Texas Impact's Weekly Witness
Weekly Witness is a weekly opportunity for Texans of faith to learn about important public policy issues through a faith lens, and find out timely opportunities to participate in the public policy process. Host Scott Atnip is Texas Impact’s Director of Public Witness. His guests come from a wide assortment of policy disciplines and faith traditions.
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Weekly Witness Ep.505 “Are You With Us?” with Robert Rivera
03/19/2026
Weekly Witness Ep.505 “Are You With Us?” with Robert Rivera
This season on Weekly Witness, we are highlighting faith leaders who advocate for justice and equity. Our conversation this week is a great reminder that “faith leader” does not always mean “clergy.” As a lay-person, Robert Rivera has been a leading faith voice in the communities he has served, including in high levels of leadership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as the Director of the St. James Family Life Center in Houston. Robert is a leader in connecting our faith institutions with immigrant communities, where he has spent decades organizing. He is also a leader in the Houston Faith Votes movement. We are excited to bring you this conversation with Robert to challenge all of us to think about our work in immigration advocacy and civic engagement. If you want to get involved in Texas, check out Texas Impact’s Action Center and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the Texas Faith Votes team and the Immigration Action Team and hope you will consider joining. We hope you enjoy this episode. and hope you share it in your social media feed. Make sure to tag us, and invite a friend to listen along. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at .
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Weekly Witness Ep.505 "Are You With Us?" with Robert Rivera
03/18/2026
Weekly Witness Ep.505 "Are You With Us?" with Robert Rivera
This season on Weekly Witness, we are highlighting faith leaders who advocate for justice and equity. Our conversation this week is a great reminder that “faith leader” does not always mean “clergy.” As a lay-person, Robert Rivera has been a leading faith voice in the communities he has served, including in high levels of leadership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and as the Director of the St. James Family Life Center in Houston. Robert is a leader in connecting our faith institutions with immigrant communities, where he has spent decades organizing. He is also a leader in the Houston Faith Votes movement. We are excited to bring you this conversation with Robert to challenge all of us to think about our work in immigration advocacy and civic engagement. If you want to get involved in Texas, check out Texas Impact’s Action Center and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the Texas Faith Votes team and the Immigration Action Team and hope you will consider joining. We hope you enjoy this episode. and hope you share it in your social media feed. Make sure to tag us, and invite a friend to listen along. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at . Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Ep.504 Organizing in Texas with Rabbi Josh Fixler
03/12/2026
Ep.504 Organizing in Texas with Rabbi Josh Fixler
This week, Scott welcomes Rabbi Josh Fixler, associate rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston to the conversation. Josh is a friend of the program—so much so, in fact that we had trouble narrowing down the conversation because Rabbi Fixler has a wide-ranging justice portfolio. We landed on Christian Nationalism and civic engagement, because Rabbi Fixler has extensive expertise in those areas, and both have been at the forefront of the policy conversation in Texas over the last few weeks. Christian Nationalism has been a leading factor in harmful public policies in the reproductive health and public education policy areas, and it will require intentional civic engagement work from people of faith and good conscience to turn the tide. Rabbi Fixler talks about these policy areas and gives listeners tips and best practices for civic engagement. If you want to get involved in Texas, check out and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the team and resources, as election season continues. We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
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Weekly Witness Ep.504 Organizing in Texas with Rabbi Josh Fixler
03/11/2026
Weekly Witness Ep.504 Organizing in Texas with Rabbi Josh Fixler
This week, Scott welcomes Rabbi Josh Fixler, associate rabbi at Congregation Emanu El in Houston to the conversation. Josh is a friend of the program—so much so, in fact that we had trouble narrowing down the conversation because Rabbi Fixler has a wide-ranging justice portfolio. We landed on Christian Nationalism and civic engagement, because Rabbi Fixler has extensive expertise in those areas, and both have been at the forefront of the policy conversation in Texas over the last few weeks. Christian Nationalism has been a leading factor in harmful public policies in the reproductive health and public education policy areas, and it will require intentional civic engagement work from people of faith and good conscience to turn the tide. Rabbi Fixler talks about these policy areas and gives listeners tips and best practices for civic engagement. If you want to get involved in Texas, check out and consider signing up. We want to give a special shout out this week to the team and resources, as election season continues. We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks. Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Ep.503 Showing Up with Rev. Mara Bim
03/05/2026
Ep.503 Showing Up with Rev. Mara Bim
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Mara Bim for a conversation about her faith journey and work in the immigration space. She is familiar to many in the Texas Impact audience as a longtime friend and advocate, and she was recently a featured speaker at the Texas United Women in Faith Legislative Event. Rev. Bim serves as the Justice and Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas and as a writer with . The timing for the conversation was great, because it was the same week as the event in Washington, D.C. Thousands of people faith marched on the U.S. Capitol for a rally and for legislative visits, after a moving morning of worship with a . (Event resources to stay engaged are linked at the bottom of this page) If you want to get involved in Texas, check out , and consider signing up to get involved. If you are particularly interested in immigration advocacy, consider joining the Immigration Action Team. We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
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Weekly Witness Ep.503 Showing Up with Rev. Mara Bim
03/04/2026
Weekly Witness Ep.503 Showing Up with Rev. Mara Bim
This week, Scott was joined by Rev. Mara Bim for a conversation about her faith journey and work in the immigration space. She is familiar to many in the Texas Impact audience as a longtime friend and advocate, and she was recently a featured speaker at the Texas United Women in Faith Legislative Event. Rev. Bim serves as the Justice and Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas and as a writer with . The timing for the conversation was great, because it was the same week as the event in Washington, D.C. Thousands of people faith marched on the U.S. Capitol for a rally and for legislative visits, after a moving morning of worship with a . (Event resources to stay engaged are linked at the bottom of this page) If you want to get involved in Texas, check out , and consider signing up to get involved. If you are particularly interested in immigration advocacy, consider joining the Immigration Action Team. We hope you like the new format. If so, make sure to subscribe, like and share the content with your networks. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at . Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Weekly Witness Ep.502 "Do Your Thing" with Regina Q. Banks
02/25/2026
Weekly Witness Ep.502 "Do Your Thing" with Regina Q. Banks
The Texas Impact team started the week with Bee and Rev. Dr. Becca discussing the scientific method and the idea that government officials can’t unilaterally repeal science following an announcement from the administration that they had "repealed a scientific finding." So, it seemed particularly well-timed (shall we call it divine?) that we had already scheduled Regina Banks to join the podcast for this week. For those of you who followed along with , you will remember that Regina Banks is the Director of the Lutheran Office of Public Policy-California. Regina is a leader in the ELCA Advocacy space, an expert in the intersection of faith and climate policy, and was a star of our COP30 coverage. Scott talked with Regina about her faith and advocacy journey that has led her to this point, as well as her reflections on COP30 and where climate advocates go from here when the federal government seems unwilling to even acknowledge the problem. Let us know what you think about the new format, and make sure to like, share and subscribe. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at . Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Ep. 501 Imagine Better with Phil Dieke
02/18/2026
Ep. 501 Imagine Better with Phil Dieke
Weekly Witness is back with a new look and a new sound, as well as new content. The Texas Impact team recognizes that this is a unique moment in history, and we believe it is especially important for people of faith to lead and engage. So, we want to use the podcast to highlight faith voices who are leading in the areas of justice and advocacy. We want to give them a platform to inform, inspire and motivate us in the long journey that lies ahead as we prepare for elections and the Texas Legislature returning to Austin next January. And, who better to kick off this new season of Weekly Witness than Rev. Phil Dieke? Phil is an ordained deacon in the Horizon Texas Conference, where he serves as Chair of the Conference Board of Church and Society. He also works in an advisory capacity with the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. He serves many other great causes, including at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with the 787 Collective and Houses of Hope, as well as president of Texas Impact’s board. When most people think of Phil, they immediately think of his commitment to justice and equity—and maybe his fantastic hair. Scott had a chance to talk with Phil about the current political realities we are facing in the United States and how faith leaders and people of faith are called to respond in this moment. Phil talks about people who inspire him, who he takes his cues from (an answer that might include some familiar names), and what it looks like to faithfully live out our call to be co-creators of a world that is more loving and just. Check out the new and improved Weekly Witness and let us know what you think. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at texasimpact.org.
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Weekly Witness Ep. 501 Imagine Better with Rev. Phil Dieke
02/18/2026
Weekly Witness Ep. 501 Imagine Better with Rev. Phil Dieke
Weekly Witness is back with a new look and a new sound, as well as new content. The Texas Impact team recognizes that this is a unique moment in history, and we believe it is especially important for people of faith to lead and engage. So, we want to use the podcast to highlight faith voices who are leading in the areas of justice and advocacy. We want to give them a platform to inform, inspire and motivate us in the long journey that lies ahead as we prepare for elections and the Texas Legislature returning to Austin next January. And, who better to kick off this new season of Weekly Witness than Rev. Phil Dieke? Phil is an ordained deacon in the Horizon Texas Conference, where he serves as Chair of the Conference Board of Church and Society. He also works in an advisory capacity with the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church. He serves many other great causes, including at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary with the 787 Collective and Houses of Hope, as well as president of Texas Impact’s board. When most people think of Phil, they immediately think of his commitment to justice and equity—and maybe his fantastic hair. Scott had a chance to talk with Phil about the current political realities we are facing in the United States and how faith leaders and people of faith are called to respond in this moment. Phil talks about people who inspire him, who he takes his cues from (an answer that might include some familiar names), and what it looks like to faithfully live out our call to be co-creators of a world that is more loving and just. Check out the new and improved Weekly Witness and let us know what you think. Weekly Witness is hosted by Scott Atnip and engineered and produced by David Vassallo. Our executive producer is Bee Moorhead. Theme music by Kimberly Zielnicki, Hayden Havard and Andres Garcia-Bonilla. The opinions expressed on Weekly Witness are those of Texas Impact and our guests, and they do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Weekly Witness is a product of Texas Impact. Visit us online at . Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Ep. 464: Year-End Policy Wrap-Up
12/19/2025
Ep. 464: Year-End Policy Wrap-Up
We have finally made it to the end of 2025, or, at least the end of the 2025 Weekly Witness recording calendar. And, what a year it has been-from regular and special sessions with both good news and news that made us question those in power, the Texas Impact team has walked with you to effectively advocate on issues important to Texans of faith. Joining Scott for the year-end review are members of the Texas Impact Policy Team, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Rev. Kyle Riley, Rev. Keats Miles-Wallace, Gracie Bonilla and Rebecca McIlwain. The Weekly Witness team looks forward to being back with you in 2026. We wish everyone a meaningful and relaxing holiday season!
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Ep. 463 Bridge Over Troubled—What Now?
12/12/2025
Ep. 463 Bridge Over Troubled—What Now?
This week we continue our year-end series talking with the Texas Impact team about where we see public policy in 2025 as we prepare for a big year in 2026. Last week we talked to Membership Manager Kat Karbach about Texas Impact membership and this week we continue the series with Texas Impact’s Executive Director Bee Moorhead and outside legislative counsel Beaman Floyd. As we reflect on public policy in 2025, it is probably fair to say that the system is not working as well as we would hope. That is true not just in terms of policy outcomes, but also our policy processes. Bee and Beaman will talk about that and much more as we consider how we can navigate the often troubled waters of public policy and how people of faith can play a substantive role in both navigating those waters and creating a better future on the other side. As always you can more way to get involved on our website Join us on Substack
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Ep. 462 Members Equip Us for Action
12/05/2025
Ep. 462 Members Equip Us for Action
This week we kick off our year-end series talking with the Texas Impact team about where we see public policy in 2025 as we prepare for a big year in 2026. Membership Manager Kat Karbach kicks us off to talk about Texas Impact membership. Many listeners have participated in Texas Impact teams, joined us for advocacy events, made calls as part of the Rapid Response teams, and you obviously love the Weekly Witness podcast. All of that is supported by faithful Texas Impact members. As we near year-end, it is a perfect time to encourage friends and neighbors to renew their Texas Impact membership, so we are excited this week to welcome Kat to the program to talk about the incredible work of Texas Impact members throughout the state and highlight the importance of membership. Ready to put your faith into action? Become a member or make a donation today on our website
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Ep. 461 Implementation, Ethics, and Finance, Oh My!
11/21/2025
Ep. 461 Implementation, Ethics, and Finance, Oh My!
This week, we continue coverage of the United Nations climate negotiations known as COP30 held this year in Belém, Brazil. Last week, we had the Texas Impact team reporting from Belém, and today, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards joins the program soon after returning from the COP to talk to us about the latest from the conference with a few days remaining. Becca wears two hats—one as Dr. Becca Edwards, the climate scientist, and the other as Rev. Becca Edwards, United Methodist pastor. So, she will share her perspective as both a scientist and a pastor who has been writing about the role faith and morality played at the COP and the role people of faith have in responding to the climate crisis. Check out our team’s work on Texas Impact’s substack and YouTube as well as through Texas Impact’s media partnerships with the , , and
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Ep. 460 ...It Just Can't Be a Loser
11/14/2025
Ep. 460 ...It Just Can't Be a Loser
The Texas Impact team is on the ground and churning out great content from the United Nations climate negotiations known as COP30 Belém, Brazil. Make sure you are following along on Texas Impact’s substack and YouTube as well as through Texas Impact’s media partnerships with the Austin Chronicle, Baptist News Global, and United Methodist Insight. This week on Weekly Witness, members of that delegation–Bee Moorhead, Rev. Becca Edwards, Dylan Le and Regina Banks join the conversation with updates from COP30. This content is important to help us understand the global climate emergency and how the negotiations can shape our future work at the federal, state and local levels as well as in the corporate, NGO and faith community spaces–and help us understand the role the faith community plays in that work. Follow along with updates on Texas Impact's Substack, social media and via our media partners. https://texasimpact.substack.com/
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Ep. 459 Cotton Candy for Dinner: The November Election and What's Next
11/07/2025
Ep. 459 Cotton Candy for Dinner: The November Election and What's Next
The election is over, and even though there weren't big statewide or federal races on the ballot, local elections and good public policy matter, and so we are excited to welcome Texas Impact’s Outside Legislative Counsel Beaman Floyd back to the program to talk about the election results and where we go from here in the legislative calendar. Now that the constitutional amendment election is in the rearview mirror, we expect at some point to begin tracking interim hearings. The candidate filing deadline for Texas races is about a month out, so primary election season will be upon us soon. As always, Texas Impact has tools and resources to help you stay engaged. Learn more at .
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Weekly Witness Ep. 458 Spaghetti Map: Elections, Redistricting, and Closed Primaries Converge
10/31/2025
Weekly Witness Ep. 458 Spaghetti Map: Elections, Redistricting, and Closed Primaries Converge
This week we are recording during early voting before election day next Tuesday, November 4, and we know that all of you are doing everything you can to make sure your friends, neighbors and communities of faith are taking this election season. For many of us, the policy implications of what's going on in the world right now are hitting close to home. The government shutdown and corresponding freeze of SNAP benefits, and so many other vital programs, is impacting our communities, and that requires our attention. There are important elections on the ballot right now. The constitutional amendments matter. Many of your communities have school board races, local government elections and bond elections. Those matter too—so we hope you have voted or are making a plan to vote. Here to talk to us about elections, both the current November 4 election and our election infrastructure, is Natalia Contreras, reporter with Votebeat Texas. Visit the Votebeat Texas website and sign up for the newsletter at Want to know more about the constitutional amendments on the ballot? Visit Texas Impact's Substack to read Rebecca McIlwain's four part series Get full access to Texas Impact at
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Ep. 457 Science + Faith for Informed Trans Allies
10/24/2025
Ep. 457 Science + Faith for Informed Trans Allies
This week we take a break from the news of the day to talk about work important to many of us in the faith community–caring for our siblings who are being systematically marginalized by harmful public policy. Our transgender friends and neighbors have been specifically singled out for attack since at least 2017 in high profile and public ways starting most prominently in Texas when the first "bathroom bills" started coming to the forefront. For many Texans, there is a lot of ignorance on the subject, so we thought this week we would bring in an expert to talk to us about the science and help us understand this topic from a medical perspective so we can be more effective advocates. Texans of faith who care about equity need to stand up in support of our transgender neighbors specifically with our faith hats on because the attacks are largely coming from Christians and we need to speak up to say clearly—you do not speak for us. There are people of faith and good conscience who believe in equality. So, joining us for the conversation this week is Dr. Lolly Lockhart, who has been an RN for over 60 years and loves nursing. She has been an active member of the American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association and has served as a consultant, and seemingly every other position, in the nursing world a person could hold in addition to providing expert testimony at the Capitol on behalf of herself and others. Lolly is a treat, and I hope you enjoy the conversation this week.
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Ep. 456 There's Always a Grift
10/17/2025
Ep. 456 There's Always a Grift
This week we are excited to be joined by State Representative Mickey Dollens from Oklahoma. You might ask why Texas Impact would have an Oklahoma state representative on the program. That’s a great question—and we have an answer. We met Rep. Dollens at a recent event focused on combating Christian Nationalism sponsored by Interfaith Alliance. He shared his story of crashing a meeting with the National School Chaplain Association and how that group and similar groups are pushing a Christian Nationalist agenda in state legislatures across the country. He has been leading the fight to protect Oklahoma public school students from a religious takeover of their schools and shares some insights for those of us fighting the same fight here in Texas. For those of us who are people of faith, we hope this conversation creates a sense of urgency to do our part to speak up and organize against efforts to implement Christian Nationalism in every facet of our society. For more ways you can get involved visit us on our website at
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Ep. 455 Working Together to Turn the Tide
10/10/2025
Ep. 455 Working Together to Turn the Tide
This week we turn our attention from Austin to the nation’s capitol, because the center of the policy universe right now is the government shutdown. The decisions of Congress in the coming weeks will impact every one of us. Joining us for the conversation this week is friend of the program, Min. Christian Watkins, a Texas transplant currently serving as the Government Relations Advocate with NETWORK Lobby. Christian has been in the middle of these conversations, providing training for faith based advocates, and just before we recorded today, he was part of a rally that included faith leaders and members of Congress calling for Congress to protect our healthcare. Spoiler… we need more faith leaders and elected officials doing exactly that across the country. Christian joins us, still in his clergy collar from the rally, to give us a shutdown 101 and talk to us about the stakes related to health care and give us some advocacy marching orders. Find out more about the work of NETWORK Lobby at Watch the Interfaith Leaders and Congressional Democrats Rally and Prayer Vigil here: Additional resources: Watch NETWORK Lobby's
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Ep. 454 This is a Religious Story
10/03/2025
Ep. 454 This is a Religious Story
There is a lot going on in the world from government shut downs to statements and actions that threaten democracy and try to pit Americans against each other as enemies. And, in an increasingly polarized media landscape, it is hard to know where to get good, quality information. Religious media can play an important role in this landscape. There are many great religious media outlets, and this week we are talking with Mark Wingfield, who serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global. This is his second time working as a journalist, having worked in print journalism for 21 years before becoming the associate pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas for nearly 17 years. Scott and Mark talk about the role religious media plays in the current landscape, and the issues he thinks deserve the most attention. Find Mark's work at Baptist News Global here:
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Ep. 453 Texas Impact Presents: Faith in Democracy "Elections for Everybody"
09/26/2025
Ep. 453 Texas Impact Presents: Faith in Democracy "Elections for Everybody"
This week we have a special treat: instead of our usual interview format, we’re giving you a front-row seat to a special episode of Texas Impact’s award winning Faith in Democracy series, hosted by Executive Director, Bee Moorhead. This episode talks about the importance of voting. Bee says that voting is a matter of faith, citizenship, and democracy. We hope you believe that and recognize how important it is for everyone to participate in every election. That is how our democracy works best: when the whole of the community determines who represents us. Our system of voting has been changing. Some for the good, and some...not so much. This special episode of Faith in Democracy takes us from the 2000 election to current day; from hanging chads and butterfly ballots, to the current lawsuit to close Texas Primary elections. It is a helpful tool for you to understand where we are today and how we got here. You can listen to the episode as a podcast, but we encourage you to watch it on YouTube to get the full effect. Whether you watch or just listen, we hope you’ll give it a like or comment and share it on your social media channels. Watch it here:
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Ep. 452 "My Anguish is My Hope"
09/19/2025
Ep. 452 "My Anguish is My Hope"
The legislature has left the building, but the Texas Impact team has been hard at work. Last week, we welcomed Texas Impact’s Leadership Council to Austin for its annual in-person meeting. We left there, and several of us went to Dallas for a convening of organizations standing up against Christian Nationalism dubbed Religious Freedom in Public Schools Summit convened by Interfaith Alliance. Joining us to talk about both events are two of two of Texas Impact’s newest policy fellows, Alexandra Lang and Dylan Le.
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Ep. 451 Flooded with Missed Opportunities
09/12/2025
Ep. 451 Flooded with Missed Opportunities
This week we are talking with friend of Texas Impact, Cyrus Reed, Legislative and Conservation Director with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. There has been a lot of talk about flooding following the July 4 floods, but spoiler–folks were actually talking about this during the regular session, and a lot of the conversations came through the budget bills. We'll walk down memory lane, all the way back to budget night and see where legislation on water and flooding landed by the end of the last (for now) special session. Read Cyrus' breakdown of the $338 billion budget at www.sierraclub.org/texas/blog/2025/07/whats-in-the-texas-budget
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Ep. 450 Sine Dud
09/05/2025
Ep. 450 Sine Dud
This week, just hours after the Texas Legislature adjourned sine die, we sat down with Texas Impact’s Executive Director, Bee Moorhead, to get an initial response and lay of the land as we (hopefully) move into the legislative interim. Texans of faith did some incredible work throughout this year, but as a state, we can do better. We look forward to conversations about how Texans of faith can visit with legislators and begin the civic engagement work necessary during the interim. If you have ideas for ways Texas Impact can resource your advocacy efforts, please reach out at For now, thanks for tuning in during the multiple legislative sessions this year.
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Ep. 449 Some Explaining to Do
08/29/2025
Ep. 449 Some Explaining to Do
As we prepare to head into the Labor Day weekend, many of us thought the second special session would be over, but the work will continue after the long weekend. The Legislature has already passed racially discriminatory redistricting but is still working to finalize bills related to bathrooms, medication abortions and more, while ignoring real problems our communities face like upcoming cuts to health care, disasters, gun violence, and more. Joining the program this week to talk about all of that and more is Texas Impact's Executive Director Bee Moorhead. As always, look for ways you can get involved during the (hopefully) upcoming interim at
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Ep. 448 Not So "Special" Session
08/22/2025
Ep. 448 Not So "Special" Session
Texas Impact, our members and many others have been filling the Capitol this week. Texans of faith have hosted daily pop-up worship experiences highlighting our shared faith values and have fully engaged in the process because of the unprecedented assault on faith and faith values during the Texas Legislature’s second called special session. We were lucky enough to speak with some representatives both during and after the Texas House debated the mid-decade congressional redistricting bill. Representatives Rhetta Bowers, Salman Bhojani and Jon Rosenthal join Scott to discuss how crucial the involvement of Texans of faith and conscience are to the process both in the Capitol and at home in the district. The bill is in the hands of the Texas Senate now with hours of debate expected, it's not too late to get involved, make a call, send an email or show up to make your voice heard. Find more opportunities in our on the Texas Impact website.
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Ep. 447 Don't Upend It
08/15/2025
Ep. 447 Don't Upend It
The second called session of the 89th Texas Legislature is on and reproductive rights are back on the call. Once again bills have been filed to ban medications that induce abortions—but what is flying under the radar in the Senate version of the bill is a provision that would limit the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act or Texas RFRA. The Texas RFRA has historically been a respected, bipartisan law that protects religious institutions and, if passed, this carve out would be an unprecedented breach in the protections those institutions rely on. Here to discuss these attacks on reproductive rights and religious freedom is Texas Impact board member Rev. Laura Walters, Coordinator of Community Engagement and Public Witness with Grace Presbytery and Rev. Kyle Riley, Public Witness mobilizer with Texas Impact.
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Ep. 446 Advocacy vs Resistance
08/08/2025
Ep. 446 Advocacy vs Resistance
The Texas Legislature is midway through the third week of Special Session No.1 and activity has slowed to a halt in the House as Texas House Democrats have left the state to oppose the congressional redistricting plan. Texas Impact's Bee Moorhead joins the program to give us the latest and talk about how Texans of faith can help encourage conversations about community rather than what we are currently seeing. Join Texas Impact's Rapid Response Team on the of our website to recieve a link to attend Marching Order Mondays with Scott and Bee. Join the conversation each week during the special session.
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Ep. 445 An Ounce of Prevention...
08/01/2025
Ep. 445 An Ounce of Prevention...
The Texas Legislature is nearing the end of the second week of the special session, but in this episode, we want to focus on the Thursday July 31 hearing in Kerrville, TX that focused on the July 4 flooding in Central Texas. Our listeners will remember seeing the news from that day, and our prayers certainly go out to all who were impacted. We hope our prayers are also for leaders to do the work necessary to minimize loss in future disasters and to examine what went wrong and how we need to respond to keep this from happening again. Joining us for the conversation are two Texas Impact staff leading our Climate Action Team, Rev. Dr. Becca Edwards, Texas Impact's Climate Action Fellow and Ava Burkhalter, an intern and researcher with the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program. To get involved and join the Climate Action Team visit the Action Center of our website. Find out more about the Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program at
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Ep. 444 "Communities of Interest"
07/25/2025
Ep. 444 "Communities of Interest"
The Texas Legislature is back in Austin for a special session to consider a number of issues the governor has identified, chief among them congressional redistricting. Texas Impact does not take a position on the partisan makeup of those districts, but does believe that it is important that communities are a part of the process. Joining us this week for a thoughtful discussion of redistricting is friend of the program Beaman Floyd, Texas Impact's outside legislative counsel. Get invloved by joining Texas Impact's Rapid Response team to recieve action alerts at
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