Partners and Citizens
A Forum on Missions and Politics, Helping Christians Live as Faithful Partners and Citizens.
In the book of Philippians, the theme of partnership and citizenship emerges as a central focus. The apostle Paul highlights the importance of partnership by expressing gratitude for the Philippians' continuous support and participation in his ministry. Moreover, Paul emphasizes the concept of citizenship, urging the Philippians to conduct themselves as worthy citizens of the heavenly kingdom. Partners and Citizens is a forum that brings contributors together in the area of missions and politics for the purpose of encouraging Christians to strive together as partners in the gospel and live worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven in a fallen world.
Latest Articles
On an ordinary evening at Central Church, I would often notice a small white car parked near the entrance. Without a doubt, I knew Alicia was still inside, working long after most had gone home. She was probably preparing for the next Come Alive dinner or quietly taking care of one of the countless responsibilities that made ministry possible.
Now we turn to the English colonies. Here we find one of the great tensions that will mark the American story from the beginning. Some colonies were driven by profit, land, and survival. Others were driven by religious freedom, reform, and the hope of building a godly society.
Before Europeans ever called this land “America,” it was already filled with peoples, places, languages, cities, farms, governments, and stories. Any faithful account of American history must begin there.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The world tells us there are many streams, many paths, many truths, and many ways to live. Scripture tells us there is one stream that leads to life. There is one path of wisdom. There is no other stream.
Can a leopard truly change his spots?
That question from Jeremiah 13:23 presses on every parent, grandparent, teacher, mentor, pastor, and friend who has ever prayed for someone they love to change. We long for our children to grow in wisdom. We long for our students to walk in self-control. We long for adult children to return to Christ. We long for cold spouses, wandering friends, and weary church members to be renewed in faith. But wanting change and being changed are not the same thing.
There are certain moments when the past refuses to stay in the past. A mistake becomes more than a memory. It becomes a warning. A failure becomes more than regret. It becomes a teacher. A decision made in fear, pride, unbelief, or apathy can echo long after the moment itself has passed.
This is one of the great burdens of parenting, and even more broadly, of spiritual responsibility. None of us enters the work of discipling the next generation as a finished product. We come with our own failures, our own foolishness, our own inconsistencies, and our own need for grace.
When President Trump recently said he does not think about the financial situation of average Americans while discussing Iran, it reveals more than a policy position. It reveals a troubling distance between the leader and the led. At a time when many Americans are feeling the strain of rising costs, high gas prices, grocery bills, debt, and instability, such a statement lands with a certain coldness.
It makes me wonder. Does the president know the price of a gallon of gas?
n February 1984, David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The play follows four real estate salesmen who are desperate to outperform one another with the leads handed down by office manager John Williamson. The men live under the tyranny of a sales board. First prize is a new Cadillac. Second prize is a set of steak knives. Everyone else is disposable.
There is a strange and painful way bad leadership thrives. The best people leave.
That was the central insight behind a recent Economist article on emigration and bad rulers. The article focused on Hungary, where Viktor Orbán has remained in power for nearly sixteen years. As Hungary faces political corruption, economic decline, and weakening democratic norms, many of its educated, ambitious, and reform-minded citizens have begun to leave. Young professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and other skilled citizens are moving elsewhere in Europe or even to America in search of better opportunities and freer societies.
Recently, President Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself in a Christ-like role, healing a sick individual, with different people around him and a lot of strange imagery in the photo. There were eagles—which are not the issue—but also fighter jets, glowing figures in the sky, and an overall tone that was just bizarre. Some of the figures looked almost demonic. It was a weird image in a lot of different ways. But the bigger issue was not just that it was weird. The bigger issue was the blasphemy of presenting yourself as Jesus. That is, by definition, the action of an antichrist—presenting yourself as a pseudo-Christ. The photo itself was creepy, which is probably the right word for it.
Christ is not an appendix to Israel’s story. He is its climax. He is the promised seed. He is the son of David. He is the one in whom the nations are blessed. He is the one who forms a sanctified people for God’s name in the world.
Latest Podcast Episodes
In this Logos Theater 3000 episode, Matt and Bill discuss Glengarry Glen Ross as a gritty portrait of men trapped by ambition, fear, greed, and the pressure to prove themselves. They explore the film’s famous “always be closing” sales culture, its star-studded performances, and its bleak vision of success built on manipulation and performance. From there, they connect the movie to larger Christian themes: the fear of man, dishonest persuasion, false gospels of success, pastoral comparison, biblical business ethics, and Jesus’ warning about gaining the world while forfeiting the soul.
In this clip from Logos Theater 3000, Matt and Bill discuss Sicario and its bleak moral vision. They reflect on how the film exposes compromised tactics, the illusion of clean justice, and Alejandro’s haunting role in a world where evil cannot simply be defeated by cutting off “the head of the snake.”
In this episode of Logos Theater 3000, Matt Castro and Bill Whitmire discuss Sicario, the bleak 2015 thriller about the drug war, moral compromise, revenge, and the blurry line between justice and evil. As they follow Kate Macer's descent into a world of wolves, they explore what the film reveals about vengeance, power, government authority, human brokenness, and the Christian hope that true justice belongs ultimately to God.
In this Logos Theater 3000 episode, Matt and Bill revisit Top Gun: Maverick as both a thrilling “dad movie” and a story about friendship, courage, regret, sacrifice, and leadership. Bill brings his firsthand experience as a former Navy pilot to discuss what the film gets right about flying, squadron camaraderie, aircraft carriers, and military life, while also noting where Hollywood heightens the drama. The conversation explores Maverick’s struggle to move past Goose’s death, his complicated relationship with Rooster, Iceman’s role as a Barnabas-like encourager, and the film’s themes of loyalty, mentorship, mission, and sacrificial love. Along the way, they celebrate the movie’s practical effects, fighter-jet sequences, clear good-versus-evil storytelling, and its appeal as a hopeful film where friendship is tested, the good guys win, and men are reminded of the virtue of courage under pressure.