{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Rehumanizing Our Common Life, with Shadi Hamid, Elizabeth Oldfield, Ray Pennings, and Anne Snyder","description":"What does it take to rehumanize our common life in a moment of cultural fragility, institutional collapse, and crisis of trust? Recorded at the Washington National Cathedral for Comment magazine's inaugural Understory Festival, this roundtable asks how culture, beauty, and faith might rehumanize a fractured public life. Mark Labberton is joined by Comment editor-in-chief Anne Snyder, The Sacred host Elizabeth Oldfield, Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid, and Cardus co-founder Ray Pennings. "It is actually possible to have deep roots and wide open arms." In this episode, the panel reflects on building a gathering rooted in hope and Christian humanism rather than argument alone. They discuss why and how politics is downstream from culture, the role of religion in the public square, the limits of purely cerebral ways of knowing, toxic positivity versus honest hope, pluralism with deep roots, the beauty of "groaning," and learning to die well. Special thanks to Unconditional Media for making this video podcast recording possible during our 2026 Understory festival. Episode Highlights "It is actually possible to have deep roots and wide open arms."\u2014Anne Snyder "Naturally as a Muslim, I don't agree with Christianity's truth claims, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the beauty of Christianity."\u2014Shadi Hamid "The word that's been coming to me this whole festival is and."\u2014Elizabeth Oldfield "Politics is downstream from culture."\u2014Ray Pennings "We're all made to worship, it's just a question of what we worship."\u2014Shadi Hamid About the Guests Anne Snyder is editor-in-chief of Comment, a magazine published by Cardus, and convener of the Understory Festival. She hosts The Whole Person Revolution podcast and wrote The Fabric of Character. Elizabeth Oldfield hosts The Sacred podcast, is a former director of UK think tank Theos, and author of Fully Alive: Tending to the Soul in Turbulent Times. Shadi Hamid is a Washington Post columnist, senior fellow at Georgetown's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, co-host of Zealots at the Gate, and author of The Case for American Power. Ray Pennings co-founded Cardus in 2000 and serves as its executive vice president and Comment's publisher. Helpful Links and Resources The Understory Festival: https:\/\/comment.org\/understory\/ Comment magazine: https:\/\/comment.org Cardus: https:\/\/www.cardus.ca The Understory, by Lore Ferguson Wilbert (the book behind the name): https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/1587435705 Elizabeth Oldfield, Fully Alive: https:\/\/www.elizabetholdfield.com The Sacred podcast: https:\/\/linktr.ee\/sacredpodcast Zealots at the Gate: https:\/\/comment.org\/podcasts\/zealots-at-the-gate\/ Shadi Hamid, The Case for American Power: https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/people\/shadi-hamid\/ Show Notes Understory Festival, National Cathedral Local hope, national despair Naming the festival: the Lore Ferguson Wilbert book Festival, not conference\u2014body, mind, heart, soul Cardus, a faith-based think tank "Politics is downstream from culture."\u2014Ray Pennings Ways of knowing as the "secret sauce" A Muslim observer among his favorite Christians "I don't agree with Christianity's truth claims, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate the beauty of Christianity."\u2014Shadi Hamid Culture as the path out of despair Weeping beside someone rolling their eyes Groaning beauty and Romans 8 Dying well\u2014euthanasia, deathbeds, Ben Sasse The secular paradigm at a dead end "We're all made to worship, it's just a question of what we worship."\u2014Shadi Hamid Madeleine Albright's "theophany" on faith in diplomacy Moral ambition and the power of "and" "The word that's been coming to me this whole festival is and."\u2014Elizabeth Oldfield Christian humanism\u2014rights endowed by a Creator Luke Bretherton\u2014start with the neighbor's need Hospitality\u2014a guest, not an enemy "It is actually possible to have deep roots and wide open arms."\u2014Anne Snyder Surface versus depth\u2014showing what's underneath #UnderstoryFestival #Comment #ChristianHumanism #PublicTheology #ShadiHamid #ElizabethOldfield #AnneSnyder #Cardus #Pluralism #Hope Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary. ","author_name":"Conversing with Mark Labberton","author_url":"https:\/\/comment.org\/shows\/conversing\/","html":"