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Savannah Guthrie Opens Up About Faith and Family

Today Show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie talks to Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway about her new book, "Mostly What Goes: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere." Savannah explains why she wanted to reflect on her faith and family, and also discusses AI book scams. #pivot #podcast #savannahguthrie #faith

Kara SwisherhostSavannah GuthrieguestScott Gallowayhost
Mar 13, 202423mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Savannah Guthrie on Vulnerable Faith, Doubt, Family, and Modern Religion

  1. Savannah Guthrie discusses her book "Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere," explaining why she chose to write publicly about a deeply personal faith she’d mostly kept quiet. She frames the book as honest reflections from a non‑theologian who has learned more from disappointment and failure than from triumph, centered on the idea that "mostly what God does is love you."
  2. Guthrie, Kara Swisher, and Scott Galloway explore how faith intersects with grief, parenting, interfaith marriage, and the problem of religion being weaponized in politics and culture. Savannah emphasizes doubt as a core part of faith, the importance of personal encounter with God over institutional failings, and the value of making space for silence and transcendence in a noisy world.
  3. They also touch on AI-generated fake companion workbooks exploiting her book on Amazon, raising concerns about authorship, consumer protection, and platform accountability.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Authentic faith writing requires emotional risk and vulnerability.

Guthrie resisted writing about God because it felt too personal and exposing, but ultimately chose to step outside her comfort zone—mirroring the advice she often gives young journalists about growth coming from risk.

Reimagining God as primarily loving can transform one’s spiritual life.

Her title phrase, "Mostly what God does is love you," helped her move from a shame- and rules-based Baptist upbringing toward an image of God as a parent who delights in their children’s existence and small milestones.

Doubt is not the opposite of faith; indifference is.

Guthrie argues that wrestling with questions like "Where is God in suffering?" is part of faith’s ongoing work, whereas apathy and lack of engagement sit closer to faith’s true opposite.

Separate God from human institutions to avoid losing faith over politics.

In response to religion being weaponized for misogyny and discrimination, she urges people to "go back to the source material," know God for themselves, and recognize institutional failings as human, not divine.

With kids, focus on exposure and honest conversation rather than control.

As a Christian in an interfaith household with a Jewish husband, she aims to share her lived relationship with God, participate in community, honor Jewish traditions, and trust that her children will ultimately choose their own path.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

Mostly what God does is love you.

— Savannah Guthrie

Anything interesting you do in your life will be outside your comfort zone.

— Savannah Guthrie

The doubt isn’t, ‘Does God exist?’ The crucible of doubt for any deeply thinking faithful person is, ‘Where is God?’

— Savannah Guthrie

I don’t let religious institutions ruin God for me.

— Savannah Guthrie

Faith is, in the end, a leap… You open your heart and give a little access point, then let God do the rest. He’s God, you’re not.

— Savannah Guthrie

Savannah Guthrie’s motivation for writing a vulnerable book about her Christian faithReframing God from judgmental taskmaster to a loving, delighted parentDoubt, suffering, and the tension between faith and a broken worldParenting, interfaith marriage, and introducing children to religion thoughtfullyThe role and dangers of religious institutions, including politicization and discriminationPersonal longing for quiet, transcendence, and deeper conversation about beliefAI-generated fake workbooks, author impersonation, and platform limitations

High quality AI-generated summary created from speaker-labeled transcript.

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