Life in the Kingdom Podcast

Author Aimee Byrd explores the riches of the Song of Songs as its lyrics reveal a typology in God's design of man and woman, one that unfolds throughout the whole of Scripture. The meaning of man and woman extends beyond biology, nature, and culture; it gives us a glimpse of what is to come. In the book The Sexual Reformation: Restoring the Dignity and Personhood of Man and Woman she explains how and why our bodies themselves are theological.

The world is increasingly saturated with a proliferating number of so-called "gender identities" and it's undergirded by a nefarious ideology that is an assault on the image of God, specifically how human beings are male and female. How can and how should Christians engage this and what is the bigger picture as described in Scripture? Catholic University of America moral theology professor John Grabowski unpacks that and more in his new book "Unraveling Gender: The Battle Over Sexual Difference."

A new documentary unpacks how pornography is one of the most nefarious social experiments that has ever been unleashed on society and how it has hijacked and damaged countless lives and relationships, urging people to rethink the supposed harmlessness of online porn.

How should Christians respond to the thorny and increasingly visible problem of spousal abuse in Christian marriages? Hurtbylove.com founder Cindy Burrell, author of "Reformulating the Christian Marriage Counseling Model Where Abuse Is Involved," unpacks the dynamics of abuse in relationships and how the Church can help extend the hope of the Gospel to victims and not enable further harm.

Author and speaker Kim Maas explains that the ways of God's Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated are actually violent: violent love, violent forgiveness, violent healing, violent deliverance, violent peace. What does this mean and what does it look like? It's spiritual warfare, learning to do battle against evil like Jesus did.

Filmmaker Elijah Stephens bridges the gap between science and the supernatural, medical testing and claims of divine, miraculous healing in a new documentary film called "Send Proof." He engages the best arguments for and against miracles of healing and investigates if these instances can be backed up with scientific evidence, engaging a wide variety of biblical scholars and Pentecostal ministers in addition to skeptic and atheist thought leaders and authors.

Pastor Shane Idleman weighs in on the current state of affairs and why a genuine revival, a spiritual awakening is the only hope for the United States, the main theme in his recent book, "Oh Would You Rend The Heavens."

Pastor Scott Distler endured the searing pain of betrayal in a ministry setting. Yet drawing on the experiences of the prophet Elijah and Joseph, two Old Testament characters who also knew great despair, he emerged victoriously. He explains this and much more in his book "The Cave: When Ministry Becomes Misery."

Navigating the digital, porn-saturated world is challenging and painful for parents but it is essential that they engage it, especially as it pertains to their kids, with courage. Authors Daniel Weiss and Josh Glaser provide a roadmap for moms and dads in their new book, "Treading Boldly through a Pornographic World" articulating how they can be empowered to resist the destructive forces in the culture that corrupt children in this way while instilling in their families the truths and redeeming power of the Gospel.

Filmmaker Jennifer Lahl of the Center for Bioethics & Culture Network details what is fueling the rapid push to set children, teens, and young adults on a pathway of experimental transgender medicalization such as puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and body-disfiguring gender surgeries, and the journey of making her latest documentary called "Trans Mission: What's the Rush to Reassign Gender?"

Jack Phillips and his attorney join Life in the Kingdom and open up about what it has been like fighting ongoing religious liberty battles in American courts, including the United States Supreme Court and how he relied on God during one of the most crucial First Amendment battles in history — themes he elaborates on in his memoir "The Cost of My Faith: How a Decision in My Cake Shot Tood Me to the Supreme Court."

In this episode of Life in the Kingdom, Tommy Hinson, who was interviewed in The Christian Post's award-winning article series called "Leaving Christianity" in 2019, unpacks what is behind the increasingly visible presence of Christians who have deconstructed their faith, how it can be a good thing when pursued with honest motives, and what is driving this phenomenon. Hinson is an Anglican pastor who leads Church of the Advent just outside of Washington, DC.

In this episode of "Life in the Kingdom," pastor Marty Machowski explains how real strength comes from following Jesus and reflecting him to a watching world, unpacking the truth that becoming a real man means trusting God in every area of life.

Author Rebecca Davis breaks down where people go wrong on the Bible, and how we can all take the proper approach to scripture.

Brandon Showalter sits down with Dr. Christian Widener, author of the new book, "The Temple Revealed: The True Location of the Jewish Temple Hidden in Plain Sight," to discuss Widener's fascinating belief that the real location of the Jewish temple might be hiding in plain sight.

Keion Henderson, pastor of The Lighthouse Church in Houston, Texas, has a powerful and compelling personal story. And through it, he's been able to see God's plans in the midst of chaos. Henderson discusses how to handle transitions and how to cope. Listen to him share his incredible story and the lessons he teaches in his book, "The Shift: Courageously Moving from Season to Season."

Author Katy Faust of Them Before Us says it's time to respect the rights of children as she discusses how adults often make decisions at the expense of children as well as the devastating consequences of divorce and reproductive technology, among other issues.

Many churches tend to present a "nice" and convenient Jesus, offering little in the way of manhood. But Parker Green, author of Way of the Violent, wants Christian men to see who Jesus truly is and how He exemplified strength and power through humility and sacrifice.

It's the smartphone generation where youths are constantly connected to the digital world and their identities are largely being shaped through it. Jason and Lisa Frost, authors of The Glass Between Us, discuss how to tackle the challenges that come with “digital natives” and how to help youths journey through adolescence without being exploited.

The Church doesn't like to talk about mental illness and has long overspiritualized it. Ryan Casey Waller, author of Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don't Want to Talk About, says it's time to engage in more nuanced discussions that doesn't involve shaming or simplifying it as a faith issue.

Pastor Bruce Boria, who lost his son in a kayak accident this year, discusses grief, the endurance of faith and how the Holy Spirit comforted him in a surprising vision.

A former drug addict who was incarcerated for 10 years, Pastor Juan Martinez details how the Holy Spirit revealed biblical truths through one of the most popular children's stories, The Wizard of Oz, and how God transformed his life to now reach people with the truth of Christ.

Prophecy is an often misunderstood gift of the Holy Spirit largely due to abuses, bad teaching or lack of teaching altogether. Wanda Alger, a recognized fivefold prophet through DOVE USA, addresses this and specifies the purpose the gifts of the Spirit serve.

Billy Hallowell, author of Playing With Fire, tackles the often-avoided topic of demons, exorcism and ghosts and explores why churches in the U.S. tend to be afraid to address it.

Jordan Abina felt like a "dying" worship leader as he fell into a routine. That is until an Old Testament passage changed everything he thought about leading worship.

There's been an explosion in young girls identifying as transgender over the last decade. Abigail Shrier explains the sudden rise, what's contributing to it, and the irreversible harm that many are being rushed into.

In her search to find answers about the world and herself, Marcia Montenegro studied astrology, tarot cards and psychic powers before becoming a certified astrologer for nearly 10 years. She abandoned all of that when God opened her eyes to Jesus.

Two ex-Jehovah's Witnesses — Gus Astacio and Alan Marshall — describe their experiences in the religious sect, what Jehovah's Witnesses believe about the end times, how they came to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and why apologetics may not always be the best way to reach them with the Gospel.

With male loneliness getting worse, David Smith discusses why it's so difficult for men to have close friends and why it's important to change that.

Mary Eberstadt argues in her book Primal Screams that the unintended fallout of the sexual revolution is Americans not knowing who they are, and this has spawned identity politics.

While the common narrative today is that Christianity in America is on the decline, Glenn Stanton cites research in his book, The Myth of the Dying Church, to say genuine Christianity is actually thriving in America.

How is the Holy Spirit working today and how can Christians create a culture of Holy Spirit empowerment rather than dead religion? In part 3 of this series on the Holy Spirit, Pastor James Levesque of Engaging Heaven Church in Connecticut addresses these questions and believes it's time to prepare for the next great Holy Spirit outpouring.

What does the Bible say about the Holy Spirit and why is there such a mystery surrounding this third person of the Trinity? In part one of a three-part series on the Holy Spirit, DeLonn Rance of Evangel University discusses how the Holy Spirit works in Christians' lives and why many in the West deny His active role today.

Daren Mehl and Derek Paul identified as homosexuals for many years until they found wholeness in Christ. In this episode, they get raw about their journeys, respond to critics who say they're still in the closet, and testify to the power of Christ, through whom they feel more secure than ever.

Dan Kimball, founding pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California, finds the level of biblical illiteracy today shocking. But what he finds even more horrifying is how so many people believe in a Jesus who's very different from the savior in the Bible. He's hoping to help change that through the ReGeneration Project.

Stuart Fuhlendorf was worth millions after taking three companies public. He was living the high life until it all came crashing down. Now a pastor, Fuhlendorf describes his journey in Wall Street to the Well and sees how everything he had accomplished was ultimately meaningless.

Shannon Bream, host of Fox News @ Night, talks about her church upbringing and how she's able to find the bright side amid challenges and a deluge of bad news. Her new book, Finding the Bright Side: The Art of Chasing What Matters, is out in May.

Belief in the pre-tribulation rapture became popular among Christians in recent decades. But two Bible scholars, Michael Brown and Craig Keener, read the Bible many times over and could not find any evidence of that particular end times belief. They explain what the Bible really says about the rapture and the tribulation in their new book, Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why we don't believe in a pre-tribulation rapture.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. Christian Post reporter Samuel Smith describes the amazing stories of forgiveness he heard and scenes he saw in Rwanda earlier this year. Aimable Nsengiyumva of World Vision also explains how the church and faith helped strengthen and unite the people after the mass killings.

Doug Johnson has stood by his wife Abby's side from her days as a Planned Parenthood clinic director and abortion advocate to the time she did a complete about-face and became an outspoken pro-lifer. With "Unplanned," the story of his wife's journey, now out in theaters, Doug went into detail about his faith, what his thoughts were when his wife was participating in abortion work, and how he supported Abby during her transformation.

Is it wrong to share your beliefs with someone of another faith in hopes that they will become a Christian? Craig Springer of Alpha USA reflects on recent survey findings that show almost half of millennials, more than any other generation, think evangelism is wrong. Why?

Michael Heiser explains what the Bible really says about angels and what their role is.