When I was younger, I was told that if you want to be close to people, you can’t talk about God and Politics. As I got older, I watched the silence create a deeper divide than the conversations ever could. I think it's time we have a conversation. Reclaiming the Narrative is a values-based invitation to find our way forward.
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On two different, memorable occasions, I was given the same advice. "If you want to get along with people, don't talk about God or politics." The first came from a family member at a family gathering. The second came from the principal of a Christian school. I was young and impressionable, so I listened.
For years, I avoided those conversations. It seemed easier to keep the peace than risk the relationship or job. Then the world changed.
During the Trump presidency, politics found its way into nearly every corner of our lives—including our churches and our family gatherings. People who claimed the same faith, read the same Bible, and worshipped the same Jesus were arriving at completely different conclusions about what faithfulness looked like.
At a Christmas gathering in 2017, the tension in the room was impossible to ignore. No one wanted to start the conversation, but everyone knew it was there. Do you agree with what our churches are saying? Are you okay with what our president is doing?
What struck me most was the irony. We were celebrating the birth of Jesus—a child whose family fled political violence, struggling to agree what it looked like to following Him today. One of the older members of my family quietly voiced a question that has stayed with me ever since: "How can we be this divided if we believe the same things?"
I started writing an answer in a way that was lighthearted and fun, and then the pandemic happened.
None of it worked.
If anything, we came out more divided than before. Families stopped talking. Friendships ended. Churches split. People walked away from faith. We became quicker to judge, slower to listen, less empathetic, and increasingly convinced that people who disagreed with us must also be against us.
Reclaiming the Narrative addresses the divide. This isn't a book about choosing the right political side. It isn't about changing your mind. It's about reclaiming the values that should shape us no matter which side we're on. It's about empowering you to make change where you are.
Written in a conversational style, the book blends stories, reflections, history, and practical ideas to explore one central question: How do we find our way back?
Reclaiming the Narrative isn't interested in winning arguments. It's interested in helping us become the kinds of people who can have conversations and come at things in a values-based way. It's time to have a conversation.
That's where healing begins.
The book is written for readers of all ages with an inclination toward the spiritual. The primary audience is the spiritually homeless, or those trying to reconstruct a bigger faith. The secondary audience is those questioning what's going on in the faith, looking for answers and trying to find hope in divided times.
I’m a writer and language lover that’s been teaching and writing for the past twenty years. I’ve taught all levels of high school English, adult learners, and written all different things. Including study curriculum for Mars Hill Bible Church (6,000+ members at the time), edited the church’s Lent Blog, and two books - Prepped Papa: mental and spiritual reflections for dads to be, and Let’s Talk About Race in Storytimes (ALA 2022; with my wife Jessica Anne Bratt ). Additionally I write blogs and web series on therealtombratt.com. From 2016-19, I hosted the podcast Beyond the Classroom: life lessons with Mr. B (3 season, 45 episodes, 4,000+ downloads).
The publishers will be visible after the campaign has ended.
When I was younger, I was told, “If you want to have a close family, you can’t talk about God or politics.” At the time, I thought it was odd. My entire family believed in God. All my cousins went to Christian schools. Every family member attended church, and we prayed before every meal we ever had as a family. How - in this setting, I wondered - was God off limits?
A similar version of this sentiment was echoed at my first job. “If you want to get along with them, you can’t talk about politics or religion with your coworkers.” It was said by the principal. Of a Christian School. A school where we had chappel twice a week, where the kids were required take a Bible class, and many of the teachers prayed before their individual lessons. Again I wondered: how is God off limits, here?
In hindsight, I think they were trying to communicate that getting along makes the day easier, so it was best to avoid any possible area of conflict at all cost. If you start a fire, you could burn it all down. Better to avoid the flame. But I thought then, and think now, that what we give up for the the easier day costs us a lot more in the long run. It costs closeness in relationships, impedes the ability to compromise or understand. And not engaging in conversation, we disengage in relationships. It has the dangerous side effect of making your entire circle look a lot like you do.
If what they meant was bite your tongue and avoid all conflict, what I heard was: hide your true self. Though I disagreed, I was young. I was a new teacher. So even though it went against what I believe and value, I kept my mouth closed. It meant doing things in private rather than public, and filtering conversational topics before they happened. I felt - inauthentic, often guilty, almost felt like I was lying all the time.
The personal consequence is that my family members and coworkers weren’t as close as they could have been. I wasn’t able to ask advice, question beliefs, or get council that would have been helpful. I wasn’t able to discover who I am, or purse what I wanted to be, because I had to follow their prescribed code.
I do not think I am alone in this. The prescribed code is breaking down everywhere.
Over and over, in many different outlets, societal division is mentioned. You see it on the news, hear it on podcasts, read about it in books, or posts on social media. You’ll hear division, polarization, followed by the need to either go forward faster, or turning back the clock to: Make America Great Again.
Compounding it all: we live in interesting times. The world is fundamentally different today than it was 25-years ago. We need to adapt. So rather than avoiding them, I want to dive right into the two subjects I was directly told to avoid: God and politics. For both God and Politics, their is a guide.
It’s time we have a conversation.
The author hasn't added any updates, yet.
Very excited to dive into this!
Very exciting Tom! I've enjoyed talking books with you for many years and can't wait to read yours!
Can’t wait to read it T!! Awesome to see you move this forward.
8=D
on Aug. 5, 2026, 6:23 p.m.
Can't wait to see this book published and receive my copy!