Brian celebrates Adam Holz's birthday before diving into a striking review from Plugged In on the horror film Ice Cream Man from director Eli Roth, sparked by Roth's own admission that being traumatized by the movie Alien at age eight inspired his career making horror films. Adam reflects on how deeply entertainment can shape a person's life direction, for better or worse, and why paying attention to what kids and grandkids are watching matters. They wrap up with a review of the new Spider-Man film, discussing its themes of friendship and isolation following the character's memory-erasing sacrifice, along with content notes on violence, language, and suggestive material for parents to weigh.

Brian celebrates Adam Holz's birthday before diving into a striking review from Plugged In on the horror film Ice Cream Man from director Eli Roth, sparked by Roth's own admission that being traumatized by the movie Alien at age eight inspired his career making horror films. Adam reflects on how deeply entertainment can shape a person's life direction, for better or worse, and why paying attention to what kids and grandkids are watching matters. They wrap up with a review of the new Spider-Man film, discussing its themes of friendship and isolation following the character's memory-erasing sacrifice, along with content notes on violence, language, and suggestive material for parents to weigh.

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

Horror Movies, Childhood Trauma, and the New Spider-Man

Brian recaps a whirlwind weekend driving to visit his college freshman son, watching Sunday Night Football together, and reflects on how family time reorders priorities better than anything else in life. He digs into a Christianity Today piece pushing back on the popular but misattributed C.S. Lewis quote that humility is "thinking of yourself less," arguing true Christian humility is self-sacrificial love modeled on Christ rather than mere self-forgetfulness. Brian raises alarm over the growing "no contact" trend of adult children cutting off parents over relatively minor disagreements, drawing on a new book critiquing the ideology behind it and calling the church to model grace, forgiveness, and the hard work of reconciliation instead. He discusses a Tim Challies piece arguing the Bible's power isn't tied to any physical medium — book, scroll, or phone screen — and a related Christianity Today article on the return of hymnals, arguing the real question is theological substance, not format. He also reflects wryly on 1990s evangelical culture-war panics over Pokémon and Harry Potter as a caution against losing focus on the church's true calling, and closes with JD Greer's teaching on the warning signs of spiritual lukewarmness — prayerlessness, minimized sin, and a transactional relationship with God.

Brian recaps a whirlwind weekend driving to visit his college freshman son, watching Sunday Night Football together, and reflects on how family time reorders priorities better than anything else in life. He digs into a Christianity Today piece pushing back on the popular but misattributed C.S. Lewis quote that humility is "thinking of yourself less," arguing true Christian humility is self-sacrificial love modeled on Christ rather than mere self-forgetfulness. Brian raises alarm over the growing "no contact" trend of adult children cutting off parents over relatively minor disagreements, drawing on a new book critiquing the ideology behind it and calling the church to model grace, forgiveness, and the hard work of reconciliation instead. He discusses a Tim Challies piece arguing the Bible's power isn't tied to any physical medium &mdash; book, scroll, or phone screen &mdash; and a related Christianity Today article on the return of hymnals, arguing the real question is theological substance, not format. He also reflects wryly on 1990s evangelical culture-war panics over Pok&eacute;mon and Harry Potter as a caution against losing focus on the church's true calling, and closes with JD Greer's teaching on the warning signs of spiritual lukewarmness &mdash; prayerlessness, minimized sin, and a transactional relationship with God.

A Weekend with My Son, the 'No Contact' Movement, and What It Means to Not Be Lukewarm

Brian talks with Dr. Margaret Diddams, former provost at Wheaton College and co-author with Shirley Mullen of the new book Tried and True: The Countercultural Virtues of Christian Leadership. Drawing on her background in organizational psychology and years consulting with senior pastors, Margaret describes what she calls the "four horsemen of self-deception" — exhaustion, isolation, defensiveness, and entitlement — that drive so much of the moral failure and burnout plaguing church leadership today. She diagnoses the root problem as an individualistic, strengths-based leadership model borrowed from the business world rather than one oriented toward God's kingdom, and uses the life of John Wesley as a case study in surrendered, God-facing leadership rather than self-reliant leadership. Margaret unpacks the book's framework of surrender, stewardship, and servanthood, connecting it to the biblical vision of the "common good" — humanity made in God's image to steward creation toward flourishing and shalom.

Brian talks with Dr. Margaret Diddams, former provost at Wheaton College and co-author with Shirley Mullen of the new book Tried and True: The Countercultural Virtues of Christian Leadership. Drawing on her background in organizational psychology and years consulting with senior pastors, Margaret describes what she calls the "four horsemen of self-deception" &mdash; exhaustion, isolation, defensiveness, and entitlement &mdash; that drive so much of the moral failure and burnout plaguing church leadership today. She diagnoses the root problem as an individualistic, strengths-based leadership model borrowed from the business world rather than one oriented toward God's kingdom, and uses the life of John Wesley as a case study in surrendered, God-facing leadership rather than self-reliant leadership. Margaret unpacks the book's framework of surrender, stewardship, and servanthood, connecting it to the biblical vision of the "common good" &mdash; humanity made in God's image to steward creation toward flourishing and shalom.

Rescuing Christian Leadership from Burnout and Self-Reliance

On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Brian shares a deeply personal memory of Jerry Paskins, a kind, ordinary man from his home church in New Jersey who was killed in the North Tower while on a business trip, putting a face to the tragedy's staggering scale. He wrestles with Colin Hansen's Christianity Today piece on the problem of evil, affirming that evil is real, death is inevitable, God remains sovereign, and God remains good — even when we can't reconcile all three. Brian discusses a Gospel Coalition article revisiting theologian J. Gresham Machen's 93-year-old argument against teaching the Bible in public schools, applied to Texas's new mandated curriculum, making the case that Scripture belongs with parents and the church rather than the state. He closes the hour reading extensively from Tim Keller's sermon delivered at Redeemer Presbyterian Church just days after 9/11, "Truth, Tears, Anger, and Grace," reflecting on Jesus's example of entering into grief before offering resurrection hope.

On the 25th anniversary of September 11th, Brian shares a deeply personal memory of Jerry Paskins, a kind, ordinary man from his home church in New Jersey who was killed in the North Tower while on a business trip, putting a face to the tragedy's staggering scale. He wrestles with Colin Hansen's Christianity Today piece on the problem of evil, affirming that evil is real, death is inevitable, God remains sovereign, and God remains good &mdash; even when we can't reconcile all three. Brian discusses a Gospel Coalition article revisiting theologian J. Gresham Machen's 93-year-old argument against teaching the Bible in public schools, applied to Texas's new mandated curriculum, making the case that Scripture belongs with parents and the church rather than the state. He closes the hour reading extensively from Tim Keller's sermon delivered at Redeemer Presbyterian Church just days after 9/11, "Truth, Tears, Anger, and Grace," reflecting on Jesus's example of entering into grief before offering resurrection hope.

Horror Movies, Childhood Trauma, and the New Spider-Man

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