Good Faith

Bob Fu was a student leader during the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989. He later became a “double agent,” meaning he taught Communist Party officials during the day and operated illegal house churches at night.   After he and his wife were imprisoned for “illegal evangelism,” they eventually fled to the United States as religious refugees.  Since then, Bob has helped rescue persecuted Christians around the world and has earned the moniker of “the operator of the Chinese Underground Railroad.”   On this week’s Good Faith podcast, guest host Nancy French interviews Bob who explains China’s human rights violations, the importance of religious freedom and rule of law, and how the Western church can pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in China.   SHOW NOTES:    RSVP here for the Washington DC live Good Faith recording on 9/5/23: Curtis will talk with AEI’s Yuval Levin on Institutions and Anxiety. The event will be held in the AEI Auditorium at 1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036   B2THEWORLD: Join the Christian effort to rebuild high quality schools in war torn parts of the world.   George Fox University: Check out the offerings of one of the premier Christian universities in the country.   Notes on the ministry of Bob Fu   “The Chinese Communist Party is rewriting the Bible: Gospel according to Chairman Xi has Jesus turn killer instead of forgiving sin,” by Mike Gallagher, FoxNews.   Donald Trump praises Xi to Tucker Carlson   God's Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian's Fight for Freedom by Bob Fu, collaborator Nancy French   The Politics of Inclusive Pluralism: A Proposed Foundation for Religious Freedom in a Post-Communist, Democratic China by Bob Fu    Freedom to Pray – How Good Faith listeners can pray more effectively for their brothers and sisters in China.   ChinaAid.org – ChinaAid exposes human rights abuses and promotes truth, justice and freedom by advocating for religious freedom and the rule of law in China. ChinaAid continues to endeavor for the immediate release of prisoners of conscience, equip human rights defenders and religious and community leaders with religious freedom and rule of law training, rescue and resettle persecuted leaders and their families, encourage families of prisoners of conscience by providing financial assistance, and exposing abuse by featuring unique stories of persecution and injustice on ChinaAid’s website and through social media.  

Our good friend and partner in The After Party project, Russell Moore, joins us to talk about his new book, “Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America.” Curtis and Russell talk about why “mapping” our loss is critical for those who currently feel culturally, politically, or spiritually homeless. We explore two kinds of maps - the “treasure map” and the “minefield map” - and why Christians need both.   “Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America” by Russell Moore Check out the opportunities at George Fox University   Check out the opportunities with the Matthew 5:9 Network.

One cannot make sense of the deformation of the current conservative movement without understanding immigration. And one cannot grasp the nature of immigration without understanding anxiety. Like most political issues today, the topic of immigration is bathed in anxiety - for everyone on all sides. Curtis draws these connections, with the ultimate aim to show that Christians can uniquely contribute to the conversation about immigration because we have uniquely good news about anxiety. This episode draws from Curtis’ talk at a convening of the National Immigration Forum in Ohio that included local pastors and civic leaders.   January 6 Was Practice, The Atlantic, January 2022 by Barton Gellman   Pew Research Center on Immigration and Politics   Immigration and far-right voting : New evidence (from Europe) from the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

For this episode, we rerun David and Curtis tackling the topic of Christian nationalism. What is it exactly? How does it relate to a genuine Christian understanding of how faith should relate to a nation? And how does it relate to our Founders’ intentions? Curtis and David also explore the nature of healthy patriotism and how to love your national home, warts and all. National Immigration Forum Ohio Conference: "From Anxious People to Hopeful People." Tuesday, July 25 from 10am-4pm at Vineyard Church (6000 Cooper Rd, Westerville, OH). It is free to attend and lunch is included. You can register for the National Immigration Forum event here. The After Party Informational Pastors' Lunch. Wednesday, July 26 from 12:00pm-1:30pm in Independence, OH. Email pilot@redeemingbabel.org for further details and the link to register. -Thomas Kidd: “Christian Nationalism vs. Christian Patriotism” -Deseret News: “What the latest data tells us about Christian nationalism” -French Press: “Discerning the Difference Between Christian Nationalism and Christian Patriotism” -French Press: “The Seeds of Political Violence Are Being Sown in Church”

Shiny Happy People, a new docuseries documenting the effects of the teachings of Bill Gothard on the Duggars, had the biggest debut of any documentary series ever produced by Amazon.  In this episode of the Good Faith podcast, guest host Nancy French and “founding friend” David French discuss this popular series, the legacy of Bill Gothard, purity culture, and the true hope for those affected by this anti-Biblical ideology. SHOW NOTES:   Shiny Happy People on Amazon Prime   ‘Shiny Happy People,’ Fundamentalism and the Toxic Quest for Certainty by David French, New York Times; June 13, 2023.    ‘They Aren’t Who You Think They Are:’ The inside story of how Kanakuk—one of America’s largest Christian camps—enabled horrific abuse by David French and Nancy French, The Dispatch; Mar 28, 2021 ‘It was just a thing at Kanakuk’: Campers and staff say nudity was part of camp cultureBy Nancy French, Springfield News Leader, May 26, 2022 Survivors, ex-employees say Kanakuk Christian camp 'ministered' to its sexual predators, by Nancy French, USA Today, May 26, 2022 Nancy French’s Tweet Thread on Kanakuk Ties to Bill Gothard Joe White Says Pete Newman’s Wife Should’ve Been His First Layer of Accountability [Deposition Video] Check out the opportunities at George Fox University Check out the opportunities with the Matthew 5:9 Network.

We’ve witnessed story after story about the abuse of power practiced by Christians and Christian institutions. Does that mean that, to quote Lord Acton, that “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely?” How should followers of Jesus relate to the possibility of wielding power? Cherie Harder, the President of The Trinity Forum, is ideally suited to address these questions. She’s spent a lifetime in the corridors of power and shares a wealth of theological and practical wisdom on this important topic. The Trinity Forum For a helpful theological examination about power, check out Andy Crouch’s Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power. Check out the opportunities at George Fox University Check out the opportunities with the Matthew 5:9 Network.  

How can Christian respond to the epidemic of gun violence sweeping our country? Michael Allen and David Dillon join us to share about their inspiring work with Together Chicago. They are an unlikely pair in a racially divided city torn by violence: Michael is a former black pastor and David is a white business executive. Starting with their own friendship, Michael and David have led an innovative and inspiring campaign to counter the evil of gun violence with collaboration and hope.   Find out more about Together Chicago The Unseen Realm by Micahel S. Hesier (recommended by Michael Allen) The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce's Circle Transformed Britain by Stephen Tomkins (recommended by David Dillon) Evil and the Cross by Henri Blocher (recommended by Curtis Chang on why we ultimately are not called to “make sense” of evil, but rather to combat it). Check out the opportunities at George Fox University Check out the opportunities with the Matthew 5:9 Network.  

This week, Curtis kicks off a two parter on the tough subject of guns in America. Part 1 is a Good Faith Classic where Curtis and David explored the tensions between gun culture and gun control in our hyper-polarized environment. They help us take a step back to think through the “how” of approaching such a complex issue versus just the “what” of our preferred policy outcome. Stay tuned for next week’s Part 2 episode where Good Faith explores what a Christian response to gun violence could look like.   Show Notes:   Rand Corporation - Gun Policy in America  Rand Corporation - How Gun Policies Affect Mass Shootings Malcolm Gladwell (New Yorker) - Thresholds of Violence: How school shootings catch on French Press - Pass and Enforce Red Flag Laws. Now. David French (The Atlantic) - What Critics Don’t Understand About Gun Culture

The Asbury revival of early 2023 garnered a great deal of interest from Christians hungering for signs of hope. What’s happening there now? In the first part, Curtis talks with the President of Asbury University, Kevin Brown, to learn more about the experience itself and how the institution has sought to steward this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In the second part, “founding friend” David French joins Curtis to reflect more deeply on how God works through revivals, drawing on Asbury, US history, and especially their shared experience of revival at Harvard in the 1990’s.

We examine the phenomena of spiritual abuse with the help of Dan Koch, researcher, therapist, and host of the podcast, You Have Permission. Both Curtis and Dan share how their own lives have been affected by spiritual abuse, and then together address questions such as, “Why can it be difficult to spot? What kind of impact does it leave? What makes spiritual abuse distinct from other kinds of abuse?” The conversation connects important theological insights - including the nature of institutional sin and redemption - with practical advice for victims, their loved ones, and current leaders of Christian organizations.   Dan Koch’s Spiritual Harm and Abuse Scale Clinical Screener   Dan’s You Have Permission Podcast   Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse: Creating Healthy Christian Cultures by Dr. Lisa Oakley   Further resources on spiritual abuse from The Allender Center at the Seattle School