Exploring how Christian conviction and civic love — inspired by the faith of Willie Faye and Mahalia Jackson’s generation — can transcend political tribalism.
🔥 Episode Summary
Grateful to welcome Justin Giboney, an ordained minister, attorney, and co-founder of the AND Campaign. Justin shares his faith journey, the genesis of the AND Campaign, and his new book, Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us Out of the Culture War. Together, we explore how faith can ground political engagement, challenge tribalism, and offer a better way forward rooted in compassion, conviction, and moral imagination.
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⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics
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[00:00:00] Intro to the show and our guest Justin E. Giboney
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[00:01:00] Justin’s background: faith, family, football, and public life
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[00:03:00] Raising three boys in Georgia and coaching youth football 🏈
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[00:04:00] Justin’s college years at Vanderbilt and struggles with faith
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[00:06:00] Returning to faith and the influence of family, especially Willie Faye
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[00:08:00] Learning from personal crossroads: sports injury, law, and political work
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[00:10:00] Beginning the AND Campaign: from political activism to movement leadership
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[00:13:00] The legacy of the Civil Rights era and moral imagination
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[00:16:00] Political tribalism, Christian engagement, and party alignment
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[00:22:00] Core principles of the AND Campaign and engaging as a faithful Christian
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[00:25:00] Civic pluralism: persuading without imposing faith
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[00:27:00] Importance of relationships over culture war ideology
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[00:34:00] Honest critiques of progressivism and conservatism
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[00:43:00] Addiction to outrage and the loss of moral clarity
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[00:51:00] Opposition-centered engagement and political virtue signaling
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[00:56:00] Final thoughts on leadership, truth, and compassion
🧠 Key Takeaways
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Faith Requires Courage: Being a faithful Christian in the public square demands moral clarity, humility, and the ability to stand apart from political allegiances.
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Reject Political Tribalism: Christians must transcend party lines and speak truth to power, even to their own political "side."
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Moral Imagination Is Essential: The ability to imagine what ought to be—especially in times of conflict—is the key to compassionate and just civic engagement.
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Civil Rights Generation as a Model: Justin draws inspiration from the faith, resilience, and clarity of leaders like his grandmother Willie Faye and Mahalia Jackson.
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Opposition-Centered Engagement is Toxic: Defining oneself solely by opposition to the "other side" leads to shallow, reactive politics.
💬 Notable Quotes
“Discipleship isn’t easy—and loving your neighbor especially when it’s hard, is where the Gospel really comes alive.”
— Justin Giboney
“If the Civil Rights generation could love their enemies with hoses and bombs aimed at them, we can love ours with tweets and outrage.”
— Justin Giboney
“True leadership today means turning around and telling your side what it needs to do better.”
— Justin Giboney
📚 Featured Book
Don't Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us Out of the Culture War - www.ivpress.com/don-t-let-nobody-turn-you-around
🗓️ Coming November 4, 2025
🔗 Connect with Justin Giboney
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📸 Instagram: @justinegiboney
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🐦 X (Twitter): @justinegiboney
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🎧 Podcast: Church Politics
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🌐 AND Campaign: andcampaign.org
🔗 Connect on Social Media:
Corey is @coreysnathan on...
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4 months ago
Excellent, excellent episode!!