Sara Billups Explores ‘Nervous Systems’ and How to Build a Non-Anxious Life
Release Date: 10/23/2025
Dr. Jonathan Moo: Loving God, Neighbor, and the Natural World
Good Faith
How Can Christians Turn Groans into Growth By Responding to Ecological Grief? In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang talks with Dr. Jonathan Moo, a decorated professor of both the New Testament and Environmental Studies, about why Christian creation care belongs at the center of discipleship. Drawing from Romans 8, Colossians 1, and Genesis 1–2, Moo connects biblical hope for new creation with practical action on climate change, stewardship, and loving our neighbors by caring for the places they depend on and enjoy. The conversation explores how faith and...
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David French: Dual State America and Authoritarianism - Renee Good and the Trump Administration
Good Faith
What Can Christians Do and Will It Work? In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Curtis Chang and David French name what’s happening to American democracy right now: “Dual State America,” where life feels normal—until the Trump administration’s lawless prerogative power snaps into place. From the Renee Good case to Orwellian spin and rising political violence, they trace how authoritarianism spreads by redefining reality and daring ordinary people not to resist. French’s gut-check: stop waiting for someone else to save the country—do something your grandkids will...
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The Vanishing Church and Why It’s Hurting American Democracy with Ryan Burge
Good Faith
The Rise of the “Nones” and the Politics Driving People Out of Church In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, Ryan Burge joins Curtis Chang to explore The Vanishing Church and the decline of moderate American congregations, using hard data and his lived experience as a longtime pastor, political scientist, and statistician. Ryan and Curtis explore how evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics, and the religious “nones” are changing—and what that means for polarization, social cohesion, and democracy in America. Burge offers a practical challenge for the lonely or...
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Pete Wehner: What Happens When Morality Leaves U.S. Foreign Policy? Venezuela, Greenland, and "Might Makes Right"
Good Faith
Can Christian Americans Resist Authoritarian Drift? Pete Wehner—The Atlantic columnist and former Reagan and Bush administration staff member—joins host Curtis Chang to ask the uncomfortable question: in Trump’s America, is morality a loser that’s been replaced by the “law of the jungle”—especially in U.S. foreign policy? From Venezuela to a looming Greenland/Denmark showdown that could fracture NATO, Wehner argues we’re watching “might makes right” go mainstream. The antidote, he says, isn’t vibes—it’s resistance: stop living within the lie and start living...
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Katharine Hayhoe: Talking About Christian Climate Action Is a Gospel Issue
Good Faith
From Pews to Planet: Faith-Based Steps to Better Creation Stewardship In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang and guest Dr. Katherine Hayhoe—Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy and a committed evangelical Christian—explore why Christians and churches should care about climate change as a biblical “love your neighbor” issue rooted in justice for the poor and vulnerable. Hayhoe explains how political polarization and “solution aversion” fuel climate skepticism. She introduces the “Six Americas” framework and offers practical guidance for...
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Nancy French’s Joyful Grandparenting Lessons & Living Like Tomorrow Isn’t Guaranteed
Good Faith
How Do We Shape Future Generations Well? Nancy French returns to The Good Faith Podcast with host Curtis Chang for a heartfelt, funny, and surprisingly practical conversation about how grandparenting reshapes your view of hope, kids and screens, grief, and what’s worth doing with the time you have—even is that just means “robbing a bank with a Barbie.” This conversation isn’t just for grandparents: it’s for anyone mentoring, parenting, teaching, or influencing the next generation, with practical wisdom on choosing connection, naming loss honestly, and creating space...
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Sandra McCracken on Navigating the Space Between: Reflections on Christmas Hope
Good Faith
Can a Poetic Pause Help us Embrace the In-Between Moments of the Season? On this special Christmas Day episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang and singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken each explore the nativity, the “space between” Christ’s first coming and second coming, and how Christian faith holds grief and joy together in a world that often “does not mesh with Jesus.” Featuring Madeleine L’Engle’s poem “First Coming” and music from McCracken’s Christmas EP I Heard the Bells (including “The Space Between”), this episode invites listeners to...
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What’s David French Thankful For? Finding Hope and Joy in Ordinary Things
Good Faith
From C.S. Lewis to Luka Dončić: Celebrating Joy in Unexpected Places On this Christmas-season Good Faith episode, host Curtis Chang welcomes back “founding friend” David French to showcase how he can give thanks in all circumstances even amid a depressing news cycle. Through five surprising “gratitudes” (from Dune and Luka Dončić to family healing and C.S. Lewis), the conversation offers a timely guide to cultivating Christian joy, resilience, and hope in anxious times. French shares why his hope isn’t rooted in a “five-point plan,” but in the character of God and...
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Sandra McCracken on Christmas Songs That Hold Joy and Sorrow: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Good Faith
What Do Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Johnny Cash Have in Common? Singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken joins Good Faith for a short bonus episode on the Christmas songs that can hold joy and sorrow at the same time. Sandra explores the story behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”—from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s grief to its enduring promise of peace in the midst of hardship. She also reflects on the influence of Johnny Cash’s version and shares what it was like recording the song with Cindy Morgan. A warm, reflective listen for anyone heading into the season with...
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Is the Border Really in Crisis? Crime, Fentanyl & the Facts - with Jennie Murray
Good Faith
Can We Welcome the Stranger and Uphold the Law? How should Christians think about immigration, the border crisis, and refugees—without getting trapped in partisan talking points? In this Good Faith podcast episode, host Curtis Chang sits down with Jennie Murray, president of the National Immigration Forum, to explore a faith-informed approach to U.S. immigration policy. They explore why the U.S. immigration system is so broken and confusing, the tension between compassion and the rule of law, how immigration affects jobs, labor shortages, and the economy, all while debunking...
info_outlineCan We Move From Fear to a Holy Indifference That Teaches Peace and Presence?
Seattle-based writer Sara Billups joins host Curtis Chang to explore how faith, mental health, and spiritual practices can help calm anxiety in our bodies, families, churches, and politics. Drawing from her book Nervous Systems (available November 4, 2025), Sara shares practical ways to find peace, emotional balance, and spiritual resilience amid today’s chaos. Together, Curtis and Sara discuss how understanding our stories and grounding in faith can help us live with calm and clarity in an anxious culture.
(02:23) - Navigating Anxiety in Uncertain Times
(04:35) - Understanding Anxiety Across Generations
(18:58) - Navigating Anxiety With Holy Indifference
(26:00) - Anxiety in Churches, Politics, and Systems
(28:15) - Churches Cultivating Non-Anxious Presence
(33:43) - Finding a Spiritual Home in Crisis
(41:20) - Sara’s Message a Generation of Anxious Young Adults
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Mentioned in this episode:
- Sara Billups’ Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics
- What is Epigenetics? (Cleveland Clinic)
- Curt Thompson discusses generational trauma and epigenetics (episode of Curt’s podcast)
- Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises
- St. Teresa of Lisieux’s Divine Office
- The story behind the hymn It Is Well With My Soul
- Frederick Buechner describes his daughter’s anorexia and praying Psalm 131 (video)
- Frederick Buechner’s Telling Secrets
- Matthew 26:36-46 (ESV) Jesus prays in Gethsemane
- Edwin Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix
- Edwin Friedman’s Six Measures of Effective Leadership (Jack Shitima’s Non-Anxious Leader blog)
- Mark Sayers’s A Non-Anxious Presence: How a Changing and Complex World will Create a Remnant of Renewed Christian Leaders
- The ignatian concept of Indifference
- Thomas McKenzie’s The Anglican Way: A Guidebook
- Tim Keller’s The Church in the City (Series of audio messages)
- Christianity Today’s The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (podcast) 22
- Explore Grace Church Seattle
- Good Faith episode featuring Paco Amador of Little Village in Chicago
More from Sara Billups:
- Sara Billups’ Orphaned Believers: How a Generation of Christian Exiles Can Find the Way Home
- Sara Billups’ Bitter Scroll (substack)
- Sara Billups’ That's the Spirit podcast (with Morgan Page)
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