Is Democracy Failing?

On October 2, 2026 Good Shepherd hosted a Normal Talk on Socialism led by Tim Denson a current member of the Athens-Clarke Board of Education, former Clarke-County Commissioner, and recent mayoral candidate. We engaged in a meaningful conversation around the views and policies of this growing movement in the United States. Normal Talk aims to engage not only the people of Good Shepherd but also our neighbors, fostering thoughtful dialogue that connects and informs us all.

On March 3, 2026 Good Shepherd hosted a Normal Talk on the topic of Artificial Intelligence led by Dr. Christopher Cornwell and Dr. Michael Covington, where we explored its impact on global technology, the economy, education, creative work, and social media, as well as AI's implications for the future.Normal Talk aims to engage not only the people of Good Shepherd but also our neighbors, fostering thoughtful dialogue that connects and informs us all.

On October 7, 2025 we gathered with the Athens, GA community to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Dr. Eli Sperling from the School of International Affairs at UGA led us in a productive conversation on the background of the conflict, as well as how we can understand and process the modern state of the issues.

In March of 2025, we joined the Athens community to explore the complexities and impact of deportation, its relationship to today's political climate, and how it uniquely applies to the Athens community.Ben Allee moderated as Dr. Lori Garrett-Hatfield and Rev. Miki Chastain led us in a phenomenal discussion on the subject of deportation and immigration, especially as it pertains to our local community. We are grateful to all of you who came, invited friends, and participated in another productive conversation around a difficult subject. Normal Talks exist to foster a safe space for curiosity and conversation that builds bridges between our church and our city. Please visit ⁠NormalTalk.org⁠ to stay up to date on our next event. 

In fall of 2024, we were joined by Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz to discuss what modern democracy looks like at the national and local levels, its issues and trends, and how we participate in it as citizens.

This spring, we were joined by Charlotte Norsworthy Varnum, Executive Director of The Red & Black and program coordinator for the Certificate of News Literacy at UGA, to discuss the news. Listen as we discuss media consumption, news organizations, and how to find important information amid all the noise.

In October, we sat down with Justin Giboney of the AND Campaign to look at the intersection of faith and politics. Listen in as we talk through what it looks to allow our faith to define our political engagement, rather than allowing our politics to define the parameters of our faith. www.andcampaign.orgwww.normaltalk.org

This space exists to normalize conversation in abnormal times. I think it’s necessary for us sometimes to relearn how to have a conversation about difficult subjects. One of those difficult subjects is mental health, especially when we’re 10 months into a pandemic that has reshaped much of our daily life and taken away so many of our routines. I think most of us at this point know someone at this point, including ourselves, whose mental health has suffered as a result of the changes brought on by the pandemic, including isolation, loss of work, and ongoing uncertainty. For this episode I had the pleasure of talking with Katie Chapin. Katie is a licensed master social worker who works at an inpatient rehabilitation program here in our town of Athens, Ga. She graciously agreed to sit down with me and discuss what working in the mental health world has looked like for her over the last few months. Join us as we discuss mental health in a global pandemic. This is Normal Talk.

This space exists to normalize conversation in abnormal times. This week we will hear from Krystle Cobran. Krystle is a lawyer, a teacher, a facilitator, and now the inclusion officer for Athens-Clarke County. Krystle was one of the first people to lead a Normal Talk back when we did these events in person (thanks coronavirus). That first conversation centered on how to talk about race, an important subject then and paramount now as more and more people are aware of the realities of racial injustice and yet find themselves without the vocabulary or tools to talk about it. Join us as Krystle and I discuss, once again, how to talk about race. This is Normal Talk.