Tara Isabella Burton, one of the most interesting rising commentators on religion (broadly-defined!) in the American public square, joins April Lawson and Luke Nathan Phillips on the Braver Angels Podcast to discuss her new book, Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World. Why do Americans in a secularizing age seem to find spiritual fulfillment in corners as dark and strange as Bronze Age Pervert and SoulCycle? To what degree are America’s polarized and identitarian squabbles about politics something akin to theological conflicts and religious revivals? Is there anything we can learn from America’s history of religious experimentation to help us cope? Listen in for an engaging conversation on some extremely eccentric, incredibly human, and quintessentially American ways of understanding the social and spiritual world.
‘Braver Angels really helped me to see the humanity in people from the other side’: One high schooler’s journey to better political conversations
06/18/2026
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A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said.
