Good God

Ken Crawford is the pastor of a church in Dallas, possibly the oldest existing church in Dallas. To be hospitable to the community around them, they have used their facility and spaces in new and creative ways, welcoming people that wouldn't otherwise step into a church.

Join us on a deep-dive into the complexities and systems that lead families to being food insecure. "It's not that one family experiences poverty, another family experiences hunger, and another lack of health insurance. It's always the same family experiencing the result of all our broken systems at once." -JE We can't isolate these issues. They are intermingled with each other. Today, we learn mo...

Jeremy Everett has devoted his life to the causes of hunger and poverty. Listen to him explain why he was called to this work and what it really means to fix the systemic problems that lead to poverty.

Find out more about the writer and professor Greg Garrett, and why he is passionate about racial justice. Spoiler: it has to do with church.

We often take for granted the role that film plays in shaping our cultural and racial awareness. Greg Garrett and George Mason discuss Spike Lee's film BlacKkKlansman, as well as other epic American films, Gone with the Wind and even the Big Lebowski, for the important conversations they inspire for people of all races.

This is a story everyone needs to know. Vanita Halliburton shares about the loss of her son's life and the work of the Grant Halliburton Foundation to prevent suicide. Vanita and George explore the theological depths of grief and how our faith can be shattered and restored.

Everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve. But do you know what the biblical text actually says? You might not know the story as well as you think you do! This episode is a deep dive of interpretation into the creation of Adam and Eve and the subsequent temptation story.

Should the spirit of God be capitalized, like in the Holy Spirit? Is the Spirit for personal experience like salvation or for corporate transformation? Did it come to us at Pentecost or has the Spirit been working for eternity? If you are confounded by questions like these about the elusive Spirit of God, particularly in the Judeo-Christian tradition, you'll love this conversation between George a...

George talks with his daughter Cameron about her nonprofit organization, RootEd, in San Antonio that promotes public schools to families navigating the world of school choice.

Join us in a feel-good conversation between father and daughter. Cameron Mason Vickrey is George's oldest daughter. They talk about their shared interests in theology and art and how growing up in the church has helped her navigate her call.

With a deeply personal testimony about being gay and a Christian, Justin Lee opens up about why he can't abandon his identity and won't abandon his faith. Listen with an open mind and a loving heart, and you will surely learn a lot.

Gary Simpson is the 30-year pastor of Concord Baptist Church, a historic Black church in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. George and Gary -- two renowned practitioners of preaching -- talk about their craft and the future generation of preachers that they are bringing up. If you ever listen to sermons and wonder what it's like to prepare for that week after week, you'll be interest...

George talks with Mark Wingfield about their experience of becoming a fully inclusive church to people without regard to sexual or gender identity. Mark wrote a narrative style book about it, which was recently published, titled "Why Churches Need to Talk about Sexuality." They also talk about how Mark became an ally and friend to many transgender people and what that has meant to him.

Do you ever feel torn between your commitment to truth and your desire to love people who are different from you, especially maybe those who are gay in your family or friends or in your church? Justin Lee has written a book called Torn and he'll be talking about how to move in a more loving direction, that doesn't sacrifice truth. Listen here and go to goodgodproject.com for the video and transcri...

You won't want to miss a minute of this episode if you are concerned with the future of the church. Amy Butler offers some fierce criticism of the American church as well some ideas for how it can redeem itself.

Amy Butler was the first female pastor of Riverside Church: the historic Protestant cathedral built by the Rockefellers in New York's Upper West Side. She is on Good God to talk about her time there--the good and the bad--and how it all came to an end. She also offers insights on being a woman in a male dominated role, and how we can do better for women in ministry.

Pastor Gary Simpson of Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York, joins George on his 30th anniversary at Wilshire Baptist in Dallas to talk about their shared experiences of long-term pastoral ministry, and what makes their churches so wonderful.

What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than pausing to reflect on the power and practice of gratitude? Today we are reposting two episodes with Diana Butler Bass about being grateful.

Amanda Tyler started a movement called Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Listen to find out why this is so important today and what exactly it means to stand against Christian nationalism.

Michelle Kinder is back on Good God to talk more about the nonprofit sector and how to do even more good by giving voice to people whose voices aren't heard enough, or at all. If you work in the nonprofit world or you support a nonprofit of any kind, you won't want to miss this conversation.

Her title is: Gun Violence Prevention Minister. And she's the only minister like this that exists, anywhere. Listen to Deanna Hollas from Dallas talk about the importance of her ministry and her views on guns, the Second Amendment, and the prophet Isaiah's vision of a peaceable kingdom.

Jorge Zapata grew up on the Texas-Mexico border and lives there still, serving the refugees as they come to the area. He has firsthand insights about what it's like to be an immigrant from Central America and Mexico and how the rest of us, as U.S. citizens, can do better about welcoming them.

Michelle Kinder is on Good God talking about her childhood in Guatemala as a third culture kid, and how her work led her to Dallas to lead a movement helping kids and families succeed.

When Jews and Christians engage in interfaith dialogue, the most common questions asked are about Jesus. Jesus was Jewish, Jewish people respect Jesus, but Christians believe Jesus is the divine son of God. These views on Jesus become the point of departure between the two faiths. So how can you can be totally faithful to your religion and still understand and respect another? Listen to George's c...

Rabbi David Stern is on Good God today. Like George, he has been a prominent faith leader in Dallas for 30 years. Their friendship has deepened their respect for the similarities and differences between Christianity and Judaism. Listen as they discuss the roles of individual v. communal responsibility, the Ten Commandments, and how to keep "one foot on Sinai and one foot in the world."