Capitol Conversations

The ERLC’s public policy advocacy includes supporting good legislation while also opposing bills that are harmful to the common good. Jeff and Chelsea welcome their friend Katie Glenn from Americans United for Life to discuss how the promotion of justice for life-affirming laws requires both. Guest Biography Katie Glenn serves as Government Affairs Counsel at Americans United for Life. Her work to enact pro-life laws at the state and federal level includes writing and testifing on all of...

Jeff, Chelsea, and Travis discuss three big international stories for Christians to consider. They cover an update on the Chinese Uyghur genocide, how Christians are often left out of Middle East peace accords, and what we can learn about the fragility of democracy from the coup in Myanmar. This episode was sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of Being the Bad Guy by Stephen McAlpine. Resources from the Conversation 'Their goal is to destroy everyone': Uighur camp detainees...

As we step into a new year, as well as a new administration in Washington, D.C., we want to join together to discuss this important moment in the pro-life movement. We believe that the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case which will occur in January of 2023 will mark a significant moment in time for the pro-life movement. We have a powerful opportunity now to begin 2021 discussing the future of the pro-life movement and begin casting a vision for the next three years—what...

Jeff, Chelsea, and Travis discuss President Biden’s first week of executive actions, both those which are praiseworthy and others which raise concern. This flurry of policy-making from the White House also shows how far we’ve strayed from the constitutional structure of our federal government. Then, our colleague Elizabeth Graham joins the roundtable for the first time to introduce the ERLC’s Psalm 139 Project which places life-saving ultrasound machines in pregnancy care centers. The...

Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow are back together for the start of a new year in D.C. The team reflects on the two historic Wednesdays at the U.S. Capitol and what it all means for our democracy, our public policy work, and for Christians in the public square. January 6th was a day of chaos. January 20th is a day that will see the inauguration of a new president amidst unprecedented security and pandemic precautions. Both are meaningful for the work of the...

We begin 2021 with a conversation between Jeff Pickering and Russell Moore about the attack on the U.S. Capitol, and not just that as a lone event but all that led up to it. The constant assault on the truth and reality of the 2020 presidential election, that Joe Biden won and Donald Trump lost, stirred up the worst of partisan passions and led to an unimaginable assault on our democracy and a historic tragedy on Wednesday, January 6. The interview was hosted as an ERLC webinar on Friday,...

All of the hosts from the ERLC podcasts are together for one big crossover episode to wrap up 2020 with highlights, favorite things, and the banter that turns co-workers into friends. This MEGACAST joins the ERLC Podcast crew–Josh Wester, Lindsay Nicolet, and Brent Leatherwood–with the Capitol Conversations team–Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow–and Jason Thacker of the WeeklyTech podcast. Thanks be to Gary Lancaster, our fearless producer and America’s most elite...

With the first COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer being delivered throughout the U.S., we wanted to bring you a discussion about the vaccines between Dr. Russell Moore and Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Collins is one of our nation’s key scientific leaders battling the pandemic. In this conversation, he shares insights about the development of the vaccines, misconceptions about them and what it will take to get our church life back to "normal." This...

Chelsea Patterson Sobolik and Travis Wussow are both back around the table with Jeff Pickering for a wide ranging policy conversation about the ERLC’s priorities for the Lame Duck Congress and then the Biden Administration. Then on the second half of the show, China expert Michael Sobolik joins us for a deep dive on Chinese Communist Party politics, history of the U.S. China relationship, and what it means for human rights advocacy today. This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company,...

This was a unique year for the ERLC interns as the program moved online. Rather than working together in the Leland House, the ERLC’s Capitol Hill office, students joined the policy team from all over the country. For this week’s episode after Thanksgiving, the interns joined Jeff Pickering and Brooke Kramer to reflect on their favorite projects, memorable meetings through Zoom, and what it’s like to be a college student during a global pandemic. Our internship program exists to prepare...

Thanksgiving is a great American holiday and welcoming refugees to our country has been, and should be again, a great American tradition. Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcome John Cusey to the roundtable to talk about one of his career passions, caring for refugees. John is currently the Vice President of Communications at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). He has a rich career of government service throughout Washington across multiple administrations and in Congress. Most...

Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson Sobolik welcome back ERLC president, Russell Moore, to the podcast to talk about his new book, The Courage To Stand, and what we can learn about truth and tribalism from the 2020 presidential election. The message of Dr. Moore’s newest book is timely for this fearful and anxious year as he helps readers see where Christ-empowered courage comes from, from the way of the cross. This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of the advent...

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Fulton v. Philadelphia, a crucial religious liberty case whose outcome could determine the ability of faith-based foster care and adoption providers to continue serving consistent with their convictions. The ERLC filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the case in support of Catholic Social Services. In this episode, Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow welcome Lori Windham, the Becket...

The right to vote is at the heart of our nation’s grand pursuit of a more perfect Union. Though restricted at the founding, this right was secured more fully through the dedicated advocacy of suffragettes and civil rights activists. In 2020, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment which secured the right to vote for women. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account...

Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Sobolik welcome Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) to the roundtable to talk about the fractures in America public life and the way forward. Levin’s work in recent years have been instrumental to many of us here at the ERLC in thinking well about what has gone wrong in the public square and to see clearly why now is a time to build toward renewal. This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of The Christmas We Didn't Expect by...

Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcome Charles Hedman, a pastor and elder from Capitol Hill Baptist Church, to the show to talk about the journey this church took to meet again in D.C. during the pandemic. This conversation also happens to come while the U.S. Senate is considering the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Charles is also an attorney, and a graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where, you guessed it, Amy Coney Barrett was one of his professors. So we had to...

In recent years, the Chinese government has escalated its persecution of religious minorities. The communist regime is using totalitarian tactics of forced labor, mass sterilization, and pervasive surveillance targeting Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Since 2017, China has detained more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps. Countering China morally for these atrocities is a key part of the ERLC’s international engagement. To continue that work, Jeff Pickering and Chelsea Patterson...

Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcomed California pastor Rolland Slade to the roundtable to talk about his journey from business to the pulpit, his new role as Chairman of the SBC Executive Committee, and how his church in San Diego has built ministry partnerships with their city government officials. “I think we’re in the middle of something happening to bring us back to being the church God wanted us to be.” – Rolland Slade, Senior Pastor of Meridian Baptist Church and SBC Executive...

Jeff Pickering and Travis Wussow welcome Israel based journalist and award winning author Matti Friedman to talk about the Middle East after the Abraham Accords. This episode was recorded at the end of September. Guest Biography Matti Friedman is a journalist and contributor to the New York Times Op-Ed Section and the author of multiple award-winning books. His 2016 book, Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story of a Forgotten War, is a memoir about his time serving in the Israli military and...

This week’s episode was originally scheduled to be an interview with fellow adoption advocate, McLane Layton, on the need for Congress to pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act. But then, after the passing of Supreme Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the high court vacancy. The ERLC team circled up after the nomination to talk about Judge Barrett’s incredible biography and inspiring career before turning to Chelsea Patterson Sobolik and Jeff...