The Orange County Chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State welcomes you for a special event introducing Braver Angels, a national organization dedicated to bridging political and ideological divides through respectful, structured dialogue.

After introducing Braver Angels, we will highlight a recent Braver Angels event that explored the complex and often deeply personal topic of church-state separation.  Participants engaged in a thoughtful, cross-partisan discussion.

This event will showcase how civic dialogue can build understanding across differences, even on issues that strike at the heart of personal identity and constitutional principles. Attendees will learn more about the Braver Angels model and how it can complement Americans United’s mission by promoting civil engagement and respectful disagreement.

Whether you’re a longtime supporter of church-state separation, someone of deep faith, or simply curious about how we can better talk across divides—this event offers a hopeful look at how we can bridge our differences without compromising our convictions.

Meet our guest speakers.

Nick Straub  was born in Fallbrook, CA, and has lived in San Diego county his whole life.  He got his bachelor's degree in philosophy at the University of California San Diego, and, after some serious soul searching, he decided to pursue a career in ministry. He has worked at the San Diego Rescue Mission (a non-profit that runs homeless shelters and oversees a program that helps people rehabilitate their lives), chaplained at Scripps Mercy Hospital, and is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego.  His faith is the foundation of his life, and he believes God speaks through all people and all cultures – we just need the courage to seek.  As such, he is passionate about bridging divides and helping people see their common humanity which is why he joined Braver Angels and helps to organize his local inter-faith dialogues.

Alden Moss was born and raised Catholic in Portland, Oregon by two parents who converted to the faith before he was born. He studied bioengineering and obtained a Bachelors Degree from Oregon State University followed by a PhD from the UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering. Throughout his studies, he has been involved in Catholic campus ministry, having grown deeper in his faith during his college years.  After moving to San Diego for work over two years ago, he began to grapple with how his faith and politics fit together in an increasingly polarized America after seeing that a majority of young adult Catholics in San Diego endorsed political views starkly different than his own.  Since then, he feels like he has been a person living in two different worlds and has had a strong desire to unify those two worlds. He has come to believe that political polarization is the number one problem in America and that we can’t solve any other problems until we make progress on this issue. He also believes it is a moral issue when people are hating their neighbors.  This is what inspired him to spearhead the Interfaith Dialogues with Braver Angels and the And Campaign.