Televangelists to Deepfakes:  Who Defines the Sacred in the Age of AI?  + John Fugelsang

Televangelists to Deepfakes: Who Defines the Sacred in the Age of AI? + John Fugelsang

Author: Institute of Religion Politics and Culture, Amanda Henderson, Iliff School of Theology October 27, 2025 Duration: 28:45
When outrage wins the algorithm, what does faith become? This live conversation from the RNS Symposium at Trinity Commons wrestles with a bracing question: when faith, power, and platform collapse into the same feed, who gets to define what’s sacred? Host Amanda Henderson and guest John Fuglesang trace a line from open-source scripture to televangelist TV to AI resurrecting voices, exploring how media mirrors our clicks—and how those clicks shape the moral imagination we live in. They name the seduction of outrage, the costs of fundamentalism, and a red-letter way forward grounded in humility, service, and care for “the least of these.” Warm, wise, and a little irreverent, this episode invites us to be more mindful about what we amplify and why it matters now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Complexified is a conversation that starts from a simple, uncomfortable truth: the forces of faith and power are woven into the fabric of our everyday existence, from kitchen tables to courtrooms. Hosted by Amanda Henderson of the Iliff School of Theology and presented by the Institute of Religion Politics and Culture, this podcast deliberately steps into the tangled intersections where belief systems meet policy, cultural norms, and social strife. We move beyond superficial debates to examine how these deep structures actually function, why certain problems feel so immovable, and where the possibilities for genuine movement might lie. Each episode is an effort to untangle a specific, knotty issue, listening for the underlying narratives and historical currents that often go unspoken. The goal isn't to provide easy answers but to foster a more nuanced comprehension, the kind required for meaningful engagement rather than repeated conflict. Tuning into this podcast means joining a rigorous yet accessible exploration of our shared life, acknowledging the complexity so often glossed over in public discourse. It’s an invitation to think more deeply about the roots of our divisions and the potential pathways forward, grounded in the conviction that clearer understanding is a necessary first step toward any durable change.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Complexified
Podcast Episodes
The Texas Sharia Panic: How a Rallying Cry Became a Curriculum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:14
Republican leaders across Texas are repeatedly warning that Sharia is an urgent threat to the state- making it a rallying cry as we head into the midterm elections. The Muslim community, who has long stayed quiet, is now…
Bratwurst and Beer: How the Far Right Replaced Germany's Churches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:30
A state in Germany has seen the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party win nearly 44% of the vote—making it the state’s largest party and bringing it within three seats of a governing majority. While Catholic…
The 9/11 Generation: 25 Years Later [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:00
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the attacks' aftershocks — surveillance, suspicion, identity — continued to shape how young Muslim Americans saw themselves and their country. With Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City's…
Erika Kirk’s Turning Point [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:57
One year after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, his widow, Erika, is leading Turning Point USA — appealing to young women through a message of faith, forgiveness and biblical womanhood. Can her vision hold together the move…
Saint, Sinner, Superstar: Dolly Parton’s Complicated Christianity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:48
Dolly Parton was loved by evangelical Christians, queer fans, atheists and nearly everyone in between. Some saw her as a model of Christian living. But Dolly’s own relationship with Christianity was more complicated. She…
How One City Became an American Flashpoint [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:29
In Springfield, Ohio, a small Rust Belt city where thousands of Haitian immigrants had settled… America’s fights over work, migration, race, religion and belonging stopped being abstract. The pressures have accumulated f…
High Church on Chicago’s South Side [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:47
Pope Hats, Hot Dogs and Holy Ground: Baseball has long been called a kind of church. It has its own calendar and rituals, its sacred places and inherited traditions. Its faithful gather at appointed times, sing familiar…