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

Rachel Scott, author of Taking the Five Leaps

On Election Day, Brian From reminds listeners that the midterms matter, but our hope doesn’t rise or fall with the results, because our citizenship is in heaven. He marvels at Karl Bushby completing a 28-year, 31,000-mile walk around the world, then turns to a wave of large church capital campaigns and urges churches to talk about money transparently and wisely in a season of financial strain. He shares a Christianity Today “manifesto for phone-free church,” admitting he’s guilty himself, and discusses YouVersion data showing Psalm 91 was the Bible app’s most searched term this year. In the second hour, Brian reacts to a restaurant worker fired for emptying a Halloween candy bowl, highlights “poll chaplains” who pray and de-escalate tension at voting sites, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s refusal to trade the gospel for politics during the London Blitz. He reflects on the “church militant” fighting a battle already won, shares Pastor Tara Beth Leach’s hope that the church will confuse both political camps by looking like Christ, and closes in Philippians 1.

On Election Day, Brian From reminds listeners that the midterms matter, but our hope doesn&rsquo;t rise or fall with the results, because our citizenship is in heaven. He marvels at Karl Bushby completing a 28-year, 31,000-mile walk around the world, then turns to a wave of large church capital campaigns and urges churches to talk about money transparently and wisely in a season of financial strain. He shares a Christianity Today &ldquo;manifesto for phone-free church,&rdquo; admitting he&rsquo;s guilty himself, and discusses YouVersion data showing Psalm 91 was the Bible app&rsquo;s most searched term this year. In the second hour, Brian reacts to a restaurant worker fired for emptying a Halloween candy bowl, highlights &ldquo;poll chaplains&rdquo; who pray and de-escalate tension at voting sites, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on Martyn Lloyd-Jones&rsquo;s refusal to trade the gospel for politics during the London Blitz. He reflects on the &ldquo;church militant&rdquo; fighting a battle already won, shares Pastor Tara Beth Leach&rsquo;s hope that the church will confuse both political camps by looking like Christ, and closes in Philippians 1.

On Election Day, the Church Should Confuse Both Political Camps by Looking Like Christ

On the eve of the midterm elections, Brian From reminds listeners that Philippians 3 places our citizenship in heaven, so Christians can care about the results without losing their peace. He asks for prayer for Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell after a frightening neck injury, and plays Mike Leach’s famous rant about Halloween candy. Marking Reformation Day, he shares Mark Dever’s explanation of why the Reformation’s recovery of assurance of salvation set Europe on fire. He chuckles at a lawsuit claiming the McRib misleads customers, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on praying Psalm 79 for the persecuted church with humility and hope. In the second hour, Brian plays a sermon clip on God as our strength, weighs a dietitian’s advice to let kids eat as much Halloween candy as they want, and reacts to a survey finding three in four European pilots admit to falling asleep in the cockpit. He addresses fears about a possible escalation of the war with Iran, shares Tim Challies’s tips for resolving conflict in marriage, and closes with five Latin phrases that capture Martin Luther’s life and theology.

On the eve of the midterm elections, Brian From reminds listeners that Philippians 3 places our citizenship in heaven, so Christians can care about the results without losing their peace. He asks for prayer for Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell after a frightening neck injury, and plays Mike Leach&rsquo;s famous rant about Halloween candy. Marking Reformation Day, he shares Mark Dever&rsquo;s explanation of why the Reformation&rsquo;s recovery of assurance of salvation set Europe on fire. He chuckles at a lawsuit claiming the McRib misleads customers, and shares a Gospel Coalition piece on praying Psalm 79 for the persecuted church with humility and hope. In the second hour, Brian plays a sermon clip on God as our strength, weighs a dietitian&rsquo;s advice to let kids eat as much Halloween candy as they want, and reacts to a survey finding three in four European pilots admit to falling asleep in the cockpit. He addresses fears about a possible escalation of the war with Iran, shares Tim Challies&rsquo;s tips for resolving conflict in marriage, and closes with five Latin phrases that capture Martin Luther&rsquo;s life and theology.

Our Citizenship Is in Heaven, Even on the Eve of the Midterms

Brian From welcomes fellow Chicago radio host and pastor Karl Clauson, co-host of Karl and Crew on Moody Radio and lead pastor of 180 Chicago Church, to discuss his new book, The Unstoppable Gospel: From Powerless Belief to a True Faith That Changes Everything. Karl describes a crisis inside the church: many people who have walked an aisle or prayed a prayer carry what he calls a “hallucination of salvation” without real repentance or surrender to Christ. He traces “decisionism” back to the well-intentioned altar calls of the Great Awakenings and contrasts it with the multiplying fruit of a truly changed life. Karl shares his own story of growing up in church before surrendering to Jesus at 23, and urges pastors to recover Jesus’ call to “repent and believe,” noting that many church leaders estimate a large share of their congregations may not personally know Christ. Brian also shares his own high school moment of realizing he knew a lot about God without truly knowing Him.

Brian From welcomes fellow Chicago radio host and pastor Karl Clauson, co-host of Karl and Crew on Moody Radio and lead pastor of 180 Chicago Church, to discuss his new book, The Unstoppable Gospel: From Powerless Belief to a True Faith That Changes Everything. Karl describes a crisis inside the church: many people who have walked an aisle or prayed a prayer carry what he calls a &ldquo;hallucination of salvation&rdquo; without real repentance or surrender to Christ. He traces &ldquo;decisionism&rdquo; back to the well-intentioned altar calls of the Great Awakenings and contrasts it with the multiplying fruit of a truly changed life. Karl shares his own story of growing up in church before surrendering to Jesus at 23, and urges pastors to recover Jesus&rsquo; call to &ldquo;repent and believe,&rdquo; noting that many church leaders estimate a large share of their congregations may not personally know Christ. Brian also shares his own high school moment of realizing he knew a lot about God without truly knowing Him.

Rachel Scott, author of Taking the Five Leaps

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