

God, Country & the American Story With Billy Hallowell
Washington Times / Billy Hallowell
"God, Country & the American Story" is a groundbreaking new podcast from The Washington Times that explores the powerful role the Christian faith has had in the lives of America’s leaders, from the founders to the movers and shakers of today.
Veteran journalist and author Billy Hallowell sits down with lawmakers, high-ranking officials, business titans, historians, faith leaders, and cultural influencers to examine how belief in God has guided the nation’s most powerful leaders and pivotal moments - and continues to fuel the American experiment.
This series honors America’s spiritual heritage while tackling today’s most pressing questions: How has faith shaped the nation? What role does it play in the lives of public officials? And what does the future hold for faith and freedom in America?
As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, join us for thought-provoking conversations that uncover the soul of a nation—rooted in God and destined for greatness.
Veteran journalist and author Billy Hallowell sits down with lawmakers, high-ranking officials, business titans, historians, faith leaders, and cultural influencers to examine how belief in God has guided the nation’s most powerful leaders and pivotal moments - and continues to fuel the American experiment.
This series honors America’s spiritual heritage while tackling today’s most pressing questions: How has faith shaped the nation? What role does it play in the lives of public officials? And what does the future hold for faith and freedom in America?
As the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, join us for thought-provoking conversations that uncover the soul of a nation—rooted in God and destined for greatness.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 29, 2025 • 33min
Faith in the White House: Paula White-Cain Responds to Critics, Details Her History With Trump and More
Prayer, praise and worship music, and sermons have made their way into the White House, with hundreds of faith leaders heading to Washington D.C., in recent months to offer perspective and take part in events organized by the newly minted White House Faith Office.That office, headed by Paula White-Cain and Jenny Korn, is historic and unlike previous faith operations under the executive branch. Ms. White-Cain and Ms. Korn sat down with Billy Hallowell at the White House to discuss the mission of the Faith Office, why Ms. White-Cain has taken this position, how she responds to critics — and more.FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Apr 19, 2025 • 18min
Is There Proof of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Supernatural? Lee Strobel Tells All
Is there evidence for Jesus' life, death and resurrection? Renowned author Lee Strobel joins Billy Hallowell to discuss evidence for the Easter story, explaining why he believes the Gospel narrative can be definitively proven. Plus, he explores evidence for the supernatural more broadly. Mr. Strobel's latest book is "Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World," an instant New York Times bestseller. Listen to this fascinating discussion on today's "Higher Ground."FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Apr 11, 2025 • 21min
'Heaven Help Us': John Kasich on Faith, Hope, Forgiving the Drunk Driver Who Killed His Parents
Former presidential candidate and Ohio governor John Kasich joins the show to share a powerful journey of faith, hope, and forgiveness. He also breaks down the story behind his new book, "Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future." FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Mar 28, 2025 • 17min
She's Seeing Thousands of College Students Flock to Jesus: Jennie Allen's First-Hand Revival Account
Jennie Allen is seeing thousands of college students flock to hear more about Jesus. She shares her powerful journey and reveals what's really unfolding on campuses across America.FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Mar 16, 2025 • 12min
Peter, Judas and the Complexity of Betrayal and Mercy: Chris Tomlin's Fascinating Take on the 'The Last Supper'
With "The Last Supper" in theaters, audiences are getting a fascinating look at Peter, Judas and other biblical figures. Executive producer — and famed singer — Chris Tomlin joins the podcast to break it all down with Billy Hallowell.FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Mar 16, 2025 • 19min
Country Music Star Leaves It All Behind For Jesus
Granger Smith was a rising country music star when his son, River, drowned in 2019 and the trajectory of his life changed forever. It started with an uneasiness when Mr. Smith realized God was calling him to do something more.In the end, Mr. Smith ended up leaving music for ministry. Listen to him tell his story and share details about his new children’s book “Up Toward the Light” with Billy Hallowell on this week’s episode of "Higher Ground."FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube

Mar 4, 2025 • 20min
America's Trust Crisis Rages: Why Trust in Government, Media and Education Has Tanked (and How We Can Fix It)
America is facing a trust crisis. From the economy to the government and media, the metrics aren't good. That's why author David Horsager is taking on the issue in his latest book, "Trust Matters More than Ever: 40 Proven Tools to Lead Better, Grow Faster & Build Trust Now!""Until the 70s, almost 80% of Americans trusted our government to do basically what was right. Well, then trust tanked, our institutional trust tanked, and so we didn't trust government," he tells Billy Hallowell, noting the same is true of politics, media and education. "When I grew up, homeschooling was weird — not anymore. The institution of education isn't as trusted, so we have these charters and homeschooling."Mr. Horsager breaks down the stunning extent of the trust problem, the impact — and how he believes America can remedy these issues.FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube- Follow Billy on Threads

Feb 25, 2025 • 11min
With Prime's 'House of David': Hollywood Just Opened the Door to a Culture-Shifting Phenomenon
One of the biggest mysteries plaguing Hollywood has been the overarching reticence to sufficiently court the faith and family audience, a values-based cohort that has proven itself ravenous for high-caliber content that delivers safe and uplifting entertainment. But Tinseltown has traditionally instead offered up a drought in this arena, with mainstream networks, production companies, and platforms either ignoring or taking this audience for granted. This has effectively forced Christian and family-friendly outfits in recent years to independently create outside of the traditional system. Meanwhile, Hollywood has, at moments, been taken by surprise when faith-based films on shoe-string budgets deliver stunning profit margins.This dynamic seems to be gearing up for a pretty notable change, though, with Prime, a streaming platform owned by Amazon, set to release “House of David,” a TV series premiering Feb. 27 that pledges to tell the “story of the ascent of the biblical figure, David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel.” Filmmakers Jon Erwin and Jon Gunn join Billy Hallowell to break it all down.

Feb 15, 2025 • 26min
What's Dooming Our Marriages? Plus: Trump's Shocking 'Truth Renaissance'
Speaker, author and podcast host Arlene Pellicane joins Billy Hallowell to explain what's destroying our marriages and families. Plus, Billy reveals the "truth renaissance" he believes President Donald Trump is ushering in — and why it matters.FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube- Follow Billy on Threads

Feb 4, 2025 • 34min
Selena Gomez's Weeping, DEI's Combustion and Corey DeAngelis' Take on America's Education Crisis
From Selena Gomez's tears to DEI, there's no shortage of culture headlines to dive into. The Washington Times' Valerie Richardson joins Billy Hallowell to break it all down.Plus, education activist Corey A. DeAngelis drops by to reveal details about the tattered state of American education, his take on the onions — and what he believes would fix the chaotic public school multiplex. That and more on today's "Higher Ground With Billy Hallowell."FOLLOW BILLY ON SOCIAL MEDIA:- Follow Billy on Twitter- Follow Billy on Instagram- Follow Billy on Facebook- Follow Billy on YouTube- Follow Billy on Threads