Justin Giboney on the Black Church, Civic Courage, and Healing Our Divides

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October 7, 2025 • 64 mins

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.

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⏱️ 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