Christian Civics Podcast

If the only evidence of Christian growth in our lives is that it is changing the way we deal with politics, then we aren't actually experiencing Christian growth—we're impersonating it. This episode features exclusive content that didn't make it into Christian Civics Executive Director Rick Barry's recent presentation at the Gospel Coalition Mid-Atlantic Conference. The topic of his talk was "Radical Responsibility: Fostering a Culture of Mercy in a Representative Democracy." For more information or to sign up for a one-night-only Christian Civics event in Washington, DC, visit christiancivics.org.

This week, we welcome Bill Henson, Founder and President of Lead Them Home, to talk about what it feels like to lose to power, lose relevancy, yet still maintain your witness and your confidence. More information on Bill, on Lead Them Home, and a full transcript of the interview are available online at christiancivics.org. CONTENTS 00:00-09:15 Introduction, terms of conversation, power. 09:20-27:45 Interview 27:55-32:30 A foreign country 32:32-35:15 Prayer 35:17-37:46 Bonus episode, endnotes

A Virginia pastor shares the story of how his church engaged with a national questions in a personal way. The latest episode of the Christian Civics Podcast features pastor Chris Sicks of Alexandria Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, VA. Chris shares stories and insights from years of shepherding a congregation that accidentally incubated a robust community of refugees and asylum-seekers, and accidentally witnessed to their town and the world in the process. 00:00-01:07  Intro 01:07-04:35 Personal reflection 04:38-07:33 Why we aren't usually newsy 07:33-12:21 Interview Takeaways 12:26-34:04 Interview 34:09-36:04 Prayer 36:06-38:07 Closing/Notes Shownotes and more at christiancivics.org

The third and final part of our conversation with Dr. Curt Thompson. In the first two parts of our conversation with Dr. Curt Thompson, we discussed why it is important to have "embodied encounters" with our civic systems and our political opponents, and what Good Friday can teach us about dealing with the challenges those encounters present. In this third part of our interview, Dr. Thompson gets into what Christian eschatology means for our attempts to deal with political diversity in the church.  The Christian Civics Podcast explores how the gospel empowers us to think, speak and act differently in the public square.  Contents 00:00–03:15 Introduction 03:15–23:09 Interview 23:10–25:53 Practicing for heaven 25:54–27:20 Light to the World 27:29–29:15 Prayer 29:15–31:49 Further reading, upcoming episodes, bonus episode For more information on Dr. Thompson and his work, visit beingknown.com. His books Anatomy of the Soul and The Soul of Shame are both available online.

We continue our conversation with Dr. Curt Thompson, exploring what Good Friday has to do with hard conversations about politics in the church, and why our reaction to our political opponents often has as much to do with our relationship to our families as it does to our parties.

The Christian Civics Podcast returns with an interview with psychiatrist and ministry leader Dr. Curt Thompson. In this episode, Dr. Thompson discusses why it's important for Christians to have face-to-face, real-life conversations with our political opponents, and how we can get better at those kinds of conversations by understanding how God has made our brains to work. Contents 00:00–03:59 Introduction 04:04–23:40 Interview 23:43–29:28 Assessing our desires, practicing, and sports. 29:30–31:28 Prayer 31:30–35:27 End Notes Shownotes, including links to Dr. Thompson's books and more information on his work, can be found at christiancivics.org.

Chelsea Geyer, executive director of DC 127, stops by to talk about foster care and what it can teach us about demonstrating our faith in the public square. Then Center for Christian Civics executive director Rick Barry connects those ideas to the Advent season and leads us in prayer. 00:14 Introduction 06:03 Interview 25:34 Restoration is coming 27:18 It's okay to be weird 30:14 Letting yourself be inconvenienced 33:27 Prayer 36:07 Further reading

This autumn has pummeled us with so much bad news that just thinking about what our responsibilities might be to the wider world has to feel intimidating and exhausting. This week, we welcome Steve Park, head of Little Lights Urban Ministries, to talk about how he's managed to stay active and motivated to do some very hard, dispiriting work for over twenty years. Then we will call specific attention to a few ideas that came up during the interview before we get led in prayer by Rev. Charles Drew. 00:00 - Intro, a season of endless bad news 04:35 - Interview with Steve Park 27:30 - Burnout 32:13 - Spiritual disciplines 34:58 - Scripture reading and prayer 42:26 - Endnotes BONUS CONTENT We just ran two blog posts following up on aspects of Steve's interview that we couldn't get into in the podcast: https://www.christiancivics.org/blog/2017/11/14/does-your-faith-make-you-distinct-podcast-interview-follow-up https://www.christiancivics.org/blog/2017/11/14/aspiring-to-humility HEAR MORE FROM STEVE We'll

If you couldn't join us for Q Commons in Washington, DC, last week, we want to share some of the highlights with you. This episode features two presentations recorded at last week's event, along with commentary and prayer from Center for Christian Civics executive director Rick Barry. Shownotes will be available at christiancivics.org later this week.

We share excerpts from one of our workshops, translate those ideas into prayer, and let our DC-area friends know about a major upcoming event!

It's been nearly a month since the so-called "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA, erupted into violence, culminating in a member of the demonstration driving into a crowd of protesters. A little over two weeks ago, we spoke with a pastor from Charlottesville who was on the scene to hear his account of what happened. EPISODE OUTLINE: Intro: Defining various terms. Interview: Rev. Seth Wispelwey of Congregate Charlottesville Follow-Up: Engaging with powers and prinicipalities Prayer: Rev. Charles Drew Additional resources and next steps For more information or to support our work, visit christiancivics.org.

Violence erupted at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Getting our bearings amidst the onslaught of breaking news and the flurry of punditry can be difficult. While we are not claiming to have the entire answer about how to think and feel about everything you hear or read this weekend, we do want to offer an invitation to begin by praying with us for what this event might mean for our country, our communities, and the people most personally affected.

We bring in two guests for a follow-up conversation after our interview with D; we briefly look at the difference between government and politics; and pastor Charles Drew leads us in prayer. Theme music is by Sonic Weapon Fence. Shownotes and links to related material can be found at christiancivics.org. The opinions expressed in this podcast by Ben O'Dell are his own and do not reflect the view of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the United States government.

In part one of a two-part episode, we bring you an interview with "D," a long-term missionary to Bosnia, a formerly socialist country whose political and governmental system is strikingly different from what we usually think of when we think of democracy. In our next episode, we'll start to draw connections between various parts of this interview and our own public discipleship in the US--please be sure to subscribe to get that second part as soon as it's released. Our theme music is by Sonic Weapon Fence. Any questions, comments or concerns, please contact us at info@christiancivics.org.

The latest episode of the Christian Civics Podcast features discussion of how our interview with Rev. Charles Garriott of Ministry to State can inform our response to this week's heated health care debate.

Last week, two big stories about Christians and the Democratic party started circulating on social media: On one hand, a major figure in the party seemed to use an executive branch nominee's faith as a reason to vote against confirming him for work, and on the other hand a number of Christians publicly affirmed their commitment to the Democratic party. A recent conversation with Dr. Peter Baker helps us understand how those two things might be possible at the same time. For more information, including articles by Dr. Baker and a link to the books he mentions in the interview, visit us online at christiancivics.org. Theme music is "Magic Box" by Sonic Weapon Fence.

In the wake of today's shootings on the east and west coasts, we welcome Rev. Glenn Hoburg to lead us in a prayerful response.

What does it mean to be holy? How can we demonstrate holiness in our civic lives? And how can we respond in a holy manner to political chaos? In the first episode of The Christian Civics Podcast, we'll dive into those questions, including instruction from Rev. Charles Drew, author of "Body Broken: Can Republicans and Democrats Sit in the Same Pew?". If this episode was helpful or encouraging to you, please be sure to share it with others. And look for The Christian Civics Podcast on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or your favorite podcast directory in two weeks!

Enjoy this exciting preview of The Christian Civics Podcast, featuring excerpts from some of our pilot interviews along with samples of segments that will air in future episodes! Hear from Center for Christian Civics correspondents on politics and the judiciary, pastor and author Charles Drew on what sets Christians apart from their neighbors in the public square, and pastor and sociologist Dr. Richard Smith on faith, empathy and race. The Center for Christian Civics works with churches, ministry leaders and lay Christians around the country. Visit us online at christiancivics.org for more information or to support our work.