Today, we’ve taken the mocking of leaders to an art form. We have entire websites dedicated to parodies—some funny, some pretty cutting—of pastors and presidents, entertainers, and other public figures. It’s almost a national pastime. But if you’re a Christian, is there a different set of respons...

Did you ever find yourself scrolling in your Facebook or Instagram feed and come across one of those videos of a school board meeting? Sometimes they seem to make the parent at the podium the hero. At other times, the school board member must gavel the room back to order. On this episode of State...

Every breath we take is a gift from God. Every heartbeat. Every step. You’re not an accident. On this episode Joe Watkins talks with Graham Hetrick, a coroner, and a follower of Jesus. He sees what happens when people give up on that idea and believe the lie that there is no ultimate mission for ...

Every day, a tiny county—slightly smaller than the State of New Jersey—makes international headlines. The State of Israel. On this episode of State of Independence Joe Watkins interviews one of the show’s producers, Jeff Coleman, who went to see for himself to do a deep dive on some of the secur...

On this episode of State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews Dr. Nche Zama. He was born to illiterate parents in a grass hut, on the western coast of Africa. As a teenager, he came to America with $20 in his pocket—and shortly after arriving, he became homeless. Today he’s a celebrated cardio...

This week on State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews Don Balfour. From 1992 to 2014, he was the longest-serving Republican member of the Georgia State Senate—and one of the state’s leading insiders. Many expected him to go to Congress. But in a split second, this husband, father, and respec...

What do a pastor and a struggling country music singer have in common? What did each of them teach the other about confronting the world’s whispers and lies about what defines success, their identity, and ultimately their happiness? On this episode of State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews...

What would happen if community leaders—Churches, businesses, educational, political, even police and judicial system leaders—Came together to help students identified as the most “at risk?” What if before a juvenile was appearing before a judge or jury, or long before a crime was committed, someo...

Parents and grandparents, if you’ve been less than happy about the amount of time the little ones in your life have spent on electronic devices, this program might just help you start one of the most important conversations in that child’s life. There’s no question that the supercomputer that fit...

You’ve heard the statistics about the growing dissatisfaction with work. Many of our neighbors—perhaps even you—don’t view your job as a vocation but as something to endure until you can afford to retire. It’s what’s driven so many to found businesses that give greater control over their schedule...

When most of us think of the face of those experiencing homelessness, hunger, and other forms of insecurity in America’s cities, the face is almost always a man’s. But what about women and children who’ve been dislodged from the community because of abuse, fatherless or motherless homes—often con...

If you’ve driven through rural America, you’ve seen something dramatic happen in most hometowns—the shuttering of historic church buildings. But this week Joe Watkins talks with TJ Freeman, the leader of a thriving local church in rural Pennsylvania—Tioga County—along Pennsylvania’s Northern tier...

Fear has kept so many people from stepping out in faith to pursue a dream or find their life’s purpose. On this episode of State of Independence, Joe Watkins speaks with someone who seems to have made a career out of facing fear and embracing whatever challenge was placed on her path. Judge Chery...

In the early 20th century, a movement of concerned Christians – particularly in urban areas — committed to confronting the needs of those experiencing hunger, poverty, and homelessness, created the rescue mission. And for over a century, that movement has met the needs of hundreds of thousands o...

In November 2019, Chris Frye was the political headline of the day. A young, conservative Republican running and winning in a Democratic, working-class stronghold of New Castle, Pennsylvania. But it was his life before politics that—more than anything—seemed to explain the focus and drive of this...

Is it possible to win on many political and community fronts but ultimately lose an election? That’s the question Joe will explore with Representative John Hershey. They discuss his time in the Capital. How he’s grown personally and in his faith as well as advice he has for any future public serv...

This week Joe Watkins speaks with Representative Clint Owlett. Rep. Owlett is one of the newer members of the Pennsylvania House. Clint’s background was anything but a traditional path to politics. He grew up on a dairy farm, worked at a Christian ministry camp, and helped run his family’s farm m...

In the 1960s, waves of Christian parents began to withdraw their children from public schools. It’s been a dramatic shift across the country and one that’s sparked an extended debate about the role of parents, faith, and government in education. Today on State of Independence, Joe Watkins introdu...

In India, 65 million people live in slums. 47% of children in those slums are believed to be malnourished—many uneducated—and many at risk of human trafficking. On this episode, Joe Watkins speaks with Biju Thampy who has followed a calling to help the people in the slums of Mumbai. (original air...

William Penn once said “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” If that rings true for you—if you want to get more out of the days you’ve been given. Or, more importantly, if you want to know what the Bible says about productivity, procrastination, and planning—you don’t want to miss t...

Maybe you’re someone who is privileged to call themselves a “senior citizen”—someone whose age and gray or white hair signals wisdom and good judgement—a status that demands respect. But that’s not how everyone views age, is it? The culture’s attitude towards older people doesn’t always mean more...

State of Independence producer, Jeff Coleman, was on a statewide campaign—across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania—for Lieutenant Governor. Now that the campaign is over, and Joe Watkins talks with him about what he called an “experiment in civility, kindness, and statesmanship.” (Original airdate...

This week on State of Independence, Joe Watkins interviews Matt Neff, the CEO of Sight & Sound—a theatre and now movie production company that—over five decades ago—decided to trust God. Where audiences watch stories from the Bible come alive in ways that engage the senses and move emotions like ...

A recent survey said that most people watch one, maybe two movies every week—that’s between 50 and 100 movies a year. But what is that investment of time and money doing to us as human beings? What impact is it having on our souls? In this episode, Joe Watkins talks with a filmmaker, Bradley Hawk...