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The New Evangelicals Podcast

411. How To Pastor in the Age of Trump

The New Evangelicals Podcast

Tim Whitaker

News, Religion & Spirituality, Politics, Christianity

4.71K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today's episode, Tim Whitaker speaks with Cody Deese about his journey from a Southern Baptist upbringing to becoming a progressive Christian leader. They discuss the challenges of navigating faith in a landscape dominated by Christian nationalism, the importance of social justice, and the complexities of maintaining relationships with family members who hold differing political views. Cody's Website | Codydeese.com Chapters 01:25 Cody Daese: A Journey from Fundamentalism to Progressive Christianity 12:35 Navigating Relationships in a Divided America 18:44 The Role of the Church in Social Justice 24:31 Confronting Gun Culture and Nationalism in the Church 30:41 The Evolution of a Spiritual Collective 34:03 Challenging Church Structures and Leadership 52:11 Finding Balance in Activism and Personal Life ____________________________________________________ TNE Podcast hosts thought-provoking conversations at the intersection of faith, politics, and justice. We’re part of the New Evangelical’s 501c3 nonprofit that rejects Christian Nationalism and builds a better path forward, rooted in Jesus and centered on justice.  If ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you'd like to support our work or get involved, visit our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thenewevangelicals.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow Us On Instagram @thenewevangelicals  Subscribe On YouTube @thenewevangelicals This show is produced by Josh Gilbert Media | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Joshgilbertmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

You're listening to the New Evangelicals podcast.

0:20.1

What's up, friends? Happy New Year, New Year, New Year, New You. I don't know. Isn't that the saying,

0:26.1

hey, on this episode, we're going to kick the New Year off great with some pastors. This month is

0:31.2

Pastor Month. Pastors doing good work, okay? Not Christian Nationalist pastors. Do not freak out.

0:36.0

I brought on Cody Dees.

0:37.6

He's the pastor of Vitingis Lake Church.

0:39.7

He's a speaker, an author, and we had a great conversation.

0:43.3

You might have seen his stuff go viral.

0:45.0

We've also shared it on the New Evangelicals Instagram a few times.

0:48.3

He's awesome.

0:49.5

I think you're really going to love this conversation about just being faithful to Jesus in the Christian

0:55.7

Nationalist American Empire and church structure. And how do you do that in a healthy way? So

1:01.2

hope you enjoy this. Friends, thank you for your support in 2025. It means the world.

1:05.7

We are really set up for a super successful 2026. Cannot wait to share more and more details with you.

1:10.8

Thank you for tuning into the podcast.

1:12.3

It means the world.

1:13.3

I hope that you enjoy this conversation with Cody.

1:15.5

Talk to you later.

1:25.3

All right.

1:26.1

Well, Pastor Cody Deas, you are an author, a speaker. You wrote a book discovering your

1:32.1

internal universe, and you pastor over at Vining's Lake Church. And most recently, you've been going

1:37.5

mega viral for saying all the right things critiquing Christian fascism. So welcome on the podcast.

...

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