**Return clean, semantic HTML directly** ```html

About

In this timely episode of the Resilient Pastor podcast, hosts Rich, Sharon, and Glenn sit down with Michael Wear, founder and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life and author of The Spirit of Our Politics. Drawing on Dallas Willard’s teachings on spiritual formation, the conversation explores how the gospel of the Kingdom is public truth that shapes how Christians engage politics, polarization, and public life. The discussion offers practical wisdom for pastors seeking to disciple their congregations through an intense election season without being reactive or partisan.

From redefining the gospel as good news for the renewal of the world today to cultivating humility, healthy speech, and a rightly ordered love of neighbor, this episode equips church leaders with a Kingdom-centered approach to political discipleship that transcends cable news formation and cultural reactivity.

Key Takeaways

• The gospel is not just good news for private souls or the age to come — it is good news for the renewal of the world right now.
• Spiritual formation must precede election seasons; pastors cannot crash-course political discipleship during an election year.
• Cable news and political ideologies often shape Christians more than Scripture — churches must assume and address this reality.
• Critiquing politics frequently feels like critiquing identity, values, biblical interpretation, and ultimately our understanding of God.
• Politics should be placed under the gospel, not treated as an add-on or reactive sermon series.
• Righteousness and justice are inseparable; the Kingdom demands both vertical relationship with God and horizontal concern for neighbor and society.
• Politics is penultimate — it is an important arena for loving our neighbor but must never become ultimate or idolatrous.
• Churches need to proactively form people through biblical preaching, prayer, small groups, and habits of listening and healthy speech.

Highlights

• “The degree to which our definition of the gospel determines the nature and scope of our mission.”
• “The time for addressing matters of politics is not in an election year… we should have already been doing it.”
• “To critique a political figure is often to critique the party… your vision of a flourishing world… your understanding of God… No wonder people get really crazy around politics.”
• “We were primarily reacting to things that were happening in the culture… If that’s what you’re doing, it’s already too late.”
• “The gospel is public truth.” — Lesslie Newbigin
• “Politics has this capacity of creating a sort of pseudo reality… you can lose sight of what’s real, what’s true, what’s good, what’s beautiful.” — Michael Wear
• “Your vote is not a pure expression of your will. It is contingent. It is mediated.”
• “We need to remind our politics what it is not… It is not ultimate. It is penultimate.”
• “All friendships, all loves, all play, all politics.” — C.S. Lewis

```