Voting for character over doctrinal tests

Can faith sustain courage and openness in a polarized democracy? Former Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich reflects on faith, fear, character, and public life amid deep political polarization and religious tension in America.

“There is a certain comfort in knowing you have somebody who’s always in your corner.”

In this conversation with Evan Rosa, Kasich reflects on personal faith shaped by tragedy, the search for purpose, and why character matters more than ideology in leadership. Together they discuss religious faith in American life, his experience running in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, voting on character over beliefs, firm political commitments, open-minded perspective taking, his vision of a life worth living, and before the end of this conversation, you’ll find out his favorite Metallica song.

Episode Highlights

“There is a certain comfort in knowing you have somebody who’s always in your corner.”

“You can be firm while at the same time looking at a point of view of somebody who’s diametrically opposed to you.”

“I look for character. I don’t look for what somebody thinks about the Book of Revelation.”

“Faith informs the way I think about things, but it doesn’t spell out what I’m going to do.”

“If you begin to work together to solve a problem locally, it can actually create friendship.”

About John Kasich

John Kasich is a former U.S. congressman, two-term governor of Ohio, and presidential candidate with more than four decades of experience in public service, media, and civic leadership. First elected to the Ohio State Senate at age 26, he later served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming governor in 2011. Kasich has authored six books exploring politics, faith, leadership, and civic responsibility, including his most recent, Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future. He is known for emphasizing character, dignity, and community-based solutions over ideological rigidity. Kasich frequently speaks on leadership, faith in public life, and democratic renewal, and continues to engage across political and cultural divides in pursuit of common purpose. Learn more and follow at https://johnkasich.com and https://twitter.com/JohnKasich

Show Notes

• Growing up Catholic, altar service, early religious formation
• Tragedy in 1987, parents killed by drunk driver
• “Where do you stand vis-à-vis your eternal destiny?”
• Faith as ongoing window of questioning, not certainty
• God’s existence, care, and personal relationship
• “Faith itself is a gift. God has to act first.”
• Fear, loss, and the backstop of divine presence
• “You’ve got the most powerful being in all of history kind of got your back.”
• Faith shared as gift, not coercion or argument
• Voting based on character, not doctrinal alignment
• Scripture informing decisions, not dictating policy
• Respect for the poor as moral baseline
• Christian nationalism and the question of objective truth
• Politics and faith distinct, neither hostile nor coercive
• Singles win games, local action over grand crusades
• Faith communities as clubhouses for moral action
• Working locally dissolves partisan hostility
• Life worth living as purpose, gifts, and contribution
• Character, integrity, and not taking advantage of others
• Freedom from fear, boxes, and rigid identities
• Kindness versus niceness as moral distinction
• Open-mindedness as antidote to boredom and fear
• Campaigning as test of endurance, character, and empathy
• “People wanted to know who you were more than your ideas.”
• Pursuing convictions while staying rooted in faith communities

Production Notes

• This podcast featured John Kasich
• Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa
• Hosted by Evan Rosa
• Production Assistance by Noah Senthil
• A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/about
• Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

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