Good Faith

Escaping the Digital Age Where Noise Is Our Destiny

What if the noise filling your life is drowning out God's voice? John Mark Comer joins Curtis Chang to discuss his book Into the Quiet: Following Jesus in a World of Noise and how churches can offer refuge from digital overload, what the Desert Fathers and Mothers teach about faith and power, and why contemplative prayer sustains public engagement. John Mark and Curtis do a deep dive into the relationship between contemplative prayer, political engagement, and faithful public witness. Along the way, John Mark offers gentle...

Can the Next Generation Do Politics Better Than We Have?

Being angry on the internet isn't activism. So what actually makes a difference? Sharon McMahon, "America's government teacher" and author of The Small and the Mighty and host of the Preamble podcast, joins Curtis Chang to explore how we can help the next generation do politics better and build a healthier democracy in the process. They discuss raising engaged citizens, choosing character over party loyalty, and loving our neighbors—even when they're our enemies. With the midterms approaching, Sharon offers a practical path from political fr...

What Happens When Power, Politics, and Judges Collide? (Spoiler: It's Complicated)

Host Curtis Chang and New York Times columnist David French ask how much Americans can rely on the Supreme Court if the 2026 midterms are contested. They discuss the constitutional limit on presidential terms and why a disputed House race could expose the limits of judicial power. French explains why he remains hopeful about the highest court in the land despite political pressure, and shares his concerns about the conservative Christian legal movement. They also ask Christians: How can you love your neighbors when a...

Your "Safe" College Major May Be an AI Dead End

Could AI make your college degree obsolete while making your plumber more valuable? Curtis Chang and Andy Crouch explore how artificial intelligence is disrupting higher education and the future of work—and why skilled trades and embodied human abilities may be safer bets. They also examine the rise of AI therapy and explain why chatbots can offer useful advice but can never replace human connection, spiritual community, and forgiveness.

02:36 - Declaring Personal Educational Backgrounds

13:26 - The Risk of "Cutting Ed...

What America Learned, Feared, and Forgot After 9/11

Former Trump White House security expert Elizabeth Neumann and theologian Russell Moore join Curtis Chang to consider whether America is safer—or simply more afraid—25 years after 9/11. They examine the war with Iran, immigration enforcement, domestic extremism, government overreach, and the church's complicity in fear-driven efforts. Together, they ask how Christians can confront legitimate threats without surrendering to fear, offering civic engagement, moral courage, and faithful "small refusals" to conform as a way forward.

03:14 - A 25-Year Review of Homeland Security

06:22 - A Th...

Miracles, Heartbreak, and the Fight Against Human Trafficking

Nearly 50 million people remain trapped in modern slavery—but International Justice Mission founder Gary Haugen believes it could end in our lifetime. He joins host Curtis Chang to explore how IJM fights human trafficking by transforming broken justice systems, where God is amid horrific evil and patient prayer, and how Christians can stop watching from the sidelines and join the fight.

02:23 - The Evolution of IJM's Strategy of Strengthening Local Justice Systems

08:30 - US Complicity in Global Slavery

13:48 - Th...

Untangling America's Socialist Fever and Fear

Host Curtis Chang and Good Faith "founding friend" David French ask whether democratic socialism is your grandparents' socialism, the left's answer to MAGA, or something more sinister. They unpack what Christians should make of its growing influence by exploring the DSA, economic inequality, America's national debt, the influence of Big Tech, and why Christians who feel politically homeless still have an obligation to stay engaged.

00:44 - Introduction to Democratic Socialism

02:19 - Can We Define a Democratic Socialist?

04:04 - Should Socialism Scare...

Why Are We So Lonely Even When We're Not Alone?

Host Curtis Chang talks with psychologist and podcaster Dr. Alison Cook about why America's loneliness epidemic can't be solved by simply adding more people to our lives. They explore how attachment wounds, anxiety, distraction, and modern life leave us disconnected—and how solitude and honest prayer can become paths toward healing. Dr. Cook offers a practice for loneliness: "recognize and return"—name what you feel, then remember, "I am loved even here."

02:46 - Why Do We Minimize Loneliness?

05:12 - What...

Do friction, struggle, and silence make you fully human?

AI can generate an answer, but it cannot suffer with you, worship, love a neighbor, or become wise. Host Curtis Chang and Andy Crouch, the partner for theology and culture at Praxis, explore how AI may weaken our minds, distort relationships, and tempt us to outsource the very experiences that form wisdom, wonder, and sacrificial love. From chatbot "companionship" and AI-assisted grief to medicine, spiritual counsel, and the loss of silence, Curtis and Andy ask whether convenience is quietly creating a kind of cognitive metabolic syndrome...

How Does Therapy Culture Undermine True Healing?

Host Curtis Chang talks with physician and author Matthew Loftus about how therapeutic language can distort ordinary suffering, turn disagreement into "gaslighting," and leave people feeling less capable of changing their lives. They examine the overmedicalization of grief and anxiety, the rise of mental health culture in schools, and why churches risk losing their purpose when pastors start acting like therapists.

**This is not an attack on therapy or psychiatric medication. It is a provocative conversation about when mental health care becomes a worldview—and whether ou...

Bridging Two Worlds: An American Immigrant's Story of Faith, Anxiety, and Political Calling

Today, we are sharing a conversation between Curtis Chang and Lee C. Camp on the Signal Award-winning and 2026 Ambie Award-nominated podcast No Small Endeavor. Hosted by award-winning teacher and Professor of Theology and Ethics Lee C. Camp, No Small Endeavor explores what it means to live a good life through conversations about culture, ideas, and the habits that help people flourish.

In this episode, you'll hear from Curtis Chang as he reflects on his experience as a Chinese...

What Does the Confederacy's Legacy Mean for the Modern South and Christian America?

Host Curtis Chang and New York Times columnist, and Good Faith podcast "founding friend," David French confront the enduring power of the Confederate myth. David reflects on growing up as a white Southerner in a culture shaped by Confederate symbols, revisionist history, racial injustice, and a deeply rooted shame-and-honor code. Curtis, a Chinese American immigrant, brings an outsider's perspective that challenges familiar assumptions about heritage, memory, and belonging. Together, they examine Confederate monuments, the theological defenses of slavery, the meaning of "heritage...

What can Protestants learn from the Catholic tradition?

Host Curtis Chang and The Atlantic writer and former White House staffer Pete Wehner explore how Catholic social teaching—from subsidiarity and solidarity to the preferential option for the poor—offers a rich framework for Christian public life. They consider the limits of sola scriptura, unpack the importance of intellectual rigor, and define Christian humanism. Curtis and Pete also contrast the public faith of Pope Leo XIV and Vice President JD Vance, asking why faithful Christian witness should shape how believers respond to artificial intelligence and other challenges of our...

The Odyssey Isn't About Monsters. It's About Trust.

Before Christopher Nolan brings The Odyssey to the big screen, Curtis Chang and Jessica Hooten Wilson revisit Homer's ancient epic to ask what the story is really about: monsters, homecoming, and the search for truth among intentional lies. They explore why reading The Odyssey still matters in the age of film and AI, how Odysseus forces us to ask who we can trust, and what Christians can learn from Greek myths and pagan gods about the one true God revealed in Scripture.

03:53...

What Does America's 250th Birthday Mean for Its Future and Our Faith?

To celebrate America's 250th birthday, Curtis Chang is joined by his The After Party partners David French and Russell Moore to ask how Christians should think about patriotism, democracy, and national identity in a divisive age. Comparing the optimism of the 1976 Bicentennial with today's fractured political climate, they explore America's founding ideals, the promises and failures of liberty and equality, the relationship between Christianity and the American experiment, and the dangers of Christian nationalism. Together, they answer listener questions and offer a vision...

How Are Protestants Navigating a Moral and Spiritual Vacuum in Evangelicalism?

Host Curtis Chang talks with former White House staffer and Atlantic columnist Pete Wehner about why Pope Leo XIV is resonating with Protestants and evangelicals despite historic theological divides. Together, they explore the Pope's moral leadership while contrasting his dignified, intellectually grounded public witness with Donald Trump's increasingly erratic influence on evangelical political culture. The conversation examines a perceived spiritual leadership vacuum within Protestantism and calls pastors, congregations, and followers of Jesus to cultivate beauty, goodness, and truth as a long-term path toward renewing...

How Can Freedom, Faith, and the Fight Beyond A Holiday Shape Us?

Host Curtis Chang talks with sociologist Dr. Angel Adams Parham about the history of Juneteenth, from the 1865 emancipation announcement in Galveston, Texas, to its meaning for American freedom, racial justice, and collective memory. Together, they explore the spiritual resilience of the Black church, its influence on Christian theology and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and why Juneteenth matters for all Americans. They also consider how Christians can celebrate Juneteenth with both joy and historical honesty.

02:05 - The Historical Story of Juneteenth

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.

00:37...

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.

00:00...

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.

Take the Listener Survey

Sign up for The After Party

Sign up for The Good List

Mentioned In This Episode:

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.

Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter