Podcast talks about political conversations around the table

‘Why do they make all those mean commercials?’ asks fourth grader

by Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service

Editions of the second season of the “Around the Table” podcast are now available.

“I wish we could talk about voting and politics, because my mom says we are not allowed to,” first grader McKinley said when asked, “If you could talk about anything around the table, what topics would you choose?” on the “Around the Table” podcast.

In its second season, the podcast, hosted by the Rev. Cliff Haddox and the Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush, is focused on hard conversations that young people yearn to have with their church, communities or caregivers. At the beginning of each episode, young people give their opinions about what conversations they’d like to have at the table.

“I want to ask, ‘Why do they make all those mean commercials about politics?’” asked one fourth grader.

In a recent episode, guest Melissa Wear, an expert in public square strategies, advised parents to engage their children in civic activities and to model calm, measured responses to political issues. Wear is the owner and principal consultant of Public Square Strategies, which Haddox described as “a sought-after consulting firm that helps faith-based and secular institutions in the United States and Europe navigate the 21st century’s public issues.” Wear and her husband, Michael, publish a blog “that curates the news for a Christian audience” who “want to be informed about the world but feel a little bit less anxious about things.”

On “Around the Table,” Wear highlighted the need to teach children that politics is not just about voting but also about daily civic engagement. Like all guests, Wear was asked to offer practical tips to families and neighbors talking about politics around the table. Wear’s advice included setting expectations for discussions, focusing on shared values, and using curiosity to foster empathy and understanding.

Melissa Wear

“Politics is a great chance for you to test what you think about discipleship. And by discipleship, I mean learning who Jesus was, how he acted, and then seeking to be like him, to become more Christ-like, and that is not cordoned off from how you act in politics and how you posture yourself,” said Wear, who noted that this kind of discipleship was something “huge to teach to our kids.” Wear noted discipleship as part of the answer to the question of the fourth grader about petty political propaganda. “As Christians, we should think of it as the opposite of how we act in the world,” said Wear. “As everyone else is toiling in that way, we are not. Our feet are planted in the gospel, not in meanness and comeuppance and the power struggles of politics.”

The Rev. Christina Cosby, associate in the PC(USA)’s Office of Public Witness, also appeared on the podcast. Cosby advised when talking about elections “to base it around values and morals.”

“A lot of people talk about how faith and politics should be separate, but our faith really guides where we place our morals and values, and that has to go beyond the sanctuary and the walls of our churches into our civic responsibilities and discipleship and the world,” said Cosby. The Office of Public Witness recently hosted its annual Young Adult Advocacy Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which this wisdom about engaging people of any age, especially young people, was embodied.

“We always start conversations about elections, whether with adults or with children and folks of any age, talking about what’s important to you. What issues do you see impacted in your community? Where can you often lend a helping hand? Where do you see that a greater helping hand is needed and start to have those intergenerational conversations from that space?” said Cosby, who sees civic responsibility as integral to discipleship.

“How do we use our civic responsibility and discipleship to care for the issues that our faith calls us to tend to in caring for God’s Creation?” Cosby asked.

Thomas-Bush asked Cosby what she suggested as political conversation starters around the dinner table this week. Cosby responded with a three-part approach to curiosity-based conversation:

“Where do you see God at work in your community?”

“Where would you like to see God at work in your community?”

“How can we use our voices as people, as faith, to make sure our elected leaders represent and tend to those same needs?”

The podcast is made possible by the Around the Table initiative, funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that engages faith communities, parents and caregivers in innovative practices of sharing stories that grow intergenerational communities to support household faith formation.

Recent and upcoming “Around the Table” podcast episodes include:

• 1: The Rev. Dr. Rodger Nishioka, “Hard Conversations and Faith”
• 8: Dan Davis, “Hard Conversations About Raising Young Men”
• 22: Tandra Rutledge, “Hard Conversations About Suicide Awareness.”