Ep. 31: Reclaiming Christian Politics w/ Charlie McCallie

Show Notes

Episode Summary

We all hate politics. With every politician and candidate seemingly corrupt af, voting has turned into an exercise in futility and despair. But our guest today, Charlie McCallie, is a pastor who sees politics very differently. In this episode, he walks us through what politics are at their best, why Christians should be involved, and why it’s about so much more than partisanship and nationalism. If you’ve ever wanted even just a glimmer of hope for the U.S.’s political future, don’t miss this episode.

Bio

Charlie McCallie is the founding pastor of The Commons Church in Flagstaff, AZ. His post-graduate degree is in Biblical hermeneutics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where he focused on biomedical ethics and the relationship of science and faith. He is currently an activist in the areas of climate change, immigration, and civil rights. He is also the host of the podcast American Heretic and the YouTube channel “7-Minute Politics.”

Follow Charlie on Instagram (@CharlieMcCallie), his church on Instagram (@TheCommonsFlagstaff), or his podcast at AmericanHeretic.org.

Quotables

• “I know so many wonderful, loving white evangelical conservatives that it disallows me from being able to label them all as evil or hateful.” (tweet this)

• “When I come across someone that is particularly hateful, I know that it’s coming from a wound and that’s not who they want to be.” (tweet this)

• “At its best, politics is expressed in political imagination: How can we imagine a more beloved community?” (tweet this)

• “Christians have a role in dreaming up how we can love God and love our neighbor through the way that we imagine our society.” (tweet this)

• “I think America changes, I think the world changes, one conversation at a time.” (tweet this)

• “I’ve found that monologuing and teaching doesn’t tend to change hearts as much as asking questions.” (tweet this)

• “I realized that I was more concerned about stopping two people from loving each other than I was about hundreds of thousands of bombs being dropped and killing children.” (tweet this)

• “I don’t think we’re really dialed in on ethics when we’re trying to stop two people from loving each other. We’re missing the point.” (tweet this)

• “I refuse to let this conservative, dark, patriarchal, white supremacist version of American Christianity sink this ship.” (tweet this)

• “The way of Christ—of loving enemy, radical forgiveness, radical inclusion, church for everyone, a community for everyone regardless of what you believe—is so compelling, so hopeful, and so inspiring.” (tweet this)

• “The best thing that could ever happen to Christianity in America is for it to die, because Christianity has always been about resurrection. It just won’t stay dead because it’s love.” (tweet this)

Timestamps and References

• [02:44]—Why Charlie is passionate about talking about religion, politics, sexuality, and other “taboo” topics, even though he’s a pastor

• [04:36]—How Charlie learned to navigate tension brought about by massive viewpoint shifts

• [07:47]—A definition of politics and Charlie’s thoughts on why Christians should be involved in them

• [11:50]—How Christians can be more involved in creating a better political imagination

• [17:23]—What caused Charlie’s own political views to shift over time, and how to reframe the conversation

• [25:07]—Thoughts on how to choose which hills are worth dying on

• [29:28]—Dealing with and responding to a family member who’s bought into Christian nationalism

• [34:30]—Charlie’s tips for dialoguing with people who use the Bible to justify Christian nationalism

• [41:02]—Why Charlie believes the Bible does not prohibit LGTBQIA+ relationships

• [49:21]—What gives Charlie hope for the future of faith and the future of Christians being involved in politics

• [52:12]—Fun Rapid Fire questions

• [55:21]—Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God by Brian Zahnd

• [55:42]—Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins by Miguel A. De La Torre

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Credits

This episode was produced by The Sophia Society. Music is by Faith in Foxholes, and sound engineering is by Joshua Mudge (currently accepting new clients: josh.mudge09@gmail.com).