In this episode of For the Good of the Public podcast, Michael and Phebe present an agenda-setting speech by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy delivered at CCPL’s inaugural summit about the “spiritual crisis” in America in which “millions of Americans feel like they have lost their sense of purpose, their identity, their conception of meaning.” Senator Murphy argues that “if we want to restore the spiritual health of this nation, then we have got to have a more purposeful and more powerful policy of supporting strong healthy religious institutions and a loud, vibrant labor movement.”

Watch the video recording of this talk on YouTube!

“Civic leaders are asking these questions. There’s an invitation on the table for Christians to engage in a substantive way, and it’s worth considering. What do you have to offer? What do you have to say?” -Michael [03:12]

“What I believe is that supporting institutions that help build the common good and help grow social connection, it just has to be at the center, not at the periphery, of our public work.” -Senator Murphy [18:07]

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00] Intro

[03:35] About this week’s guest

[04:02] A spiritual crisis

[07:06] What makes a good life?

[12:18] The need for strong institutions

[18:18] Restoring America’s soul

[22:05] Outro

REFERENCES

• U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
• Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the  Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community
• Murphy, Casey Introduce Bill to Fight Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Americans
• National Strategy for Social Connection Act
• For the Good of the Public Summit
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Civilian unemployment rate
• Harvard Study of Adult Development
• The State of American Friendship: Change, Challenges, and Loss: Findings from the May 2021 American Perspectives Survey by Daniel A. Cox
• Unions increase job satisfaction in the United States by Benjamin Artz, David G. Blanchflower and Alex Bryson
• Shawn Fain, President of United Automobile Workers (UAW)
• The Spirit of Our Politics by Michael Wear
• President Obama’s remarks from the 2023 Democracy Forum
• Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse by Timothy P. Carney
• Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be by Timothy P. Carney
• Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam

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