Can Christians engage in politics without turning a political party into part of the gospel? Jamie Cowen, author of How Politics Has Distorted the Gospel, joins Josh Burtram to explore Christian political engagement, the separation of church and state, and the cost of culture wars. Drawing on his work in Congress and the Bible study he led for Democratic and Republican staff members, Cowen explains why he believes Christian witness depends on more than winning elections—and why pastors have a different responsibility from individual voters.

Josh and Jamie discuss biblical reconciliation, the Moral Majority and Religious Right, Donald Trump, and the barriers partisan religion can create for younger generations. They examine how abortion became a defining political issue and discuss their differing views on Scripture, inference, and the protection of life. The conversation also considers public repentance after false election claims, the church's prophetic role, and how Christians can address immigration, guns, sexuality, and other social issues while treating people with dignity.

About the guest
Jamie Cowen is an immigration lawyer, former chief counsel to a U.S. Senate subcommittee, and former leader of Tikvat Israel Messianic Jewish Congregation in Richmond, Virginia. His experience in government, law, and congregational ministry informs his book How Politics Has Distorted the Gospel and his call for Christians to participate in public life without making the church an extension of a political party.

Book and guest links
How Politics Has Distorted the Gospel
Jamie Cowen Ministries
Email Jamie Cowen
Religion and Politics teaching

Referenced in the discussion
Faithful Politics — Church & State 250+ series
Meredith G. Kline, “Lex Talionis and the Human Fetus” (1977). Kline offers a different interpretation of Exodus 21 from the one Jamie presents in this conversation.

Faithful Politics brings thoughtful conversations about faith, politics, and power. Follow the show, share this episode, and join the conversation.

Not Right. Not Left. UP.

Palestinian Christians are often missing from American church conversations about Israel, even as many evangelicals view support for Israel as a religious obligation. Dr. Daniel Bannoura, a Palestinian theologian raised near Bethlehem and director of public engagement at the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice, explains what that disconnect looks like from the other side. He discusses Christian Zionism, dispensational theology, biblical prophecy, the displacement of Palestinian communities in 1948, and the devastation in Gaza and the West Bank.

Bannoura also talks about growing up evangelical and how that shaped his view of Scripture, before confronting the ways Christians use biblical passages to justify political power and violence. He challenges Western churches to listen to Palestinian Christians and reconsider what faithfulness requires. Josh reflects on the theology he inherited about Israel and how difficult those beliefs can be to question, even when faced with Palestinian suffering.

Dr. Daniel Bannoura is a Palestinian theologian, Qur'an scholar, and director of public engagement at the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice. Originally from Bethlehem, he earned his PhD in Qur'anic studies at the University of Notre Dame, where his research examined the Qur'an in the context of late antiquity. His work also addresses Christian-Muslim relations, Palestinian theology, and the influence of Christian Zionism on Western churches. He is the founder and co-host of Across the Divide, a podcast exploring faith, justice, and Palestine-Israel.

Constitutional law scholar Stephen M. Feldman argues that the Roberts Court has changed the meaning of religious freedom and who fully belongs under the Constitution. Drawing from his book Who Belongs: White Christian Nationalism and the Roberts Court, Feldman traces the fight over “We the People” from the founding and Reconstruction through the New Deal, the Warren Court, and today's conservative Supreme Court. He explains how the constitutional shift beginning around 1937 helped expand protections for voting, free speech, and equal participation.

We also examine originalism and its reliance on historical interpretations developed when many Americans were excluded from political participation. Feldman compares Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, involving a public school football coach's prayer, with Mahmoud v. Taylor, involving religious objections to LGBTQ+ inclusive classroom books. The discussion explores whether religious freedom is being applied consistently, how the Court's approach intersects with white Christian nationalism, and what these decisions mean for church-state separation and American democracy.

Book

Book: Who Belongs: White Christian Nationalism and the Roberts Court

Author: Stephen M. Feldman

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781479841165

Guest Bio

Stephen M. Feldman is a retired distinguished professor of law and adjunct professor of political science at the University of Wyoming, where he taught constitutional law and jurisprudence for more than two decades. His scholarship examines constitutional interpretation, democracy, religious liberty, and the relationship between law and politics. He is the author of Who Belongs: White Christian Nationalism and the Roberts Court and Pack the Court! A Defense of Supreme Court Expansion. Feldman retired in summer 2026 after four decades of teaching constitutional law.

University profile: https://www.uwyo.edu/law/directory/step-feldman.html

Law professor and former prosecutor Corinna Lain returns to Faithful Politics to examine two disturbing developments in America's death penalty system: the botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee and the Trump administration's proposal to publicly livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan.

Drawing on her book Secrets of the Killing State, Lain explains why lethal injections fail, how execution protocols leave room for serious mistakes, and why the Supreme Court has allowed states to attempt executions a second time. We also discuss firing squads, the constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, and the political appeal of public executions.

The conversation turns to a larger question about justice, redemption, and whether the death penalty serves any meaningful purpose. Lain also explains why, despite renewed political attention, capital punishment has been declining in the United States.

Book: Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection: https://bookshop.org/a/112456/9781479832965

Author's book page: https://corinnalain.com/books/secrets-of-the-killing-state/

Bio:

Corinna Barrett Lain is the George E. Allen Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law, where she specializes in constitutional law, criminal procedure, and capital punishment. A former prosecutor and U.S. Army veteran, she is the author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. Her research examines botched executions, government secrecy, and the constitutional limits of capital punishment. She has spent years investigating how executions are conducted and why lethal injection frequently fails to work as intended.

Pew Research Center's Greg Smith joins Faithful Politics to explain why Christians who share similar religious beliefs often vote for opposing political parties. With the 2026 midterms approaching, we examine the differences between white evangelicals, Black Protestants, Catholics, and religiously unaffiliated voters, and what those differences could mean for the election.

Smith also explains why many evangelicals support Donald Trump despite questioning his personal religious commitment, why the economy matters more to religious voters than abortion or LGBTQ issues, and what Americans think about churches endorsing political candidates. We also discuss a surprising finding: most Christians believe people can disagree about Trump and still be good Christians.

Guest Bio: Gregory A. Smith is Senior Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center, where he studies religion in American life and its relationship to politics. He has helped lead Pew's major Religious Landscape Studies and has conducted extensive research on religious identity, political affiliation, and public opinion. His work provides insight into how Americans' religious beliefs and practices intersect with voting behavior, political priorities, and changing demographic trends.

These Pew Research Center resources directly support the topics discussed in the interview.

• Religious Groups Differ Widely in Their 2026 Midterm Preferences - Gregory A. Smith's October 13 research, including the 73% Republican preference among white evangelicals and 74% Democratic preference among Black Protestants.
• How Americans Feel About Religion's Influence in Government and Public Life - Research on religion in politics, Christian nationalism, and church involvement in elections.
• Most Americans Think Churches Should Not Endorse Political Candidates - Historical polling showing 79% opposition to church endorsements in 2026.

Votebeat Editorial Director Jessica Huseman returns to Faithful Politics to discuss the security of America's elections andthe challenges facing voters and election officials ahead of the 2026 midterms. We examine concerns about federal interference at polling locations, voter registration problems in Texas, turmoil within Georgia's State Election Board, and allegations of widespread noncitizen voting.

Despite growing public distrust, Jessica explains why election officials remain confident in the voting process and why many fears about election security exceed the actual risks. We also discuss misinformation, legal challenges, and why the biggest concerns may emerge after Election Day, when votes are counted and results are challenged.

Check out what Votebeat has to offer: https://www.votebeat.org

Jessica Huseman is the editorial director of Votebeat, a nonprofit newsroom focused exclusively on voting and election administration. She oversees reporting on election security, voting laws, voter registration, misinformation, and the challenges facing local election officials. Her newsroom investigates how election systems operate and helps journalists across the country access election experts through Votebeat's Election Expert Desk. A returning guest on Faithful Politics, Jessica brings detailed reporting and practical insight into the challenges facing American elections ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Democrats are favored to take back the House in the 2026 midterm elections, but does that mean the country is becoming more Democratic? And could Republicans still hold on to the Senate?

Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, joins Faithful Politics to break down the congressional election map and explain why 2026 could be an especially difficult year for Republicans.

We discuss Trump's declining approval ratings, the economic consequences of the Iran war, rising gas prices, and whether Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts will deliver the advantages they expected.

Kondik also explains why Democrats face a much harder path to winning the Senate, which states could determine control of Congress, and why even a decisive Democratic victory may say little about the 2028 presidential election.

We also examine the reliability of political polling, what early voting can and cannot tell us, and what voters should watch for on election night.

GUEST BIO

Kyle Kondik is Managing Editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, the nonpartisan political analysis newsletter published by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. He also serves as the center's Director of Communications. Kondik specializes in American elections, congressional races, electoral history, and political forecasting. He is the author of The Long Red Thread, examining the Republican Party's electoral advantages in U.S. House elections, and The Bellwether, which explores Ohio's historical role in presidential elections. His analysis helps explain the electoral trends and competitive races shaping control of Congress.

Republicans are facing a difficult 2026 midterm election, and even traditionally conservative states like Texas, Kansas, and Iowa are becoming competitive. But if Democrats win, will it be because voters support their agenda, or because Americans are increasingly frustrated with both political parties?

Jessica Taylor, Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, joins Faithful Politics to examine the races that could determine control of Congress and what is motivating voters heading into November.

We discuss Trump's declining approval ratings, the economy, the war in Iran, immigration enforcement, and why some evangelical voters may be reconsidering their political loyalties. Taylor also explains why Democratic candidates like James Talarico in Texas and Pastor Adam Hamilton in Kansas are openly embracing their faith to reach voters traditionally aligned with Republicans.

We also examine third-party candidates, redistricting, how Cook Political Report rates elections, and what the midterms could mean for the 2028 presidential race.

https://www.cookpolitical.com

GUEST BIO

Jessica Taylor is the Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, where she analyzes congressional and gubernatorial elections across the country. Previously, she spent five years as a political reporter for NPR, covering presidential elections, Congress, and statewide races. Raised Southern Baptist in Tennessee, Taylor brings both political reporting experience and a personal understanding of conservative Christianity to her analysis of religious voters, the Republican Party, and the growing role of faith in Democratic campaigns.