Faith and Law

While much progress has been made toward poverty alleviation, many well-intentioned efforts have led Christians to actions that are not only ineffective, but leave the most vulnerable in a worse situation than before. Is there a better answer? Combining biblical exegesis with proven economic principles, For the Least of These: A Biblical Answer to Poverty equips Christians with both a solid biblical and economic understanding of how best to care for the poor and foster sustainable economic development. With contributions from fourteen leading Christian economists, theologians, historians, and practitioners, For the Least of These presents the case for why markets and trade are the world’s best hope for alleviating poverty.Rev. Dr. Art Lindsley is the Vice President of Theological Initiatives at The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, where he oversees the development of a theology that integrates faith, work, and economics. Dr. Anne Rathbone Bradley is the George and Sally Mayer Fellow for Economic Education and the academic director at The Fund for American Studies. She also serves as the Vice President of Economic Initiatives at The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, where she develops and commissions research toward a systematic biblical theology of economic freedom. Support the show

The world is more digital than it's ever been before; it’s more diverse than it’s ever been before, and it's more divided than it's ever been before. Christians have been given the ministry of reconciliation. In this lecture, David Bailey will be sharing five pillars of becoming a reconciling community so that Christian leaders and their communities can become the foretaste of the Kingdom of God that is to come. David M. Bailey is a public theologian and culture maker who believes the church should lead by example in effective cross-cultural engagement and practices in reconciliation. He’s the founder and executive director of Arrabon; an organization that builds reconciling communities in the midst of a digital, diverse, and divided world. David is an active speaker, consultant and strategist for many national organizations about cultural intelligence and culture-making. He is the co-author of the Race, Class, and the Kingdom of God Study Series. David is the executive producer of documentary 11am: Hope for America’s Most Segregated Hour and the Urban Doxology Project. He's rooted at East End Fellowship in Richmond VA, and serves on the preaching team. David's greatest honor in life is to be married to his wonderful and beautiful wife, Joy.Support the show

As another term of the Supreme Court comes to a close, the justice’s rulings give Christians a lot to consider as we think about our engagement in the public square. The consequential decisions came on issues ranging from religious liberty to abortion jurisprudence to civil rights law. Russell Moore and the ERLC filed amicus briefs in a number of these cases as advocates before the high court. Join us for a round up of the Supreme Court’s 2019-2020 term as Moore reflects on what the rulings mean for the future of these critical issues.Russell Moore is president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. The ERLC is the moral and public policy entity of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.The Wall Street Journal has called Moore “vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate.” He was named in 2017 to Politico Magazine’s list of top fifty influence-makers in Washington, and has been profiled by such publications as the Washington Post and the New Yorker.His latest book, The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home, was named Christianity Today’s 2019 Book of the Year. This prestigious award was also conferred upon Moore’s previous book, Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel, by Christianity Today in 2016. In addition to these titles, he has also written Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches and Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ.Prior to his election in 2013, Moore served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics. He currently serves as visiting professor of ethics at Southern, Southeastern, and New Orleans Baptist seminaries.A native Mississippian, Moore and his wife Maria are the parents of five sons.Jeff Pickering serves as Policy Communications Director in the ERLC's Washington, D.C., office. In this role, he hosts the weekly Capitol Conversations podcast, develops communications strategy, and connects journalists with the organization’s policy work. He also serves as the mentor and director of the ERLC's internship program. Jeff previously served in both local church ministry and government affairs in his home state of Texas, where he graduated from Texas A&M University. He and his wife, Chelsea, have a one year old son and enjoy living on Capitol Hill.Support the show

As an ordinary high school student in the 1960s, Tom Tarrants became deeply unsettled by the social upheaval of the era. In response, he turned for answers to extremist ideology and was soon utterly radicalized. Before long, he became involved in the reign of terror spread by Mississippi's dreaded White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, described by the FBI as the most violent right-wing terrorist organization in America.In 1969, while attempting to bomb the home of a Jewish leader in Meridian, Mississippi, Tom was ambushed by law enforcement and shot multiple times during a high-speed chase. Nearly dead from his wounds, he was arrested and sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman Farm. Unrepentant, Tom and two other inmates made a daring escape from Parchman yet were tracked down by an FBI SWAT team and apprehended in hail of bullets that killed one of the convicts. Tom spent the next three years alone in a six-foot-by-nine-foot cell. There he began a search for truth that led him to the Bible and a reading of the gospels, resulting in his conversion to Jesus Christ and liberation from the grip of racial hatred and violence.Astounded by the change in Tom, many of the very people who worked to put him behind bars began advocating for his release. After serving eight years of a 35-year sentence, Tom left prison. He attended college, moved to Washington, DC, and became copastor of a racially mixed church. He went on to earn a doctorate and became the president of the C. S. Lewis Institute, where he devoted himself to helping others become wholehearted followers of Jesus.A dramatic story of radical transformation, Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love demonstrates that hope is not lost even in the most tumultuous of times, even those similar to our own.Support the show

Can it ever get better? This is the question Benjamin Watson is asking. In a country aflame with the fallout from the racial divide, is there hope for honest and healing conversation? For finally coming to understand each other on issues that are ultimately about so much more than black and white?A former NFL tight end for the New Orleans Saints and a widely read and followed commentator on social media, Watson has taken the Internet by storm with his remarkable insights about some of the most sensitive and charged topics of our day. Now, in Under Our Skin, Watson draws from his own life, his family legacy, and his role as a husband and father to sensitively and honestly examine both sides of the race debate and appeal to the power and possibility of faith as a step toward healing.Support the show

What we have experienced during and in the aftermath of the tragic death of George Floyd has challenged us to think anew about racial reconciliation. This includes the workplace of Capitol Hill to which we have been called. While this moment in our history has created pain and suffering, it also has the potential of being a catalyst for healing and reconciliation. Capitol Hill, like other workplaces, is fertile ground for loving others and aiding reconciliation. This requires intentionality as we reach out to bridge racial divides. How does the Hill fare in this area and what is our role in personal ministry?What does ministry on the Hill look like when it’s effective in bringing staff and members together from different races and backgrounds? And what are the personal experiences we’ve witnessed and can share?These and other questions will explored by our special guest, D.J. Jordan, and among ourselves as well. These are challenging and difficult issues which require us to collaboratively seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance. D.J. Jordan is a Vice President at Pinkston, a public relations company.Support the show

Does prayer seem like the only thing you can do after all the handwashing? What if we not only followed the best medical advice but also looked to Almighty God? What if we set aside partisan differences and think theologically in this time of anxiety and fear.Dr. Chad Pecknold, Professor of Historical & Systematic Theology in the School of Theology at The Catholic University of America, Very Rev. Thomas Petri, O.P., Vice President and Academic Dean of the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception and Dr. Joseph E. Capizzi, Ordinary Professor of Moral Theology at the Catholic University of America discuss this timely topic.Support the show

Before his service in Congress, Senator James Lankford served students and families for more than 20 years in ministry, including 15 years as the Director of Student Ministry for the Baptist Convention of Oklahoma and Director of the Falls Creek Youth Camp, the largest youth camp in the United States, with more than 51,000 individuals attending each summer.James and his staff enjoy serving people from all backgrounds across Oklahoma. As chairman of the Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management Subcommittee, which covers federal spending, regulatory reform, and the federal workforce, he demands we have a more fiscally responsible and transparent federal government, and our nation remains the world leader. He believes that the federal government has an important role in our nation, but empowered families, individual people, and private businesses grow our economy and pass down our values.James was recognized as the Senate’s top-ranked “Taxpayers Friend” by the National Taxpayers Union for his strong record in support of lower taxes, limited government, and economic freedom. His annual Federal Fumbles report is a must-read in Washington, DC, because of its commonsense solutions to the problems our federal government faces. He has also been recognized by many other organizations for his work toward increased personal freedom, economic growth, and religious liberty.James lives in Oklahoma City with his wife Cindy. They have been married more than 27 years and have two daughters, Hannah and Jordan. He enjoys spending time with his family, working in his yard, and reading.Support the show

Just three weeks after having their first baby, Rachel was diagnosed with a rare spinal cord tumor that threatened her life. The tumor and surgery to remove it left her as a quadriplegic. She and her husband, Taylor, survived months in hospitals, near death, and their return home accompanied by work to regain their family life and movement in Rachel’s body. They will share truths about how to view our suffering in light of the Gospel.Support the show

Dr. Charmaine Yoest is a Vice President of the Heritage Foundation, where she leads the Institute for Family, Community and Opportunity. This includes work on domestic policy issues including health care and welfare reform, education policy, family formation, women’s issues and religious liberty. Dr. Yoest previously served in the Trump Administration in the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services. She served as Associate Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) where she directed the component’s intergovernmental, public affairs, and public liaison programs. Charmaine also served as the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she provided leadership for the $1.3 trillion Department’s public affairs programs, and coordination of strategic messaging across the 11 HHS Operating Divisions. Her work involved a focus on the opioid crisis, natural disaster response, and health care reform. Dr. Yoest has a track record serving in many facets of political life - in the White House, on a presidential campaign, and leading a national nonprofit. She has appeared as a spokesperson on every major television network and cable outlet, and has been published in the leading national publications. She has provided testimony in front of the United States Congress on multiple occasions. She is also the author of M other in the Middle (HarperCollins), an examination of child care policy. Dr. Yoest began her career working in the White House for President Ronald Reagan in Presidential Personnel and later served as a Senior Advisor to Governor Huckabee’s 2008 Presidential Campaign. She was a surrogate for the Trump-Pence 2016 campaign. She also served as President and CEO of Americans United for Life. During her tenure, the public interest law firm grew significantly, more than tripling its budget and donors. Numerous publications have profiled Charmaine and her work. In a feature piece, The New York Times said that “her personal appeal gives her outsize visibility.”The Christian Science Monitor describes her as “a pragmatic force.”The New Republic describes her as “compelling.” Even Mother Jones described her as “charismatic.” She was featured inTime magazine’s 2013 Thanksgiving series along with Michelle Obama and Rick Warren. Dr. Yoest received her B.A. in Political Science from Wheaton College. Later, she earned an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, where she received Mellon, Olin, Bradley and Kohler fellowships and wrote a dissertation on parental leave policy, after directing a national study on parental leave funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Charmaine and her husband are the parents of five children. Their oldest three children have been Division One athletes and include an NCAA champion, four-time ACC champion and a CAA champion. Their son is an Army Officer and Blackhawk Pilot.Support the show