When hate is loud, love cannot afford to whisper. When forces of oppression are on the move, lovers of freedom must respond. When those who seek to replace democracy with theocracy are gaining ground, those who are sworn to preserve and protect democracy must stand our ground.

Jesus, of course, was neither oppressor nor hater nor promoter of theocracy. There are those who claim to speak for him at times, however, who are all of those things. One of the primary forces behind Project 2025 is a political movement called Christian Nationalism. Christian Nationalism speaks not of the teachings of Jesus - feeding the hungry, helping the poor, healing the sick, and kindness to the stranger. Their vision is not about love, but power - specifically a version of power that transgresses basic American Constitutional principles (subjugation of women, primacy of Christianity over other religions, and more).

Progressive Christians are rising up in response, bringing to the theological as well as political sphere a voice that is much needed at this time. Theirs is a Jesus of the Gospels, recognizing that loving one another is indeed the salvation of the world.

My guest in this interview is Brian Recker, author of HELL BENT: How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love. Recker, a former Evangelical pastor, is an influential figure in the Christian Deconstructionist Movement. He explains a journey taken by millions of Christians in America today. who feel strongly that a Jesus of love, not retribution, should guide our hearts.

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Website: BrianRecker.com
Substack: BrianRecker.Substack.com
Instagram: @berecker

When I read Madeleine Albright’s book FASCISM: A Warning, I became deeply aware that what happened before could happen again. And it could happen here.

But what is fascism, really? Is it hyperbole to make any mention of Hitler, to draw a comparison between today’s politics and the Third Reich? The issue is critical. Nuance is important, but history’s lessons are important too.

History is a great illuminator. John Lestrange is called The History Wizard, and I’ve enjoyed his everyman’s approach to teaching it. A scholar on Genocide Studies, he answered questions in our interview that cast light on a topic deeply relevant to our times.

There is much to learn, and much to consider…

MarianneWilliamson.Substack.com

Christian Nationalism is now a hot topic in the United States. It is not a religious movement articulating the love and teachings of Jesus as they relate to public policy. Rather, it is a political movement that bears little resemblance the teachings of the gospels - healing the sick, feeding the hungry, helping the poor, and being good to the stranger seem to have fallen by the wayside - and promotes the message that Christianity should take precedence over all other religions in this country. Its Seven Mountains Mandate is a rather chilling repudiation of religious freedom.

My video today is a conversation with public theologian Brandan Robertson, in which he gives answers to many of the questions I’ve had about this movement. Who are they? What do they stand for? What is their connection to far right wing conservative politics? And what is their plan for America’s future?

A genuinely progressive Christianity, harkening back to the love of Jesus and its relevance to our individual as well as collective lives, is being powerfully articulated by such speakers as Robertson. Thankfully, progressive Christians are not quiet right now. Their numbers are growing, and they’re speaking up.

I hope you find the interview interesting. It’s critically important that we understand what’s going on.

Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted author, activist, and public theologian, dedicated to exploring the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social justice. He serves as the Pastor of Sunnyside Reformed Church in New York City and is the founder and Executive Director of The Devout Foundation. Known as the “TikTok Pastor,” Robertson’s inclusive theological content has garnered 10 million views. He has authored, contributed to, or edited 23 books, including the INDIES Book of the Year finalist True Inclusion. His work has been featured in TIME Magazine, CNN, and The Washington Post. Robertson is a sought-after speaker who regularly presents at prestigious platforms like The White House and Oxford University, continuing to inspire and challenge audiences around the world. Robertson acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Moody Bible Institute, an Master of Theological Study from Iliff School of Theology, and an Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration from Eastern Illinois University. He’s presently pursuing a PhD in Biblical Studies at Drew University. He currently resides in New York City.

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When I was growing up, my mother believed the food she fed her family was safe for us to consume. In fact, the 1950’s was just the beginning of the corporate takeover of agriculture and food production in the United States. Over the next thirty years it would culminate in Big Ag, Big Chem, and Big Food all having their hey dey producing corporate profits at the expense of American’s health.

In a properly functioning democracy, the U.S. government - as part of its mandate to protect the common good - would regulate corporate behavior to insure profits were never placed before the safety, health and well-being of people and planet. Yeah, well….that would be nice. Beginning in the 1980’s, our government began to promote corporate interests too often at the expense of our well-being. In area after area, corporate profits became America’s bottom line.

More and more Americans realize this now. We need a world in which the safety, health and well-being of our children takes precedence over an economic trickle-down theory of economics. This is a fundamental way in which we’ve gone astray, and one of the ways in which in time we will self-correct.

My guest today is Bill Freese, science director at Center for Food Safety (CFS), a non-profit organization that supports sustainable agriculture and opposes harmful food production technologies.

Take care. Stay informed. We’re going to create a more beautiful world.

You can find out more at:

General website: https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/victories

https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/09/epa-has-failed-us-the-maha-commission-just-proved-it/

https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/04/an-herbicide-so-hazardous-that-courts-have-banned-it-twice/

https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/10/epa-not-protecting-public-from-neonic-exposure-analysis-suggests/

Israel has begun a ground offensive in Gaza City that promises a new round of horror in an already existing humanitarian disaster. Despite widespread global condemnation, Netanyahu continues doing what he is doing to carry out his Right Wing messianic vision for Israel.

Unfortunately, with Trump - just as with Biden - the U.S. continues to send financial support for the Israeli effort. While our Secretary of State Marco Rubio says “It’s their war,” many would argue it is Israel’s war - and ours. In my interview today with Arab-American political advocate Raed Jarrar, he argues that without our help Israel could not do what they are doing.

According to Jarrar, one phone call from Trump could stop all this. It’s a bit of a mystery why President Trump is not willing to make it. Whatever his reason, the war continues to be an unending source of pain and suffering or the Palestinian people.

In the Declaration of Independence, it says that “all men are created equal.” And I don’t think that means just all Americans. I believe God created us as One and loves us as One. Our job on earth is to learn to love as God loves.

I hope my conversation with Raed gives you much to consider. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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On September 5, 2018, an anonymous Op Ed appeared in the New York Times entitled I am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration. Obviously that caused a stir, followed by the publication of a book by the same author called A Warning. Someone was yelling from the inside: Get away from this man as fast as you can. You get the drift.

Ultimately the Anonymous author revealed himself to be Miles Taylor, a former chief of staff at the US. Department of Homeland Security. Having worked in the Bush administration as well, Taylor knew how things were supposed to work in the White House - and how they were not supposed to work. He followed up A Warning with another bestseller, Blowback, in which he described what would happen in a worst case scenario during a second Trump term. Most of them have already occurred.

In today’s interview, Taylor told me it’s now “time to engage in some radical thinking.” He said we need a massive movement of non-violent resistance unlike anything America has ever seen.

I’ve admired Taylor’s writing, his courage, and his continued call to the American people to wake up before it’s too late. If Paul Revere were alive today, he'd be called Miles Taylor.

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Marianne Williamson and John Fugelsang explore the intersection of moral values, spirituality, and politics in America.

Learn more and order John Fugelsang's latest book at JohnFugelsang.com

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I’ve been a fan of Sam Daley Harris for many years. His thinking and activism has motivated and inspired my own efforts in the non-profit world.

An organization he founded called RESULTS is a citizen lobby dedicated to creating the political will to end poverty and hunger. His work has literally saved people’s lives. He founded and now leads Civic Courage, providing all of us the opportunity to make a difference on the lives of people we will never even know.

Sam’s book Reclaiming Our Democracy is a testament to what’s possible when citizens are engaged in the democratic process. Working through Civic Courage, Daley Harris and his volunteers have led successful efforts to block some of the draconian budget cuts in the Trump agenda, forming a bulwark against their cruelest effects.

He is an important leader for such a time as this.