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

Philip Aspegren, Executive Director of the Family and Child Welfare Organization Casa Viva

Most Christians believe in evangelism. Very few actually do it — and the fear isn't hard to understand. Mark Teasdale, president of United Theological Seminary and author of Socially Awkward Evangelism: Overcoming Fear in Sharing the Gospel, joins Brian From to diagnose why the word alone makes so many believers anxious, and what to do about it. The short answer: we've been taught that evangelism requires confrontation, and almost nobody wants to bludgeon someone to Jesus. Mark unpacks what healthy evangelism actually looks like — relational, patient, non-judgmental, and built over time rather than executed in a single beach encounter. He also shares a fascinating finding about Gen Z: they're strongly in favor of evangelism as an idea, but terrified of coming across as one of those Christians. And his most practical starting point for anyone who wants to grow? If you're not ready to talk to another person about Jesus, start by talking to Jesus about another person. Free exercises from the book are available at the InterVarsity Press website — no purchase required.

Most Christians believe in evangelism. Very few actually do it &mdash; and the fear isn't hard to understand. Mark Teasdale, president of United Theological Seminary and author of Socially Awkward Evangelism: Overcoming Fear in Sharing the Gospel, joins Brian From to diagnose why the word alone makes so many believers anxious, and what to do about it. The short answer: we've been taught that evangelism requires confrontation, and almost nobody wants to bludgeon someone to Jesus. Mark unpacks what healthy evangelism actually looks like &mdash; relational, patient, non-judgmental, and built over time rather than executed in a single beach encounter. He also shares a fascinating finding about Gen Z: they're strongly in favor of evangelism as an idea, but terrified of coming across as one of those Christians. And his most practical starting point for anyone who wants to grow? If you're not ready to talk to another person about Jesus, start by talking to Jesus about another person. Free exercises from the book are available at the InterVarsity Press website &mdash; no purchase required.

Overcoming the Fear of Sharing Your Faith with Mark Teasdale

Everything is shifting under our feet — social norms, acceptable speech, cultural standards — and the result is a generation drowning in anxiety and uncertainty. Alan Noble, professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times, joins Brian From to make the case that the seven classical virtues offer a grounding that goes deeper and older than any TikTok life hack. He unpacks fortitude — why facing suffering for the sake of the good is one of the most countercultural things a person can do right now — and prudence, the practical wisdom that gets stuck not in the deliberating but in the failure to act resolutely. Alan also shares what he's seeing in his college students: plenty of faith, but a desperate hunger to know how that faith speaks into the actual struggles of daily life — choosing a career, asking someone out, managing social anxiety. They don't want abstract theology. They want to know if any of this is real enough to help them today. The answer, Alan says, is yes. Find To Live Well wherever books are sold.

Everything is shifting under our feet &mdash; social norms, acceptable speech, cultural standards &mdash; and the result is a generation drowning in anxiety and uncertainty. Alan Noble, professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times, joins Brian From to make the case that the seven classical virtues offer a grounding that goes deeper and older than any TikTok life hack. He unpacks fortitude &mdash; why facing suffering for the sake of the good is one of the most countercultural things a person can do right now &mdash; and prudence, the practical wisdom that gets stuck not in the deliberating but in the failure to act resolutely. Alan also shares what he's seeing in his college students: plenty of faith, but a desperate hunger to know how that faith speaks into the actual struggles of daily life &mdash; choosing a career, asking someone out, managing social anxiety. They don't want abstract theology. They want to know if any of this is real enough to help them today. The answer, Alan says, is yes. Find To Live Well wherever books are sold.

Seven Virtues for Chaotic Times with Alan Noble

A new survey says 48% of Americans feel the fun has disappeared from their lives — and the number one thing they call "fun" is watching more TV. Brian From unpacks what that actually says about how we're living and what we're missing. Then: the Enhanced Games happened in Las Vegas, where athletes competed on cocktails of performance enhancing drugs for prize money up to a million dollars, and it raises some uncomfortable questions about human nature and the lengths we'll go to get ahead. A Wisconsin driver removed a road closed sign, drove into fresh concrete, and became an accidental parable. Daniel Darling's Christianity Today piece on whether Christians should smoke weed — and why most of the same arguments apply to alcohol. The story of missionary Davy Lloyd, who was kidnapped and beaten in Haiti, and still preached Christ's love and forgiveness to the men who would kill him. A deep dive into agentic AI and whether it could replace your pastor — spoiler: it already can write your sermons and call your congregation in your voice. And a closing challenge from Randy Alcorn and C.S. Lewis on the question that changes everything: who do you say Jesus is?

A new survey says 48% of Americans feel the fun has disappeared from their lives &mdash; and the number one thing they call "fun" is watching more TV. Brian From unpacks what that actually says about how we're living and what we're missing. Then: the Enhanced Games happened in Las Vegas, where athletes competed on cocktails of performance enhancing drugs for prize money up to a million dollars, and it raises some uncomfortable questions about human nature and the lengths we'll go to get ahead. A Wisconsin driver removed a road closed sign, drove into fresh concrete, and became an accidental parable. Daniel Darling's Christianity Today piece on whether Christians should smoke weed &mdash; and why most of the same arguments apply to alcohol. The story of missionary Davy Lloyd, who was kidnapped and beaten in Haiti, and still preached Christ's love and forgiveness to the men who would kill him. A deep dive into agentic AI and whether it could replace your pastor &mdash; spoiler: it already can write your sermons and call your congregation in your voice. And a closing challenge from Randy Alcorn and C.S. Lewis on the question that changes everything: who do you say Jesus is?

Philip Aspegren, Executive Director of the Family and Child Welfare Organization Casa Viva

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