Pivot

#89: Faith and Politics: How to Lead with Wisdom

Explore the complex relationship between faith and politics with Luther scholar, the Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza in this enlightening episode of the Pivot Podcast.

In this timely episode of the Pivot Podcast, hosts Dr. Alicia Granholm and the Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile tackle the challenging intersection of faith and politics with the Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza, a Luther scholar and expert in Christian ethics. As the United States faces a divisive election season, Anthony offers a grounding historical perspective and practical wisdom for church leaders navigating these turbulent waters.

Explore how churches can foster meaningful political dialogue without falling into partisan traps. Discover the concept of affective polarization and its impact on congregations. Learn how to use Scripture creatively in addressing current issues and avoid common ethical pitfalls in political engagement. Anthony’s insights, rooted in Luther’s political theology, provide a roadmap for faithful civic participation that balances conviction with compassion.

Whether you’re a pastor, lay leader, or engaged congregant, this episode offers valuable guidance on living out your faith in the public square. Join us for a conversation that will challenge and inspire you to approach politics with both biblical wisdom and neighborly love.

Show Notes:

Shift Ministry Models
Faithful InnovationCultivate CommunityTheology & History

Featuring

Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza

Rev. Dr. Anthony Bateza

Anthony Bateza is a specialist in Martin Luther, moral theology, and Christian ethics. Luther’s political theology is his primary area of research, focusing on the reformer's understanding of human agency and his relationship with the virtue tradition and Augustinian thought. He is also personally and professionally invested in questions of race, identity, and social justice. He has written on Black liberation theology and connections between Lutheran teaching and confronting racism in the United States.  

Meet Your Hosts

  • Dr. Alicia Granholm

    Alicia Granholm is senior director of Faith+Lead and a leadership and church consultant based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She helps pastors and leaders engage culture to make a lasting impact. For nearly two decades, she has trained, equipped, and empowered followers of Jesus to engage their local communities by contextualizing the Gospel and its application. Alicia compassionately crosses cultural boundaries having lived, studied, traveled, and served in 25 countries on six continents. Alicia has a Doctor of Strategic Leadership, Global Consulting (Regent University), MDiv (Bethel Seminary), and MA in Teaching (University of St. Thomas).

  • Dr. Dwight Zscheile

    Dwight Zscheile is vice president of innovation and professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011) and editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012).

    A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.