Welcome to After The Fact, a knowing phase mini-episode where we look to take a big question

and address it in just a few minutes.

Our After The Fact episodes this season are brought to you by the Southern Baptist

Theological Seminary.

If you haven't had a chance to find out of Seminary is right for you, you should hop

over to sbts.edu slash explore, where Southern has designed a really helpful tool to help

you think through that question.

Joining us today is Dr. Dustin Binge.

Dr. Binge is associate professor of biblical spirituality and historical theology at the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the author of several books, including

But Not Limited To, The Loveliest Place, The Beauty and Glory of the Church, and The

American Puritans, and the recently released Why I Should Love the Local Church by Crossway.

Dr. Binge, welcome to After The Fact, thanks for joining us.

Thank you so much Kyle.

So here's the question.

In a time when people are giving up on the church, I feel like there's always stories circulating

on social media or in the news about people leaving, people who are leaders who are walking

away, where do you see the beauty of God in the life of His people?

Well, what a fantastic question, especially in the context in which we're living now.

Let me just first say, Kyle, that God defines the church first by who she is rather than

what she does.

And so when we understand that, then we can fully realize how God sees the church and

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