It's far more than simply charm, or rhetorical skill, or political savvy. Charisma is a powerful force that has shaped American public and religious life--for both good and ill--for more than four centuries. Could an undertanding of this phenomenon help us make better sense of our national story? And why does it seem that Americans of faith are particularly vulnerable to its allure?  Show Notes Book | Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump, by Molly Worthen - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/746737/spellbound-by-molly-worthen/ Article | "Charisma Rules the World" by Molly Worthen, New York Times (June 16, 2025) -  https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/opinion/charisma-history-trump.html

A baseball-loving American now sits on the papal throne, a fascinating new wrinkle in the long history of the Roman Catholic Church. What does it mean to have an American pope? We explore the history of American Catholicism, from its early struggles in a predominantly Protestant nation to its eventual integration into public life, along with its complex and sometimes uneasy relationship with American democracy. Guest: Daryl Hart, Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College Show Notes Book | Benjamin Franklin: Cultural Protestant by D.G. Hart - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/benjamin-franklin-9780198788997?cc=us&lang=en& Book | American Catholic: The Politics of Faith During the Cold War by D.G. Hart - https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501700576/american-catholic/ Article | "Between Rome and the Republic" by D.G. Hart, Liberty magazine (July-August 2025) - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/between-rome-and-the-republic 

We're taking a little break. But we'll be back with Season 4 on July 22.  Check out Liberty Magazine at libertymagazine.org for more conversations about religious liberty. 

Guest: Lance Kinzer, former Kansas State Rep, Dir. of Policy and Goverment Relations at the 1st Amendment Partnership Show Notes:  Website for 1st Amendment Partnership. https://1stamendmentpartnership.org Resource: Confronting Religious Discrimination: A Guide for Foster and Adoptive Parents. https://adflegal.org/support/adoption-foster-care/

Almost every presidential administration in America's history--from John Adams to Joe Biden--has tried to push the constitutional limits when it comes to controlling or discouraging speech it dislikes. So what's different now? And why are so many free speech advocates sounding the alarm?    Guest: Aaron Terr, attorney and Director of Public Advocacy at FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) Show Notes Articles by Aaron Terr: "No President Gets to Decide Who Deserves a Lawyer" https://www.thefire.org/news/no-president-gets-decide-who-deserves-lawyer "White House Barring AP from Press Events Violates the First Amendment"  https://www.thefire.org/news/white-house-barring-ap-press-events-violates-first-amendment FIRE's Guide to Religious Liberty: https://www.thefire.org/defending-your-rights/religious-liberty *** X: @aaronterr1LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-terr-5a38051b9/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefireorgInsta: https://www.instagram.com/thefireorg/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFIREorg

Why is a church with a 150-year history of supporting church-state separation sitting out the much-debated St. Isidore charter school litigation, which implicates the First Amendment establishment clause? Answer: It's complicated.Guest:Todd McFarland, deputy general counsel, Seventh-day Adventist world churchShow Notes:Opinion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court: https://religiousliberty.nd.edu/assets/575311/1058190300_20240625_085757_.pdf SCOTUSblog article providing background to the St. Isidore Charter School case: https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/01/supreme-court-will-weigh-in-on-effort-to-found-nations-first-religious-charter-school/  

How can we make sense of competing visions for the role of religion in American governance? We can start by following the paper trail left by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.Guest: Steven K. Green, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Religion, Law & Democracy, Willamette UniversityShow Notes: New book by Steven Green, The Grand Collaboration: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Invention of American Religious Freedom. https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/10018/  

What can a Jewish atheist teach us about the vital role Christianity plays in maintaining the health of the American republic? Guest: Jonathan Rauch, author and Brookings Institute fellow Show Notes: Book by Jonathan Rauch, Cross Purposes: Christianty's Broken Bargain with Democracy https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Purposes-Christianitys-Bargain-Democracy/dp/0300273541  

History's lessons about antisemitism are fading from our collective memory. A new generation must grapple with this age-old form of hate and what it means for minorities of every kind in today's world.Guest: Aykan Erdemir, Anti-Defamation LeagueShow Notes: "The ADL Global 100 Index results: https://www.adl.org/adl-global-100-index-antisemitism Press release giving topline data from the global survey on antisemitism: https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/46-adults-worldwide-hold-significant-antisemitic-beliefs-adl-poll-finds "

Can the state of Oklahoma fully fund a Catholic charter school that exists to "evangelize" its students? The Supreme Court will soon say "yes" or "no" in a case that may overturn decades of church-state constitutional law.Guest: Frank Ravitch, Professor of law and religion, Michigan State University.Aykan Erdemir, Anti-Defamation LeagueShow Notes:"SCOTUSblog article providing background to the St. Isidore Charter School case: https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/01/supreme-court-will-weigh-in-on-effort-to-found-nations-first-religious-charter-school/ Opinion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court: https://religiousliberty.nd.edu/assets/575311/1058190300_20240625_085757_.pdf Liberty article by Frank Ravitch on the Supreme Court's current approach to religion cases: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/untethered "

As the Trump administration redraws the boundaries of executive authority, are we merely in the midst of a constitutional "adjustment"? Or are we staring down a constitutional crisis with long term implications for civil liberties? Guest: David French, New York Times columnist Show Notes: Advisory Opinions podcast: https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/ Recent articles by David French in the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-french#latest    

Houses of worship are no longer off-limits for immigration enforcement as the Trump administration pursues aggressive new policies. But some faith groups are drawing First Amendment lines and asking the courts to enforce them.   Guest: Noah Merrill, Secretary, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends   Show Notes: The legal complaint filed by Quakers and others against the new immigration enforcement policies: https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Complaint.pdf Background information to the case and preliminary injunction: https://www.friendsjournal.org/quakers-sue-immigration/ Website for the New England Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends: https://neym.org  

Do public schools have to be faith-free zones? Or is this a misunderstanding of our Constitution's First Amendment? We delve into the dos and don'ts of religious expression at school, as well as the rationale for these guardrails. Guest: Richard Foltin, Senior Fellow, Freedom Forum Show Notes: "Freedom Forum's Guidelines for Religion in Public Schools: https://www.freedomforum.org/content/uploads/2025/01/religion-and-public-schools.pdf Liberty magazine article on teaching human origins at school: https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/adam-and-eve-go-to-school Liberty magazine article on Louisiana effort to place "In God We Trust" signs in classrooms: https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/pushing-the-boundaries  

The stories keep on coming--with new federal policies in place, even immigrants with legal status are afraid to go to church or send their children to school. How can individuals navigate this new immigration enforcement landscape?

Could immigration enforcement policy be a religious liberty issue? Under new federal enforcement policies, churches and church properties are no longer off limits for raids or other enforcement activities. How should churches respond?   Guests: Steve Allred, attorney and religious liberty advocate Jason Mustard, immigration attorney

It sounds plausible. There must be some net positives from exposing school children to biblical values, right? But is this true? What are the issues that Christians should consider in the face of the growing push for so-called "10 Commandment laws"? Guest: Amireh Al-Haddad, religious liberty advocate Show notes: Liberty magazine articles: "Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods." https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/thou-shalt-have-no-other-gods "Thou Shalt Not Lie" - https://www.libertymagazine.org/article/thou-shalt-not-lie Public Affairs and Religious Liberty, Southern Union of Seventh-day Adventists https://www.southernunion.com/ministries-services/religious-liberty/  

The avalanche of COVID-era vaccine exemption requests represented a "stress test" for the American legal system. What did we learn about how religious liberty is protected in America today?   Show Notes: Church State Council wesbite: https://www.churchstate.org Cherne Law P.C. website: https://www.chernelaw.com 

A little-known political philosophy seeks to fuse religious mandates with a new understanding of political power. What is Catholic integralism? And how would it revolutionize church-state relations in America? Guest: Dr. Kevin Vallier, author and professor, University of Toledo. FB: https://www.facebook.com/kevinvallier1X: https://x.com/kvallier Shownotes: Kevin Vallier author website: https://www.kevinvallier.comBook: All The Kingdoms of The World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism. https://bit.ly/41gwP26 Liberty magazine book review of Adrian Vermeule's Common Good Constitutionalism. https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/adventures-in-christian-authoritarianism  

Since 1950s, the so-called Johnson Amendment has been a lightning rod for controversy. Is it an unconstitutional restriction on the speech rights of pastors, as a new lawsuit argues? Or a last line of defense against the politicization of America's houses of worship?   Guest: Dr. Stephen Cook, Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Memphis, TN FB: https://www.facebook.com/2ndBaptistMemphis Insta: https://www.instagram.com/2ndmemphis/   Show Notes: Liberty magazine article about the Johnson Amendment: Unleashing the Churches, by Michael Peabody. https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/unleashing-the-churches Background on National Broadcasters Association's lawsuit: https://bjconline.org/religious-nonprofit-targets-johnson-amendment-092724/

When deeply held religious beliefs clash with public school lesson plans, finding workable solutions can be a challenge. What happens, though, when a solution is obvious, but compromise has been taken off the table? Guest: William Haun, Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty X: https://x.com/BecketLaw FB: https://www.facebook.com/becketlaw/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/becketlaw/ Show Notes: Case details on the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty website: https://www.becketlaw.org/case/mahmoud-v-mcknight/Liberty magazine article exploring the current law around parental rights: https://www.libertymagazine.org//article/are-children-mere-creatures-of-the-state