The New Yorker staff writer Jay Caspian Kang joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss the role the church has played in sustaining protest movements—and whether effective political dissent in the United States is possible without involvement from religious institutions. They talk about how churches have historically provided moral authority, infrastructure, and community to movements for social change, why those qualities have been difficult to replicate in the age of social media and mass protest, and what is lost when dissent becomes sporadic or primarily digital. They also examine whether churches still have the widespread credibility and organizing capacity to anchor protest today, and what it would take for religious institutions to once again embrace a central place in modern political life.

This week’s reading:

“Can American Churches Lead a Protest Movement Under Trump?,” by Jay Caspian Kang
“Inside Bari Weiss’s Hostile Takeover of CBS News,” by Clare Malone
“An Unhappy Anniversary: Trump’s Year in Office,” by Amy Davidson Sorkin
“The Overlooked Deaths of the Attack on Venezuela,” by Oriana van Praag
“Why Trump Supports Protesters in Tehran but Not in Minneapolis,” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a week.

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Should Progressive Organizers Lean More on the Church?

The Political Scene | The New Yorker