Before the fireworks and the barbecue, Brian From sits down with Zach Mettler of Focus on the Family's Daily Citizen to dig into one of the most contested questions in American history: what role did faith actually play in the founding of this nation? Zach makes the case that you simply cannot understand the founding without understanding Christianity's essential role — tracing it back not to 1776 but to 1607, when the English settlers at Cape Henry knelt in the sand, prayed, and planted a cross before establishing Jamestown. The Bible was the single most cited source among the founding fathers according to a landmark 20th century study, and the Declaration of Independence references God five times — making it as much a theological document as a political one. Zach also engages honestly with the complications: founding fathers on a spectrum from orthodox Christians like John Jay to heterodox figures like Jefferson, the irreconcilable tension of declaring all men equal while holding slaves, and what we do with that legacy. He closes with what Os Guinness calls the civilizational choice before America right now: recommit to its founding principles, find something else to root itself in, or decline. Find Focus on the Family's documentary Faith in America on YouTube or at thedailycitizen.org.

Before the fireworks and the barbecue, Brian From sits down with Zach Mettler of Focus on the Family's Daily Citizen to dig into one of the most contested questions in American history: what role did faith actually play in the founding of this nation? Zach makes the case that you simply cannot understand the founding without understanding Christianity's essential role &mdash; tracing it back not to 1776 but to 1607, when the English settlers at Cape Henry knelt in the sand, prayed, and planted a cross before establishing Jamestown. The Bible was the single most cited source among the founding fathers according to a landmark 20th century study, and the Declaration of Independence references God five times &mdash; making it as much a theological document as a political one. Zach also engages honestly with the complications: founding fathers on a spectrum from orthodox Christians like John Jay to heterodox figures like Jefferson, the irreconcilable tension of declaring all men equal while holding slaves, and what we do with that legacy. He closes with what Os Guinness calls the civilizational choice before America right now: recommit to its founding principles, find something else to root itself in, or decline. Find Focus on the Family's documentary Faith in America on YouTube or at thedailycitizen.org.

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.