Kate Bowler invites two of her sharpest friends—Ross Douthat and Molly Worthen—to help her make sense of the current American religious landscape: why the long “decline” story may be shifting, why religious curiosity is popping up in unexpected places, and why the loudest forms of Christianity often feel more online, more political, and more embarrassing. Together they sort through what people mean by “Christian nationalism,” how much of it is symbolism versus policy, what weak institutions and internet incentives are doing to faith, and what still gives them hope for the church.

SHOW NOTES
Ross Douthat

Bad Religion
Believe
The Deep Places
Molly Worthen

Apostles of Reason
Spellbound


Pre-order Joyful Anyway by Kate Bowler


Tour dates & tickets: katebowler.com/joyfulanyway


Watch the live conversation on YouTube


Join Kate Bowler on Substack for the season of Lent: katebowler.substack.com

Kate Bowler invites two of her sharpest friends&mdash;Ross Douthat and Molly Worthen&mdash;to help her make sense of the current American religious landscape: why the long &ldquo;decline&rdquo; story may be shifting, why religious curiosity is popping up in unexpected places, and why the loudest forms of Christianity often feel more online, more political, and more embarrassing. Together they sort through what people mean by &ldquo;Christian nationalism,&rdquo; how much of it is symbolism versus policy, what weak institutions and internet incentives are doing to faith, and what still gives them hope for the church.
<hr>
SHOW NOTES
<ul>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">Ross Douthat
<ul>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/bad-religion-how-we-became-a-nation-of-heretics-ross-douthat/3a983aa6cd8812a8?ean=9781439178331&amp;next=t">Bad Religion</a></li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/believe-why-everyone-should-be-religious-ross-douthat/8251dbe4f8b763a7?ean=9780310367581&amp;next=t">Believe</a></li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-deep-places-a-memoir-of-illness-and-discovery-ross-douthat/a07c0e44937042fc?ean=9780593237366&amp;next=t">The Deep Places</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">Molly Worthen
<ul>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/apostles-of-reason-the-crisis-of-authority-in-american-evangelicalism-assistant-professor-of-history-molly-worthen/3be26eb8fa5bb6a2?ean=9780199896462&amp;next=t">Apostles of Reason</a></li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/spellbound-how-charisma-shaped-american-history-from-the-puritans-to-donald-trump-molly-worthen/6a6d5fab5cfeaec4?ean=9780593729007&amp;next=t">Spellbound</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">
<a href="https://katebowler.com/books/joyfulanyway/">Pre-order&nbsp;Joyful Anyway&nbsp;by Kate Bowler</a>
</li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">
Tour dates &amp; tickets:<a href="https://katebowler.com/books/joyfulanyway/">&nbsp;katebowler.com/joyfulanyway</a>
</li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">
Watch the live conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@katecbowler">YouTube</a>
</li>
<li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">
Join Kate Bowler on Substack for the season of Lent: <a href="https://katebowler.substack.com/">katebowler.substack.com</a>
</li>
</ul>

Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.  Find her online at @katecbowler.

Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/

Are you living your best life now? Not always? This is a podcast for you. Duke Professor Kate Bowler is an expert in the stories we tell about success and failure, suffering and happiness. She had Stage IV cancer. Then she didn’t. And since then, all she wants to do is talk to funny and wise people about how to live with the knowledge that, well, everything happens.  Find her online at @katecbowler.
Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media <a href="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-stringify-link="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">https://lemonadamedia.com/</a>

Honest conversation about life's less-shiny moments.