Impolite Company

This Is My Story is a special season of Impolite Company focused on telling the stories of women who have made voting an act of faith. In this first episode, we talk with Megan Westra, a Milwaukee-based pastor and author of the new book Born Again and Again: Jesus' Call to Radical Transformation. You can find Megan online at meganwestra.com and buy her book by supporting independent bookstores. Continue the conversation with us at facebook.com/thisismystoryproject EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: AMY SULLIVAN: I’m Amy Sullivan, and you’re listening to This Is My Story, a special season of Impolite Company. Each week, we’ve be joined by a woman who was once solidly rooted in the world of conservative white Christianity, but whose faith and politics have since shifted. She’ll tell us that story, about what convicted her to see loving her neighbor as a commandment to shape not only how she lives her life, but also how she votes. In this first episode, I’m talking with Megan Westra, a Milwaukee-based pastor and writer. Megan grew up in Appalachia, in the kind of evangelical community where sometimes kids rededicated themselves to Christ before they were even out of elementary school—because you can never be too sure. She’s the author of a new book called “Born Again and Again: Jesus’ Call to Radical Transformation.” It takes a hard look at the stories so many of us were taught about Christianity, unravels them, and then puts them back together with refreshingly practical suggestions for both churches and individuals who are looking to embody a different kind of Christianity. As Lisa Sharon Harper says in her foreword to the book, “Megan invites those disillusioned by a white Jesus to be born again, again.” And in Megan’s case, that may technically be born again, again, again. But I’ll let her tell it. This is her story. MEGAN WESTRA: I was born and raised right on the West Virginia/Virginia border, so in the Appalachian mountains. A little bit further north than the heart of the Bible Belt, but still definitely in that part of the country. The very first church experience I had was we went to a United Methodist congregation for the first ten years of my life that my great-grandparents had helped found. I was super-super-churched—going to the United Methodist church on Sundays, but then I went with a friend to an Awana program at their Baptist church. I was a kid of the South in the 90s! If there was a church thing, I was there. Church camp, church whatever. In my book, I talk about how I got saved for the first time when I was four years old, apparently. I don’t remember that, but that’s what my mom always told me. From the get-go—I do not have memories outside of a life that was steeped in some kind of faith. Now, granted, growing up it was this very traditionally evangelical—like, altar calls at the end of every service, “If you were driving home from church tonight and you got in a car accident, do you know where you would go?” Right, that kind of rhetoric. And very much defined by all of the markers that we’ve become familiar with since 2016, as far as, what are the things that evangelicals care about. Well, we want somebody who says that they oppose abortion. And I want to be real clear—they say that they oppose abortion. AS: And were those messages, in terms of what the political priorities were, cultural priorities—were those explicit? Or are those things that you just pick up from being part of the community? MW: That we should support pro-life candidates, and only pro-life Republican candidates, was pretty explicit from really early on in my life. I remember being in elementary school, and I was watching Nickelodeon with my cousins at my grandparents’ house, and there was a kids’ election poll. I don’t even remember who was running—it was one of the Clinton terms, though. You still called in on your landline phone because cellphones weren’t a thing yet. And you pressed “1” to vote for one person...

Coming Soon: This Is My Story, a special season of Impolite Company, focused on telling the stories of women who have made voting an act of faith. TRAILER TRANSCRIPT: I’m Amy Sullivan, and you’re listening to This Is My Story, a special season of Impolite Company. In the conservative Baptist church in the Midwest where I grew up, women weren’t allowed to have roles in Sunday worship, outside of the music ministry. They didn’t even pass out bulletins as ushers. Although, to be honest, I’m not sure what biblical authority would have been violated there. Instead, once a year, we’d hold Women’s Sunday, letting women pretend they were in charge for the day. There was obviously no question of having a woman preach. So instead of a sermon, every year one woman would share her testimony. Because apparently the men of the church decided that was safe. After all, it was just her own story. They didn’t understand the power of stories. You see, personal stories are how we relate to one another. More than that, research tells us that the most effective social change happens through storytelling, that people are most persuaded by their peers who have stood where they are. People need to feel understood, and they need to hear that change is possible. That’s why I’ve left two decades in journalism to launch This Is My Story, a new initiative to help women tell their stories of making voting an act of faith. In each of the twelve weeks between now and Election Day, this special podcast season of the same name will tell the story of a different woman’s shift in her faith and politics, about what convicted her to see loving her neighbor as a commandment to shape not only how she lives her life, but also how she votes. We’ll talk to women who were once firmly in the conservative Christian world. They include former street-corner evangelists, crisis pregnancy clinic workers, and a surprising number of former missionaries. You’ll hear how each of them ventured outside the bubbles in which they’d been raised, and what it was that caused them to embrace a kind of politics that’s more focused on loving our neighbors than protecting an in-group. We would love to have you join us for this special season. Subscribe to Impolite Company wherever you listen to podcasts. And follow us on ThisIsMyStoryProject.com for more conversation, free downloads, and live events. It’s long past time to use the power of our stories to bring about justice and change.

Your eyes and ears do not deceive you! We are back with a special Campaign 2020 episode. This episode was recorded before the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday (in other words, when many more candidates were still in the race), but we take a look at the Democratic presidential campaign in its entirety. That means finding possible silver linings for future female candidates, looking at how this cohort of candidates talked about their faith, and whether the Democratic Party needs to put out a welcome mat for voters who may disagree with the party platform on some key issues. (Spoiler alert: the answer is YES.)

This week Amy is joined by journalist and author Steven Waldman, whose new book SACRED LIBERTY: AMERICA'S LONG, BLOODY, AND ONGOING STRUGGLE OVER RELIGIOUS FREEDOM was published this week. Their conversation covers the long and evolving history of religious liberty in America, the fact that anti-Catholicism has been the most common feature of religious liberty violations, and the role that evangelicals could--emphasis on could--play in easing current tensions over clashing rights. Discussed This Week: Sacred Liberty: America's Long, Bloody, and Ongoing Struggle for Religious Freedom (Steven Waldman, 2019)

We are back! (Sort of.) With everyone but your condo board president jumping into the Democratic presidential race, and an astonishing number of them comfortable talking about issues of faith and morality, we couldn't just sit by and watch. This week Amy is joined by Guest Co-Host Extraordinaire Jack Jenkins, a national correspondent for Religion News Service. Jack has interviewed a number of the Democratic candidates about their faith and has some insights into why Democrats may be recognizing the value of religious progressives. This episode is the first in a series: "Leveling the Praying Field: Democrats, Religion & 2020." If you have questions you'd like answered or related topics you want to see us tackle, reach out via Twitter at @ImpolitePod. Discussed This Week: • Evangelicals helped get Trump into the White House. Pete Buttigieg believes the religious left will get him out. (Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post) • Julián Castro: Catholicism 'has never been far from my life'(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service) • Pete Buttigieg on faith, his marriage, and Mike Pence (Father Edward Beck, CNN) • Pollster says progressive 2020 candidate with faith ties would be valuable asset (The Hill) • Cory Booker: 'I'm calling for a revival of grace in this country' (Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service) • Mayor Pete Buttigieg's countercultural approach to Christianity is what America needs now (Kirsten Powers, USA Today) • Clip of Pete Buttigieg on Real Time with Bill Maher • Booker and Warren fuse faith and politics in appeal to mainline preachers (Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service) • The real meaning of Barack Obama's speech on religion and politics (Amy Sullivan, Slate)

Nish is off this week, so Amy is joined by award-winning journalist Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service for a discussion about the civil religion rituals of American state funerals, allegations of election fraud in a North Carolina congressional race involving a Republican candidate who is also a Southern Baptist pastor, and the potential resurgence of the religious left as a political force. And because it's December, the Impolite Company Holiday Playlist is back! To listen along with us, go to Spotify and look for "An Impolite Company Holiday" An earlier version of this episode contained audio difficulties. This version should be problem-free!

Nish is off this week, so Amy is joined by award-winning journalist Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service for a discussion about the civil religion rituals of American state funerals, allegations of election fraud in a North Carolina congressional race involving a Republican candidate who is also a Southern Baptist pastor, and the potential resurgence of the religious left as a political force. And because it's December, the Impolite Company Holiday Playlist is back! To listen along with us,...

This week, we dive right into the midterm elections. What does it mean to be in a country that makes great strides in one midterm election - placing a record number of women & religious minorities in office, electing the first openly gay man as a governor, and giving the voting rights back to 1.4 million people - yet, still elects individuals who openly propagate white supremacist ideals? We wrestle with the tension, as well as the data that shows us nothing is really changing, particularly with religious voters. We spend the second half of the episode talking about the drama around the Conference of US Bishops this week. US Bishops want to make significant, overdue changes in how the Catholic church handles instances of abuse, but the Vatican pulled the e-brake. What's the deal? If you want to support the show financially--for as little as $1 per month--please visit our Patreon Page to become a monthly patron. We're putting together plans for an audio documentary about campaigns and religion, and your help could free us up to concentrate on it and other show projects. Discussed on the show this week: Records broken during the 2018 midterms (BBC) Record number of women elected to Congress (Vox) Blue wave, or not? (WaPo) Voting rights restored to individuals who served time for non-violent felonies in Florida (NPR) Duncan Hunter wins with islamophobic campaign. (Vox) Vatican stops US Bishops from voting on sexual abuse responses.(WaPo) Rome orders US Bishops to wait on their plan to curb sex abuse. (NY Times) Game of Thrones returns in April for it's final season (Variety)

In this episode, we talk about the massacre of eleven Jews during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. We discuss the right-wing rhetoric--starting with the president--that currently encourages intolerance, racism, anti-Semitism. We talk about how to discuss anti-Semitism with children without also scaring them unnecessarily. And we talk about why the argument that "this was about anti-religiosity" isn't just foolish but also immoral in that it seeks to erase Jews from the narrative. If you want to support the show financially--for as little as $1 per month--please visit our Patreon Page to become a monthly patron. We're putting together plans for an audio documentary about campaigns and religion, and your help could free us up to concentrate on it and other show projects. Discussed This Week (including resources for discussing the Tree of Life massacre and anti-semitism generally with children): How to Talk to Children About Anti-Semitism4 Steps for Talking to Kids About the Pittsburgh Synagogue ShootingEmpowering Young People in the Aftermath of HateWhat Jewish Schools are Telling Students About the Pittsburgh ShootingHow Trump and Republicans wield the politics of victimhoodThe BodyguardHocus PocusBang

This week, Nish talks with Rachel Esplin Odell and Jennifer Walker Thomas, two leaders of the organization Mormon Women for Ethical Government (MWEG). The group recently made news when it called upon the four Mormon Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to take seriously allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. Rachel and Jennifer talk about how MWEG developed organically after 2016--and particularly out of concern over the Muslim ban and other executive actions that impact refugees and other immigrant communities. In addition, Nish and Amy discuss a trio of stories related to religious freedom, including a case in which a Catholic pharmacist in Michigan refused to fill the prescription of a woman who was actively miscarrying. And we bring you some new pop culture recommendations, as well as a reminder to eat all the donuts and drink all the cider while you still can. Discussed This Week: Trump administration set to expand religious exemptions to birth control coverage (Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post) Michigan pharmacist refuses medicine to woman having miscarriage(Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press) Deep in the desert, case pits immigration crackdown against religious freedom (Ryan Lucas, NPR) Slow Burn Season 2: The Impeachment of Bill Clinton (Leon Neyfakh, Slate) W. Kamau Bell: Private School Negro (Netflix)

In this episode, we are done. Done done done. The Brett Kavanaugh confirmation process is over but we are just getting started. We talk about why calls for civility in the wake of injustice are often calls to silence underrepresented voices. We discuss the fact that so many white women were galvanized to support the Kavanaugh nomination, and why that points to the need for more women leaders in religious spaces. And we feed our rage with some family-size bags of Peanut M&Ms. If you want to support the show financially--for as little as $1 per month,please visit our Patreon Pageto become a monthly patron. We're putting together plans for an audio documentary about campaigns and religion, and your help could free us up to concentrate on it and other show projects. Discussed This Week: The Waves podcast, "The Rage at Brett Edition" Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger (Rebecca Traister, Simon & Schuster) Flight of the Conchords: Live in London The Witch Elm, (Tana French, Viking Press)

This week, Nish and Amy talk about the wrong way to do faith outreach, as well as an attempt by a group of LDS women to appeal to the four Mormon senators who sit on the Judiciary Committee. We also introduce a new segment called "Race to the Bottom," in which we nominate some nonsense we've heard from conservative white evangelicals and ask listeners to vote on the very worst. And Amy talks with writer Danielle Mayfield about the spiritual and moral themes of "The Good Place," which returns this week for its third season on NBC. They also talk about Mister Rogers and the righteous anger that drove this famously calm and gentle man. NOTE: In her recommendation for the week, Amy encouraged everyone to read a James Baldwin novel but never actually said the name of it--doh! It is "If Beale Street Could Talk," also coming out in November as a film. Please visit our Patreon Page and consider becoming a monthly patron of the show, for as little as $1 per month. We're halfway to our goal, which will allow us to actually release the podcast on a regular schedule you can count on! Discussed This Week: • Republicans in Texas Apologize for Hindu-Themed Campaign Ad (Kimberly Yam, Huffington Post) • Official Statement from Mormon Women for Ethical Government with regard to the Brett Kavanaugh Confirmation Proceedings • 'Not relevant:' Franklin Graham weighs in on Kavanaugh sexual assault allegations (Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer) • Eric Metaxas' selfie with Donald Trump on Twitter • Rob Schenck on Twitter, actually showing how to speak truth to power • Nish, telling off Erick Erickson on Twitter • Is Neighborly Love Enough in The Good Place? (D.L. Mayfield, Christ and Pop Culture) • Mr. Rogers Had a Dangerous Side (D.L. Mayfield, Christianity Today) • Educated: A Memoir(Tara Westover, Random House) • If Beale Street Could Talk(James Baldwin, Vintage)

And we are back! Welcome to the Season Two premiere of Impolite Company, in which we discuss new revelations of abuse and coverup in the Catholic Church, the increasingly contested nomination of Brett Kavanaugh, and Democratic faith-outreach efforts. We'll be returning to that last topic throughout the fall as we talk with Democratic candidates and former Obama aides about why there's been such traditional resistance in the party to faith outreach and how some newer candidates are trying it for themselves. As always, if you want to become a monthly patron of the podcast, you can do so via our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/impolitecompanypodcast

We're just days away from launching the second season of Impolite Company, listeners! In the meantime, we wanted to share this conversation Amy had with Calvin College historian and gender studies professor Kristin Du Mez. Du Mez is writing a book about white evangelicals, toxic masculinity, and militarism. She and Amy talked about the way in which those factors actually make Donald Trump not just an acceptable figure for many white evangelicals but perhaps an ideal figure. Enjoy the conversation and join us soon for the new season!

In this mini episode, Amy checks in to tell listeners that Impolite Company will be back for Season Two after Labor Day, and bemoans the many religion & politics stories that have gone uncommented on over the summer. Mentioned this week: • Nish's idyllic summer with her REI-catalogue family • The Pope's Groundbreaking Rejection of the Death Penalty (Emma Green, The Atlantic) • Raise Your Voice: Why We Stay Silent and How to Speak Up (Kathy Khang, IVP Books) • Nish on the podcast Her With Amena Brown • The I am NOT your Superwoman episode of Truth's Table podcast • AMY GRANT LEADING AN "EL SHADDAI" SING-A-LONG AT WILD GOOSE. WHAT WHAT WHAT.

Note: This episode was recorded before Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, and before an armed man slaughtered five journalists at the Annapolis Capitol Gazette. We're one week away from taking a break for much of the summer--but we're starting up an Impolite Company newsletter to fill the void, and we'll drop in occasionally with a few mini episodes. In the meantime, this week's show features Amy in conversation with two women who are leading figures in the area of religion and politics. First up is Rachel Laser, a legal expert who heads up Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. She walks us through the Masterpiece Cake decision and talks about how religious liberty is currently being interpreted in our culture and our courts. Then Amy talks with Julie Rodgers, a popular writer and speaker who made national news a few years ago when she was hired--and then quickly fired--by Wheaton as the school's first and only chaplain to LGBT students. Keep sending us your good news and recommendations for the summer! Your voice memos and emails can reach us at impolitewomen@gmail.com

Buckle up, listeners. We recorded this week's episode just an hour or so after Jeff Sessions cited Romans 13 to justify the Trump Administration's policy of ripping families apart at the border, so we were in full NOT TODAY SATAN mode. You have been warned, and you're welcome. We also discuss the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting, at which the denomination tiptoe into discussions of church abuse and gender, but then leapt about 72 steps backward by hosting Mike Pence for a campaign-style stump speech. And we consider what it means for a U.S. Catholic bishop to even propose the idea of withholding the Eucharist as a way of sanctioning Republican Catholics who have been complicit with the Trump approach to immigration. (Technical note: Amy's audio sounds like she was recording either underwater or in an echo chamber this week. It won't happen again.) Please visit our Patreon Page and consider becoming a monthly patron of the show, for as little as $1 per month. In return, you'll receive our eternal gratitude, some fun extras, and make possible a higher-quality show.

This week we're taking a break from our regular discussions of everything awful and devoting an entire episode to fielding listener questions! From how Nish and Amy met to favorite tv shows to parenting tips, we've got answers. Please visit our Patreon Page and consider becoming a monthly patron of the show, for as little as $1 per month.

This week, we talk about Vice President Mike Pence's commencement address at Hillsdale College, in which he declared that religiosity is on the rise in America (it's not). We also discuss the decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem AND to invite John "the Apocalypse is coming and it will be in Israel" Hagee to represent the United States by offering a benediction at the opening ceremony for the new embassy. And Amy phones Emma Green, the Jerusalem-based religion writer for the Atlantic, to learn more about how the move is being received by those in the region. (Note: Due to some technical difficulties, some of Amy's audio got garbled, which explains one or two odd transitions you might notice. Thanks for bearing with us!) Please visit our Patreon Page and consider becoming a monthly patron of the show, for as little as $1 per month. We're halfway to our goal, which will allow us to actually release the podcast on a regular schedule you can count on!

This week, Nish and Amy talk about Trump's belated announcement of a White House faith office, as well as the backlash among Southern Baptist women to comments from Paige Patterson regarding marriage and domestic abuse. We also interview journalist Ruth Graham about her recent Politico Magazine story, which laid out in fascinating detail the extent to which Christian media have become an extension of the White House communications effort. And Amy takes over Three Minutes of Nish this week to rant about the National Rifle Association's prayer breakfast. Please visit our Patreon Page and consider becoming a monthly patron of the show, for as little as $1 per month. We're halfway to our goal, which will allow us to actually release the podcast on a regular schedule you can count on! Discussed This Week: 'Jesus loves me and my guns': Faith and firearms touted at the NRA's prayer breakfast (Bobby Ross, Jr., Washington Post) Amid Stormy Daniels news, Trump announces faith-based effort on National Day of Prayer (Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post) 'We are shocked': Thousands of Southern Baptist women denounce leader's objectifying comments, advice to abused women (Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post) Letter from Southern Baptist women to the SWBTS Board of Trustees A letter to my brothers (Beth Moore) Church of the Donald (Ruth Graham, Politico Magazine)