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Last week, we were in the middle of a two-part story about a key Indiana law, and we decided to produce those episodes back to back. So, this week, we are taking a moment to celebrate the 200-episode milestone and reflect on developments in Christian citizenship since the podcast’s launch in 2017. The title of the podcast was originally The Bold Church Podcast, but the goal of the podcast remains the same: to equip church leaders and other committed Christians to be gospel-centered citizens.
Over those 200 episodes, we have done our best to explain and provide examples for a Dave Ramsey-like plan for Christian citizenship. The steps of that plan are as follows, and they spell “GOOD,” as in “good citizen.” We should all be good citizens, so: (1) G – go over or review your role as citizen in light of Biblical principles and examples, (2) O – offer prayer for and build relationships with elected officials, (3) O – offer solutions and partner with government officials to solve key community problems and (4) D – do the hard work of Christian citizenship in the public square.
These steps cover several disciplines, so we have produced legal updates, sermons on citizenship, ethical discussions on key issues and a number of discussions with the individuals and organizations doing the hard work of Christian citizenship in quickly changing times. Those interviews include national and state leaders such as John Stonestreet, Bob Vander Plaats, Sam Allberry, Justin Giboney, Brett McCracken, Trevin Wax, Jonathan Leeman, Mark Vroegop, Dr. Charles Ware, Irwyn Ince, Joseph Backholm, DCS Director Terry Stigdon, Senator John Crane, Senator Jack Sandlin, Rep. Robin Shackleford, Rep. Timothy Wesco, and Rep. Greg Steuerwald. And we have interviewed key ministry leaders at the local level that have remarkable, boots-on-the-ground type impact on issues such as foster care, the drug crisis and recidivism.
In sum, we have covered a lot of ground in 200 episodes, but 5 key lessons or themes have emerged from this extensive study of Christian citizenship in the United States. Here they are:
- Gospel-centered citizenship is a key part of discipleship.
- Gospel-centered citizenship faces external threats.
- Gospel-centered citizenship faces internal pressure.
- Gospel-centered citizenship works.
- Gospel-centered citizenship is an expression of faithfulness.
We also wanted to say thanks to all of our listeners and especially those that have been tuning in since the beginning! What is a lesson about citizenship that you have learned while listening to the podcast?