What role should the church play in a moment of rising authoritarianism and political instability?

In this episode of The Justice Briefing, Jemar Tisby sits down with Rev. Michael McBride—pastor, organizer, and executive director of Live Free USA—to explore why democracy depends on moral vision, collective action, and faith communities willing to show up.

This conversation goes beyond politics. It’s about the spiritual stakes of this moment—and what it means to practice a faith that actively pursues justice.

In this episode:

• Why democracy cannot survive without a moral foundation
• How faith is being distorted and weaponized today
• The historic role of the Black church in expanding democracy
• What “public theology” looks like in practice
• A real-world model for organizing: Live Free Love Free
• Why passive faith is not an option in this moment

If you’ve been wondering what faithfulness looks like in a time like this—this episode is for you.

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Something strange happens whenever a certain kind of white Christian politician speaks about justice in public.

Suddenly commentators act like they’ve discovered a brand-new species: the Christian who actually sounds like Jesus.

David French wrote that James Talarico is “one of the few openly Christian politicians in the United States who acts like a Christian.”

You can really only write a sentence like that if you have one kind of Christian in mind.

Because if the Black church is in your imagination, that sentence simply doesn’t make sense.

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In this episode of The Justice Briefing podcast, I talk about Iran, Armageddon, and End Times Prophecy.

We get into:

• Dispensationalism as explained by John Nelson Darby
• James I. Scofield’s reference Bible
• the Left Behind book and film series
• How end times theology shapes U.S. foreign relations with Israel and the Middle East

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I leave you with this thought:

A theology that excuses violence does not glorify God.

A faith that ignores injustice does not serve humanity.

And a church that trades its prophetic voice for political loyalty cannot be the light of the world.

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References:

• Before you share that story about how troops were told the Iran War is for “Armageddon,” read this
• Bombs for the Apocalypse? (Footnotes Substack)
• Tisby Media- Catch the Vision