How should Christians engage with political power in a divided world? Contributor Andy Crouch joins Curtis Chang to trace a path from the courage of the early believers under Caesar to today's crisis-driven politics and the ruling class. Together, they dive into the rise of emergency powers, growing contempt, and the breakdown of civil discourse—and offer a hopeful vision for how the Fruit of the Spirit can reshape both Christian posture and a public life rooted in love, gentleness, and faithfulness. Resources mentioned in this episode: Explaining The Land of Israel Under Roman Rule Matthew 22:21 - "Render therefore unto Caesar..." (multiple versions and explanation) Explaining The Majesty of Herod's Temple Augustus Caesar and the the title Divi filius, "son of a god" (audio) The Holy Roman Empire: The Rise of Medieval Europe (video) Tish Harrison Warren's Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep Fact sheet about PEPFAR Wendell Berry's The Hidden Wound Wendell Berry's 'The Hidden Wound' at Fifty (article from 2020) Galatians 5:22 - Fruit of the Spirit (multiple versions and explanation) More from Andy Crouch: Interact with Andy's website Check out Andy's work at Praxis Read Andy's book: The Life We're Looking For Read Andy's book: The Tech-Wise Family Good Faith Live "Watch Party" Russell Moore, David French, & Curtis Chang: Trump's First 100 Days Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook Sign up: Redeeming Babel Newsletter
