From the Boston Tea Party onwards, we Americans have used the power of the Boycott to hit our opponents where it hurts—in the wallet. It was a signature act of quiet protest in the civil rights movement—one that was deployed to debilitate a system of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama. But i...

On this episode of State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews Jeremey Samek, Esq. the Senior Counsel at Independence Law Center who has made it his life’s work to defend religious freedom and the right of conscience in America’s Courtrooms. (original airdate 9-22-23)

Joe Watkins interviews Isaac Willour who is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and in publications like the Christian Post and National Review. His writing is smart, incisive, and original, and he’s still in college. Watch the interview to see how the r...

You’ve heard this story of the decline of church attendance in America, haven’t you? Fewer people are walking into churches on Sunday mornings. Fewer joining. And fewer believe their grandparent’s view of God—or accept—that the Bible is without error. But what if there’s something else going on?...

What we know of the Amish is often wrong—shaped by reality shows, movies, and our own imaginations. But while we don’t really know much about the people who’ve decided to sit out much of the industrial age, the world wars, and now the age of social media, smartphones, and autonomous vehicles—ther...

How is it possible to tell the story of the founding of America, but ignore those circumstances and events that cannot be explained—apart—from the hand of God? In every great scene of this epic story is evidence of God and the pleading prayers of the Americans. Courage and action informed by the ...

Joe Watkins interviews Dr. Russell Moore, a minister, theologian, and editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, whose new book is an attempt to help fellow Christ followers replace the religion of politics with a relationship with God. (original airdate 8-18-23)

Joe Watkins interviews Pastor David and Barbara Cross—mentors to a generation of men and women who are serving God around the world. As missionaries, their life wasn’t a straight line, but one that zig-zagged through opportunities and obstacles that led them to simply trust God—to know his voice—...

Recently, Lancaster, Pennsylvania—a county celebrated for its fertile farmland and famous Amish and Mennonite communities—received global attention for what the BBC called “The Refugee Capital of the World.” Joe Watkins talks to Danielle Bossert of Bethany Christian Services—who have been on the ...

When you walk into a church for the first time, you get a feeling, don’t you? You make a judgment. These people are either “like me,” or these people have no idea how to understand someone like me. There’s a certain way you’re greeted—the way people extend hospitality—that makes you feel like thi...

Take a minute to answer these questions: Who belongs in jail? How should we treat those we sentence to prison? What is the goal of prison? The person sitting next to you may answer these questions very differently. Because Americans don’t always agree on what we mean by “justice.”
On this episod...

For decades, Shelley Brooks has been the embrace, comfort, and security of disenfranchised and even discarded women—running from their abusers and battling years of pain and brokenness. And every year at the Bethesda Mission annual banquet in Harrisburg—in front of hundreds of supporters—Shelly i...