Faith & Politics is a podcast of the South Dakota Catholic Conference. Join Executive Director Chris Motz, Esq. as he and his guests explore a variety of contemporary civic issues through the lens of a classical Catholic moral and ethical framework. Winsome and robust, Faith & Politics ranges from the soul to the state as it seeks to cultivate thoughtful criteria for governing well in the 21st century.
Chris is joined on this episode by Mary Rice Hasson, the Kate O’Beirne Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Mary also directs the Catholic Women’s Forum, a network of Catholic professional women and scholars seeking to amplify the voice of Catholic women in support Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined again by Dr. Jon Schaff, professor of political science at Northern State University. Chris and Dr. Schaff discuss race and racism, a topic on the minds of many Americans during the last year. They discuss the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged Read more…
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Bishop Donald DeGrood joins us in studio to talk about some of the woundedness that the church has and still experiences.
On this episode, Chris is joined by Dr. Christopher Thompson, professor of theology at St. Paul Seminary, to talk about his book, The Joyful Mystery: Field Notes Toward a Green Thomism. Dr. Thompson touches on papal encyclical Laudato Si‘, Church teaching on integral ecology, an ethics of lower creation, what Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined by Dr. Andrew Sodergren, a Catholic clinical psychologist with experience with gender dysphoria. Dr. Sodergren unpacks the Theology of the Body, gender dysphoria, gender ideology, and offers some thoughts on the path ahead for Christians in the present culture. The topic is timely for Read more…
This episode contains content on loan from the podcast Leedom to Life. The host of that show, Emily Leedom, interviews Faith & Politics host Chris Motz on the meaning of freedom and the substance of the Equality Act, a particularly concerning piece of legislation currently under consideration by the Congress.
As the 2021 South Dakota legislative session winds down, Chris Motz is joined by SD Right to Life Executive Director Dale Bartscher. Chris and Dale run through the list of pro-life legislation considered by the legislature this year, including Governor Noem’s significant Down Syndrome diagnosis abortion ban bill, which is Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined by Americans United for Life Government Relations Counsel, Katie Glenn. Katie recently testified in support of South Dakota House Bill 1247, known as the Medical Conscience Protection Act. Chris and Katie discuss new threats to the pro-life cause at the federal level, and the Read more…
Chris is joined once more by political science professor, Dr. Jon Schaff. On this episode, they tackle the legal background of religious freedom in the United States, and the ways in which religious freedom is under attack today. They trace the legal standards articulated by courts, discuss a hugely-popular act Read more…
On this episode SD Catholic Conference director is joined by Norman Woods, executive director of Family Heritage Alliance. Chris and Norman give a full run down of all the SD Catholic Conference-supported bills under consideration by the state legislature.
On this episode, Chris gives an update on several pending bills, and then is joined by Julie Chrisitan to talk about the Church’s teachings on education , how these teachings can apply to homeschooling policy, and a South Dakota organization — Families for Alternative Instruction Rights SD — (FAIR-SD) that’s Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined by Deacon Denny Davis to discuss support for Senate Bill 98, a bill to ban capital punishment in most cases in South Dakota. Chris is then joined by Dr. Chris Burgwald to discuss the teaching of the Church on the dignity of life, and Read more…
On this episode, Chris Motz is joined by Brandon McGinley, co-author with Dr. Scott Hahn of a new book titled It is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion. Timely and instructive, their book argues that argues that social justice depends on the primordial justice Read more…
Chris is joined again by Prof. Jon Schaff, professor of political science at Northern State University. They discuss the scenes of chaos and violence in the nation’s capitol last week, then turn to the incoming presidential administration, with a special focus on life and religious liberty.
On this episode, Chris is joined by Katy Faust, Founder and Director of Them Before Us, an organization seeking to put children’s rights before adult desires. Them Before Us has flipped the script on adult-centric attitudes toward marriage, parenthood, and reproductive technologies by framing these issues around a child’s Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined by Louis Brown, Executive Director of Christ Medicus, an organization focused on sharing Jesus Christ’s healing love in health care, building authentically Catholic health care, defending life and religious freedom, and protecting the poor and vulnerable. Louis and Chris discuss Christian identity in Read more…
On this episode, Chris is joined by regular guest Dr. Jon Schaff, professor of political science at Northern State University. Chris and Prof. Schaff reflect on some of the problems technology can pose to the family and the faith, how it can contribute to the vice of acedia, and Read more…
COVID Vaccines and Catholic ethics. On this episode, Chris is joined by National Catholic Bioethics Center-trained ethicist Cameo Anders. They discuss the development and rollout of COVID vaccines, and an ethical component to be aware of. Summary: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not developed with aborted fetal tissue cells, Read more…
In this episode, Chris is joined by Aberdeen native Dylan Kessler, who shares about his studies at Hillsdale College, working for a South Dakota Senator after graduating, and more.
Chris is joined by Shawn Peterson, South Dakota native and executive director of Catholic Education Partners, a bishops-founded organization that works to share the Catholic teaching in favor of parental choice and empowerment in education, and to promote education policy consistent with this principle. This principle is more important than Read more…