Ep. 51: Corey Nathan on Religion, Politics, and Living Together

Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall host We Made This Political live with guest Corey Nathan, host of Talking Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other, to discuss how to disagree without dehumanizing. Corey shares his shifts from an observant Jewish upbringing to becoming a born-again Christian, how family and church conflicts shaped his commitment to healthier civic conversation, and his critique of American evangelicalism as tied to colonialism and power. Lauren describes her complex religious background and conversion to Catholicism, emphasizing perspective shifting, resisting silos, and distinguishing toleration from relativism. Lura, Lauren, and Corey explore curiosity as a practice, fear and existential framing as drivers of polarization, when firm boundaries and pushback are necessary (especially against leaders harming vulnerable groups), and why civic renewal efforts and everyday people still give them hope.00:00 Meet the Hosts00:56 Introducing Corey Nathan02:30 Corey’s Faith and Politics Shift06:43 Lauren’s Interfaith Upbringing10:19 Why Lauren Became Catholic13:03 Evangelicalism and Empire Critique18:34 Earning Worth vs Grace20:36 Repairing the World Together23:51 Holding Tension Not Binaries28:26 Weaponized Faith in Politics30:37 Keep Reading the Scripture34:20 No Neat Answers35:13 Pets and Polarization35:59 Jesus and the Pharisees37:39 Curious Over Furious40:30 Cultivating Curiosity42:17 Grace and One Degree45:06 When to Push Back50:16 Fear Shuts Down Dialogue55:03 Most People Are Nuanced56:51 Hope and Civic Renewal01:00:42 Where to Find Corey01:01:34 Closing and CreditsResourcesFind Corey on Substack here.Find his podcast Talkin’ Politics and Religion Without Killing Each Other here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com