In this Good Faith Classic episode, Curtis and David talk with Meghan Sullivan, philosopher, teacher, and creator of the most popular class at the University of Notre Dame, “God and the Good Life.” As many of us send our kids off to college (or head off to college ourselves), Meghan helps us appreciate the role of education–and of philosophy in particular–in helping students take on the big questions of life.

Many Christians are tempted to just avoid the Book of Revelation. It can seem confusing and hard to read. Yet this avoidance can leave us vulnerable to the misuses of this part of Scripture, especially in making sense of our world. Here to help us is distinguished Biblical scholar, Tremper Longman III. Join us as we dive into the helpful - and unhelpful  - ways to read the final culminating book of the Bible.

Should your investment portfolio as a follower of Jesus look any different from everyone else’s? Do our Biblical values have implications for our 401K? Robin John and Finny Kuruvilla founded Eventide Investments because they believe the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” They join Curtis to explore how we as Christians can pursue a kind of financial investing that “makes the world rejoice.”

What is happening inside us when we ourselves suffer or those around us are suffering? What is happening in our brain? In our soul? Curtis is joined by “the other Curt” - Dr. Curt Thompson - to talk about his new book, The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope. Their conversation explores questions such as: What is the connection between our desire for beauty and our vulnerability to suffering? Why do we avoid others when we ourselves are suffering? Why do the sufferings of others make us so uncomfortable? Most of all, the they probe for the invitation of God amidst suffering.

“Founding friend” David French returns to address with Curtis the visceral question in many hearts and minds, “When will things return to normal?” They explore all the questions behind the question, such as “What exactly is ‘normal?” Does it differ for different people? What picture of the past undergirds my longing?” They compare this political and social moment with past eras in American history and church history. Most importantly, they ask, “Is this the right question that God would have us ask - or is there a better question to pose in this particular moment?”

Why do we as a society keep building more and more housing for people who already have the most options, all the while we are forcing people who most need housing to scramble amidst shortage? How do we not just understand what is happening, but also make something better? Jimmy Wright and Michael Hall were motivated by their Christian faith to do just that via their business Launch Capital. Listen in to get inspired by their creative and hopeful work.

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.

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.

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.