We don’t use the word “repent” very often these days, but personal and national repentance is a Biblical imperative and an American tradition. Given recent headlines about church leaders such as Dr. Tony Evans, the general moral state of the country, and the looming 2024 presidential election, I believe it is time to call for and participate in a t…

Freedom of speech is a key right that is fundamental to the American experiment, but is under deep scrutiny and even attack these days. For example, a high school recently shut down a pro-life club for being too “political.” And, last year, we heard from Julia Barley and Professor John Hill on the troubling state of free speech on–of all places–the…

Does Trump’s felony conviction in the business records case in New York change the moral analysis about Trump? How should Christian citizens think through this case and the moral and political implications? Here are four reflections: Trump’s character (or lack thereof) matters. This case was a novel and questionable legal experiment. This legal con…

June is just around the corner, and I often receive questions about how Christians should respond to Pride Month. Here are three thoughts. Also, the culture war in the United States has, to a large degree, been a contest between the religious right and a more secular left. No movement is a monolith, and this does not tell the whole story of the str…

At the end of Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were expelled from Antioch of Pisidia; so, they decided to take a break at a seaside resort to reconsider their ministry strategy. Actually, they just shook off the dust of their feet and moved on to Iconium to, you guessed it, preach the gospel. In Acts 14, Barnabas and Paul’s raging fans from Antioch stir …

Drug addiction has reached epidemic levels in the United States and is impacting cities and families from the inner city to the suburbs. What are the latest trends in this epidemic? And how are ministries responding as churchgoers report rates of addiction as high as the general population? In this conversation, I spoke with Dan Johnson from The Ne…

In any given night in 2023, roughly 653,000 people experienced homelessness–a 12% increase since 2022. And the median home prices has jumped approximately 28% since 2020 along with a significant increase in interest rates. This housing crisis is becoming acute, especially in large cities. So, what can church leaders and other committed Christians d…

In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas leave Antioch for the first missionary journey. They face down a sorcerer and win a Roman Governor to Christ in Cyprus, and Paul also preaches his first recorded sermon (it’s remarkable). The early church also displays remarkable joy in the midst of displacement and persecution. Big Idea: The early church carried the g…

Just 43% of adult churchgoers in the United States claim to have a biblical worldview. And extensive testing through the American Worldview Inventory indicates that just 6% of the adult population in the US actually has one. (Source: Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University). These stats, taken from a recent worldview survey conducted…

You have probably heard some iteration of this statement in recent years, “Slaveowners used the Bible to justify slavery; therefore, the Bible cannot be trusted.” Christians should not ignore this claim because it focuses on more than history (though we should understand and know the history of the evil institution). Rather, it is a claim about the…

Due to a quickly changing culture, many American Christians are facing increasing tensions between their faith and legal requirements at school and work, in the public square, and even in our homes and ministries. In my experience, analyzing a question and developing a plan or procedure prior to a crisis is the best approach. So, according to Scrip…

In Acts 12, God breaks Peter out of yet another jail, celebrates the faith of a slave girl named Rhoda, and passes a death sentence on the proud ruler that ordered the death of James. This chapter reminds of the mystery and goodness of providence, God’s protection, the power of prayer, and the hubris of human pride. Big Idea: The early church carri…

In 2020, I interviewed Pastor Matt Teis about the remarkable impact of Liberty Baptist Church in its zip code. Now, four years on, this church (under the leadership of Pastors Dave Teis and Matt Teis) is impacting Vegas as a whole and even the state of Nevada. Here’s an update on the remarkable impact of a church in (of all places) Las Vegas and wh…

At the age of just 34, Craig DeRoche was one of the youngest speakers of the Michigan House of Representatives. But his image was shattered when a secret struggle with addiction made an unexpected and unwelcome entry onto the public stage. In this interview, we discussed his book Highly Functional and the unvarnished truth of events that caused his…

In this chapter, Peter tells the church leaders in Jerusalem that the Gospel is for all people. And, in a remarkable moment (especially if you are familiar with church life), the leaders accept Christ’s call to the nations without argument or discussion. We also learn more about the encouraging ministry of Barnabas, and the watching world develops …

What do you think about the future of the United States? Should we expect and just accept further division and decline? Can the United States remain, well, united amidst differing worldviews and visions for the future of the country? The national debt, the temperature of our political rhetoric, the departure from Biblical principles, the dysfunctio…

Are we loving our neighbors well if we say nothing about the public policy issues that profoundly impact their lives, families, and faith? This will always be a question affected by conscience and calling, but I believe the general answer is no. We are citizens in a participatory democracy with authority and, therefore, responsibility. Our ultimate…

In Acts 10, an angel appears to a God-fearing Roman, Peter receives a repeated reminder that the gospel is for all people, and the Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles just as He fell on the Jews at Pentecost. These events combine to create a seismic shift in the early church’s view of the gentiles and the Gospel and contain several critical lessons f…

Religious Freedom is a universally recognized human right, but this right is often treated as second tier in the secular west and as a threat to authoritarian regimes. In fact, the 2018 Department of State Report on International Religious Freedom found that 80% of the world’s population lives in an area where religious freedom is highly restricted…

Are you exhausted by politics? Well, join the party or, er, club. Approximately 65% of Americans polled in 2023 said they always or often feel exhausted by politics, and 55% feel downright angry about American public life. Though I certainly acknowledge that trend and those feelings, I do have a theory. Here it is: Americans are fatigued by politic…

The book God and Caesar by John Eidsmoe is a classic work on Christian citizenship and was deeply formative in my own public theology. I recently met the author; and, in this episode, we discuss the key Biblical principles addressed in the book, the reasons he originally wrote the book, its key themes, and the most recent challenges and opportuniti…

Much has happened since Dobbs overturned Roe in 2022 and sent the issue of abortion back to the states. Last Sunday was also Sanctity of Life Sunday, and many churches across the US celebrated the importance of the pre-political, Biblical principle that all people from conception until natural death are made in the image of God and deserving of the…

Proper application of Scripture to public life requires or at least argues for a general understanding of the government structure at the time of Christ and the early church. Who were the Herods? What authority did the Jewish High Priest and Council have? How did these two government entities interact with Rome? In this episode, Professor Sean O’Ne…

As we enter an election year, many voices inside and outside the church are urging Christians to remain silent or stay on the sidelines of public life. But this approach comes with a spiritual cost and is essentially an admission that (1) Scripture has little to nothing to say about the God-ordained institution of government and (2) Christians have…

It’s a presidential election year! Many church leaders and other committed Christians are rightly concerned about how the church (as a movement of believers) engaged in or disengaged from public life in 2020. So, what will 2024 bring? This year certainly presents a challenge but is also an opportunity for the church to have a strong, intentional, a…

The first public announcement of the birth of Christ—after approximately 400 years of silence from the Old Testament to the New—went out to an odd audience of outcasts rather than rulers, priests, or even the emperor of Rome. But this was no mistake as this same occupation—shepherds—had long symbolized God’s guidance, care, and compassionate reign.…

Freedom of speech is a key right that is fundamental to the American experiment. And it should be taught and championed in–of all places–law school. Yet, as demonstrated by events at Stanford Law School earlier this year, the growing division in American society is impacting law schools and is testing even their commitment to this bedrock constitut…

Here are the 5 key legal developments in 2023 that ministry leaders and other committed Christians should know about. Internal Disputes Child Protection Church-State Partnerships The Sanctity of Life Parental Rights Articles and Takeaways: Congregations leave the United Methodist Church. Let Us Prey documentary. Khan v. Yale concerning due process …

In Acts 8, persecution pushes the early church out of Jerusalem in fulfillment of Acts 1:8, the Gospel dissolves a centuries-old division between Jerusalem and Samaria, and an official from an African empire comes to Christ. In sum, this chapter emphasizes (1) the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom as the Gospel goes first to outcasts and (2) its …

One of the greatest paradoxes in American life is a Thursday dedicated to quiet gratitude followed by a Friday dedicated to a frenzied pursuit of more. In the midst of a mental health crisis and a quickly changing world, Scripture calls us to an often forgotten, daily practice that demands attention more than one day a year. Here’s why gratitude is…

Just like Christmas, election season seems to be starting earlier and earlier every year. Many church leaders I talk to are concerned about 2024 and the upcoming elections as cultural and political tensions have only increased since 2020. So, how can church leaders and other committed Christians prepare themselves and their churches to address the …

The term “Christian nationalism” is often used and (I would argue) misused to describe Christian efforts to influence public life and Christian public servants, including (most recently) the new speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson. But what exactly is Christian nationalism? And how do we respond to accusations of nationalism w…

In Acts 7, Stephen turns from defendant to prosecutor as he delivers an initially subtle, then searing sermon to the religious and political leaders of his days; sees Jesus as cosmic King standing on the right hand of the Father; and goes out in a literal blaze of glory that post-figures Christ. Big Idea: The early church carried the gospel through…

“Armed with this mighty principle, we shall not play the coward.” This quote by R.C. Ryle emphasizes an often forgotten but remarkable principle that forms the sum duty of humankind (Eccl. 12:13), is a Scriptural requirement for anyone that assumes public office (Ex. 18:21), is the beginning of knowledge (Psalm 111:10), and (counterintuitively) is …

The Good Citizen Podcast launched in February of 2017, and I am so grateful for the listeners and the supporters of our ministry that have made this podcast possible during the last six years. Just a few minor developments have occurred in America public life since 2017! I started the podcast with a simple question: “As followers of Jesus that are …

In Acts 6, the early church experiences its first conflict as the Hellenist Jews complain that their widows are being neglected in the daily distribution of food. The church (1) solves this potentially divisive conflict in a simply astounding way that displays the compassion and grace of its Founder and (2) sets out the order or structure of the ch…

In Micah 6:8, Scripture commands us to do justice and to love mercy. But what exactly does that mean? How should we practically work out these commands? In this episode, Attorney Erin Hall explains how the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is practically and powerfully doing the command to do justice by providing access to legal resources and ser…

Dr. Bill Lile is a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist (who has delivered more than 4,000 babies), and he is traveling the country with a simple but powerful message: every patient–even an unborn patient– deserves legal protection and quality medical care. In this episode, he explains fascinating developments in fetal surgery and other procedu…

Many Christians watched the movie Sound of Freedom and left the theater with a deep concern for human trafficking in the United States and around the world. So, what can Christians do to fight such efforts? Though there are numerous efforts to combat human trafficking, an indispensable part of the effort is legal in nature–via lengthening statutes …

In Acts 5, the early church faces an internal threat via the hypocriticial and ultimately fatal (gulp!) actions of two members, all of the apostles face the rough equivalent of their Supreme Court and Congress, they are released by an angel into God’s witness (but not protection) program, and an enemy of the Way warns against being a God fighter. B…

One of our key ministry goals is to equip and encourage Christians and especially pastors to build relationships with and minister to their governing officials. But where should we start? What does such a meeting look like? What Biblical truths should we share, and what is the goal of such a meeting? Many churches have next steps classes or discipl…

One of our key ministry goals is to equip and encourage Christians and especially pastors to build relationships with and minister to their governing officials. But where should we start? What does such a meeting look like? What Biblical truths should we share, and what is the goal of such a meeting? Many churches have next steps classes or discipl…

Release time religious education of public school students during school hours is, in my opinion, one of the greatest if the not the greatest missed evangelistic and cultural impact opportunities by the church in the last seventy years. That’s a big statement, so here’s why. In 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a release time religious program fo…

In Acts 4, the early church experiences a boldness outbreak as Peter and John, former fisherman, stand before the high priest, the spiritual and political leader of the nation. Their qualification and authority? They had been with Jesus, and they spoke His name. Here’s a review of this remarkable chapter about unexpected opposition from the very le…

In the midst of cultural confusion and controversy surrounding sex, sexuality, and gender, Dr. Christopher Yuan is a key resource for church leaders and parents as they navigate conversations and discipleship on these topics. In his books Out of a Far Country and Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, Dr. Yuan detailed his dramatic conversion from an agnos…

At the age of just thirteen, Serena faced an unplanned pregnancy and an abortion that has impacted her life ever since. In this interview, she shares her remarkable story about the grief and pain of abortion and how she found God’s grace and healing in her life. She and her husband Bruce now lead an abortion recovery ministry helping women and men …

[Note: this will be the only episode in July due to a mid-summer break for travel and conferences. We will be back on August 1st!] Since we celebrate the 4th of July every year (and it involves fireworks and time off work), it is easy to glance over the deeper meaning of the holiday. Beyond the fact that it marked the birth of the United States, wh…

In this episode, we continue our chapter-by-chapter study of the book of Acts. Big Idea: The early church carried the gospel throughout the known world in approximately 30 years and transformed an empire in 3 centuries. Now the church seems intimidated, uncertain amidst swift cultural changes. So, what did the early Christians, commanded by Christ …

Christian citizenship is similar to dieting and exercise or budgeting in the sense that it requires ongoing attention and review. That is why we can all use a reminder from time to time about key Biblical principles as we face new challenges or just a new day. Here are 5 key Biblical principles about government we should all remember and apply in p…

The foster care crisis remains a leading (if not the leading) crisis facing state governments and communities around the country. For this reason and because of the clear Scriptural commands to care for vulnerable children (Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27), foster care is a critical opportunity for churches and individual Christians to make a key differenc…