The Center for Christianity and Public Life

This year has been disorienting and troubling in many ways. Scientific and technological acceleration proceeds without the moral and spiritual development to keep pace, and our public square regularly displays hatred and antagonisms that erode trust and community. In light of all of this and more, the Christian practices of silence and solitude have much to offer to Christian communities, and to the broader public. Today, joined by a number of national partners and organizations, we are issuing A National Call to the Christian Practices of Silence & Solitude. Read the Call: silenceandsolitude.org Watch CCPL's President @MichaelRWear discuss the Call at our annual summit: youtu.be/eQM5oCY6oNw We invite you to join us in the regular practice of silence and solitude through Advent and into the coming year.

What happens when an entire industry is built on capturing your attention, no matter the cost? This week’s Weekly Pulse reflects on new legal challenges to Big Tech and the deeper questions they raise about mental health, responsibility, and the kind of digital world we’re building together. Also, we consider the pull of political spectacle, the moral limits of artificial intelligence, and the quiet drift from public service to personal gain. Read The Weekly Pulse: theheartofthepublic.com

The conversation about online sports gambling has picked up in recent months. At CCPL's Summit, we hosted one of the legislators actually doing something about it. Watch the full conversation with @RepPaulTonko here: youtube.com/watch?v=f9ZHSW…

"In short, the dignity of humanity doesn’t come from the species’s superiority over all other creations; it is a gift from God." One of the best pieces I've read on AI. Full of hope and ending with a call to action.

Public Good Generation helps high school students connect their Christian faith to public service. From July 6–11 in Washington, D.C., students meet with legislators, practice civil dialogue, and explore how faith connects to public life. Rising juniors, seniors, and recent graduates are invited. Applications close April 15. Scholarships are available. Want to learn more? Join our upcoming webinar on April 2. Learn more and apply at ccpubliclife.org/highschool

What does it mean to remain human, and even faithful, in an age of "intelligent" machines? In this new essay for The Heart of the Public, Alex Arnold (@imanotabiv) invites us to see human dignity not as something we prove, but something we’re given. A calling that doesn’t disappear just because our tools grow more powerful, but one that asks even more of us. Read more: theheartofthepublic.com

What is the Public Good Generation? It’s CCPL’s high school program rooted in a simple belief. The kind of people we are shapes the kind of politics we will have. For one week in Washington, D.C (July 6-11, 2026), students step into a different way of engaging public life. They meet with legislators, practice civil dialogue through town halls, and create issue advertisements that connect faith to real questions about the world around them. But this isn’t just about what students learn. It’s about who they are becoming. Through hands-on experiences, friendships, and reflection, they begin to imagine a public life marked by hope, conviction, and commitment to the public good. If you’re a rising junior, senior, or graduating senior, this is an invitation to take that first step. If you know a student, now is the time to share this. Applications are due April 15, 2026. Learn more and apply at ccpubliclife.org/highschool

What does it say about us that we want our devices to sound more human, even a little biting? This week’s Weekly Pulse reflects on Amazon’s “sassy” Alexa and the deeper questions it raises about connection, imitation, and what our lives might be missing. Along the way, we remember a civil rights witness, consider the cultural cost of easy gambling, and reflect on the limits of war. Read The Weekly Pulse now: theheartofthepublic.com

What if high school students had the chance to live out their Christian faith while exploring politics, civic engagement, and the public good in Washington, D.C.? Public Good Generation is a five-day summer program from the Center for Christianity & Public Life for students interested in pursuing public service. Students will hear from leaders working in government, advocacy, and journalism, practice civil dialogue in mock town halls, and collaborate with peers to create an issue ad. They’ll also build lasting friendships, deepen their faith, and spend a week experiencing life in the nation’s capital while staying on campus at American University. If you’re a rising high school junior, senior, or graduating senior eager to learn how faith can shape public life, we’d love to see your application. Applications are now open. Learn more and apply: ccpubliclife.org/highschool

"The 'inner room' is finally the inner room of the heart. You can pray in your closet and still pray like a hypocrite. And you can stand before a crowd and pray with genuine sincerity." CCPL's Director of Christian Civic Formation, Chris Butler (@Christhecitizen), writes for The Heart of the Public about the place of prayer in public life. Read more: theheartofthepublic.substack.com/p/who-you-are-…

After nearly a decade reporting from Capitol Hill, CCPL's Content & Community Advisor, Haley Byrd Wilt (@byrdinator), reflects on the structural problems that have left the legislative branch overwhelmed and under-resourced. In this review for @CTmagazine, she examines a new book that traces how Congress weakened itself, and what reforms might help restore its capacity to serve the public. Read the full article: christianitytoday.com/2026/03/congre…

Last week, the 2026 Public Life Fellows gathered in Virginia for the first retreat of their nine-month journey together. Civic leaders from across the country came together to consider how they can best contribute to the public good, and what kind of character they need to steward their roles well. We’re grateful to begin this journey with such a thoughtful group of fellows, and we look forward to what this year will bring as we build this community. Learn more about CCPL’s Public Life Fellowship: ccpubliclife.org/public-life-fe…

The way we engage politics often leaves little room for reflection. The pace of the conversation can make it difficult to step back and ask deeper questions about our shared life. But those questions matter. What does it mean to pursue the public good? How should Christian faith shape our engagement in public life? What kind of formation does a healthy civic life require? These are the kinds of questions that led us to start The Heart of the Public. Through essays, commentary, book reviews, and weekly news roundups, our new Substack gathers voices reflecting on the moral and civic foundations of public life. Our hope is to encourage deeper reflection about the convictions and imagination needed to pursue the public good. Explore The Heart of the Public: theheartofthepublic.substack.com

New from CCPL - The Weekly Pulse. Read here: theheartofthepublic.substack.com/p/the-weekly-p…

Welcome to the first edition of “The Weekly Pulse”, a regular column for The Heart of the Public. Each week our Director of Research, Alex Arnold, will reflect on a few stories at the intersection of Christianity, formation, and public life, followed by a handful of quick beats that are worth your attention, curated by Haley Wilt Byrd. This week we ask: As war tensions rise and political pressures mount—from military accountability to AI regulation—can moral conviction and freedom of conscience withstand the demands of power? theheartofthepublic.substack.com/p/the-weekly-p…

What does the health of our civic life have to do with the condition of the heart? At the Center for Christianity & Public Life, we believe the kind of politics we have has much to do with the kind of people we are. That’s why “The Heart of the Public” explores the spiritual dimensions of civic life, drawing on Christian wisdom to ask what it might look like to renew our civic life from the inside out. Read “Spiritual Cardiology” from CCPL's Alex Arnold (@iamnotabiv) and subscribe to our new Substack: theheartofthepublic.substack.com

In a new essay for “The Heart of the Public,” Alex Arnold (@iamnotabiv) reflects on why the deepest challenges in our public life are not only political or institutional—they are spiritual. Read “Spiritual Cardiology” and subscribe to our new Substack: theheartofthepublic.substack.com

We just launched a new S**stack for @CCPublicLife called "The Heart of the Public." If you're interested in Christianity and civic life, please consider subscribing. theheartofthepublic.substack.com

American politics today is deeply, obviously reactive. But beneath all the noise is a deeper question: What kind of people must we become to renew our civic life? The Heart of the Public is a new space for thoughtful, honest reflection on faith, public life, and the work of pursuing the public good. A place to ask better questions, and recover a deeper vision for our public life. Read the first essay and become a subscriber: theheartofthepublic.substack.com/p/beyond-react…

CCPL is launching a brand-new Substack: The Heart of the Public. In the first essay, @MichaelRWear writes: “Civic renewal will follow the renewal of our own desires, of what we want our politics to be like, and our vision for our own contribution to build it.” Read the essay and subscribe: theheartofthepublic.substack.com