Vote Common Good: Pastor Doug Pagitt on the Emergent Church and "Exit Ramps" for Engaging Faith Voters

In this episode, Corey Nathan is joined by Pastor Doug Pagitt, Executive Director of Vote Common Good. Doug shares his remarkable journey from a non-religious upbringing to becoming a prominent voice in progressive evangelicalism. They discuss how his background in sociology and theology shapes his view of faith, culture, and politics, and how those insights drive his current work helping religious voters engage civically with integrity and hope.

What We Discuss:

• How Doug Pagitt came to faith and ministry outside traditional church upbringing

• What the Emergent Church is and why it matters

• How anthropology influences theology

• What motivated Pastor Doug to start Vote Common Good

• How Democrats can meaningfully engage religious voters

Episode Highlights:

• [00:01:00] Introduction to Doug’s background and Vote Common Good

• [00:03:00] Doug’s faith story and early questions about Christianity

• [00:08:00] Embracing scripture through open interpretation

• [00:17:00] The Emergent Church explained

• [00:30:00] Why Vote Common Good was founded

• [00:43:00] Surprising insights from their faith voter polling

• [00:54:00] Six words to win back religious voters

• [01:02:00] Where Democrats often miss the mark

Featured Quotes:

• “I didn’t have to unlearn a Sunday school version of Christianity. I got to take Jesus at face value.” 

• “We’re not asking candidates to be Christians. We’re asking them to like Christians.” 

• “The difference between being required and being invited makes all the difference.”

• “Human beings organize our lives around patterns. The danger is when we mistake those patterns for the divine.”

Resources Mentioned:

• Vote Common Good: https://www.votecommongood.com

• Doug Pagitt’s books: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Doug+Pagitt

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