Persecution, closed doors, and shipboard vows—our journey starts where power tried to silence conscience and ends with a small band drafting a covenant that rewired how authority works. We sit down with Bill Federer to map the Pilgrims’ path from England’s star chamber to the rocky shore where consent became the basis for order. Along the way, we explore how the Reformation, censorship laws, and the flight to Holland set the stage for a bold experiment that would echo through New England town meetings and, eventually, into the American idea.

What unfolds is a grounded, vivid look at the Mayflower Compact as more than a paragraph in a textbook. It was a civic translation of church covenant—neighbors choosing obligation, accountability, and shared rule. We unpack why Romans 13 reads differently under a king than under a republic, and why citizens must see themselves as co-sovereigns with duties as real as their rights. We also take on Thanksgiving myths with the fuller story of Squanto—kidnapped to Europe, freed by monks, fluent in English—whose help, along with Massasoit’s alliance, anchored a decades-long peace. The first Thanksgiving looks less like legend and more like gratitude under pressure, with prayer, games, and shared meat binding two communities.

We go deeper into Bradford’s pivot from failing communal rules to private property, the leap in harvests that followed, and the way pastors helped found cities where worship and civic life overlapped. There’s drama too: trade seized by corsairs, risky diplomacy, and marriages that put Pilgrim leaders at odds with crown law. Through it all runs a clear theme—freedom of conscience, consent of the governed, and the steady work of self-government. If you care about the real roots of Thanksgiving, religious liberty, and how citizens become the “kings” in a republic, this conversation will sharpen your view and strengthen your gratitude.

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Tired of hearing America is beyond repair? We make a grounded case for renewal—rooted in first principles, legal clarity, and a fuller telling of our national story. With Mike Berry from First Liberty, we unpack how recent Supreme Court victories have reopened space for faith and conscience in public life, including schools, and why that matters for culture as much as law. When rights are secured in the real world—teachers protected, students free to express belief, communities able to build moral formation—confidence rises and civic duty starts to make sense again.

We also confront a hard question: how do you recruit young people to defend a country they’re taught to hate? The answer isn’t spin or nostalgia. It’s honest history—the good, the bad, and the ugly—paired with the founders’ radical design that places sovereignty with the people and limits government power. That framework doesn’t make us perfect, but it uniquely equips us to correct course through peaceful means. Think Declaration of Independence, constitutional processes, separation of powers, and real elections that let us alter what’s broken and abolish what never worked.

From classrooms to chaplaincy to family tables, there’s a hunger for truth over ideology. We talk about practical steps for rebuilding civic memory, compare free societies with closed regimes, and apply a simple test—are people trying to get in or out?—to cut through noise. The takeaway is clear: teach the full story, protect liberty, and invite the next generation to serve something worthy. That’s how you restore faith in America and keep the American spirit alive.

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What happens when people fill pews but drift on first principles? We sit down with researcher George Barna to unpack a new survey of frequent churchgoers that reveals only 11 percent hold a biblical worldview, a third prefer socialism to capitalism, and support for Israel rarely moves beyond prayer. It’s sobering, but it’s also a roadmap. If we can see clearly where formation has failed, we can rebuild how we teach, mentor, and live the faith in public.

We dig into why worldview isn’t an academic word—it’s the lens behind every decision you make. From voting and stewardship to generosity and courage, belief drives behavior. We explore how moral relativism sneaks in when churches avoid hard topics, and how kindness without conviction becomes a substitute for obedience. On economics, we separate personal charity from state control and connect Jesus’ teaching on stewardship, diligence, and envy to today’s policy debates. On Israel, we outline a layered approach: pray, learn the history, understand the covenant thread, and support allies with wisdom and care.

Most importantly, we talk solutions. Doing the same programs harder won’t change outcomes. We share practical steps for pastors and families to raise biblical literacy, measure spiritual growth, and bring scripture to bear on contested cultural issues. You’ll hear where to find the full report from the Cultural Research Center and Family Research Council, how to start a worldview series in your church, and why this moment is a “checkup” the American church can’t ignore. If you’re ready to move from sentiment to conviction to action, this conversation will help you chart the way.

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Forty million people live in slavery today, yet many pulpits are quiet where they were once loudest. We revisit a forgotten tradition of courageous preaching that confronted unjust laws, trained citizens to think biblically about public life, and helped turn spiritual conviction into cultural reform. From biblical prohibitions against “man stealing” to the explosive pushback against the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, we explore why past pastors urged civil disobedience when policy defied conscience—and why that courage matters now.

We walk through the practical legacy of the Pilgrims—elective government, purchased property instead of seizure, early education statutes, and due process reforms that shortened witch trials—showing how Scripture can shape fair, durable policy. Then we widen the lens to Genesis’s three institutions: family, civil government, and congregational worship. If laws shape culture more than programs do, a private faith that never engages public life leaves families, schools, and communities exposed. That’s how you get revivals without reform and inspired hearts swimming in hostile waters.

History gives a roadmap. George Whitefield’s “Father Abraham” sermon cut through tribal labels and helped the First Continental Congress choose unity over sectarian rivalry, opening the door to joint prayer and shared purpose. Charles Finney later insisted that politics is part of religion in a self-governing nation and called believers to oppose evil laws in tangible ways, not just with words. We bring those lessons forward for pastors, legislators, and citizens: choose a great awakening over a momentary revival, translate conviction into policy, and build a culture that guards human dignity, strengthens families, and restrains injustice.

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If spiritual fireworks don’t change the neighborhood by Monday, what are we missing? We take a hard look at a century of American revivals that stirred the heart but barely nudged the culture, and then we trace a different path: how revivals become awakenings when believers are discipled and Scripture is applied to daily life. Not just belief, but apprenticeship. Not just emotion, but formation that shapes families, work, and public decisions.

We dig into the Great Commission’s overlooked command to “teach them to observe all things” and connect it to concrete civic questions. What does Jesus’ teaching on stewardship say about rewarding productivity? How does the vineyard wage story illuminate voluntary contracts? Why does “Where are your accusers?” echo through America’s due process rights to confront accusers and compel witnesses? Along the way, we surface sobering data on the behavior gap between professing Christians and the wider culture, making the case that conversion without discipleship leaves public ethics unchanged.

History shows a better model. Early American pulpits spoke directly to the issues of the day—earthquakes, fires, education, deployment and just war, taxation, commercial crisis, health codes, addiction, and the injustice of slavery. Sermons didn’t dodge the news; they discipled people to think biblically about it. That habit formed moral reflexes that influenced law, economics, and community life. We invite you to recover that tradition: teach “all things,” support those serving in public office, and let Scripture inform both private character and public action.

If you’re ready for faith that moves from pews to policy and from zeal to wisdom, press play, share this conversation, and join us next time. Subscribe, leave a review, and tell a friend who serves in your state legislature so they can be part of the ProFamily Legislators Conference next year.

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A billion people watched a memorial defined by bold forgiveness, and something shifted. Church attendance spiked, Bible sales soared, and campus arenas from Ohio State to Florida State filled with students lining up for baptism. We take that momentum seriously and ask the harder question history demands: when hearts change, do cultures follow?

We walk through the evidence: record Easter services, mass beach baptisms, and stadium crusades drawing thousands. Then we hold it against the long arc of American revivals. The First and Second Great Awakenings shaped ideals of liberty and fueled abolition, yet later waves overlapped with the Progressive Era, when eugenics spread through state laws and media reframed faith as anti-science. The Scopes trial’s legal reality lost to a narrative that still echoes. Meanwhile, the Frankfurt School’s critical theory crossed the Atlantic, took root in elite universities, and helped redirect the formation of generations.

Our aim is clarity and responsibility. Renewal is real when it transforms not only private lives but public life—schools, laws, media, and the habits of a free people. That means pairing conviction with craft: teaching doctrine and civic duty, mentoring Gen Z leaders, building durable local institutions, and telling true stories about human dignity, science, and freedom. If we steward this moment, today’s surge can mature into a culture that protects conscience and nurtures virtue.

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Change doesn’t arrive with a hashtag; it arrives with a name on a ballot, a calm voice at a microphone, and a chair at the school board table. We sit down with Joe Messina—who spent twenty-four years in the trenches of a California district—to unpack how a lone dissenting vote became a durable majority that actually moves policy. From pulling back the curtain on graphic curriculum to establishing clear flag policies and defending parental notification, Joe shows how local courage scales when it’s anchored in law, civics, and community.

You’ll hear how a trades education fight led him into public service, why he lost twice before winning, and what changed once he was inside the room. We dig into the practical: reading questionable passages aloud to force transparency, leaning on legal allies to set guardrails, and equipping students to assert their rights without picking unnecessary fights. Joe’s approach is simple and repeatable—fill the room with thoughtful supporters, speak to policy not people, and keep going when the vote goes the wrong way. Over time, those habits flipped the dynamic: parents felt represented, students felt backed, and administrators learned that neutrality isn’t optional.

We also explore the role of civic training and historical literacy in shaping arguments that stand up under pressure. Quoting Franklin’s call to prayer as history, not ceremony. Clarifying privacy and fairness in locker rooms without turning up the heat. Building TPUSA clubs so students know the rules and use them well. It’s a masterclass in steady, local leadership that protects kids and restores trust.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your school board comment, yard sign, or volunteer hour matters, this conversation will recharge your resolve. Subscribe, share this with a neighbor who cares about schools, and leave a review with the one local action you’re taking this month.

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Stadium altar calls, campus baptisms, and a surge in Bible sales are stealing headlines for all the right reasons—but the real story is what comes next. We dive into the data pointing to a national spiritual renewal and challenge ourselves to aim higher than momentary inspiration, asking how to turn revival into a durable great awakening through deliberate discipleship and principled policy.

We share the energy and outcomes from the Pro Family Legislators Conference, where more than 400 lawmakers and spouses compared notes, traded model bills, and left with a playbook of 150+ policy ideas. From privacy and parental rights to education reform, we walk through how one “what if” can spread across dozens of states and become law. Along the way, we revisit history’s best teachers—George Whitefield and Charles Finney—who coupled evangelism with action, showing how spiritual conviction can guide civic courage.

The conversation shifts to the long game: why faithfulness outruns quick wins, how school board persistence in a tough California district led to a governing majority, and what it means to keep planting even when results are slow. We also tackle today’s budget reality, explaining why rising federal health care costs demand state innovation, market discipline, and a constitutional approach that brings decisions closer to the people. Compassion and responsibility are not opposites; together they make reform work.

If you care about seeing faith shape families, schools, and local governments, this is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend who leads, and leave a review with the one change you think would most help your state take a step toward renewal.

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