Beyond Identity Politics: The Mamdani Method in New York
What happens when a Muslim mayor-elect treats identity as a bridge, not a brand?
In this episode of Complexified, Amanda Henderson explores the story of Zoran Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor-elect—a politician who turned identity into empathy and faith into fluency. RNS reporters Fiona André and Ulaa Kuziez join to unpack how Mamdani built a multifaith, multiethnic coalition that stretched from mosques to churches to fried chicken shops across Queens. They trace how his campaign refused to hide his Muslim identity but refused to be defined by it, focusing instead on rent, childcare, and transit—the everyday issues that knit a city together. Along the way, they examine how Mamdani faced Islamophobia head-on, speaking plainly about belonging, and why his victory feels like a new chapter in American politics—one grounded less in performance and more in trust.
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23:21
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23:21
Chainsaws, Catechism, and Courage: How One Parish Grew Through Crisis
In a dusty parking lot, worship meets organizing as a community faces ICE—and refuses to disappear.
In Vista, California, a Catholic parish that worships outdoors has become a refuge and a rallying point: 13,000 people on a weekend, 900 volunteers, a crucifix chainsaw-carved by parishioners, and a pastor urging his flock to show up when it counts. Religion News Service reporter Aleja Hertzler-McCain takes us there: to St. Francis festivities packed into a too-small sanctuary, catechism teachers calling families one by one, and a congregation navigating grief after COVID while confronting deportations, raids, and fear. We hear how parish leaders organize listening sessions, set up safety patrols, and fill City Hall to push policies limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement—even as needs outstrip Sunday collections. It’s faith as survival and solidarity, born in a parking lot and carried into public life. If you’ve wondered what “church” looks like in this political moment, this episode offers a grounded, hopeful answer.
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22:52
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22:52
Televangelists to Deepfakes: Who Defines the Sacred in the Age of AI? + John Fugelsang
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.
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28:45
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28:45
Cease-Fire Isn’t Peace: Inside the Vatican’s Quiet Work on Gaza
When peacemaking is quiet, stubborn, and deeply human.
In this conversation, host Amanda Henderson sits with RNS reporter Claire Giangravè to open the door on Vatican diplomacy during the Gaza cease-fire. We hear about priests who refused to leave a bombed parish that sheltered hundreds, the “Pope’s hour” of daily calls that steadied a frightened community, and the uneasy politics of neutrality when lives are at stake. From Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa’s gritty, multilingual bridge-building to new Pope Leo’s outreach to Jewish leaders, the episode invites listeners to consider how cease-fire differs from peace—and why slow, persistent, often invisible work still matters. Thoughtful, curious, and politically frustrated? Pull up a chair.
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22:59
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22:59
Willow Creek’s Midlife Reckoning: How a Seeker Church Became the Megachurch Blueprint
How the “church of the future” grew up—and owned its past.
In the fall of 1975, a youth pastor rented a suburban movie theater and swapped hymns for rock, sermons for storytelling, and pews for folding chairs—calling it seeker friendly. Within a generation, Willow Creek became the blueprint for American megachurches: packed auditoriums, meticulous production, small groups for discipleship, and a marketing mindset that even drew Harvard Business School and Peter Drucker–level attention. Then came 2018: allegations, resignations, collapse, COVID, and a community left to rebuild. As Willow Creek turns 50, Complexified host Amanda Henderson talks with Bob Smietana (who’s covered Willow for decades) and Scott Thumma (Hartford Institute megachurch scholar) about innovation and influence, power and accountability, and what humility-fueled repair looks like after the spectacle. Is the “church of the future” still a future worth having?
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For too long we have avoided talking about religion and politics. But the truth is, religion and politics are about daily life. When we avoid the hard topics connected to religion and politics, we become stuck in the status quo. On Complexified we dive into the places where religion and politics collide with real-life, so we can get unstuck- so we can make real change. We dive into our most entrenched problems to better understand the hidden histories and experiences of real people on the front lines. We look at the ways religion has shaped our systems - and the ways we see ourselves and others– from there, we work together to imagine new paths forward.
USA