The Common Good Podcast

Artificial intelligence is everywhere — and so are the big questions surrounding it. Is AI going to save the world, or destroy it? And what does any of it mean for people of faith?

In this episode, Brian From sits down with Emily Tsiao, a writer for Focus on the Family's Plugged In, to unpack the ethical and theological dimensions of AI. They dig into her recent article Reflecting on the AI Doc, or How I Didn't Change My Mind About Apocalypticism — a response to a documentary featuring conversations with the CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic — and why Emily's core takeaway remains the same: God is still in control.

Emily walks through the practical questions too — using AI for creative work, the ethics of AI-generated content, what it means for learning and education, and why letting a machine speak for you might cost you more than you realize.

Whether you're an everyday ChatGPT user or just trying to figure out what to think, this conversation is a grounded, thoughtful place to start.

Find more of Emily's work at PluggedIn.com.

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So many parents are grieving quietly — watching adult children pull away, questioning where things went wrong, and wondering if the relationship can be restored. In this episode, Brian From sits down with Dr. Kathy Koch, founder of Celebrate Kids and author of Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children, to unpack one of the most painful challenges facing families today.

Dr. Kathy shares practical wisdom on healthy communication with adult kids, how to navigate the tricky intersection of financial support and emotional distance, and what parents can do when a child walks away from their faith. She also offers an honest look at the role over-involved parenting can play — and what it looks like to parent differently in this new season.

If you're exhausted, heartbroken, or just unsure where to begin — this conversation is for you. There is still hope.

Resolve Conflict and Find Peace and Hope with Adult Children is available now through Moody Publishers. Learn more about Dr. Kathy Koch's ministry at CelebrateKids.com.

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Do you ever feel ordinary? Like you're just not the kind of person God uses for big things? In this episode, Brian From digs into one of the most overlooked verses in the New Testament — James's reminder that Elijah was "just a human being, like us" — and unpacks what it means that God chooses to do extraordinary things through completely ordinary people.

From there, Brian turns to one of Scripture's most sobering passages: Jesus's letter to the church in Laodicea. Wealthy, self-sufficient, and spiritually lukewarm — sound familiar? Brian draws a pointed parallel to the American church today and asks the uncomfortable question: are we the church in Laodicea?

Along the way, Brian also explores Russell Moore's provocative idea of the "casinofication" of the church, a striking new study on the rise of "no contact" relationships in America, a genuinely murky ethical question about a family using an AI clone to shield an elderly mother from the death of her son, and why a Relevant Magazine piece about new Christians and microphones might be the most important thing the church needs to hear right now.

And he closes with a surprising strategy for finishing well as a Christian — one you probably won't see coming.

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Life is full of change — whether you're ready for it or not. Brian From reflects on the personal transitions hitting close to home as his kids approach major milestones, and asks the question we all wrestle with: how do you hold on to what matters when everything around you is shifting? Brian also unpacks a striking survey showing that only 3.4% of worship leaders describe their mental health as excellent, and what church communities need to hear about that. Plus: why a viral Altoids moment between George W. Bush and Michelle Obama says something profound about what Americans are actually hungry for; a challenge to expand your view of worship beyond Sunday morning and a Spotify playlist; the surprising case that a mundane life is actually a courageous one; a cautionary tale about an AI-generated MAGA influencer who fooled millions; and a fresh look at Mary and Martha — and what Jesus was really saying about distraction, urgency, and choosing what's best.

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Brian From welcomes Pastor Bill Farina of Bethel Christian Church in Warren, Michigan. Pastor Bill shares the remarkable story of how he arrived in Michigan in 1987 at age 27 — originally intending only a short fill-in visit to a struggling congregation of eleven senior citizens — and how God redirected his path into what has now become 39 years of faithful ministry at the same church.

In this conversation, Pastor Bill opens up about the joys and challenges of long-tenured pastoral ministry, including the privilege of dedicating the babies of babies he once dedicated and officiating weddings for the seventh member of the same family. He unpacks Bethel's vision of being "a Spirit-filled community church touching heaven and earth," rooted in a balanced Pentecostal tradition that leaves room for the Holy Spirit while honoring decency and order.

Pastor Bill also shares the convicting question that reshaped his ministry philosophy decades ago: "If your church closed tomorrow, would anyone notice, and would anyone care?" That question drove him into deep community engagement — 17 years on the local school board, 16 years as Senior Chaplain of the Warren Police Department, chaplaincy work at Jimmy John's Field, prison and jail ministries, and partnerships with Forgotten Harvest.

The episode closes with a pastoral word of hope for anyone feeling discouraged, drawn from Romans 15:13 — a prayer that the God of hope would fill listeners with joy and peace in believing, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Learn more about Bethel Christian Church: 📍 13211 Ten Mile Road, Warren, MI (south side of I-696 service drive between Hoover and Schoenherr) 🌐 bethelchristian-mi.org

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Brian From works through a stack of uncomfortable questions for the church. When Eric Metaxas calls for grace toward Trump over the Jesus meme, Brian asks the harder question — do we extend that same grace across the aisle? A new Barna survey finds only 22% of Americans see Christians as empathetic, and nearly half describe the faith as judgmental or hypocritical. Brian sits with what that means for how we engage a watching world. Plus: Moses never entered the Promised Land and Joshua had to take his place — what God's "I am with you" means for us in seasons of fear and transition; a sobering new report showing just 3.4% of worship leaders rate their mental health as excellent, and why pastors need to be asking harder questions of their teams; Tim Challies on why heaven will forget none of its heroes — even the ones no one on earth ever noticed; and Chuck Swindoll's 1985 challenge that still lands today: who do you want to be ten years from now?

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From the wreckage of the Titan submersible to the walls of ancient Rome, this episode traces a single thread: the difference between a culture that worships strength and a faith that finds power in weakness.

Brian opens with two somber anniversaries — the Oklahoma City bombing and Columbine — before turning to the cautionary tale of OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, whose hubris cost five lives on a preventable voyage to the Titanic. From there, Brian unpacks JD Greer's reflection on the Corona Morales, Rome's highest military honor, and how the Apostle Paul flipped that imagery on its head in 2 Corinthians to boast not in triumph but in being lowered down a wall in shame. The crown that matters isn't earned by climbing over — it's received in weakness.

Other segments tackle why middle-aged Americans are lonelier, sadder, and weaker than their global peers (and why the church has the only real answer), a Yale committee's surprising admission about ideological echo chambers in higher education, Matt Chandler on sanctification as a winding coil rather than a straight line upward, and a closing meditation on Psalm 136 and the Hebrew word hesed — God's covenant love that endures forever.

Plus: a cold, rainy afternoon at Wrigley watching the Mets extend their losing streak, a shout-out to former producer and current Wrigley organist John Benedict, and the modern confusion of trying to figure out whether someone is talking to you or their AirPods.

Because sometimes the most formative work God does in us isn't when we're winning — it's when the floor falls out.

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What would it look like if Christians didn't just believe the right things — but actually became like Jesus? Host Brian From sits down with Keas Keasler, associate professor of spiritual theology at Friends University and author of Kingdom Apprenticeship: Dallas Willard's Formational Theology and Missional Vision. Drawing on seven years of deep research — including time spent in the archives of Willard's unpublished papers — Kees brings fresh life to one of the most important Christian thinkers of the last century. Together, Brian and Kees explore what "intelligent mysticism" really means, why "apprenticeship" captures something "discipleship" has lost, and how Willard's vision of character formation might be exactly what the church needs to close the gap between what we profess and how we actually live.

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It's one of those days — taxes are due, life feels heavy, and the news keeps coming. Host Brian From takes a look at the cultural and spiritual moments that have him thinking. He reflects on the trap of comparison after actor Rainn Wilson admitted he was miserable during the height of his fame on The Office. He digs into Joy Behar's surprising claim on The View that Jesus never actually said he was the Messiah — and why that moment reveals exactly where evangelism gets hard. He covers the rise of AI-generated actors after Val Kilmer's digital likeness appeared in a new film, and the ethical questions it opens up. And he shares a practical six-step framework for becoming evangelism-ready, even when fear and busyness get in the way. The hour closes with a beautiful reflection on the paradox of the brightening path — why the closer we get to God, the more clearly we see our own sin, and why that's actually a sign of growth.

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When Chicago Bulls guard Jaden Ivey was released after speaking openly about his Christian faith and pushing back on the NBA's Pride Month celebrations, it sparked a conversation much bigger than basketball. Brian From sits down with Paul Batura — Vice President of Communications at Focus on the Family and Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Citizen — to unpack what the Ivey story reveals about religious freedom in America today. From the courtrooms of Colorado to the locker rooms of the NBA, Paul and Brian explore where Christians have room to speak, where the culture is pushing back, and how believers can navigate faith in the workplace with both boldness and wisdom.

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