Faithful Presence Podcast

The church keeps making the same mistake: either we grab for political power or retreat from the world completely. Greg Forster explains why Augustine still matters for how Christians live, work, vote, invest, and witness today. The question isn’t whether Christians should care about culture. It’s whether we confuse the kingdom of God with the success of our side. That confusion can lead to bad theology, bad discipleship, and a weaker public witness.

Dr. Amy Black, Professor of Political Science at Wheaton and co-author Civil Religion and the Renewal of American Politics (Cambridge Press, 2026), joins Michael to discuss the definition of civil religion, and navigating religious pluralism in American democracy. Their conversation explores the challenge of shared values in politics and the role of religion in shaping political culture. It delves into the influence of religious traditions, party platforms, and the role of pastors in equipping people for politics. Additionally, it discusses the Bible's role in navigating the public square, emphasizing the eternal principles it offers for living in a representative democracy. Video of this podcast is available on our website: www-faithful-presence.org Takeaways The Role of Civil Religion in Unifying a Diverse Population Shared values in politics The role of religion in shaping political culture Chapters 00:00 Transitioning to College 01:20 Challenges of Absent Parent 04:35 Media Reporting and Its Impact 08:42 Doctrine of Spirituality of the Church 15:36 Christians in Political Science 19:37 The APSA Congressional Fellowship Program 21:04 Working in Congress and Changing Perceptions 26:01 Wheaton College and Civil Religion 36:25 Defining Civil Religion and Shared Values 38:19 Navigating Religious Pluralism in American Democracy 51:16 The Challenge of Shared Values 52:05 Religious Traditions in American Politics 57:37 The Influence of Party Platforms 01:11:15 The Role of Pastors in Equipping People for Politics 01:14:25 The Bible's Role in Navigating the Public Square

In June 2026, Rev. Michael Langer hosted a workshop during the General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Denver Colorado. Through a combination of Q&A, presentation, and discussion, Michael discussed the difficulties facing pastors due to demographic sorting, media bias, social media algorithms, brain chemistry, and truncated discipleship. Numerous works are sited and more information is available at faithful-presence.org

"B-O-O-G-A-L-O-O" (2010) by the Diplomats of Solid Sound is used by license. Scheduling by Josie Risinger Post-production by Andrew Brinkmann (c) 2025, Faithful Presence, all rights reserved Get full access to Faithful Presence at faithfulpresence.substack.com/subscribe

----------------------------- "B-O-O-G-A-L-O-O" (2010) by the Diplomats of Solid Sound is used by license. Scheduling by Josie Risinger, Post-production by Andrew Brinkmann (c) 2025, Faithful Presence, all rights reserved Get full access to Faithful Presence at faithfulpresence.substack.com/subscribe