Good Faith

Joining David and Curtis this week is special guest Nancy French. In a departure from her normal work as a best selling author, Nancy has spent the last 2 years investigating cases of sexual abuse and institutional coverup at one of the nations largest Christian summer camps, Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri. Going beyond mere reporting on what happened, our hosts help frame the sad situation at Kanakuk in the broader context of the calling we all have to first tell the truth about the institutions we engage with, but also to work toward their repentance and repair.   Show Notes: -Frederick Buechner - Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale -Nancy French (USA Today) - Survivors, ex-employees say Kanakuk Christian camp 'ministered' to its sexual predators -Curtis Chang - The Southern Baptist Convention Sacrifices Congregants on the Altar of Power -Check out Nancy French’s investigative work at NancyFrench.com -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

In this special episode of the Good Faith podcast we pause to reflect on the tragic shooting in Buffalo and explore its underlying racial motivations, so-called “white replacement theory.” Joining David and Curtis (and producer Kris) is our special guest Chuck Mingo, pastor and founder of Living Undivided. Chuck helps us unpack some of the history behind this insidious “theory” and why its scarcity mindset is in direct contradiction to the abundance of God revealed in the Bible. The discussion also explores the connection of this current tragedy and its motivations to broader understandings of immigration, as well as to the nation’s past history of racially motivated violence like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.   Show Notes: -Cathy Young (The Bulwark) - The Replacement Theory -- And Terrorist Practice -Jesse Curtis (Washington Post) - The mass shooting in Buffalo reflects deeply rooted American ideas -Michael Gerson (Washington Post) - GOP leaders ought to banish officials who embrace ‘replacement theory’ -David French (The Atlantic) - The Truth About Extremism That America Likes to Forget -The bloody history of anti-Asian violence in the West -Andy Crouch - Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power -Check out Chuck Mingo’s critically important work at Undivided.com -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

It is increasingly obvious that teenagers across the country are experiencing a spike in anxiety, often with serious and debilitating consequences. This week David and Curtis speak to one of the foremost experts on the subject, Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute. Kara’s well-researched and empathetic insights are critical for all of us to help the teens in our lives navigate these challenging times.   Show Notes: -Faith in an Anxious World: A 4-week High School Curriculum -Faith in an Anxious World Parenting Podcast -Matt Richtel (New York Times): “‘It’s Life or Death’: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens” -Tosin Thompson (Nature): “Young people’s climate anxiety revealed in landmark survey” -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org and specifically check out the course Anxiety as Opportunity for Spiritual Growth

What does the surprise leak of Justice Alito’s opinion in the highly anticipated case Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization reveal about the intellectual integrity of his legal argument? What does it perhaps reveal about the integrity of the institution of the Supreme Court itself? In the midst of all the controversy and preliminary conclusions, David and Curtis try to help us think through this complex cultural moment through the lens of integrity.   Show Notes: -Caitlin Flanagan: “The Dishonesty of the Abortion Debate” -Romney Discusses the State of Family Policy and the Child Tax Credit with AEI -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

In this week’s episode David and Curtis explore the concept of the “partisan mind”; what it is, where it comes from, and why it is in conflict with the “mind of Christ”. They look at the social science behind partisan polarization and offer some practical tips on how we can tell when we are (and how we can avoid) falling into the snare of the partisan mind.   Show Notes: -Nichole Argo Ben Itzhak (Over Zero) - The Science of Polarization and Insights for Bridge-building -Barna: Pastors Share Top Reasons They’ve Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year -Over Zero: Core Concepts on Social Identity, Negative Emotions and Group Norms -Check out Biologos -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Follow Curtis’ work at RedeemingBabel.org

How is it possible that the people who have harnessed technological progress to become the wealthiest nation in history are still so remarkably unhappy? Is it possible that we have asked technology to do too much? Is it perhaps impacting our ability to be fully formed humans? Join this fascinating conversation with David, Curtis, and Curtis’ old roommate Andy Crouch, who guides us in thinking about our relationship with technology and how to be more human.   Show Notes: -Andy Crouch - The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World -Jonathan Haidt - Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Check out Redeeming Babel’s job opening here

Liberal democracy is under military threat abroad, and intellectual threat in America. And many of these domestic attacks are coming from within Christianity. So should Christians care about defending democracy? What are the connections between our Christian faith and America’s form of self-government? This week David and Curtis dive headlong into this deep and fascinating issue, including some history, some theology, and some critical guidance for why we Christians must indeed care about the state of our democracy and its institutions.   Show Notes: -French Press: “A Christian Defense of American Classical Liberalism” -Sarah Repucci & Amy Slipowitz (Freedom House): “Democracy Under Siege” -From John Adams to Massachusetts Militia, 11 October 1798 -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Check out Redeeming Babel’s job opening here

This week David and Curtis offer a follow up discussion on fundamentalism, clarifying some key points from the previous episode and diving deeper into how we can become fundamentalists without even knowing it! Do our increasingly homogenous social groups perhaps push us toward fundamentalism and even radicalization? How might the presence of even a few diverse voices impact these groups? This then leads to a discussion about liberal democracy and how it is under assault, not just globally (as in Russia/Ukraine), but even here in the US. How should our Christian faith inform things like our system of government and our embrace (or rejection) of liberal democracy?   Show Notes: -Cass Sunstein - The Law of Group Polarization -Sign up for David’s French Press newsletter -Check out Curtis’ series Anxiety as Opportunity for Spiritual Growth, available at RedeemingBabel.org. 20% discount for Good Faith listeners, use code: GoodFaith20

In a continuation of our “What the Heck is . . .?” series, David and Curtis help us think about the concept of fundamentalism and how it fits into the current cultural moment. Is fundamentalism just a set of beliefs? Is it a way of approaching belief? Does it perhaps even extend beyond traditional religious belief to certain political beliefs? And where do uncertainty and humility fit into all of this? Join us as we unpack how fundamentalism functions both within the church and in the wider culture.   Show Notes: -Richard Hofstadter (Harper’s Magazine): “The Paranoid Style in American Politics” -Please consider taking our Podcast Survey (podsurvey.com/faith) to help us determine what types of advertisers you want to see on the Good Faith podcast

This week David and Curtis start with confession time, each looking closely at the challenges of contrarianism and pride that impact all of us in our modern discourse. They unpack the tricky balance between knowing, certainty, and humility, including the possibility that we might be wrong.  In the second half, they dive into the spiritual challenge of staying attentive to the war in Ukraine without just watching it as a form of perverse entertainment. In another tricky balance, our hosts offer suggestions for staying connected in ways that are less personally destructive and more spiritually healthy.   Show Notes: -French Press: “What the Russian Invasion Teaches us About the Right” -French Press: “Questions and Answers After a Month of War” -Adam Grant: “Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know”