Depolarize! Podcast

[Unedited] Josh Hafner of USA TODAY by Dan Koch

This week David Lapp stops by to talk about depolarization in action as seen through his experiences with the organization he is with, Better Angels, which facilitates candid conversations between voters from the left and the right.

Full unedited interview with David Lapp of Better Angels.

Dan chats with one of his favorite American theologians and pastors, Dr. Greg Boyd, for a particularly Christian-themed episode. Dr. Boyd lost about a quarter of his church’s congregants back in 2004 when the church came out as explicitly anti-war, focused on the call of God’s Kingdom to the exclusion of any call to the Kingdom of Americanism. He tells this story, and the two discuss what, exactly, a Christian might be called to in the realm of politics.

Media reporter Becket Adams gets candid with Dan this week to share his views on our relationship with partisan media and how we should be navigating all the noise.

touring brings him especially close to a slice of modern America. David is a ruthlessly honest, compassionate and concise man, a deep thinker and a great conversationalist. Their chat touches on songwriting and artistry in this new era, how to have compassion for a new set of marginalized people, and much more.

VICE journalist Thomas Morton reveals the intent behind his unique approach to complete immersion with various subcultures in his docuseries Balls Deep.

This week professor and author Aurelian Craiutu illustrates the political and ideological moderate and the value of partisanship.

Author, professor, and cultural critic David Dark joins Dan to talk about the despair that got Donald Trump elected, and how to invite those we disagree with into conversation and into a fuller communal life. David's latest book is called "Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious," but he mentions in this interview that he could have just as well titled it, "Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Political."

Diane Hessan is known for her entrepreneurial agency work, but in 2016 was tapped by the Hillary Clinton campaign to do some nonstandard polling of undecided voters, keeping in touch with them over long periods of time and building relationships. What she learned surprised her, but not only that, she is doing it all again with independent voters as Trump’s presidency continues to roll out.

This week Adrian Wyard, Executive Director of Counterbalance, stops by to share some thinking points from his many years of research of common ancestry and theology.

Aimee Murphy is the Executive Director of Life Matters Journal, a pro-life consistent life ethic publication. A victim of sexual assault, Aimee explains what it is to be truly pro-life and to oppose all forms of aggressive violence against human beings.

David Dayen, author of Chain of Title: How Three Ordinary Americans Uncovered Wall Street's Great Foreclosure Fraud answers the question, "Was Obama good for America on finances?".

Michael Wear, author of the new book Reclaiming Hope, gives us a behind-the-scenes look into what was going on in the Obama administration in regards to faith and politics.

Chris Arnade is a PhD and former Wall Street trader who ended his career to capture addiction and poverty in America as a photographer and friend. He talks to Dan this week about his experience with the Americans he came to know.