In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael speaks with Elizabeth Bruenig, a journalist at The Atlantic. Elizabeth’s series on the death penalty in Alabama tells stories in such a raw and humanizing way that it was named a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. This candid and deep conversation reflects on the issue as a moral and policy matter as well as reveal Elizabeth’s approach to her coverage and why these stories are important. She shares how keeping an open heart allows her to sustain in this difficult reporting while also informing her passion and motivation to continue to tell these stories.Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!“Inmates, they’re the forgotten ones of our society, and she tells these stories in a really raw and humanizing way.” -Phebe [02:02]“What I see in the forgiveness that I’ve witnessed just doing this work is that forgiveness is a gift you give to other people.” -Elizabeth [18:47]“In the end, I’m convinced that the state of our politics is a reflection of the state of our souls.” -Michael [28:08]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[00:46] The importance of this conversation[03:39] What led Elizabeth to Alabama[07:02] Elizabeth’s approach to her reporting[11:00] The influence of her work[17:18] The virtue of forgiveness[23:55] Keep an open heart[27:43] There’s good and evil inside all of us[30:56] OutroREFERENCESElizabeth BruenigPulitzer Prize Finalist: Elizabeth Bruenig of The AtlanticElizabeth Bruenig on Alabama’s Botched ExecutionsFor the Good of the Public SummitExecution of Joe Nathan James Jr.Alan Eugene MillerExecution of Kenneth Eugene SmithThe Innocence ProjectBurl Cain, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of CorrectionsCriminal menopauseAlabama Executes James BarberJohn Sage, Founder and CEO of Bridges To LifeSister Norma PimentelA Conversation on Justice and Character with Gary HaugenSt. Mary MagdaleneAugustine, the Guilty Optimist  by Elizabeth BruenigCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe share a conversation with Ryan Burge, an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, Tara Isabella Burton, a writer and a 2023 Public Life Fellow, and Chine McDonald, director of Theos, a religious society think tank based in UK. There has been a rise in religious disaffiliation or people who desire to distance themselves from the institutional church, especially among Gen Z and millennials. The panelists bring their perspective as they provide a deep dive on the current religious trends and demographics, and what the “Rise of the Nones” means for American politics, culture and communities.Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!“I think this is one of the most significant demographic and cultural shifts that’s taken place in American life over the last couple of decades, and so that’s an important reason for us to be hosting a conversation.” -Phebe [01:15]“It’s a trend that’s impacting every aspect of American society. There’s no demographic group that you can name that has not been more secularized today than 10 or 15 years ago, whether it be race or age or gender or politics or region. Everyone–basically every demographic group in America today—is less religious than they were 10 or 15 years ago. -Ryan [06:30] “One of the positives that one of my previous bosses used to say when looking at this from a religious disaffiliation in the UK was actually what you were left with was the real Christians, right? Because it was no longer socially advantageous to go to church or to occupy a pew on a Sunday morning.” -Chine [20:09]“I wonder–and I don’t have the wisdom to have the answer–how one preserves both the openness and the communal importance of religious life without ceding ground that church is just another thing you can choose to do with your Sunday.” -Tara [24:49]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[01:05] Why did we host this conversation?[01:56] About this week’s speakers[03:36] More introductions[05:31] People leaving the church[08:57] Community and belonging[15:16] American non-religion[20:06] What cause the disaffiliation[25:57] What they see in the future[30:28] OutroREFERENCES2023 Public Life FellowsTheosRyan Burge’s SubstackStrange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella BurtonFor the Good of the Public SummitThe Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going by Ryan BurgeThe Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back? by Michael Graham, Ryan Burge and Jim DavisSelf-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to the Kardashians by Tara Isabella BurtonTom Holland interview: ‘We swim in Christian waters’Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. PutnamCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

In this episode of For the Good of the Public, Michael and Phebe share a conversation with Dr. Rosalind Picard and Michael Sacasas about artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. Picard is a scientist, inventor, engineer, a member of the faculty of MIT's Media Lab, founder and director of the Affective Computing research group at the MIT Media Lab and co-founder of Affectiva (now part of Smart Eye) and Empatica. Michael is the executive director of the Christian Study Center of Gainesville, Florida and author of The Convivial Society newsletter about technology, culture and the moral life. In this conversation, Sacasas and Dr. Picard discuss the implications of advanced Artificial Intelligence, and how Christian resources might contribute to how civic leaders and the general public navigate these technological developments and the attending challenges and opportunities. Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!“What I think is exciting about this moment, and this conversation around artificial intelligence, is that I think that people are engaging with these developments in a way that says, We don’t just have to passively receive these technological developments. We can be discerning. We can even shape how these technologies develop.” -Michael [01:24]“I think at its very core, the advancements around AI are causing us to ask some of the most essential questions that Christianity has provided answers for around what does it mean to be human? Who are we? What were we created for?” -Phebe [03:08]“Because there has been a long history of various cycles of development in AI and AI winters and hype cycles that come with it as well, right now we’re in a moment that feels as if things are changing very quickly, evolving very quickly.” -Michael Sacasas [07:17]“If we can inspire more people working on technology to serve the folks that are being left out, the world would be a much better place.” -Dr. Picard [14:43]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[03:38] About Dr. Rosalind Picard[04:07] About Michael Sacasas [04:37] The term “artificial intelligence”[07:18] AI in this moment[12:57] Dr. Picard’s faith has impacted her work[17:05] Wisdom to share[20:53] Pitching Affective Computing[22:33] How to live faithfully in the moment[24:47] OutroREFERENCESMIT Media LabMIT’s Affective ComputingEmpaticaAffectivaChristian Study Center of GainesvilleThe Convivial SocietyFor the Good of the Public SummitPresident Biden’s Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial IntelligenceChatGPTChristianity Today: An MIT Professor Meets the Author of All KnowledgeCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe share a talk from Rev. CJ Rhodes, pastor of Mount Helm Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, on what the Black Church offers America today. Rev. Rhodes is the founder and president of Clergy for Prison Reform, a Public Theologian in Residence for the AND Campaign, and the author of two books: “7 Leadership Principles of Service and Success” and “Deeper Still: Ministry Empowered by the Holy Spirit.” This talk–recorded at CCPL’s inaugural Summit–reflects on the witness and contributions of the Black Church, and what it has to offer America today. Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!“For me, learning from Black faith leaders has been so essential to my own understanding of what faith and public life look like when they’re intersected in a healthy way.” -Phebe [01:22]“The nostalgia for the Black Church of the ‘60s and the Civil Rights Movement can lead some to overlook the contributions that the Black Church is offering and can offer today, and Dr. Rhodes exemplifies the present and future of the Black Church.” -Michael [02:06]“Between the schoolhouse and the church house and your mama and daddy’s house, the Black Church has been a central force for making sure we bear witness, not only to freedom, but to do it in a way that maintain hope against great odds.” -Rev. Rhodes [8:54]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[02:32] This week’s guest, Rev. CJ Rhodes[03:10] A brief history of Mount Helm Baptist Church[10:01] Politics is one part of human flourishing[13:39] The Black Church’s role in the mission of hope[18:08] The social and historical realities of the Black Church[22:34] OutroREFERENCESJoin us at For the Good of the Public Summit this fallRev. C.J. Rhodes, pastor at Mount Helm Baptist ChurchClergy for Prison ReformAND Campaign7 Leadership Principles of Service and Success by Rev. C.J. RhodesDeeper Still: Ministry Empowered By The Holy Spirit by Rev. C.J. RhodesThe Spirit of Our Politics by Michael WearBarna: How the Church Can Fuel Black Gen Z’s Desire for JusticeCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

In the debut episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael Wear, Founder and CEO, and Phebe Meyer, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, of Center for Christianity & Public Life (CCPL), preview their conversations with civic and religious leaders about the future of Christianity and American public life. This summer, listeners will hear sessions from CCPL’s inaugural For the Good of the Public Summit that provides the environment for robust conversations, starting with Michael’s opening remarks, “The Spirit of Our Politics.” These remarks describe the purpose of the summit, and provide a preview of his book of the same name that explores what Christianity has to offer to our politics in this particular moment. It is also a great introduction to the spirit of the summit and CCPL’s work. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts in order to receive new episodes featuring speakers and conversations on some of the most pressing issues in public life today.Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube! “I think one of the distinctives of our summit and of this podcast is that it's just not designed for Christians. We do believe at the center that Christian values and resources should be offered as an act of loving service and not as an imposition.” -Phebe [08:28]“The truth is that while I think I know public policy is important and systems matter, the state of our politics is in the end a reflection of the state of our souls.” -Michael [25:17]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[00:46] About CCPL and its mission[02:55] About For the Good of the Public Summit[04:09] Highlights from the summit[08:25] Not just designed for Christians[10:40] An invitation to a new conversation[12:51] The Spirit of Our Politics[27:55] Outro[28:49] What to expect at this year’s summitREFERENCESFor the Good of the Public SummitYoung Professionals NetworkPublic Life FellowshipHigh School: Public Good GenerationGary Haugen of International Justice MissionEboo Patel of Interfaith AmericaThe Spirit of Our Politics by Michael WearCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael speaks with Gary Haugen, CEO and Founder of the International Justice Mission (IJM), a global organization that protects people in poverty from violence. This conversation, titled “A Conversation on Justice and Character,” was recorded at the Center for Christianity and Public Life’s For the Good of the Public Summit and focuses on justice and character as well as the future of the justice movement. Gary shares the transformative worldwide experiences that revealed the reality of violence against the poor and inspired him to leave his job at the U.S. Department of Justice to start IJM. Listen as he discusses the organization’s work, and how Christian resources are integral to both IJM’s work, and the overall justice movement. Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube! “Gary is someone who has operated at such a high level, whose life has been so oriented around the public good, and serving those who are–what Howard Thurman referred to as–the disinherited, and he’s done this in a way that’s not just integrated with, but supported by his faith.” -Michael [00:56]“And that is my actual conviction and that’s our conviction at IJM, that the power to do the work of justice in the world comes from God.” -Gary [18:00]TIMESTAMPS[00:00] Intro[00:26] This week’s conversation with Gary Haugen[01:47] Gary’s role in the start of CCPL[04:18] IJM’s origin story[09:33] IJM’s work in the past and today[13:34] The shape of injustice[19:07] The work of justice is long and boring[21:10] The future of the justice movement[23:16] OutroREFERENCESFor the Good of the Public SummitInternational Justice MissionThe Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God by Dallas WillardApartheidDesmond TutuLawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM)NPR: A Look Back At The Rodney King RiotsU.S. Department of Justice: Law Enforcement MisconductUnited Nations: International Criminal Tribunal for RwandaThe Spirit of Our Politics by Michael WearDeepening the Soul for Justice by Bethany H. HoangThe Book of Love by Peter GabrielCONNECT WITH US:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife

The Center for Christianity & Public Life introduces For the Good of the Public podcast, bringing conversations on how Christians and Christianity can and must contribute in 21st Century America. This summer, Michael Wear, Founder and CEO, and Phebe Meyer, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor, will speak with journalists, U.S. senators, non-profit executives, activists and other leaders on today’s most pressing issues as well as discuss how Christianity can contribute to healthier politics and public life. Listen in upcoming weeks to hear conversations with Gary Haugen, Liz Bruenig, Eugene Cho, Eboo Patel, Christine Emba, and many others! Connect with Us:Website: www.ccpubliclife.orgX: @CCPublicLifeFacebook: Center for Christianity & Public LifeInstagram: @ccpubliclife