Faithful Politics

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONYoung men and women are growing apart - politically, socially, and romantically. Daniel Cox joins Faithful Politics to explain why that divide is widening and what it could mean for relationships, community, and American politics. Cox is the director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute. His new book, Generation Uncoupled, draws on decades of polling data and more than 100 hours of interviews and focus groups. We discuss why young women have moved left while young men have remained more politically unsettled, how abortion and Donald Trump are shaping Gen Z politics, and why young men could become a consequential voting bloc in the 2026 midterms. We also look at dating apps, online harassment, the decline of churches and other social institutions, the "friendship recession," and how social media algorithms can give men and women radically different pictures of each other. The larger question is what happens to a society when people have fewer opportunities to actually know one another. BOOKBook: Generation Uncoupled: America's New Gender Divide and the Crisis of Human Connection Author: Daniel Cox Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9780593603437 GUEST BIODaniel Cox is the founder and director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute. He holds a PhD from Georgetown University and has spent two decades researching American public opinion. His new book, Generation Uncoupled, examines the growing divide between young men and women through polling, interviews, and focus groups, with particular attention to politics, dating, social media, friendship, and declining social connection.

For our October POV live show, Dr. Michael E. Heyes, religion professor at Lycoming College and author of Devils of Democracy, joins Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram to explore the history of demons and how beliefs about them have shaped Christianity, culture, and political movements. We trace the evolution of demonic imagery from the Bible and early Christianity through medieval monasteries, witch trials, and the spiritualist movements of the 19th century. Heyes explains how Abraham Lincoln was accused of being influenced by demonic forces and why some Americans once associated abolitionism and women's equality with the devil. The conversation also examines modern spiritual warfare, the New Apostolic Reformation, Bethel Church, the Seven Mountain Mandate, and the religious activity surrounding January 6. Along the way, we explore a consequential question: What happens to democracy and civil discourse when political disagreements become battles against supernatural evil? BOOKBook: Devils of Democracy: America's Love Affair with Political Demons from the Revolution to Today Author: Michael E. Heyes Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798341900936 GUEST BIODr. Michael E. Heyes is an associate professor of religion and department chair at Lycoming College. His research examines the history of demons, religious imagination, and the ways supernatural beliefs influence social and political life. He is the author of Devils of Democracy: America's Love Affair with Political Demons from the Revolution to Today, which explores how Americans have used demonic language and imagery to understand political conflict. His work connects early Christian and medieval demonology with modern American religious movements and political rhetoric.

The religious vote is often treated as shorthand for white evangelical Christians. PRRI CEO and political scientist Melissa Deckman says that misses much of what is happening ahead of the 2026 midterms. Deckman joins Faithful Politics to examine which religious voters may actually be moving, including white Catholics, white mainline Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, and Hispanic Protestants. She explains why immigration and the economy are affecting Hispanic religious voters, how gender is reshaping politics among Christian women, and why younger Americans are increasingly disconnected from both political parties and organized religion. melissa-josh-will The conversation also explores Christian nationalism, Gen Z, abortion, James Talarico and the emerging visibility of progressive Christianity in Democratic politics. Deckman also explains how to read political polling without being misled by small samples, margins of error, or surveys that confirm what we already want to believe. Book: The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy Author: Melissa Deckman Bookshop.org: The Politics of Gen Z on Bookshop.org GUEST BIOMelissa Deckman, Ph.D., is CEO of PRRI and a political scientist specializing in religion, gender, age, public opinion, and American political behavior. She previously served as the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs at Washington College and chaired its political science department. She is the author of several books, including The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy.

What if America’s political polarization is connected to the decline of traditional religion? Christian theologian Matthew Kaemingk and Muslim political scientist Shadi Hamid make a provocative argument in their new book, Can Religion Save Democracy?: as religious participation has declined, Americans have increasingly looked to politics for identity, meaning, community, and even a struggle between good and evil. We discuss Christian nationalism, secularism, political tribalism, religious certainty, pluralism, and why democracy requires people who can lose elections, live alongside deep disagreement, and resist treating political opponents as enemies who must be destroyed. The conversation also explores epistemic humility - including the Islamic tradition of saying “God only knows” - and how Christianity and Islam might provide resources for disagreement without domination. Kaemingk and Hamid also explain why local religious communities may help develop the patience, humility, relationships, and “democratic table manners” that social media and national politics often fail to provide. Book: Can Religion Save Democracy? How More Faith - Not Less - Can Heal Our Public Life Authors: Matthew Kaemingk and Shadi Hamid Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781587436895 GUEST BIOS Matthew Kaemingk is a Christian ethicist and public theologian, professor of public theology at Theological University Utrecht, and senior research fellow at Georgetown University. His work focuses on Christianity, Islam, pluralism, and public life. He co-hosts Zealots at the Gate with Shadi Hamid and co-authored Can Religion Save Democracy? Hendricks Chapel Shadi Hamid is a political scientist, Washington Post columnist, and senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, where he co-directs the Faith and Future of Democracy Initiative. His work focuses on Islam, democracy, political pluralism, and American politics. He co-hosts Zealots at the Gate and co-authored Can Religion Save Democracy?

Albert Mohler has spent decades as one of the most influential voices in conservative evangelical Christianity. Now he is arguing that America’s Constitution should explicitly acknowledge Christianity - a position Warren Throckmorton says represents a major departure from the Baptist tradition of religious liberty. Throckmorton joins Will Wright and Pastor Josh Burtram to examine Mohler’s evolving views on Christian nationalism, the Constitution, religious tests, and blasphemy laws. They discuss Mohler’s proposal that the constitutional order acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ and authority of Scripture, why Throckmorton believes that conflicts with the founding-era approach to religious liberty, and how Mohler’s position differs from Christian nationalist figures such as Doug Wilson. Warren Throckmorton The conversation also examines an important development: after criticism of his position on criminalizing blasphemy, Mohler said he had “blew it” and that theological judgments should be left to the church rather than government. He has continued, however, to defend constitutional acknowledgment of Christianity. BOOK Book: The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History Author: Warren Throckmorton Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9798889835820 GUEST BIO Warren Throckmorton is an author and retired professor of psychology who taught at Grove City College. His recent work focuses on religion, politics, American history, and Christian nationalism. He is the author of The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History and co-author of Getting Jefferson Right. His current writing through The Throckmorton Initiative examines Christian nationalism, religious liberty, and competing claims about America's founding.