How Christians can be better American Citizens – with Stephanie Summers

Stephanie Summers discusses with Bob and Brendan ideas for civic engagement that faithfully seeks to further public justice in both our nation but also our local contexts. They discuss how to actively discuss public policy and candidates with others without the trappings of political punditry, which seems to end with everyone hating each other. Christians wanting holistic approaches to political engagement have not been given many tools for accomplishing that. The Center for Public Justice provides these tools to help disciples of Jesus Christ apply their discipleship to being citizens of the United States. One of those tools is a praxis-based curriculum called “Political Discipleship” for small groups that provides a practical approach to Christian citizenship and engagement with public justice. Stephanie Summers is the CEO of The Center for Public Justice in Washington DC, an organization that equips citizens, develops leaders, and shapes public policy. She is a speaker, a moderator, and the co-author, with Michael J. Gerson and Katie Thompson, of Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice. She has written articles for Comment Magazine, Q Ideas, and The High Calling (that article can also be found at the Reintegrate blog on Patheos). Prior to her appointment at the Center 10 years ago, she spent 12 years with the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach), where her roles included Vice President for the Eastern Region and Vice President for Organizational Development. She and her husband, Jason E. Summers, are residents of the District of Columbia. Thanks for listening! Go to re-integrate.org for several years’ worth of articles on reintegrating your callings with God’s mission, online resources for further learning, links to the Reintegrate YouTube channel, and more. On Reintegrate’s podcast page, you’ll find ways to email us or call us to comment on this podcast. Get full access to Bob Robinson’s Substack at bobrobinsonre.substack.com/subscribe