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We were joined by author and political scientist, David Koyzis. He was here to discuss the events at the Capitol yesterday, and provide some perspective on how to bring unity to the United States.

We were joined by author and political scientist, <a href="https://twitter.com/dtkoyzis?lang=en">David Koyzis</a>. He was here to discuss the events at the Capitol yesterday, and provide some perspective on how to bring unity to the United States.

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: David Koyzis, Political Scientist and Author - Response to the Siege on the US Capitol - January 7, 2021

Brian From returns from Dallas, where he officiated the wedding of a former youth group student, reflecting on how staying connected to Jesus is the key to a strong marriage. He passes along an Uber driver’s wise advice for empty nesters: keep seeing each other. He airs some frustrations about air travel etiquette, applauds a megachurch pastor for urging every Christian to vote without telling them how, and sides with apologist Frank Turek in his disagreement with Ken Ham, arguing that the age of the earth is an important question but not a test of orthodoxy. Brian wonders why so many in Gen Z are delaying their driver’s licenses, pushes back on Carl and Laura Lentz’s media tour for their book on infidelity, and discusses a UC Berkeley professor who stopped grading homework for correctness because of AI. He reflects on Paul’s call in Philippians 1:27 to live worthy of the gospel “whatever happens,” and remembers the 1999 plane crash that killed golfer Payne Stewart. He warns that Eric Trump’s claim that “we’re saving God” turns a politician into an idol. He closes with John Piper on why true fulfillment is found in God rather than the self, and a Charles Stanley devotional on everyday disciple-making.

Brian From returns from Dallas, where he officiated the wedding of a former youth group student, reflecting on how staying connected to Jesus is the key to a strong marriage. He passes along an Uber driver&rsquo;s wise advice for empty nesters: keep seeing each other. He airs some frustrations about air travel etiquette, applauds a megachurch pastor for urging every Christian to vote without telling them how, and sides with apologist Frank Turek in his disagreement with Ken Ham, arguing that the age of the earth is an important question but not a test of orthodoxy. Brian wonders why so many in Gen Z are delaying their driver&rsquo;s licenses, pushes back on Carl and Laura Lentz&rsquo;s media tour for their book on infidelity, and discusses a UC Berkeley professor who stopped grading homework for correctness because of AI. He reflects on Paul&rsquo;s call in Philippians 1:27 to live worthy of the gospel &ldquo;whatever happens,&rdquo; and remembers the 1999 plane crash that killed golfer Payne Stewart. He warns that Eric Trump&rsquo;s claim that &ldquo;we&rsquo;re saving God&rdquo; turns a politician into an idol. He closes with John Piper on why true fulfillment is found in God rather than the self, and a Charles Stanley devotional on everyday disciple-making.

Christians Can Disagree About the Age of the Earth, but No Politician Is Saving God

Brian From talks with New York Times bestselling author and Washington, D.C. pastor Mark Batterson, a Naperville native, about his new book, Not My Circus: Living with Courage, Conviction, and Compassion in a World of Chaos. Mark explains the title’s double meaning: the familiar proverb about healthy boundaries, and Paul’s call in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to a world whose largest building, Rome’s Circus Maximus, shaped what people cheered and feared. He describes the cultural “three-ring circus” of shaming, blaming, and faming that traces back to Genesis 3, and argues that grace and truth must go together. Grace without truth is “weak sauce,” truth without grace is “hot sauce,” and together they’re the “secret sauce.” For recovering people pleasers, Mark offers the fear of the Lord as the cure for the fear of man. Drawing on 30 years of pastoring on Capitol Hill, he reminds listeners heading into the midterms that politics matter but are never ultimate, because administrations come and go while God’s kingdom endures.

Brian From talks with New York Times bestselling author and Washington, D.C. pastor Mark Batterson, a Naperville native, about his new book, Not My Circus: Living with Courage, Conviction, and Compassion in a World of Chaos. Mark explains the title&rsquo;s double meaning: the familiar proverb about healthy boundaries, and Paul&rsquo;s call in Romans 12:2 not to be conformed to a world whose largest building, Rome&rsquo;s Circus Maximus, shaped what people cheered and feared. He describes the cultural &ldquo;three-ring circus&rdquo; of shaming, blaming, and faming that traces back to Genesis 3, and argues that grace and truth must go together. Grace without truth is &ldquo;weak sauce,&rdquo; truth without grace is &ldquo;hot sauce,&rdquo; and together they&rsquo;re the &ldquo;secret sauce.&rdquo; For recovering people pleasers, Mark offers the fear of the Lord as the cure for the fear of man. Drawing on 30 years of pastoring on Capitol Hill, he reminds listeners heading into the midterms that politics matter but are never ultimate, because administrations come and go while God&rsquo;s kingdom endures.

Mark Batterson Says Not My Circus: Living with Conviction and Compassion in a Chaotic World

Brian From kicks off the weekend reflecting on what fall’s changing seasons reveal about a God who never changes. He vents about increasingly reckless, distracted drivers, and walks through Russell Moore’s Christianity Today column explaining why recent events, including Christa Pike’s failed execution in Tennessee and plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, have moved him away from supporting capital punishment. Brian revisits the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal as a warning about money, helicopter parenting, and the message we send kids when we don’t believe in them. He shares Tim Challies’s case that every part of a worship service matters, not just the sermon, and urges listeners to get to church on time. In the second hour, Brian encourages patience in planting spiritual seeds, discusses a survey showing financial anxiety affects people at every income level, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on living in the moment with eternity in mind. He closes with OpenAI data showing ChatGPT receives more than 70 million religion-related questions a week, a sign that people are hungry for answers.

Brian From kicks off the weekend reflecting on what fall&rsquo;s changing seasons reveal about a God who never changes. He vents about increasingly reckless, distracted drivers, and walks through Russell Moore&rsquo;s Christianity Today column explaining why recent events, including Christa Pike&rsquo;s failed execution in Tennessee and plans to livestream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan, have moved him away from supporting capital punishment. Brian revisits the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal as a warning about money, helicopter parenting, and the message we send kids when we don&rsquo;t believe in them. He shares Tim Challies&rsquo;s case that every part of a worship service matters, not just the sermon, and urges listeners to get to church on time. In the second hour, Brian encourages patience in planting spiritual seeds, discusses a survey showing financial anxiety affects people at every income level, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on living in the moment with eternity in mind. He closes with OpenAI data showing ChatGPT receives more than 70 million religion-related questions a week, a sign that people are hungry for answers.

Guest: David Koyzis, Political Scientist and Author - Response to the Siege on the US Capitol - January 7, 2021

The Common Good

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