Good Faith

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 time.
02:31 - Does Catholic Theology Meet a Protestant Need?
04:41 - Tradition Is Powerful
08:43 - Does Sola Scriptura Have Limits?
10:19 - Protestant Traditions and Discernment
13:54 - Catholicism's Robust Frameworks 
17:08 - Reclaiming Tradition for Protestants
21:36 - Embracing the Life of the Mind
27:22 - Christian Humanism fand 21st Century Questions
30:08 - A Protestant-Catholic Convergence
37:42 - Comparing Visions: JD Vance and Pope Leo
41:16 - The Power of a Faithful Witness
 
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Referenced in the Episode:
Pete Wehner's article American Christians Face a Choice
Learn about the seven themes of Catholic social teaching
Carl F. H. Henry's The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism
Alan Jacobs's The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis
Christian Wiman's My Bright Abyss
John F. Kennedy's 1960 address to Protestant ministers in Houston (video)
Pope Leo XIV's encyclical on artificial intelligence, Magnifica Humanitas
Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on capital and labor, Rerum Novarum
Daniel K. Williams on J.D. Vances' Communion What Type of Christian is J. D. Vance?
Miroslav Volf on Forgiveness, Justice, and Reconciliation (video)
Miroslav Volf & Christian Wiman's Glimmerings
 
Scriptures Referenced:
Psalm 127:3–5 (ESV)
Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)
Luke 4:1–13 (ESV)
 
More from Pete Wehner:
Pete Wehner's articles at The Atlantic
Pete Wehner's opinion pieces at The New York Times
 
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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 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 - Reading the Homer vs. Watching Matt Damon
05:38 - When to Read the Book First?
11:06 - How "The Odyssey" Changes with the Reader
13:32 - Did A Woman Really Write The Odyssey?
16:50 - What Is The Unreliable Narrator?
23:23 - The Psychological Impact of an Unreliable Narrator
31:27 - A Christian Approach to Greek Mythology
34:37 - Understanding The Greco-Roman Culture of Jesus
41:36 - The Irreplaceable Human Elements of Teaching Literature in the Age of AI
 
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Mentioned in This Episode:
Homer's The Odyssey (Stanley Lombardo's translation)
Homer's The Iliad
Nadya Williams's Christians Reading the Classics
Yann Martel's Son of Nobody
Yann Martel's Life of Pi
Edith Hamilton's Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes 
Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology
Natalie Haynes's Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths 
Christopher Nolan's Memento (trailer)
David Fincher's Fight Club (trailer)
An Introduction to 1 and 2 Samuel (The story of King David)
 
More From Jessica Hooten Wilson:
Jessica Hooten Wilson's website
Explore Jessica's books HERE
Read articles and Essay by Jessica HERE
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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.

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 for faithful civic engagement — one marked by gratitude without idolatry, honesty without despair, and allegiance to Christ above every nation.
 
00:34 - Introduction to America's 250th Birthday
02:07 - Comparing the 250th with the Bicentennial
09:18 - America's Gifts to the World
16:16 - Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?
25:13 - The Pull of Christian Nationalism
29:29 - Project 2025 & What True American Renewal Requires
36:07 - A Bottom Up Christian Influence on Government
40:30 - Politics is Downstream from Culture
45:14 - Guidance for Pastors on the 250th
48:24 - America's Historical Role in the World
52:22 - Defining Christian Patriotism
58:03 - A Closing Prayer For Our Country
 
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More to Listen to:
Good Faith 199 – David French asks: What the Heck Is a Christian Nationalist?
Good Faith 181 – Can the Church Resist Political Extremism Again? With Paul D. Miller
Good Faith 36 – The Religion of American Greatness
Good Faith 207 – N.T. Wright Explains Ephesians: The Church, Christian Nationalism, and the Armor of God
Referenced in the Episode:
Remembering the American Bicentennial Celebration
Remembering Operation Sail
Remembering the Miracle on Ice
Article: Christian Nationalism's Dark Forebears by David French
Ben Rhodes' All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches
Jon Meacham's American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
Legal Philosophy and the Founding Fathers
James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments
Who was the minister, Roger Williams?
John Locke's influence and Christian faith & legal philosophy of the American founding
The story of Thomas Jefferson & Rev. John Leland
Understanding Frederick Douglass and the Constitution
Article: How Viktor Orbán's Hungary Eroded the Rule of Law and Free Markets
PEPFAR: President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
Who is Freddy, the German?
 
Scriptures Referenced:
1 Timothy 2:1–6 (ESV)
John 18:36 (ESV) 
Colossians 1:15–17 (ESV) 
Micah 6:8 (ESV) 
Luke 3:12–14 (ESV)
Philippians 3:20 (ESV)
 
More From David French:
David French's New York Times pieces HERE
Follow David French on Threads
 
More From Russell Moore:
Sign up for Russell Moore's weekly newsletter Moore to the Point
Listen to The Russell Moore Show (podcast)
 
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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.

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 Christian public witness.
 
00:34 - Introduction to Pope Leo XIV's Influence
02:29 - Is There a Protestant Appreciation for Catholicism?
03:59 - What Is This Pope's Impact on Public Theology?
06:06 - Papal Influence in Past Administrations
11:19 - The Collapse of Evangelical Public Theology
14:18 - Can Protestants Still Exert Moral Influence?
21:16 - The "Mad King" and Trump's Cognitive Decline
28:42 - What Can Pastors Do?
32:00 - The Importance of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth
37:08 - What Is The Pope's Transcendent Influence?
 
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Referenced in the Episode:
Pete Wehner's article "The American Pope vs. the American President" 
Pete Wehner's article "The Apotheosis of Donald Trump"
Pope Leo XIV's Encyclical Letter: Magnifica Humanitas
The Madness of King George (YouTube free with ads)
David Bentley Hart's The Beauty of the Infinite
Wordsworth's The Prelude, Book 14 
Good Faith's course: The After Party
 
Scriptures Referenced:
1 Timothy 3 (ESV)
Titus 1 (ESV)
 
Protestant and Catholic Leaders Referenced:
Pope John Paul II
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Francis
Reinhold Niebuhr
C.S. Lewis
Billy Graham
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
John Stott
Karl Barth
Oliver O'Donovan
Rowan Williams
Dr. Tim Keller
More from Pete Wehner:
Pete Wehner's articles at The Atlantic
Pete Wehner's opinion pieces at The New York Times
 
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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.

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
05:11 - What Were the Limitations of the Emancipation Proclamation?
09:28 - An American Pattern of Incomplete Freedom
13:34 - How Do We Preserve the Meaning of Juneteenth?
19:24 - The Pain of Historical Erasure & Cultural Setbacks
23:43 - Scripture as a Freedom Narrative Fostering Resilience
29:22 - The Universal Longing To Be Free
32:06 - The Black Church's Contribution to the Christian Story
35:54 - Embodied Practices for Juneteenth
39:09 - The Spiritual Promise of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
 
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Referenced in the Episode:
Transcript of The Emancipation Proclamation
Union General Gordon Granger's announcement: General Order No. 3
Claude Atcho's Reading Black Books 
Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (pdf)
Transcription of an interview with ex-slave Felix Haywood
Reggie L. Williams' Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus 
Phillis Wheatley's letter to Rev. Samson Occom
James Weldon Johnson's poem Lift Every Voice and Sing
Manhattan Harmony Four's recording Lift Every Voice And Sing
The Fisk University Quartet's Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
 
Scriptures Referenced:
Exodus 12:31–15:21 (ESV)
Isaiah 61 (ESV)
Leviticus 25 (ESV)
Luke 4:14–30 (ESV)
 
More From Dr. Angel Adams Parham:
Dr. Parham's bio: the University of Virginia
Dr. Parham's Website
Dr. Parham's book The Black Intellectual Tradition: Reading Freedom in Classical Literature
 
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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.