Hi everyone! 

We hope you are all having a joyous and rejuvenating Christmas break! There is some Christmas goodness coming your way tomorrow in the form of our monthly bonus Shake the Dust episode (preview below as always).  

Before we get started, could we ask you a quick favor? If you’re a fan of Shake the Dust, and you have a Spotify account, could you click here and give us a five-star rating? Spotify just introduced the ability to rate podcasts, and it will help us get discovered by more listeners if we get more good ratings on what is quickly becoming the world’s largest podcast listening platform. And if, like many people, you use Apple podcasts and have never rated us, we would also appreciate you clicking here and giving us five stars! Thank you so much in advance! 

Now, let’s get to it: here are this week’s highlights. 

Sy’s recommendations: 

• If you’re anything like me, your background in Christianity included no shortage of praise from pulpits and parachurch organizations for political conservatives and moderates. You probably heard someone explain why unregulated free markets, privatization, or climate change denial were precisely in sync with everything Jesus taught us. Having uncovered many of the idols behind this worldview, I’m now far more interested in learning about people whose faith took them in other directions, and one of them is running for state office to represent Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown. His name is Illapa Sairitupac. He comes from a family of indigenous Peruvian immigrants, and his dedication to Jesus led him to socialism. This interview gives readers a good look at his fascinating journey and perspective. He also speaks quite proudly about his faith and how it fuels his work as a social worker and political organizer.