In this episode, Adam and Ty sit down with Rebecca McLaughlin to discuss her new book How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life, which explores how regular involvement in a local church is linked with mental, physical, moral, and spiritual flourishing. Drawing on rigorous academic research (especially from Harvard School of Public Health), Rebecca outlines compelling findings: weekly attendance correlates with lower rates of depression, extended life expectancy, reduced deaths of despair, and more. She also addresses objections (such as church‑hurt, abuse, selection bias) and pivots to a theological framing: the church is more than an event — it is family.
In This Episode
01:00 – “church is our family”
06:00 – Why this topic? The research behind the book
08:00 – Stats: church attendance & health outcomes
11:00 – Not prosperity gospel: deeper than health hacks
12:00 – What about unhealthy churches?
14:00 – Data controls: not just correlation
16:00 – Theology: why worship matters
18:00 – Church vs. self-optimization culture
23:00 – Virtual vs. in-person: why weekly presence matters
26:00 – Making church a real family
29:00 – Marriage, singleness & spiritual kinship
32:00 – Closing reflections & next steps
Key Takeaways
Guest Resources
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Editing and support by The Good Podcast Co. If you would like to sponsor this show, email sponsor@thegoodpodcast.co
