Good Faith

What does it mean to stay fully human in the age of AI?

Host Curtis Chang sits down with Pulitzer Prize finalist and acclaimed technology critic Nicholas Carr to explore how AI, social media, and digital life are reshaping human attention, identity, education, and spiritual formation. Carr warns that technologies promising efficiency often erode the embodied presence, deep thinking, struggle, and meaningful friction that make us fully human. Together, Curtis and Nicholas uncover surprising common ground in the urgent work of preserving human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.

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Have You Ever Met a Secular Professor Who Became a Christian?

In this episode of Good Faith, Curtis Chang talks with historian and UNC professor Molly Worthen about her surprising journey from secular skeptic to Christian believer—and what her story reveals about faith, doubt, college, and perceived crises in higher education. They explore why so many Christian students struggle with faith on secular campuses, how parents can help college-bound kids find mentors and community, and how Christian study centers are creating spaces for honest questions, intellectual formation, and spiritual growth. Molly also explains why th...

Are Aliens Demons, Our Cosmic Neighbors, or Something Stranger?

Host Curtis Chang and author Andy Crouch explore the theological implications of UFOs, extraterrestrial life, and the possibility that humans are not the only created beings in the cosmos. They ask whether aliens should be understood as material creatures, angels and demons, image bearers, or cosmic neighbors—and what Scripture, Christian theology, and even Aquinas suggest about our human uniqueness. Along the way, they consider whether first contact would reveal Christian love, humility, and wonder—or our instinct toward fear and domination.

00:47 - In...

Is Mortality the Enemy of a Meaningful Life?

Curtis Chang sits down with psychologist Dr. Dan Allender for a searching conversation about aging, mortality, Christian hope, and the surprising freedom of growing older. Together, they explore why getting older is not merely decline, but an invitation to deeper purpose, tenderness, grace, and wisdom—especially in a culture determined to deny death. From caring for aging parents to reimagining retirement, Dan and Curtis offer biblical insight and personal honesty for anyone seeking renewed purpose, peace, and courage as we grow older.

00:43 - In...

What Is Spiritual Weariness and How Can We Find Renewal?

In this episode of The Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang chats with Tish Harrison Warren—Anglican priest, former New York Times columnist, and author of What Grows in Weary Lands—about burnout, spiritual weariness, and the exhaustion that escapism and rest alone cannot fix. Tish explains how polarization, digital distraction, consumerism, and isolation can leave us tempted to "flame out" or "numb out." Instead, she invites listeners to "go deeper" through prayer, silence, embodied community, Sabbath, and the difficult but meaningful commitments that lead to last...

What Is Spiritual Weariness and How Can We Find Renewal?

In this episode of The Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang chats with Tish Harrison Warren—Anglican priest, former New York Times columnist, and author of What Grows in Weary Lands—about burnout, spiritual weariness, and the exhaustion that escapism and rest alone cannot fix. Tish explains how polarization, digital distraction, consumerism, and isolation can leave us tempted to "flame out" or "numb out." Instead, she invites listeners to "go deeper" through prayer, silence, embodied community, Sabbath, and the difficult but meaningful commitments that lead to last...

What Can Lead a Weary Soul to the Divine in a Post-Christian World?

Malcolm Guite is back for part two of our chat with him, and this time we go from atheism to awe, from the Psalms to the Holy Grail, and from Keats to King Arthur. Malcolm tells the wild story of how poetry cracked open his imagination and shattered his unbelief, leading him into the living presence of God — then shows why Galahad and the Grail might be the ancient, weird, luminous story our burned-out, disenchanted world needs now.

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Is Ukraine's Fight Against Tyranny Already America's Failure?

New York Times opinion writer and Iraq War veteran David French joins Curtis Chang on the Good Faith podcast to explain why Ukraine may be the world-changing war Americans are ignoring. David argues that Ukraine's resistance to Russia has exposed America's retreat from moral leadership, transformed the global balance of power, and elevated Zelensky as one of the most consequential leaders of our time. From Trump's impact on NATO to Europe's growing defense buildup, Curtis and David explore what Ukraine reveals about U.S. power, Christian responsibility...

Is There a Hidden Power of Communion in a Hopeless Age?

Hannah Miller King joins Curtis Chang on the Good Faith podcast to discuss her book Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness and why communion is more than a symbolic church ritual. Together, they explore the Lord's Supper, Christian hope, embodied worship, and how the table of God forms Christians to resist consumer culture and carry resurrection-shaped love into a hopeless world. They discuss why this embodied practice connects believers to Christ's past sacrifice, present grace, and future return and...

Imagination Combined with Reason Can Build a Sturdier Faith.

Malcolm Guite invites us to recover a "baptized imagination," showing how poetry can do real theological work by carrying truth through image, beauty, sacrament, and story. Rather than replacing reason, imagination helps us perceive meaning—opening Scripture, creation, and the mystery of Christ in ways analysis alone cannot reach.

00:00 - A Sonnet for Saint Peter

01:16 - Introduction to the Episode

03:32 - Can Poetry Do Theology?

09:02 - What Is the Baptized Imagination?

11:09 - Reason, Imagination, an...

How Can We Raise Capable Kids Without Rescuing Them?

David Thomas, co-executive director of Daystar Counseling and co-author of Capable, joins Curtis Chang for a timely conversation on Christian parenting, kids' mental health, and raising resilient children in an age of anxiety. They explore why today's parenting culture can accidentally make kids less capable—and how faith, courage, and emotional resilience can help families face struggle without fear. If you're raising kids in this world shaped by stress, screens, and social pressure, this episode offers grounded, practical wisdom.

02:32 - It's Been a...

How Does the Church Sings Through Suffering and Why Do the Songs Matter?

Grammy Award nominee and Dove Award winner Matt Maher joins the Good Faith podcast for a conversation about the power of songs and church music to tell the truth about suffering. Reflecting on protest, justice, prophetic art, ecumenism, and even Rich Mullins, Maher explores how the church can hold lament and praise together while still pointing people to the hope and holiness of God. Drawing on Psalm 22 and Jesus' cry of abandonment on the cross, he argues that the church, like Jesus...

Why Relying on One Bible Teacher Isn't Enough—and What to Do About It

In this Good Faith Podcast bonus short, N.T. Wright shares practical, accessible guidance on how to read the Bible with deeper understanding, moving beyond surface-level devotion into the rich world of biblical context, Scripture study, and Christian discipleship. Wright explains why exploring texts like Josephus, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha, and the Apostolic Fathers can help modern believers interpret the New Testament more faithfully and confidently. He also offers a personal glimpse into his lifelong daily Bible reading practice, re...

Are Violent Bible Passages Being Used to Justify War?

Pete Wehner, former White House official and writer for The Atlantic, joins Curtis Chang to examine how violent Old Testament "holy war" texts are being invoked in today's political and cultural debates, including by Pete Hegseth and voices tied to the Trump administration. Pete and Curtis explore the war in Iran, Bible interpretation, the character of God, and why Christians must read troubling Bible passages through the lens of Jesus and the cross before making life-and-death moral judgments.

02:37 - Holy War Texts...

Is AI Helping Us Flourish or Making Us Less Human?

Andy Crouch joins Curtis Chang for a timely conversation on AI, Christianity, human flourishing, and the future of being human. Together they explore whether artificial intelligence will deepen human relationships or replace them, why prediction is not the same as prophecy, and how Christians can pursue embodied community, reconciliation, and faithful living in the age of AI.

04:31 - Technology Adoption and Cultural Change

09:05 - AI's Subtle Presence and Future Potential

12:30 - AI and Work-Life Balance

14:36...

Imagination Combined with Reason Can Build a Sturdier Faith.

Malcolm Guite invites us to recover a "baptized imagination," showing how poetry can do real theological work by carrying truth through image, beauty, sacrament, and story. Rather than replacing reason, imagination helps us perceive meaning—opening Scripture, creation, and the mystery of Christ in ways analysis alone cannot reach.

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The Power of Presence: How Connection Transcends Cognitive Loss

Show Notes:
Good Faith's series of Campfire Stories invites listeners to hear how ordinary people are living out extraordinary faith in complex times. In this episode, In this episode. Jim, a devoted husband and caregiver, shares moving stories about his wife Carolyn's vibrant life and their journey through her frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. Inspired by Curtis and Good Faith guest Professor John Swinton, a theologian and former nurse, Jim  explores the theological significance of being remembered by God, and the enduring value of personhood beyond memory.

S...

Are Megachurches, Christian Influencers, and Artificial Intelligence Breaking the Church?

This week on the Good Faith podcast, Katelyn Beaty joins host Curtis Chang to confront the church's growing addiction to celebrity culture, asking how celebrity pastors, megachurch platforms, and AI are changing the way Christians are formed. Curtis even asks Katelyn to evaluate whether his public persona and the Good Faith platform risk becoming part of the very problem they're critiquing. If faith is becoming more online, more branded, and less embodied, this conversation asks the hard question: what happens to authentic Christian community, spiritual...

From Breakthroughs to Budget Cuts: The Rollercoaster of Modern Medical Research

What happens when politics wages war on science—and Christians get caught in the blast radius? In this Good Faith Podcast episode, Curtis Chang talks with former NIH director Dr. Francis Collins and BioLogos president Dr. Kristine Torjesen about Collins' forced exit from NIH, the shutdown of a major HIV prevention programs in Africa, and how cuts to vaccines, medical research, and public health are threatening lives and future breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer's, and pandemic preparedness. They also confront vaccine distrust, anti-institution politics, and ev...

Refusing Despair Amidst Cultural Darkness

What does it look like to cheerfully refuse a collapsing culture without giving in to cynicism, fear, or despair? Host Curtis Chang and Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson—Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University— dive into Leif Enger's I Cheerfully Refuse, exploring why great novels still matter, how Christians can resist ideations of apocalypse with joy, and what faith-filled fiction reveals about beauty, truth, and survival in dark times. This conversation is for listeners hungry for cultural commentary,hopeful resistance, and deeper ways of reading the world through fait...

The Intersection of Trump, Iran, and the Moral Limits of War

What should Christians think about the U.S. war with Iran, Israel's role in the conflict, and the risk of a wider Middle East war? In this Good Faith Podcast episode, Curtis Chang and New York Times columnist David French unpack the escalating U.S.-Iran war through the lens of Christian theology, just war theory, constitutional checks and balances, and the moral limits of presidential power. They explore whether America's military action against Iran is just, legal, or dangerously reckless, while also addressing...

What Does Radical Acceptance Look Like in Real Life?

In this Good Faith Podcast episode, Curtis Chang sits down with Dave Evans (co-founder of the Stanford Life Design Lab) to tear up the "find your purpose" script and explore how design thinking, faith, and radical acceptance can lead to real meaning—especially through grief and uncertainty. Expect sharp insights, honest stories, and practical tools to build a life with more presence, flow, and authenticity starting now. Dave and Curtis dig into faith and the tension of the "already and not yet" as they look at th...

Prayers of the People: The Power of Prayer in Difficult Times

The Good Faith Podcast host Curtis Chang and producer DT Slouffman guide listeners through a communal time of prayer. Responding to heartfelt prayer requests from newsletter subscribers, they reflect on themes of hope, family reconciliation, and finding peace amid uncertainty. Each request is followed by a moment of silent prayer, inviting listeners to participate. The episode emphasizes surrendering to God's will, the challenges of strained relationships, and seeking God's presence in suffering.

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Can Missionaries, Not Politics, Depolarize Climate Change for Christians?

Climate change isn't a partisan talking point—it's a discipleship test, and Brian Webb, a seasoned sustainability director and educator, joins Curtis Chang to make the case that climate ignorance hurts both the body of Christ and the world God made for our flourishing. From typhoons overseas to Lyme disease at home, Webb shows how climate change is already hurting real people—and why Christians can't shrug it off. Forget guilt and "change your light bulb" advice: Brian and Curtis lean into stubborn optimism and practical acti...

Vanishing Coastlines, Dying Reefs, and the Future of an Island Nation

In this short Good Faith podcast story, Taualo Penivao, General Secretary of the Christian Church of Tuvalu, shares a firsthand witness of how climate change is reshaping daily life, faith, and the difficult questions of land reclamation and climate migration. Hear why Tuvalu is often called "ground zero" for the global climate crisis—and what support is needed to help protect its people, culture, and future.

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Is The Greatest Shift in Christian Theology Going From Heaven to Earth?

Heaven isn't the point of the gospel—and N.T. Wright challenges the "accept Jesus and escape earth" narrative of Christianity. Curtis Chang talks with Wright, leading theologian and prolific author, about New Creation and his latest book God's Homecoming: The Forgotten Promise of Future Renewal, asking whether the Bible's promise is the Kingdom of God on earth—or simply going to heaven when you die. They examine the "royal priesthood" calling, what this means for life after death and suffering now, and the...

Disappearing Neighbors, Upended Constitutional Norms, and an Artist's Response to ICE

Curtis Chang talks with singer-songwriter and Twin Cities resident Sara Groves about heightened ICE activity in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and why the consequences for families and neighborhoods persist after the headlines fade. Groves challenges claims that "protesters are paid agitators" or that "ICE targets only criminals," naming the emotional and spiritual toll alongside concerns about due process and constitutional overreach. They discuss "borrowed courage," the cost of public witness—when refusing to defend the indefensible—and how Christians can resist dehumanization by loving neighbors and cu...

Disappearing Neighbors, Upended Constitutional Norms, ans an Artist's Response to ICE

Curtis Chang talks with singer-songwriter and Twin Cities resident Sara Groves about heightened ICE activity in Minneapolis–Saint Paul and why the consequences for families and neighborhoods persist after the headlines fade. Groves challenges claims that "protesters are paid agitators" or that "ICE targets only criminals," naming the emotional and spiritual toll alongside concerns about due process and constitutional overreach. They discuss "borrowed courage," the cost of public witness—even losing fans when refusing to defend the indefensible—and how Christians can resist dehumanization by lov...

Can You Really Change Your Brain by Changing Your Thoughts?

Neurosurgeon, Iraq War vet, and author Dr. Lee Warren shows Curtis Chang how to perform "self brain surgery"—no scalpel, just the brutal truth: your automatic thoughts are rewiring your brain every day, and a lot of them are lying to you. Curtis and Lee dig into neuroplasticity, why you keep looping the same stress scripts, how gratitude can hijack anxiety, and they connect the dots between brain science and faith as represented in Philippians 4 and Romans 12. If you're stuck in anxiety, trauma, or toxic pa...

Responding To The Minnesota Surge Leads To A Pastor's Arrest!

Curtis Chang sits down with Rev. Mariah Tollgaard for an on-the-ground look at ICE raids and immigration enforcement in Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota. They break down masked agents, rapid detentions, and MSP Airport deportation flights—plus the church-led pushback through mutual aid, constitutional observer trainings, and clergy protests that led to Reverend Tollgaard's arrest. It's a faith-and-civil-rights wake-up call: what neighbor-love demands when ICE shows up in your city, and why accountability matters.

03:11 - Setting the Scene: ICE Occupation in Minnesota

How Can Christians Turn Groans into Growth By Responding to Ecological Grief?

In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang talks with Dr. Jonathan Moo, a decorated professor of both the New Testament and Environmental Studies, about why Christian creation care belongs at the center of discipleship. Drawing from Romans 8, Colossians 1, and Genesis 1–2, Moo connects biblical hope for new creation with practical action on climate change, stewardship, and loving our neighbors by caring for the places they depend on and enjoy. The conversation explores how faith and science can work together, why "do...

What Can Christians Do and Will It Work?

In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang and David French name what's happening to American democracy right now: "Dual State America," where life feels normal—until the Trump administration's lawless prerogative power snaps into place. From the Renee Good case to Orwellian spin and rising political violence, they trace how authoritarianism spreads by redefining reality and daring ordinary people not to resist. French's gut-check: stop waiting for someone else to save the country—do something your grandkids will recognize as courage.

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The Rise of the "Nones" and the Politics Driving People Out of Church

In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Ryan Burge joins Curtis Chang to explore The Vanishing Church and the decline of moderate American congregations, using hard data and his lived experience as a longtime pastor, political scientist, and statistician. Ryan and Curtis explore how evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics, and the religious "nones" are changing—and what that means for polarization, social cohesion, and democracy in America. Burge offers a practical challenge for the lonely or spiritually curious—show up to church even...

Can Christian Americans Resist Authoritarian Drift?

Pete Wehner—The Atlantic columnist and former Reagan and Bush administration staff member—joins host Curtis Chang to ask the uncomfortable question: in Trump's America, is morality a loser that's been replaced by the "law of the jungle"—especially in U.S. foreign policy? From Venezuela to a looming Greenland/Denmark showdown that could fracture NATO, Wehner argues we're watching "might makes right" go mainstream. The antidote, he says, isn't vibes—it's resistance: stop living within the lie and start living within the truth.

00:04:23 - Explaini...

Can Christian Americans Resist Authoritarian Drift?

Pete Wehner—The Atlantic columnist and former Reagan and Bush administration staff member—joins host Curtis Chang to ask the uncomfortable question: in Trump's America, is morality a loser that's been replaced by the "law of the jungle"—especially in U.S. foreign policy? From Venezuela to a looming Greenland/Denmark showdown that could fracture NATO, Wehner argues we're watching "might makes right" go mainstream. The antidote, he says, isn't vibes—it's resistance: stop living within the lie and start living within the truth.

00:04:23 - Explaini...

From Pews to Planet: Faith-Based Steps to Better Creation Stewardship

In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang and guest Dr. Katherine Hayhoe—Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy and a committed evangelical Christian—explore why Christians and churches should care about climate change as a biblical "love your neighbor" issue rooted in justice for the poor and vulnerable. Hayhoe explains how political polarization and "solution aversion" fuel climate skepticism. She introduces the "Six Americas" framework and offers practical guidance for having hopeful, effective conversations that connect climate action to what people alre...

How Do We Shape Future Generations Well?

Nancy French returns to The Good Faith Podcast with host Curtis Chang for a heartfelt, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about how grandparenting reshapes your view of hope, kids and screens, grief, and what's worth doing with the time you have—even is that just means "robbing a bank with a Barbie." This conversation isn't just for grandparents: it's for anyone mentoring, parenting, teaching, or influencing the next generation, with practical wisdom on choosing connection, naming loss honestly, and creating space for kids to grow "analog" and resilient. Na...

Can a Poetic Pause Help us Embrace the In-Between Moments of the Season?

On this special Christmas Day episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang and singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken each explore the nativity, the "space between" Christ's first coming and second coming, and how Christian faith holds grief and joy together in a world that often "does not mesh with Jesus." Featuring Madeleine L'Engle's poem "First Coming" and music from McCracken's Christmas EP I Heard the Bells (including "The Space Between"), this episode invites listeners to slow down, notice the small things, and...

From C.S. Lewis to Luka Dončić: Celebrating Joy in Unexpected Places

On this Christmas-season Good Faith episode, host Curtis Chang welcomes back "founding friend" David French to showcase how he can give thanks in all circumstances even amid a depressing news cycle. Through five surprising "gratitudes" (from Dune and Luka Dončić to family healing and C.S. Lewis), the conversation offers a timely guide to cultivating Christian joy, resilience, and hope in anxious times. French shares why his hope isn't rooted in a "five-point plan," but in the character of God and the...

What Do Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Johnny Cash Have in Common?

Singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken joins Good Faith for a short bonus episode on the Christmas songs that can hold joy and sorrow at the same time. Sandra explores the story behind "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"—from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's grief to its enduring promise of peace in the midst of hardship. She also reflects on the influence of Johnny Cash's version and shares what it was like recording the song with Cindy Morgan. A warm, reflective listen for anyone heading into the se...