Chris Rice, Director of the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office and Coauthor of "More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel," joined Brian to chat about the special re-release of “More Than Equals” as part of the IVP Signature Collection. 

Check out Chris’ blog at reconcilers.wordpress.com and connect with him on Twitter at @reconcilers

Chris Rice, Director of the <a href="https://mcc.org/get-involved/advocacy/un">Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office</a> and Coauthor of <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/more-than-equals">"More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel,"</a> joined Brian to chat about the special re-release of <a href="https://www.ivpress.com/more-than-equals">&ldquo;More Than Equals&rdquo;</a> as part of the IVP Signature Collection.&nbsp;
Check out Chris&rsquo; blog at <a href="https://reconcilers.wordpress.com/">reconcilers.wordpress.com</a> and connect with him on Twitter at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/reconcilers">@reconcilers</a>

The idea of “the common good” has a rich history within the Christian church. It’s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God’s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God’s design for all of us fulfilled.

The idea of &ldquo;the common good&rdquo; has a rich history within the Christian church. It&rsquo;s the notion that, as we pursue Jesus in our lives and in the lives of others, we are fulfilling God&rsquo;s purposes for His creation. This pursuit can be messy. It means rolling up our sleeves and creating space for hard conversations about real issues that impact our lives. Things like parenting, marriage, finances, politics, art, and culture. On The Common Good, Brian From creates space to have these conversations, to sit with the big questions that we all have, to sometimes disagree, but to always look for the chance to create common good, by following after Jesus. Brian welcome listeners to join them in these conversations, to bring their own questions, hopes, and struggles, and to ultimately share in a journey to see God&rsquo;s design for all of us fulfilled.

The Common Good Podcast

The Common Good

Guest: Chris Rice, Director of the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office and Coauthor of "More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel" - August 9, 2021

Brian From works through a stack of uncomfortable questions for the church. When Eric Metaxas calls for grace toward Trump over the Jesus meme, Brian asks the harder question — do we extend that same grace across the aisle? A new Barna survey finds only 22% of Americans see Christians as empathetic, and nearly half describe the faith as judgmental or hypocritical. Brian sits with what that means for how we engage a watching world. Plus: Moses never entered the Promised Land and Joshua had to take his place — what God's "I am with you" means for us in seasons of fear and transition; a sobering new report showing just 3.4% of worship leaders rate their mental health as excellent, and why pastors need to be asking harder questions of their teams; Tim Challies on why heaven will forget none of its heroes — even the ones no one on earth ever noticed; and Chuck Swindoll's 1985 challenge that still lands today: who do you want to be ten years from now?

Brian From works through a stack of uncomfortable questions for the church. When Eric Metaxas calls for grace toward Trump over the Jesus meme, Brian asks the harder question &mdash; do we extend that same grace across the aisle? A new Barna survey finds only 22% of Americans see Christians as empathetic, and nearly half describe the faith as judgmental or hypocritical. Brian sits with what that means for how we engage a watching world. Plus: Moses never entered the Promised Land and Joshua had to take his place &mdash; what God's "I am with you" means for us in seasons of fear and transition; a sobering new report showing just 3.4% of worship leaders rate their mental health as excellent, and why pastors need to be asking harder questions of their teams; Tim Challies on why heaven will forget none of its heroes &mdash; even the ones no one on earth ever noticed; and Chuck Swindoll's 1985 challenge that still lands today: who do you want to be ten years from now?

"I Am With You" — Grace, Change, and Faithfulness in the Unseen Places

From the wreckage of the Titan submersible to the walls of ancient Rome, this episode traces a single thread: the difference between a culture that worships strength and a faith that finds power in weakness.

Brian opens with two somber anniversaries — the Oklahoma City bombing and Columbine — before turning to the cautionary tale of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, whose hubris cost five lives on a preventable voyage to the Titanic. From there, Brian unpacks JD Greer's reflection on the Corona Morales, Rome's highest military honor, and how the Apostle Paul flipped that imagery on its head in 2 Corinthians to boast not in triumph but in being lowered down a wall in shame. The crown that matters isn't earned by climbing over — it's received in weakness.

Other segments tackle why middle-aged Americans are lonelier, sadder, and weaker than their global peers (and why the church has the only real answer), a Yale committee's surprising admission about ideological echo chambers in higher education, Matt Chandler on sanctification as a winding coil rather than a straight line upward, and a closing meditation on Psalm 136 and the Hebrew word hesed — God's covenant love that endures forever.

Plus: a cold, rainy afternoon at Wrigley watching the Mets extend their losing streak, a shout-out to former producer and current Wrigley organist John Benedict, and the modern confusion of trying to figure out whether someone is talking to you or their AirPods.

Because sometimes the most formative work God does in us isn't when we're winning — it's when the floor falls out.

From the wreckage of the Titan submersible to the walls of ancient Rome, this episode traces a single thread: the difference between a culture that worships strength and a faith that finds power in weakness.
Brian opens with two somber anniversaries &mdash; the Oklahoma City bombing and Columbine &mdash; before turning to the cautionary tale of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, whose hubris cost five lives on a preventable voyage to the Titanic. From there, Brian unpacks JD Greer's reflection on the Corona Morales, Rome's highest military honor, and how the Apostle Paul flipped that imagery on its head in 2 Corinthians to boast not in triumph but in being lowered down a wall in shame. The crown that matters isn't earned by climbing over &mdash; it's received in weakness.
Other segments tackle why middle-aged Americans are lonelier, sadder, and weaker than their global peers (and why the church has the only real answer), a Yale committee's surprising admission about ideological echo chambers in higher education, Matt Chandler on sanctification as a winding coil rather than a straight line upward, and a closing meditation on Psalm 136 and the Hebrew word hesed &mdash; God's covenant love that endures forever.
Plus: a cold, rainy afternoon at Wrigley watching the Mets extend their losing streak, a shout-out to former producer and current Wrigley organist John Benedict, and the modern confusion of trying to figure out whether someone is talking to you or their AirPods.
Because sometimes the most formative work God does in us isn't when we're winning &mdash; it's when the floor falls out.

The Danger of Arrogance and the Gift of Disorientation

What would it look like if Christians didn't just believe the right things — but actually became like Jesus? Host Brian From sits down with Keas Keasler, associate professor of spiritual theology at Friends University and author of Kingdom Apprenticeship: Dallas Willard's Formational Theology and Missional Vision. Drawing on seven years of deep research — including time spent in the archives of Willard's unpublished papers — Kees brings fresh life to one of the most important Christian thinkers of the last century. Together, Brian and Kees explore what "intelligent mysticism" really means, why "apprenticeship" captures something "discipleship" has lost, and how Willard's vision of character formation might be exactly what the church needs to close the gap between what we profess and how we actually live.

What would it look like if Christians didn't just believe the right things &mdash; but actually became like Jesus? Host Brian From sits down with Keas Keasler, associate professor of spiritual theology at Friends University and author of&nbsp;Kingdom Apprenticeship: Dallas Willard's Formational Theology and Missional Vision. Drawing on seven years of deep research &mdash; including time spent in the archives of Willard's unpublished papers &mdash; Kees brings fresh life to one of the most important Christian thinkers of the last century. Together, Brian and Kees explore what "intelligent mysticism" really means, why "apprenticeship" captures something "discipleship" has lost, and how Willard's vision of character formation might be exactly what the church needs to close the gap between what we profess and how we actually live.

Guest: Chris Rice, Director of the Mennonite Central Committee United Nations Office and Coauthor of "More Than Equals: Racial Healing for the Sake of the Gospel" - August 9, 2021

The Common Good

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips