The midterm elections are four days out. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed's Senate race has become a referendum on whether a Muslim American can be treated as a full citizen. In California, Prop 40 asks voters whether billionaires pay a one-time tax to backfill the Medi-Cal funding the big beautiful bill took away. We cover both — plus the races and ballot measures in between.

PLEASE TAKE OUR 2026 LISTENER SURVEY — five minutes, and it shapes what we build next: https://forms.gle/wxMDyggsCGLkAcCY7

We discuss: the Islamophobic rhetoric aimed at El-Sayed, the Ilhan Omar raid and the citizenship conspiracy that keeps resurfacing, the Los Angeles mayor's race between Nithya Raman and Karen Bass, Adam Hamilton and the "religious Democrat" question, and Prop 40, Prop 41, and Prop 42 on the same ballot, and we make an argument about what loving your neighbor requires of you in a voting booth.

Go Deeper!
Our full interview with Abdul El-Sayed — what a Muslim Senate candidate taught us about "love your neighbor"

Is James Talarico the game changer the right didn't expect?

Billionaires vs. The Gospel: Why You Can't Serve Both

Show Notes:

1. Jesus & The Disinherited by Howard Thurman - https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.260684/mode/2up
2. Peter Beinart Article on Islamophobia- https://peterbeinart.substack.com/p/islamophobia-and-antisemitism-arent?utm_source=substack&publication_id=105260&post_id=221841071&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=3hsepp&triedRedirect=true
3. SafeBAE Tool- https://www.positive.news/society/free-tool-helps-young-men-to-take-responsibility-for-sexual-harm/
4. “Democrats Find God” on Today Explained podcast by Vox - https://www.vox.com/today-explained-podcast
5. Democratic candidates must be bad Christians - https://religionnews.com/2026/10/22/democratic-candidates-must-be-bad-christians/

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.

💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

#midtermelections #prop40 #abdurelsayed #islamophobia #christiannationalism
#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion #christianpodcast

Abdul El-Sayed is running to become the first Muslim U.S. Senator in American history — and he says his faith is a big part of why. In this full interview, the Michigan Democrat breaks down what "love your neighbor" actually looks like as public policy: how Christians can fight Islamophobia, why he champions Medicare for All, and what gives him hope heading into November 3.

Please note that this is a replay of an episode we recorded the week of May 17th, so our political discussions focus on that news cycle. The general election is November 3, 2026.

👉 Short on time? Start at 5:00 — Abdul on how Christians can fight Islamophobia.

We've been asking for more interfaith collaboration on the podcast, and this conversation delivered. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed blew us away.

Dr. El-Sayed has been vocal about how his religious worldview is part of his holistic philosophy—shaping his time growing up in America and his commitment to loving his neighbors. As he loves to remind us, Dr. Carter is from Michigan, and by the end of the episode, he had all of us considering moving to the Mitten.

Dr. Khyati Joshi grew up within the small Hindu community in Cobb County, Georgia, and the only Christianity she knew was the kind that told her she was going to hell.

She's a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, author of White Christian Privilege, and host of the new podcast series Mixed from Axis Mundi. Her husband is a white Episcopalian, and they chose to raise their son in both traditions, in a country that keeps asking him to pick a side.

This is a conversation about families that refuse to divide and label themselves for other people's comfort. About what the Black-white binary does to a kid who is both. About why she and her husband wanted integration, not a ping-pong match. About the language that finally let her explain her own childhood, and why she rejects the labels people keep putting on her son. And about the emotional tax mixed families pay for the rest of their lives.

We also get into theology, race, religion, and politics, and why Christian nationalism keeps showing up in the middle of all of it — Christopher pushes back hard on whether "you can be both" actually survives anti-Black racism, and Dr. Joshi answers him directly. Stick around to the end for the census story that proves this has always been mixed.

Listen to Mixed from Axis Mundi: https://www.axismundi.us/podcasts/mixed

Dr. Joshi on Substack: Mixed in America: https://khyatiyjoshi.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/profkjoshi/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkhyatijoshi/?isSelfProfile=true
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKhyatiYJoshi

Show Notes:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/abdul-el-sayed-heckler-tommy

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.
💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion #christianpodcast

Content note: this episode discusses botched execution, public execution, and lynching in America. Please listen mindfully.

Tennessee tried twice to execute Christa Pike on September 30th and failed. A week later, Pete Hegseth said he wanted the next military execution livestreamed. Why do some Christians defend the death penalty, and why do we believe those arguments fail on Jesus' own terms?

In this episode, we walk through the scriptures that Christians use to support the death penalty, examine the sociological data on deterrence and botched lethal injections, and what James Cone teaches us about public execution and lynching in America.

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.

💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

Show Notes

1. Data on Botched Executions- https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions
2. Christian Resistance to the Death Penalty- https://www.prisonfellowship.org/resources/advocacy/sentencing/the-death-penalty/
3. CLUE Bond Fund- https://www.cluejustice.org/detained-immigrant-bond-fund/
4. Each Step Home: Supporting Families in Detention- https://eachstephome.org/
5. Catholic, evangelical leaders condemn public execution plan of Fort Hood gunman - https://religionnews.com/2026/10/09/head-of-u-s-catholic-bishops-conference-condemns-public-execution-plans-as-promoting-a-culture-of-death/

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

Tim Tebow's presentations at Life Surge events felt more like prosperity gospel tent revivals than "Christian" wealth seminars. This helps explain why so many people felt scammed.

In this episode, we unpack how a $30 all-day event leads to a $97 class and then $10,000 to $50,000 tiers - often on stacked credit cards - all sold as "Kingdom Impact." We dismantle the theology behind it by unpacking the lies of the prosperity gospel: faith measured by wealth, tithing triggers miracles, doubt is demonic, and debt is faith. We end the episode discussing what a progressive theology of money could look like using one of John Wesley's famous sermons, "Earn all you can, Save all you can, Give all you can."

If you grew up hearing that suffering means lack of faith, or that questioning a pitch means the devil is talking to you - beloved, this one is for you. Doubt is discernment. It is not sin.

Featuring reporting from the two-part by Pablo Torre @PabloTorreFindsOut We Investigated the Christian "Scam" Fronted by Tim Tebow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh7s2jr0b48, and From Tim Tebow to Urban Meyer: Backstage at Ohio State for Life Surge https://youtu.be/NV7tvC-lPqQ?si=NY-aEjse55norcYB, and the @MotherJones investigation into Life Surge by Kiera Butler.

Please note that Tim Tebow paused his relationship with Life Surge after investigations into high-pressure Christian wealth seminars.

The theology of Christian Nationalism is light on CHRISTian and heavy on Nationalism. This framing empowers Theobros like Joshua Haymes to claim that "it is not inherently evil to own another human being," and still claim to be a Christian. So where is Jesus in all of this?

In this week's episode, we go through the four pastors named in Bob Smietana's @ReligionNewsService essay "The Rise of the Jim Crow Theobros": Michael Spangler, Joel Webbon, Joshua Haymes, and Dale Partridge. We discuss how these men turn racism, misogyny, and Christian Nationalism into a business. We then analyze how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of Isaiah 6:8 during his Send Me tour at Texas A&M follows the same pattern of biblical misinterpretation that is used by the Theobros. We look at what the passage actually says - Isaiah is called to bring his people back to God, not to go to war.

We close with Howard Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited and some practical ways to read the Bible through the lens of love. It also covers how to act on the articles of impeachment against Hegseth, and some good news: Everest's 96-mile interfaith pilgrimage from Adelanto Detention Center to downtown Los Angeles.

📰 Read the RNS essay: "The Rise of the Jim Crow Theobros" by Bob Smietana https://religionnews.com/2026/09/24/the-rise-of-the-jim-crow-theobros/

⚠️ Content note: This episode quotes defenses of slavery, segregation and Nazism in the speakers' own words, so that we can expose them.

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.

💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links to the show and the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

#ChristianNationalism #ProgressiveChristianity #Theobros #PeteHegseth #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndPolitics #Deconstruction

#progressivechristianity #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion

After deconstruction, how do you find a church that won't hurt you again? In the final episode of our series, Christian Deconstruction and Reconstruction: Finding Faith Again, we describe the journeys we each took to find belonging in a progressive church community.

Deconstruction can leave you lonely.

You lost your old church, and perhaps you even lost your community. How do you find community again? What does belonging even look like after deconstruction? In this episode, we talk honestly about what a healthy faith community looks like after church hurt, why belonging is different from fitting in, and how to find a progressive church where you can ask hard questions without getting kicked out.

If you're navigating Christian deconstruction and wondering where you belong now, this is for you.

#ProgressiveChristianity #ChristianDeconstruction #ChurchHurt

This is the final episode of our 4-part series on Deconstructing & Reconstructing Christianity. Episode 1, Faith Deconstruction Explained, can be found here: https://youtu.be/6Ia2JhMeXuQ

Listen to the full After Deconstruction sermon series playlist by Rev. Dr. Carter: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPGxCVGYVnrA

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.

💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

After deconstruction, what's left? In Episode 3 of our series, Christian Deconstruction and Reconstruction: Finding Faith Again, we describe the faith we're actually building.

We discuss why we understand God as love itself, not control and punishment. We explain why we read the Bible as revealing people's experience of God and why wrestling with interpretations in community matters, rather than seeing it as an inherent answer book. Why believing in Jesus should focus on following his Way of Life rather than prioritizing his death. And why salvation is not an escape from hell but an invitation to seek individual and collective flourishing - or, as Jesus explained it, build the beloved community "on earth as it is in heaven."

In this episode we discuss:

• What we couldn't say out loud in the churches we came from
• God as love, immanence, and "what happens when we reach out to one another"
• Reading scripture through a Jesus-centered lens
• Why Christianity done well centers radical inclusivity, intentional community, and advocacy for neighbors
• The difference between a Christianity about Jesus and a Christianity of Jesus

If you grew up in the church and something felt wrong, you're in the right place.

This is Episode 3 of our 4-part series on Deconstructing & Reconstructing Christianity. Episode 1, Faith Deconstruction Explained, can be found here: https://youtu.be/6Ia2JhMeXuQ

Listen to the full After Deconstruction sermon series playlist by Rev. Dr. Carter: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPGxCVGYVnrA

🎙️ New episodes every Friday, on all platforms.

💛 Support the show! Your tax-deductible donation keeps this ministry going https://secure.myvanco.com/YGTN/campaign/C-168BG?access=tile_direct

📩 Watching on YouTube? Like and subscribe. Listening on Apple or Spotify? Rate, subscribe, and leave a comment — it genuinely helps the algorithm find more people like you. You can find the links and the links to the host's social media here: https://linktr.ee/theprogressivechristians

The Progressive Christians Podcast is a ministry of The Loft, a worship community of Westwood United Methodist Church. If you have an idea for the show or want to connect with us, please email us at progressivechristians@theloftla.org.

Show Notes

1. JD Vance on the Antichrist- https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/jd-vance-talks-end-antichrist-ai-faith-podcast-rcna595733
2. How the Bible Actually Works by Peter Enns- https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-the-bible-actually-works-in-which-i-explain-how-an-ancient-ambiguous-and-diverse-book-leads-us-to-wisdom-rather-than-answers-and-why-that-s-gr/a8149cd61e6ece66
3. Together California Foster Village Opens- https://variety.com/2026/film/actors/christian-bale-opens-foster-care-village-1236860641/
4. Ed Sheeran’s Tour Falls Apart- https://www.theguardian.com/music/commentisfree/2026/sep/16/ed-sheeran-macklemore-loop-tour-support-acts-quit-robert-kraft

#ProgressiveChristianity #ChristianDeconstruction #ReconstructingFaith #progressive #faith #politics #popculture #religion #christianpodcast