It feels like America's cultural and political life has never been more fragmented and jarring--but a little reflection will suggest that 50 years ago was even crazier, with assassinations and rioting and lies from the White House. In 1965, young Roger Dewey took a spiritual and cultural journey through Latin America that he wrote about in his book The Hitchhiking Diaries. It transformed both his faith and his social conscience. Fifty years later, he and his wife, Claire, revisited the experience and came back with fresh perspective for hopeful faith in this time of craziness. 

"God's goodness" is a pretty basic religious teaching. But in Blue Ocean Faith, they've found that this truth triggers surprising, unexpected ways to a the life we all want. Christina Roberts, Ryan Bauers and Dave Schmelzer explore the key ways this truth makes it possible to suffer and nonetheless find a great, transcendent world.

Mentioned in Today's Podcast: 

The Unity of the Bible: Unfolding God's Plan for Humanity | By Daniel P. Fuller

Several weeks back, Blue Ocean Faith's Dave Schmelzer invited members of Blue Ocean's mailing list who regarded themselves as "done with church" to fill that out for him. After a hundred detailed responses within the hour, Dave started compiling. Here, he, Christina Roberts and Ryan Bauers take a first pass at passing on what they've learned and what it might mean. 

Mentioned in Today's Podcast:

Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People Are Done with Church but not Their Faith | By Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope

The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community | By Marc J. Dunkelman

What I'm Into:

• The Long Goodbye | By Raymond Chandler
• Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks | By Diana Butler Bass