In this episode, we welcome back journalist and author Katherine Stewart, whose work has become a trusted guide for us as we continue to think about the intersection of politics, religion, and public life. Over the years, we’ve often found ourselves returning to her writing and asking, “What would Katherine say about this?” especially as stories emerge around Christian nationalism and the erosion of democratic norms.

As the pace of the news accelerates, Katherine helps us slow down and look beneath the headlines. She reflects on how economic inequality, disinformation, and anti-democratic movements reinforce one another, and on the ways certain forms of religion are being distorted to justify exclusion, hierarchy, and control. Together, we explore how language around religious freedom and moral certainty can mask deeper concentrations of power.

Katherine reminds us that hope exists and of our responsibility in this moment. She speaks to the importance of attention, organization, and moral clarity, particularly within faith communities; naming the growing presence of religious leaders and institutions who are resisting these distortions and reclaiming faith as a force for dignity, equality, and the common good. As always, her voice invites us not only to understand what is happening, but to consider how we might respond with courage, honesty, and care.

“They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity”, The Guardian, November 23,2025

Jesus and the Disinherited, Howard Thurman (1945)

Djesus Uncrossed, SNL, 2013

The Cupboard is pleased to welcome back longtime friend, mentor, and Orthodox theologian David Goa for a reflective conversation about the recent rise in church attendance among young people, particularly within Orthodox Christian communities. We explore what might be happening beneath the surface of this trend—and why it evokes both hope and caution.

David offers historical, theological, and pastoral insight into patterns of conversion, revival, and youthful religious movements, situating the current moment within a much larger story. Throughout the conversation, the focus returns to formation: the slow, embodied work of learning how to respond rather than react, how to live for the life of the world rather than retreat into religious silos. We are reminded of the church’s calling to bless, to accompany, and to offer a vision of fully human life grounded in presence, humility, and love of neighbor. What might faithful leadership, deep catechesis, and genuine community look like in this moment of cultural and spiritual searching?

“Orthodox Church Pews Are Overflowing with Converts”, November 19, 2025, New York Times

“Religious leaders say they’re observing a hidden trend among younger Americans”, December 9, 2025, The Washington Post

“What’s driving Gen Z’s return to Christianity?”, December 2, 2025, The Current with Matt Galloway, CBC

An Emancipation of the Mind, Matthew Stewart, 2024

In this annual Christmas episode of Rector’s Cupboard, the cupboard is opened for seasonal tasting, spirited conversation, and a few holy disagreements. Over glasses of wintery mead, the hosts reflect on Christmas songs they love and those they would happily never hear again, exploring how nostalgia, repetition, and theology shape the sounds of the season. What begins lightheartedly soon deepens into a conversation about nativity scenes, immigration, resistance, and why the Christmas story continues to unsettle cultural and political certainties.

Along the way, inflatables are stabbed, Randy Savage offers unexpected wisdom, and familiar carols are reframed through histories of abolition, protest, and hope. The episode closes by returning to the heart of Advent and Christmas alike: a reminder that comfort and joy are not sentimental escapes, but promises spoken into a dark and waiting world.

As a small gift to you this season, we offer a version of O Holy Night, produced and recorded by friends of the podcast, Mark Woodyard and Rick Colhoun, for the conclusion of the episode. Merry Christmas!

Our tasting today came from Golden Age Meadery, on Salt Spring Island.

“Christmas display carnage in Scarborough caught on camera: ‘Dad, they’re popping the inflatables!’”, Toronto Star, December 11, 2025

“As anti-ICE Nativity scenes spark outrage, faith leaders grapple with politics at the pulpit”, CNN, December 15, 2025

The Little Drummer Boy (Carol) Mary, Did You Know? (Michael English) Away in a Manger (Carol) All I Want For Christmas is You (Mariah Carey) Last Christmas (Wham!) Tomorrow Christ is Coming (Carol)

A Charlie Brown Christmas Album (Vince Guaraldi Trio) What Child is This? (Carol) Star of Wonder (Sufjan Stevens) O Holy Night (Carol)