Episode Details

On this episode, we're back live at Lot 63 in Winston-Salem. I was joined once more by Corey Walker & Bill Leonard for a wide-ranging conversation from the Council of Nicaea to smartphone addiction. We explore the roots of our civilizational crisis, tracing lines from the Anabaptist radicals 500 years ago who said "God alone is judge of conscience" all the way to today's algorithmic plantation where our phones know us better than we know ourselves. Bill reminded us that the mentality behind drowning Felix Manz in 1527 is the same one calling for politicians to be "tarred and feathered" today and drew out the connections between Christian Nationalism and the SBC. Corey talked about fear as the driving force across the religious spectrum, the collapse of institutions that never included everyone anyway, and why the "rise of the nones" might actually be the Spirit revealing itself in new places - like right here at Lot 63 on a Thursday night. Sometimes the best church happens when you're arguing across difference instead of hiding in your algorithmic echo chamber.

Corey D. B. Walker is Dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University. As a scholar, he’s committed to a broad vision of human flourishing. His research, teaching, and public scholarship span the areas of African American philosophy, critical theory, ethics, and religion and American public life. 

Bill Leonard is the Founding Dean and Professor of Divinity Emeritus at Wake Divinity. Leonard’s research focuses on Church History with particular attention to American religion, Baptist studies, and Appalachian religion. He is the author of over 25 books, including  The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Church History: Flaming Heretics and Heavy Drinkers.

Previous Episodes

• Bill & Corey: Losing Sleep Before God
• Welcome to the Post-Christian Century
• the Fundamentalization of American Religion
• Listening Beyond the Times
• The History and Transformation of American Christianity 
• Faith and Politics Through Church History

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Democracy today faces profound challenges – polarization, inequality, populist authoritarianism, and widespread cynicism are eroding the foundations of democratic life. Yet, what if democracy's greatest strength lies not in eliminating these tensions, but in productively embracing them?The summit will navigate the complex terrain between political equality and