be America Again by Langston Hughes
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Donald Trump is a warning to the American governing class to pay attention to class issues or expect another strongman in the Oval Office.
Why did Donald Trump win in 2016? Was it racism? The stress of the American working class? Could it be both? In this episode, Dennis shares his own working-class roots, how the demise of manufacturing has altered towns across America and how the two major parties ignored the problems of the working class. Dennis believes Donald Trump was a warning to the governing classes to pay attention to the needs of the American worker or get ready for another strongman in the White House.If you have a question or response to this or any episode, share it via email to denminn@gmail.com. Visit our website at spheresofinfluence.org.Episode Notes:
Workers Are People, Not Widgets: An Epilogue by Amber Lapp
The First White President by Ta-Nehisi CoatesDonald Trump, Class Warrior by Clive CrookWhy They Loved Him by Farah StockmanRichard Rorty’s 1998 Book Suggested Election 2016 Was Coming by Jennifer SeniorHow the American Left Lost Hopeby Christopher Lehmann-HauptAchieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth-Century America by Richard RortyDeath of A Salesman by Arthur Miller
Photo credit: Sitdown strikers at the Fisher Body Plant Factory Three in Flint, Michigan. Library of Congress. Public Domain.
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When the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting things down, pastors were thrown into unfamiliar territory. Dennis shares his experience of being a pastor at such a revealing moment for the church and how the church became a community when people needed it most.
Dennis is looking for religious leaders to interview to share their experiences during the pandemic. If you are interested, send an email to denminn@gmail.comEpisode Notes:Pastoring Through A Pandemic by Western SeminaryThe Pandemic and the Decline of the Church by David EppsWhat Kind of Churches Will Survive the Pandemic? by Bob WhiteselWhat clergy said when influenza closed churches in 1918 Birmingham, Alabama News, April 17, 2020Adventists and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic By Michael W. Campbell
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Greetings, everyone! Here is Episode Eight of Spheres of Influence. I wanted to take a moment to ask a favor. After you’ve listened to this episode, please consider passing this podcast along to others. I’m trying to grow the podcast and it would be nice to see the download numbers go up. Thanks and take care!
Podcast Description
Another mass shooting is another opportunity to get into another culture war. Dennis talks about a time when people could come together and create good gun policy and why that is impossible these days. He ends by talking about the treatment Dr. Deborah Birx has received for her time on President Trump's Coronavirus Taskforce.Background Articles:Gun Control is A Misfire by Marc CooperGuns and Culture by Dennis SandersWhy I Carry A Gun by David FrenchThe Hard Lesson of Dr. Birx by Megan RanneyShame on Deborah Birx by Jonathan V. Last
Questions or comments? Email me at denminn@gmail.com
spheresofinfluence.org
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America is becoming a far more diverse country. This is good news. What's bad news is how both political parties have reacted to the changing face of America. Dennis shares how the Democrats have stopped reaching out to the working class and how Republicans have employed tactics like voter suppression. How can we accept the "browning" of America in a way that brings people together instead of drive people apart?
Questions? Send an email: denminn@gmail.com
Articles to read:
The Majority-Minority Myth, by Andrew Sullivan
White Extinction Anxiety by Charles Blow
The Myth of a Majority-Minority Nation by Morris Fiorina
Why the Announcement of a Looming White Minority Makes Demographers Nervous, New York Times, November 22, 2018
The Myth of a White Minority by Richard Alba
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Listen now (24 min) | A New Podcast! I’ve been thinking about doing a podcast for a long time and I’ve finally decided to do it. Polite Company the Podcast is like the Polite Company newsletter, where I opine on religion and politics. In this first episode, I talk about the hubbub of creating a new center-right party. I hope in the near future to have guests on as well. It should show up on Apple Podcasts soon, but you can listen to it on Spotify or you can listen right here. The show notes are below. Listen and share!
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Welcome to a new podcast talking about the two things we don't talk about in polite company: politics and religion. As an ordained minister, writer, and political junkie, I think we can talk about these topics in ways that bring people together instead of driving them apart. The first episode comes out soon!
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