Justin Giboney on the Black Church, Civic Courage, and Healing Our Divides
Justin Giboney on the Black Church, Civic Courage, and Healing Our Divides  
Podcast: Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other
Published On: Tue Oct 07 2025
Description: 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. 📣 Calls to Action: ✅ TELL A FRIEND ABOUT TP&R!!! Bring more folks into the conversation. ✅ Subscribe to Talkin' Politics & Religion Without Killin' Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Check out our Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion ⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics [00:00:00] Intro to the show and our guest Justin E. Giboney [00:01:00] Justin’s background: faith, family, football, and public life [00:03:00] Raising three boys in Georgia and coaching youth football 🏈 [00:04:00] Justin’s college years at Vanderbilt and struggles with faith [00:06:00] Returning to faith and the influence of family, especially Willie Faye [00:08:00] Learning from personal crossroads: sports injury, law, and political work [00:10:00] Beginning the AND Campaign: from political activism to movement leadership [00:13:00] The legacy of the Civil Rights era and moral imagination [00:16:00] Political tribalism, Christian engagement, and party alignment [00:22:00] Core principles of the AND Campaign and engaging as a faithful Christian [00:25:00] Civic pluralism: persuading without imposing faith [00:27:00] Importance of relationships over culture war ideology [00:34:00] Honest critiques of progressivism and conservatism [00:43:00] Addiction to outrage and the loss of moral clarity [00:51:00] Opposition-centered engagement and political virtue signaling [00:56:00] Final thoughts on leadership, truth, and compassion 🧠 Key Takeaways Faith Requires Courage: Being a faithful Christian in the public square demands moral clarity, humility, and the ability to stand apart from political allegiances. Reject Political Tribalism: Christians must transcend party lines and speak truth to power, even to their own political "side." 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. 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. 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 📸 Instagram: @justinegiboney 🐦 X (Twitter): @justinegiboney 🎧 Podcast: Church Politics 🌐 AND Campaign: andcampaign.org 🔗 Connect on Social Media: Corey is @coreysnathan on... Substack Bluesky LinkedIn Instagram Threads Facebook TikTok Our Sponsors: Meza Wealth Management: www.mezawealth.com The Village Square: villagesquare.us And we are proud members of The Democracy Group: democracygroup.org Thanks for tuning in! Now go talk politics and religion—with gentleness and respect. 🎙️✨