Iconoclast Podcast with David Moses Perez

My iconoclast today is journalist and writer, Jonathan Merritt. Merritt is a trailblazing journalist and cultural commentator known for pushing boundaries at the intersection of faith and society. A leading voice on religion and ethics, his sharp critiques challenge conservative orthodoxy while offering fresh perspectives on spirituality in modern life. Merritt's fearless writing in publications like *The Atlantic* and *The New York Times* has earned him a reputation as a disruptive force in religious journalism, unafraid to confront uncomfortable truths about the American church and the evolving nature of belief.

The iconoclast today is historian, Randall Balmer. Balmer is a leading scholar and a distinguished American historian. He has written numerous books and articles, and they frequently spotlight the moral & ethical inconsistencies within evangelicalism, and question Big Eva’s fidelity to the actual teachings of Jesus. Balmer is a challenging figure. His penetrating critiques of evangelicalism and the religious right, has drawn their sharp rebuke, but despite—or perhaps because of—his analysis, Balmer is both celebrated and polarizing, yet his work continues to spark important conversations about faith, power, and religious identity and the complex role religion plays in American life. Balmer earned his PhD at Princeton and he currently is a professor of religion at Dartmouth College.

The iconoclast today is NPR reporter, Sarah McCammon. McCammon is NPR’s National Political Correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast. Her reporting dives into the heated worlds of national politics, religion, and presidential campaigns. McCammon’s work exposes the deep divides these issues create in America, and it challenges us to confront the complex conflicts shaping the nation’s social, political, religious, and cultural landscape. In her New York Times bestseller, The Exvangelicals, McCammon explores the growing exodus that is happening in white evangelical Christianity. The book is part memoir, and it delves into McCammon’s own experiences with evangelicalism and its dogmatic influence on her life. Through interviews with other EXvangelicals, McCammon examines the emotional and spiritual struggles they’ve face as they left evangelicalism, highlighting their journey of grappling with fear, shame, and the loss of a community that once shaped their identity and beliefs.

The iconoclast today is scientist, Adam Frank. Adam Frank is a leading astrophysicist, astrobiologist, and professor— but he’s more than that. He’s a boundary-pushing thinker who dares to ask the questions that shake the foundations of what we think we know. As a professor at the University of Rochester and a NASA researcher, Frank is at the forefront of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, probing not only the science behind life on other planets but also what it means for humanity if we find it. But he’s not just about the stars. Here on earth, Frank is also a prolific author, with books like Constant Fire, which explores the connection between science and spirituality, and The Blind Spot, boldly challenge the limits of science, arguing that human experience and sacredness are just as essential in grappling with the unknown. And in The Little Book of Aliens, Frank takes readers on an eye-opening journey into how discovering alien life might upend our entire cultural worldview. As one of America’s most provocative public intellectuals, Frank fearlessly bridges the divide between hard science and the profound philosophical implications of our place in the cosmos.