Church attendance is declining, and people often wonder: Why should we still go?

To answer this question, The Echoes Podcast welcomes Corey Widmer, lead pastor of Third Church in Richmond, Virginia, and a member of the Theological Advisory Council for the H. E. Butt Foundation. Corey shares his insights on the meaning of life, the importance of community, and how the church can better embody Jesus's teachings in a world often disillusioned by religion.

Join hosts Marcus Goodyear and Camille Hall-Ortega as they explore the role of the church in modern life and how our beliefs can shape our actions for the better. 

NOTES:
Do you like this story? You’ll love Echoes Magazine. Print subscriptions are free from the H. E. Butt Foundation: 

Subscribe - Echoes Magazine (hebfdn.org) 

Read Corey’s Echoes article on “The Four-Part Gospel” that inspired this episode:  

The Gospel of Wholeness - Canyon 

Listen to David Brooks’ full talk at Laity Lodge and one of his articles in The Atlantic: 

The Deep Humanity of God - Laity Lodge 

Why Americans Are So Awful to One Another - The Atlantic 

Investigate materials referenced in this podcast: 

• “We move from being consumers to contributors.” - Andy Crouch  
• “Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either— but right through every human heart— and through all human hearts.” - Aleksander Solzhenitsyn 
• “People who are lonely are seven times more likely to be active in politics...” - Ryan Street - Source 
• Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) 
• Jeremiah 29:7-11 

Production Team: 

• Written and produced by Camille Hall-Ortega, Rob Stennett, and Marcus Goodyear 
• Edited by Rob Stennett and Kim Stone 
• Executive Producers: Patton Dodd and David Rogers 
• Funded by the H. E. Butt Foundation