Conversing with Mark Labberton

Dec 10 2024 188 ep. 47 mins 42
Conversing with Mark Labberton Podcast artwork

Conversing with Mark Labberton invites listeners into transformative encounters with leaders and creators shaping our world at the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life.

  Religion & Spirituality  Society & Culture
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Teaching History, with Daniel Gidick

Dec 10 2024 44 mins  
“We learn the most from those who came before us, not by gazing up at them uncritically or down on them condescendingly, but by looking them in the eye. And taking their true measure as human beings, not as gods.” (Daniel Gidick, quoting historian John Meacham) “When does the revolution end? … It doesn’t.” (Daniel Gidick on Thomas Jefferson) “This great Nation will en

Death Row Chaplain, with Earl Smith

Dec 03 2024 53 mins  
“In October 1975, I was shot six times. And while I was on the hospital gurney, doctor told me I was going to die. I heard a very clear voice that spoke to me and said, you're not going to die. You're going to be a chaplain at San Quentin prison.” (Chaplain Earl Smith) Chaplain Earl Smith believes that ministry to the incarcerated is about so much more than rehabilitation. It�

How a Thanksgiving Dinner Saved My Life, with Mark Labberton

Nov 26 2024 9 mins  
“Things had radically changed. … They had not only changed my mindset, but they had saved my life.” In this Conversing Short, Mark Labberton opens up about a period of darkness and despair, when as a younger man he considered ending his life. But when he was invited to share Thanksgiving dinner with a local couple, his eyes were opened to a concrete hope, friendship, and joy�

Elite Meritocracy, with David Brooks

Nov 19 2024 36 mins  
“We’ve just created a hereditary aristocracy in this society, and it has created a populist backlash.” (David Brooks, from the episode) There’s a growing chasm that divides the affluent and non-affluent in American society, and it’s perhaps most pronounced in higher education. The elite meritocracy suggests that we should reward individual ability, ambition, and accomplis

What Just Happened in America, with David Brooks

Nov 12 2024 34 mins  
Our increasingly reactionary political environment doesn’t lend itself to nuanced, patient understanding of events like the 2024 re-election of Donald Trump. What historical and philosophical resources can help us gain insight and wisdom? How can we successfully know and encounter each other in such a divided society? In this episode, Mark Labberton welcomes David Brooks (columni

Stand into the Storm: Thoughts on Election Day, with Peter Wehner and David Goatley

Nov 05 2024 51 mins  
How should we respond to the anxiety, fear, and catastrophizing of Election Day? Is there an alternative to fight, flight, or freeze? Can people of Christian conviction stand firm, grounded in faith, leaning into the storm? In this special Election Day episode of Conversing, Mark Labberton welcomes Peter Wehner (columnist, the New York Times, The Atlantic) and David Goatley (presid

The Spirit of Justice, with Jemar Tisby

Oct 29 2024 43 mins  
The history of racism has a parallel history of resistance. Courageous women and men have responded to injustice with lives of faith, hope, and love—bearing witness to the spirit of justice. They have inspiring stories we can learn from today. But who is willing to tell those stories? And who is willing to hear them? In this episode Mark Labberton welcomes historian Jemar Tisby t

Ministry at the Epicentre of Pain, with Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson

Oct 22 2024 54 mins  
“Sometimes I’m not sure even believers understand the power that exists in their sheer humanity. That there really is something that God has placed on the inside of us that when we come to some form of collected agreement—not uniformity, but just some kind of collective unity around something—that really wonderful, great, powerful things can happen.” (Rev. Dr. Jacqueline

Character, Policy, and Christian Principles for Voting, with David French

Oct 15 2024 48 mins  
When it comes to voting, how should we balance character and policy? “If I'm voting for a politician,” journalist David French suggests, “I have a test. One is: Do they have the character necessary for the job? And the higher the position they’re seeking, the more character that is necessary. And number two: Do they broadly agree with me on the most important policies?” I

Beauty, Horror, and the Human Condition, with Elizabeth Bruenig

Oct 08 2024 44 mins  
“It’s sort of strange to think about beauty and horrible circumstances together. But I try, probably clumsily at times, to bring beauty to a thing that's really horrible. … But in terms of covering executions, there is just a void there. The main character always dies.” (Elizabeth Bruenig, from the episode) Despite sin, there remains an inherent beauty and goodness througho