The Dissidents

Today we are launching our second ILV book club with a series of discussions of Jonathan Rauch’s forthcoming book entitled Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy by Brookings Institution senior fellow and best-selling author Jonathan Rauch. The book, made available to you by Yale University Press in early February, examines American pluralism and the role of religion in historical and modern democracy. Rauch, a self-described atheist, somewhat apologetically takes us on a journalistic and self-reflective tour of the intersection of religion and human nature. This book is a cultural, civic, and spiritual travel-log for believers and non-believers alike. Jonathan Rauch will join us for a livestream on February 5 at 7pm ET. In the meantime, join Jen, Elizabeth and Matt for 3 book club episodes focused on Cross Purposes. We begin our discussion with Part I, which is entitled “Thin Christianity.” Podcast Resources: Pre-order Cross Purposes Save the date for our livestream with Jonathan Rauch (both on YouTube and on @ilvalues on X) Jesus and Superman: A Liberalism and Faith Series with Angel Eduardo How Intellectuals Found God, Peter Savodnik, The Free Press The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism, Tim Alberta Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, Tim Keller Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, Sebastian Junger On Censorship Book Club

This week as we join Lee Jussim at USC for the conference on Censorship in the Sciences we are revisiting our livestream with Lee and Catherine Salmon on the ethics Institutional Review Boards, and the role they play in censorship and the decline of academic freedoms.  Censorship in the Sciences Conference website: https://dornsife.usc.edu/cesr/censorship-in-the-sciences-interdisciplinary-perspectives/ You can watch the conference via zoom and find the full schedule here:https://drive.google.com/file/d/19YCeirdwU-izcY86aaNQ_4hm8znTaMML/view To be a part of the discussion and join our livestreams, sign up for our newsletter to be informed of all our offerings: https://ilvalues.org/ You can find more interviews of Lee here: How the Compassionate Mislead, Jordan B. Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqa7n2Aq-Bs&t=1s When Anti-Racism Becomes Racism, Jordan B. Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIpX1ME9Zvg&t=1s The Radicalization of the Academy, Stanford Classical Liberalism Initiative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kaFI8JAOvk&t=1s Lee’s Substack, Unsafe Science: https://substack.com/@unsafescience  

n this episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast, co-hosts Chris and Joia engage with Susanna McIntyre, a passionate advocate for free expression and critical thinking. Susanna shares her transformative journey from being involved in Antifa to becoming the Development Associate at Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s AHA Foundation as well as President/CEO of Atheist Republic. Susanna focuses on the importance of free speech, critical thinking, and the challenges of expressing unpopular opinions. The conversation delves into personal growth, the significance of admitting mistakes, and the societal implications of free expression.   Watch more videos featuring Susanna’s views on free speech and religion at: https://www.youtube.com/@AtheistRepublic

In this engaging conversation, Chris and Joia speak with Wink Twyman, who shares his insights on the importance of free speech and the value of diverse opinions. He emphasizes the dangers of conformity and groupthink, advocating for open dialogue as a means to foster wisdom and understanding. Wink also provides practical advice on effective communication, highlighting the significance of authenticity in writing and speaking. The discussion culminates in a vision for a future where free speech thrives, encouraging individuals to embrace their unique perspectives and courageously express themselves.   Get more from Wink at his Substack: https://twyman.substack.com/   Also, check out the book Wink co-authored with our ILV Board Member Jennifer Richmond: Letters in Black & White: A New Correspondence on Race in America.

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Winkfield Twyman, Jr. talk with Pastor Dumisani Washington on his journey through his early years, his “God Walk” in Africa, a name change, and finally to Israel. The crux of our conversation centers on how he relates the African story to that of Israel and in particular to the current Israeli-Palestine conflict. Dumisani takes us deep into the KGB propaganda of the 1960s that created the illusion of black solidarity with Palestine, playing on settler-colonial themes and tying them to stories of Jim Crow. This propaganda underlines the current affinity between Black Lives Matter and Pro-Palestinian movements that we see playing out in the United States. But as you will hear, Dumisani speaks truths that unveil this disinformation, taking the co-hosts on an unexpected history lesson that spans the globe, and underlines our common humanity. Podcast Resources: Zionism and The Black Church: Why Standing with Israel Will be a Defining Issue for Christians of Color in the 21st Century, Dumisani Washington Africa-Israel Weekly, IBSI on Substack Islamic Terrorism is the Enemy Israel & Africa Share, Africa Israel Weekly, May 30, 2024 Ta-Nehisi Coates, Louis Farrakhan, & Black Apologists for Islamic Slavery & Genocide in Africa, Africa Israel Weekly, Dec 1, 2024 Disinformation: Former Spy Chief Reveals Secret Strategies for Undermining Freedom, Attacking Religion, and Promoting Terrorism, by Gen Ion Mihai Pacepa & Prof Ronald J Rychlak  The American Soviet Mentality, Dissidents Podcast with Izabella Tabarovsky Antisemitism's New Narrative, Dissidents Podcast with Asra Nomani and Izabella Tabarovsky Potemkin Villages: The Origin of Antisemitic Soviet Propaganda & it's Influence on American Education & Media, Dissidents Podcast with Izabella Tabarovsky

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Angel Eduardo launch a new series on faith and liberalism. They spent some time wrestling with where to begin with such a weighty topic, when they finally landed on simply sharing their own personal faith journeys. They embark on this discussion with curiosity and humility, neither trying to convert, correct or proselytize, but simply in exploration of the origins of their common humanity and shared values. We invite others to join in the conversation with suggestions and questions in the comments, which we will address in upcoming episodes. We will be inviting other guests to join us and look forward to further conversations on the complexities of faith, liberalism and the intersection of both in search of a strategy for human flourishing.

We’re back for another episode of the Free Speech Forward podcast! Today, Dr. Nafees Alam speaks with co-hosts Chris and Joia about his unique journey into the realm of free speech advocacy and viewpoint diversity. He emphasizes the importance of creating spaces for intellectual discourse and the necessity of viewpoint diversity for personal and societal growth. Their conversation explores the challenges faced in academia regarding differing viewpoints, the need for students to find their individuality, and the responsibility that comes with the privilege of free speech.

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Elizabeth Spievak speak with new ILV friend and (fingers crossed) advisor, Dr. Nafees Alam. Nafees is a heterodox social work professor who is bringing viewpoint diversity into his classroom. He is reinvigorating “point-counterpoint” strategies to get his students to explore different opinions and mindsets with compassion and empathy. He uses this style in a lot of his writing where he has considered different perspectives on issues such as mental health, “toxic masculinity” and trans sports. Be on the lookout for more from Nafees in our December Liberal Values Lab as as a panelist on our Liberalism in Practice Panel Discussion on trans sports with our guests from Genspect. Resources & other Articles from Dr. Nafees Alam: https://dcjournal.com/the-effect-of-shaming-simps-and-single-mothers-on-declining-birth-rates/ https://www.wvgazettemail.com/opinion/op_ed_commentaries/nafees-alam-loneliness-and-the-looming-demise-of-dating-apps-opinion/article_42a97d7b-9b6a-5754-ba82-7527f399cb97.html https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202405/the-ivory-tower-main-street-and-wall-street https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202405/the-value-of-defeat-in-developing-resilience https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/05/01/opinion/opinion-contributor/a-novices-novel-ideas-for-resolving-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202404/how-concept-creep-is-stigmatizing-narcissistic-personality https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/columnists/cost-benefit-analysis-of-being-a-good-samaritan/article_04242835-3cad-5110-ada4-486d6310a054.html https://dcjournal.com/ai-romance-as-healthy-competition/ https://dcjournal.com/how-toxic-masculinity-becomes-necessary-masculinity/ https://www.chronicleonline.com/opinion/columnists/can-divorce-reform-save-marriage/article_4cd39622-2b26-5b99-96f1-ef94fb0a34c6.html https://heterodoxacademy.org/blog/discrimination-by-altered-expectations-opinion/ https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/Op-Ed/2023/04/03/benevolent-vicarious-tokenism/stories/202304030008 https://journals.shareok.org/jofsw/article/view/132

In this week’s podcast, Jennifer Richmond and Ken Pope speak with Jany Finkielsztein about her immigrant experience and what drove her passion for working in education. Jany’s family immigrated from Poland to Colombia during the Holocaust, and one of her grandfather’s sayings was, (Outside of packing light and running fast) "nobody can take your education from you." Jany took that to heart and carried her passion for education with her, when safety concerns led her family to immigrate to the United States. As an educator, Jany focused on finding ways to give back to the Hispanic and immigrant communities. However, as the focus of educator professional development began to prioritize activism over learning, she reevaluated her approach. Now working with the CAMERA Education Institute, Jany researches and exposes activists, organizations and curricular materials that present false accounts of Israel and Zionism in K-12 education. In addition, Jany helps to provide educational materials that tackle the anti-Israel bias that has captured much of the American education landscape. No one can take your education away, but we ask Jany: Do we want to preserve the kinds of education that are increasingly contributing to division and polarization among students? Bio: Jany is originally from Bogota, Colombia. She has worked as a middle school teacher, curriculum coordinator and instructional coach across charter, public and independent schools in Massachusetts. She has experience planning and facilitating professional learning opportunities for K-12 teachers. In addition, Jany has been an adjunct faculty teaching pre-service courses for teacher preparation programs at Boston University and Simmons University. Jany is a board member of the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies (MCSS), and the Jewish Affairs Caucus of the National Educators association (NEA). She is currently a senior education analyst at the CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy for Middle East Reporting and Analysis) Education Institute. Resources: One -Pager research based Timely topics: https://www.camera-edu.org/timely_topics/ History of the Jewish People in the Land of Israel - curriculum for schools: https://www.camera-edu.org/5379-2/ The CAMERA Education Institute's (CEI) expert literature program team has curated a list of fiction and non-fiction recommended books for K-12 students that provide accurate information about Israel, its history, current events, Zionism and Israelis: https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-elementary-school/ https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-middle-school/ https://www.camera-edu.org/resources/recommended-books/books-for-high-school/ We also exposethe anti-Israel K-12 books infiltrated into schools to promote the ideology: ProblematicBooks After Oct 7, the efforts to have these types of books in classrooms intensified. To see the scope of the CAMERA Education Institute's (CEI) work: https://www.camera-edu.org/

In today’s Free Speech Forward podcast episode, hosts Chris and Joia speak with Wai Wah Chin, the charter president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York. They discuss the critical role of free speech in advocating for equal rights, particularly in education. Wai Wah shares her experiences with the specialized high schools in New York, emphasizing the importance of merit and objectivity in academic standards. Their conversation also touches on the ideological shifts in education and the need for civil discourse and courage in expressing diverse viewpoints.   Find out more about Wai Wah and the work of CACAGNY at: http://www.cacagny.org/