Adam Holtz is back from a 2,500-mile California-to-Colorado road trip and ready to talk summer movies. First up: Masters of the Universe, the new He-Man origin story that proves Gen X nostalgia is still driving Hollywood — but like the Transformers franchise before it, it's been dialed up with unnecessary profanity and violence that didn't need to be there. Then a Paul Rudd movie about a wedding band musician whose song gets stolen by a Jonas brother, which sounds charming and mostly is, except for the R-rated language count that pushes it out of range for a lot of viewers. Adam also breaks down why Backrooms — the low-budget YouTube horror film that's made over $100 million — might be the most interesting story of the summer, what it says about audience hunger for original storytelling, and why Spider-Man will probably still take the title. Find full reviews at pluggedin.com before you head to the theater this weekend.

Adam Holtz is back from a 2,500-mile California-to-Colorado road trip and ready to talk summer movies. First up: Masters of the Universe, the new He-Man origin story that proves Gen X nostalgia is still driving Hollywood &mdash; but like the Transformers franchise before it, it's been dialed up with unnecessary profanity and violence that didn't need to be there. Then a Paul Rudd movie about a wedding band musician whose song gets stolen by a Jonas brother, which sounds charming and mostly is, except for the R-rated language count that pushes it out of range for a lot of viewers. Adam also breaks down why Backrooms &mdash; the low-budget YouTube horror film that's made over $100 million &mdash; might be the most interesting story of the summer, what it says about audience hunger for original storytelling, and why Spider-Man will probably still take the title. Find full reviews at pluggedin.com before you head to the theater this weekend.

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

He-Man, Paul Rudd & the Summer Blockbuster Scorecard with Adam Holtz of Plugged In

A Gen Z writer who describes herself as new to the Christian faith wrote something that should stop every church leader cold: "I worry we're not finding God. We're finding content about God." Brian From unpacks her piece on the commodification and gamification of Christianity — prayer streaks, Bible subscription apps, Sunday sermons on Spotify — and asks whether making faith frictionless is actually costing us the transcendence people are desperately searching for. Then: a North Carolina valedictorian who ditched her pre-approved speech to go off-script, and why being brave doesn't make breaking your agreement okay. The solitude influencer phenomenon — hundreds of thousands of followers, zero friends — and what the church can uniquely offer into a loneliness epidemic. A Christian baseball player allegedly sidelined by the Washington Nationals for his Catholic views during Pride Month, and what that tells us about the kind of quiet sidelining Christians should actually expect. Albert Moller shares a difficult health update. Shane Eidelman is battling head and neck cancer with a 30-50% five-year survival rate. The life and legacy of Dale Rotan, quiet co-founder of Operation Mobilization, who just passed at 88. And a reminder that Jesus wins — and therefore, your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

A Gen Z writer who describes herself as new to the Christian faith wrote something that should stop every church leader cold: "I worry we're not finding God. We're finding content about God." Brian From unpacks her piece on the commodification and gamification of Christianity &mdash; prayer streaks, Bible subscription apps, Sunday sermons on Spotify &mdash; and asks whether making faith frictionless is actually costing us the transcendence people are desperately searching for. Then: a North Carolina valedictorian who ditched her pre-approved speech to go off-script, and why being brave doesn't make breaking your agreement okay. The solitude influencer phenomenon &mdash; hundreds of thousands of followers, zero friends &mdash; and what the church can uniquely offer into a loneliness epidemic. A Christian baseball player allegedly sidelined by the Washington Nationals for his Catholic views during Pride Month, and what that tells us about the kind of quiet sidelining Christians should actually expect. Albert Moller shares a difficult health update. Shane Eidelman is battling head and neck cancer with a 30-50% five-year survival rate. The life and legacy of Dale Rotan, quiet co-founder of Operation Mobilization, who just passed at 88. And a reminder that Jesus wins &mdash; and therefore, your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The Commodification of Christianity & What a Gen Z Skeptic Sees That We've Missed

A new Lifeway study finds that 76% of American Christians believe God wants them to prosper financially — and among younger churchgoers, that number climbs to 85%. The prosperity gospel didn't die with the TV preachers. It just got quieter, more therapeutic, and harder to recognize. Brian From unpacks why that matters and how to spot it. Then: June is Pride Month, and Brian pushes back on both the combative Christian response and the capitulating one — asking instead what it would look like for the church to be genuinely known as a friend of sinners, the way Jesus was. Should Christians flip tables like Jesus? A careful look at what scripture actually encourages us to imitate — and it isn't anger. A meditation on the "I am the Good Shepherd" declaration from John 10, and what it means that Jesus sleeps at the gate. A reflection on John James of the Newsboys and the message of his story for anyone who feels like they're on God's discard pile. Samaritan's Purse opening an Ebola field hospital in Congo. Church sign puns. And a closing word from Psalm 121: He who keeps you will not slumber.

A new Lifeway study finds that 76% of American Christians believe God wants them to prosper financially &mdash; and among younger churchgoers, that number climbs to 85%. The prosperity gospel didn't die with the TV preachers. It just got quieter, more therapeutic, and harder to recognize. Brian From unpacks why that matters and how to spot it. Then: June is Pride Month, and Brian pushes back on both the combative Christian response and the capitulating one &mdash; asking instead what it would look like for the church to be genuinely known as a friend of sinners, the way Jesus was. Should Christians flip tables like Jesus? A careful look at what scripture actually encourages us to imitate &mdash; and it isn't anger. A meditation on the "I am the Good Shepherd" declaration from John 10, and what it means that Jesus sleeps at the gate. A reflection on John James of the Newsboys and the message of his story for anyone who feels like they're on God's discard pile. Samaritan's Purse opening an Ebola field hospital in Congo. Church sign puns. And a closing word from Psalm 121: He who keeps you will not slumber.

Pride Month, Table Flipping & the Good Shepherd

Christians have done plenty of thinking about faith and domestic politics — poverty, abortion, local justice. But almost no one has systematically asked what it looks like to follow Jesus in international relations. Robert Joustra, author of Christ and Covenant in Global Politics: A Christian Introduction to International Relations, joins Brian From to fill that gap. He tackles America First nationalism head-on, arguing that loving one's country is genuinely biblical — fifth commandment stuff — but that ordered love is very different from whitewashed love or willful blindness. He applies the just war tradition to the war in Iran, making the case that all war properly conceived is a form of neighbor love aimed at reconciliation. And he closes with a biographical story about his Dutch father, born under Nazi occupation in 1943, who got his first taste of chocolate from a Canadian soldier — a picture of what war at its most just can look like. A timely, unusual, and genuinely illuminating conversation for anyone trying to think Christianly about a complicated world. Robert is joining the faculty at Calvin University in Michigan.

Christians have done plenty of thinking about faith and domestic politics &mdash; poverty, abortion, local justice. But almost no one has systematically asked what it looks like to follow Jesus in international relations. Robert Joustra, author of Christ and Covenant in Global Politics: A Christian Introduction to International Relations, joins Brian From to fill that gap. He tackles America First nationalism head-on, arguing that loving one's country is genuinely biblical &mdash; fifth commandment stuff &mdash; but that ordered love is very different from whitewashed love or willful blindness. He applies the just war tradition to the war in Iran, making the case that all war properly conceived is a form of neighbor love aimed at reconciliation. And he closes with a biographical story about his Dutch father, born under Nazi occupation in 1943, who got his first taste of chocolate from a Canadian soldier &mdash; a picture of what war at its most just can look like. A timely, unusual, and genuinely illuminating conversation for anyone trying to think Christianly about a complicated world. Robert is joining the faculty at Calvin University in Michigan.

He-Man, Paul Rudd & the Summer Blockbuster Scorecard with Adam Holtz of Plugged In

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