On this episode, we are joined by Elizabeth Oldfield to discuss her newly-released book Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. After beginning her career covering religion for the BBC, Elizabeth for a decade ran a London-based think tank called Theos, which seeks to stimulate the debate about the place of religion in society, challenging and changing ideas through research, commentary and events. Under her leadership, its staff increased tenfold—and still supports podcast she hosts today, "The Sacred."

Joining Elizabeth is Damir Marusic, an assignment editor at The Washington Post. Along with Shadi Hamid, a longtime friend and advisor to Faith Angle, Damir co-founded the podcast "Wisdom of Crowds." Damir writes extensively on US politics, polarization, US foreign policy, and European affairs. Bringing a non-religious vantage point, he highlights with Elizabeth key themes in Fully Alive and the two get right into it, not mincing words even when there are differing views of sin, grace, evil, and the possibilities for human community.

Guests

Elizabeth Oldfield

Damir Marusic

Additional Resources

Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times, by Elizabeth Oldfield

"The Sacred" Podcast, with Elizabeth Oldfield, a Theos Think Tank podcast

Fully Alive Substack, with Elizabeth Oldfield

Wisdom of Crowds Podcast and Substack, with Damir Marusic and Shadi Hamid

Building on the legacy of Michael Cromartie (1950-2017), who founded Faith Angle Forum a quarter-century ago, MCF brings together a select group of exceptionally talented, early-career journalists for a three-day conference in the nation’s capital, focusing on the intersection of faith, culture, and journalism today. This year’s forum explored new narratives in American history, reconsidered the relationship between spirituality and vocational journalism, and examined the interplay between race, religion, and identity in diverse democracies.

Additional Resources:

Michael Cromartie Forum 2024

Journalism, Religion, and Vocation with Will Saletan and Eugene Scott

Religion and Journalism: An Integrating Workshop with Miranda Kennedy and Molly Ball

The Spirit of Our Politics with Michael Wear and Jon Ward

The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America's Story with Kermit Roosevelt and Pete Wehner

Understanding Race, Religion, and Identity for Diverse Democracies with Simran Jeet Singh

In this episode, recorded at Faith Angle Miami 2024, we are joined by Brad Wilcox and Isabel Sawhill for a fascinating, timely conversation about marriage patterns, family structure, shifting gender norms, and poverty rates. In a time of deep polarization, are certain approaches better than others when it comes to exploring the benefits of marriage for children? How does marriage compare with cohabitation, and how do we avoid getting caught in culture war cul du sacs when discussing gender roles, marriage norms, and solutions that can benefit low-income families? Two seminal scholars in this field, Brad and Belle highlight themes from their decades of scholarship on these topics and, in particular, from Brad's most recent book, Get Married.

Guests

W. Bradford Wilcox

Isabel Sawhill

Additional Resources

"Poverty, Religion, and the New Marriage Debate," Faith Angle Miami 2024 session video with Brad Wilcox and Isabel Sawhill

Brad Wilcox PPT Slides

Isabel Sawhill PPT Slides

"How to Think - and Talk - About Marriage Today," by Will Saletan

Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, by Brad Wilcox

Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage, by Isabel Sawhill

The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind, by Melissa Kearney