Good Faith

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.
 
02:40 - What Is The "Dual State"?
06:25 - What Does The Renee Good Shooting Show Us?
11:03 - Potential For Resistance and Change
15:32 - The Dangers of Rotating Elected Authoritarians 
20:03 - The "Gradually, Then Suddenly" Collapse
24:30 - What Can Individuals Do?
35:31 - The Risk and Uncertainty of Action
37:10 - Embracing Faithfulness Over Effectiveness
47:27 - Christians and The Integrity of Words
47:58 - What Sustains David French?
 

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Mentioned In This Episode:
David French: An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good
Ernst Frenkel's The Dual State: A Contribution To The Theory Of Dictatorship (pdf)
Ernst Frenkel's Legal Sabotage: Ernst Fraenkel in Hitler's Germany
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letters from a Birmingham Jail
George Orwell's 1984
Re-read the Declaration of Independence
Read The Loosening of American Evangelicalism (article)
 
 
More From David French:
David French's New York Times pieces HERE
Follow David French on Threads
 

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The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

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 if you don't believe—and makes a case for gratitude and community in an anxious age.
 
06:25 - Evangelicals: Political Shift and Homogeneity
13:59 - Mainline Protestants: Decline and Diversity
19:06 - Aging and Future of Mainline Churches
23:05 - American Catholics: Stability and Rightward Shift
28:31 - Priest Shortages and Cultural Challenges
30:36 - The Rise of the Nones
31:25 - Political Drivers of Religious Disaffiliation
40:17 - Polarization: Politics and Economics
47:54 - Addressing Polarization: Individual Responsibility
50:23 - Advice for Pastors: Preaching Beyond Politics
52:31 - Signs of Hope and Gratitude
 
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Mentioned In This Episode:
Ryan Burge's The Vanishing Church: How the Hollowing Out of Moderate Congregations Is Hurting Democracy, Faith, and Us (Why the Culture Wars Led to Polarization and What We Can Do About It)
Read Ephesians 3:10 (ESV)
Read Colossians 1:16-18 (ESV)
Danforth Center on Religion and Politics
Ryan Burge, Michael Graham, and Jim Davis' The Great Dechurching: Who's Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?
More about Dorothy Day
 
More from Ryan Burge:
Substack: Graphs About Religion 
Follow Ryan on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/ryanburge
More about  Ryan Burge's work
 
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The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

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 - Explaining the U.S. Foreign Policy Shift 
00:06:36 - What Is America's Moral Aspiration in Foreign Policy?
00:07:57 - Trump's "Will to Power" Ethic
00:11:34 - Do We Have Historical Amnesia?
00:16:36 - Contrasting Trump and PEPFAR 
00:19:09 - The Disconnect Between Christian Identity and Policy 
00:26:34 - Demagogues and Moral Erosion
00:34:19 - President Trump's Unique Amorality
00:37:10 - Primacy of Human Dignity and Christian Ethics 
00:41:01 - Venezuela, Greenland, and Moral Implications
00:44:02 - The Value of Beauty and Creation
00:47:14 - What Are the Limits and Possibilities of Action
 
More about the Religious Landscape Study pewresearch.org/rls
 
Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter
 
Mentioned In This Episode:
Pete Wehner's article Trump's Folly
More about PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)
Anne Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
William Galston's Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech
Jeane Kirkpatrick's essay Dictatorships and Double Standards (Commentary)
Václav Havel's The Power of the Powerless
David Brooks' article America Needs a Mass Movement—Now  Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades (The Atlantic)
C.S. Lewis' idea of active obedience is found in Mere Christianity
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" 
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize Lecture (literature, 1970)
 
More from Pete Wehner:
Pete Wehner's articles at The Atlantic
Pete Wehner's opinion pieces at The New York Times
Follow Us:
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Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter)
Good Faith on Facebook
 
The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

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 - Explaining the U.S. Foreign Policy Shift 
00:06:36 - What Is America's Moral Aspiration in Foreign Policy?
00:07:57 - Trump's "Will to Power" Ethic
00:11:34 - Do We Have Historical Amnesia?
00:16:36 - Contrasting Trump and PEPFAR 
00:19:09 - The Disconnect Between Christian Identity and Policy 
00:26:34 - Demagogues and Moral Erosion
00:34:19 - President Trump's Unique Amorality
00:37:10 - Primacy of Human Dignity and Christian Ethics 
00:41:01 - Venezuela, Greenland, and Moral Implications
00:44:02 - The Value of Beauty and Creation
00:47:14 - What Are the Limits and Possibilities of Action
 
More about the Religious Landscape Study pewresearch.org/rls
 
Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter
 
Mentioned In This Episode:
Pete Wehner's article Trump's Folly
More about PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief)
Anne Applebaum's Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
William Galston's Anger, Fear, Domination: Dark Passions and the Power of Political Speech
Jeane Kirkpatrick's essay Dictatorships and Double Standards (Commentary)
Václav Havel's The Power of the Powerless
David Brooks' article America Needs a Mass Movement—Now  Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades (The Atlantic)
C.S. Lewis' idea of active obedience is found in Mere Christianity
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" 
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Prize Lecture (literature, 1970)
 
More from Pete Wehner:
Pete Wehner's articles at The Atlantic
Pete Wehner's opinion pieces at The New York Times
Follow Us:
Good Faith on Instagram
Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter)
Good Faith on Facebook
 
The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

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 already care about. Dr. Hayhoe offers actionable next steps for individuals and congregations—like sharing solutions, starting church initiatives, and leading with hope instead of doom—so Christians can faithfully steward God's creation.
 
05:23 - Dr. Hayhoe's Faith Journey and Science
07:12 - Experiencing Creation's Vulnerability 
09:17 - Is Climate Change a Justice Issue?
10:42 - Encountering Christian Climate Skepticism 
18:06 - Christian Organizations and Climate Action
24:35 - Connecting Climate to Personal Values A
28:23 - Navigating Difficult Conversations 
33:31 -  What Are the "Six Americas" of Climate Attitudes?
43:02 - Scientific Evidence and Human Impact 
48:15 - Focusing on Solutions, Not Just Science 
50:03 - What Is One Action Step for the Unsure Christian?
53:00 - What Is One Action Step for the Committed Christian 
55:00 - Are There Practical Church-Based Climate Actions?
 
Episode Companion:
Christians and Climate Change Guide 1
 
Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter
 
Mentioned In This Episode:
 
Organizations and Networks
A Rocha USA
Evangelical Environmental Network
Tearfund
Compassion International
World Vision
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
 
Websites, Tools, Books, and Newsletters
Skeptical Science
Global Weirding (Video podcast)
Colby May's Energy For Purpose (ministry Energy Management)
Mark Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind
Dr. John Cook's Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change: How to Understand and Respond to Climate Science Deniers
Bill McKibben's website
 
Studies and Surveys
National Academy of Sciences Survey Results (2023-2024)
Belief in divine (versus human) control of earth affects perceived threat of climate change (npj)
Pew Research: The pope is concerned about climate change. How do U.S. Catholics feel about it? (2023)
The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes (2025)
 
More From Dr. Katharine Hayhoe:
Katharine Hayhoe's Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World
Katharine Hayhoe's Substack: Talking Climate
Katharine Hayhoe's website 
Subscribe to Katharine Hayhoe's Newsletter
 
Follow Us:
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Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter)
Good Faith on Facebook
 
The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.