Good Faith

Longtime friend Andy Crouch joins Curtis to talk about what it means to truly rest the way God intended us to do so. Why is rest so important to creativity? What is the difference between rest and leisure? Is binge watching Netflix actually restful? What are other key mistakes we make in approaching this vital topic? The conversation is Good Faith at its best, combining Biblical theology, cultural analysis, and practical living. Wheaton College Graduate School offers 20 excellent master’s, doctoral, and certificate programs, including flexible learning opportunities. Check out these offerings at: wheaton.edu/goodfaith.   Learn more about how our Christian faith makes sense of life and health in the MedTech world at “The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited” - a conference by the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. The conference runs from June 22-24 at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in suburban Chicago. You can attend via in person, online live, or on-demand recording.   Interested in financially sponsoring the Good Faith podcast as an institution or an individual? Read more about how to support Good Faith here at Redeeming Babel.  

David returns from his recent trip to Kyiv to provide an eyewitness account of the war, including what it is like to survive the terror of a hypersonic missile attack by the Russians. He and Curtis discuss the physical, emotional, and spiritual toll of the war on the Ukrainian people. They explore what lessons we all should take from this ongoing, world changing event.   Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust   Human Rights Watch report on Russian war crimes    Learn more about how our Christian faith makes sense of life and health in the MedTech world at “The Christian Stake in Bioethics Revisited” - a conference by the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. The conference runs from June 22-24 at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in suburban Chicago. You can attend via in person, online live, or on-demand recording.

Curtis Chang, the regular host of the Good Faith podcast, takes a turn in the “guest seat” in this special episode in which Nancy French interviews him about his new book, The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self. Curtis, who has suffered from anxiety to the point of losing his job as a senior pastor, offers up hard-earned wisdom that could transform one’s view on parenting, relationships, and even politics. Curtis also talks about the way the church gets anxiety wrong, how Jesus dealt with anxious people, and how grieving is a necessary component of effectively walking through loss.    

It’s the 75th Good Faith episode and we’re celebrating our “diamond” podcast by running back one of our first episodes. First released in November 2021, this episode is a “classic” (in our minds) because we define terms around several key questions that have recurred on Good Faith: “What is an ‘evangelical?’ Is it a set of religious beliefs, a set of cultural beliefs, or a set of political beliefs? How does evangelicalism compare with fundamentalism?” Is “evangelical” a term worth salvaging for Christians?”    Show Notes: The French Press: “Did Donald Trump Make the Church Great Again?” Pew Research Center: “More White Americans adopted than shed evangelical label during Trump presidency, especially his supporters” National Association of Evangelicals: “What is an Evangelical?” (including the Bebbington Quadrilateral) Barna: “Survey Explores Who Qualifies As an Evangelical” (including the 9-point Evangelical) Ryan Burge: “For White Evangelical Republicans, Approval of Trump is About Immigration more than Abortion” Ryan Burge: “Why ‘Evangelical’ is becoming another word for ‘Republican’” The French Press: “The American Crisis of Selective Empathy”

Jon Ward, senior political correspondent for Yahoo News, joins Curtis to talk about his process of deconstructing - and reconstructing - his life as a follower of Jesus. Jon draws on his recently released book, Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation, to dissect the spiritual, social, political, and emotional dimensions of his years growing up as an insider in the evangelical world. Jon also provides a fascinating account of why his life as a journalist has been so crucial to his faith. Curtis offers the Biblical basis for why deconstruction - properly understood - is necessary for every generation of believers.   Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement That Failed a Generation by Jon Ward   Forward Party (a new political party focused on local solutions)   Order Curtis’s new book, The Anxiety Opportunity  

“Founding friend” David French returns to tackle the tough question that every Republican of good faith should be asking. They explain why this particular question of “Should I stay or should I go?” is highly relevant for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. The conversation explores the ways that political calculations inescapably are spiritual in nature, and the two have a fun time unpacking this reality via the “pirate ship” metaphor. Listeners will especially be helped by how David and Curtis explain the three main options - Leave, Stand, or Hide - facing anyone who feels caught in a deeply dysfunctional institution.   For those who want to connect with other “Leavers,” share your thoughts with others on the Good Faith “lifeboat” in the comments section for this episode (you only need to become a member by subscribing here - it’s free).    For those who want to make a “Stand” for the soul of the evangelical church, learn more about The After Party project.   For those interested in the mindset of “Hiders, read Anne Applebaum’s excellent analysis of the psychological rationalization practiced within the GOP  (The Atlantic).  

Curtis is joined by the world’s leading expert on generational distinctions, Dr. Jean Twenge. They discuss the five major generations shaping our society, with a special focus on Gen Z. The conversation provides insight and practical help for parents, managers, and anyone else interacting across generational lines. Listen especially for Jean’s top advice for parents on how to keep smartphones from destroying your child’s mental health.   Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future by Jean Twenge   Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? (The Atlantic)   After Babel (Jonathan Haidt’s Substack that is examining the impact of smartphone on the mental health of Gen Z)   How Low Can America’s Birth Rate Go Before It’s A Problem? (from FiveThirtyEight)  

Curtis tackles this epoch defining question with Comment Editor in Chief, Anne Snyder Brooks. Together they explore the distinctive vision Christians have to offer a world beset by dehumanizing forces. This wide ranging exploration includes both the big ideas and stakes involved in this question, as well as practical steps each one of us can take to embody (in the words of Irenaeus) “the glory of God in a human being fully alive.”   Resources mentioned by Anne:   Comment magazine’s discussion of Christian humanism via an interview between David Brooks and Luke Bretherton (a colleague of Curtis at Duke Divinity School). The Revolt Against Humanity: Imagining a Future Without Us by Adam Kirsch The Congregation in a Secular Age: Keeping Sacred Time against the Speed of Modern Life by Andrew Root.   See here to consider being a sponsor or donor of Good Faith.  

Curtis talks with the “elder statesman” of Christian counseling, Dan Allender, about how therapy has influenced the American church - in much needed and also problematic ways. They explore how therapy has provided an important place for Christians to bring to Jesus the real, hard, and sometimes  traumatic realities of life - often in ways that the church could not. They also examine how “moralistic therapeutic deism” increasingly describes the actual civil religion of Americans.   For examples of great books by Dan and his lifelong friend, Tremper Longman III, consider these two classics: Bold Love and The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions About God.   For the original description of “moralistic therapeutic deism” as the religion of American youth, check out Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith and Melina Lundquist Denton.   Sponsorship details for Good Faith can be found here.   

Andy Crouch returns to the podcast to question the widespread preoccupation with “making an impact.” Andy and Curtis talk about the limitations, drawbacks, and even potential idolatry involved when institutions and individuals are so focused on this definition of success. They then explore an alternative way to conceive of Christians’ role in the world, one that is rooted in the surprising model of Jesus.   For those interested in sponsoring/supporting Good Faith: https://redeemingbabel.org/sponsorship-tiers-for-the-good-faith-podcast/