Wednesday Night Conversations

Most Christians in the Bible belt are prepared to answer the question, “what must I do to be saved?” The problem is, no one is really asking that question anymore. John Wentz, ministry director for Alpha USA, joins Jonathan for a conversation about sharing the truth our culture really needs and standing together in unity for the sake of the gospel. Alpha creates a space for conversations among friends about faith, life and God.

Most Christians in the Bible belt are prepared to answer the question, “what must I do to be saved?” The problem is, no one is really asking that question anymore. John Wentz, ministry director for Alpha USA, joins Jonathan for a conversation about sharing the truth our culture really needs and standing together in unity for the sake of the gospel. Alpha creates a space for conversations among friends about faith, life and God.

If the word evangelism conjures up guilt, confusion or images of door knocking, this conversation is for you! Join David and Jonathan as they bring hope and excitement back to this mission of loving people enough to get into their lives and help them go from where they are to where God is calling them to be.

As culture becomes more and more divisive, our faith calls us to unite and to identify as Christians first, not as red or blue or black or white. Join Jonathan and Hamilton Archibald as they use recent events and Biblical examples to put into context why it is so important that Christians should push back on a culture that is drawing deeper and deeper lines in the sand.

The moment Christians began to believe and teach the gospel of "Jesus and ______", they lost their grasp on how good the good news really is. Join Jonathan and Dave Clayton as they discuss how Christians can regain the aroma of Christ and in doing so, reach a culture that feels like they have outgrown the story of Jesus.

Many non-Christians today would describe their daily lives as more "Christ-like" than their church-going counterparts. But when social justice is separated from God, anxiety, anger and guilt plague our ability to find true joy and self-worth. Join Jonathan and author Richard Beck for part two of this conversation on what God has to offer a generation for whom faith feels heavy and hard to hang on to.

In a post-Christian world, guilt is not often an effective tool for evangelism. Join author Richard Beck and Jonathan for part one of this conversation about just how much God has to offer a generation for whom faith feels heavy and harder to hang on to.

Fasting may be the most overlooked and underdeveloped spiritual discipline. And yet, its importance in the New Testament is undeniable. Take a second look at this practice with Jonathan and Jeff Cary and learn how to connect with God in new and deeper ways.

Churches often find themselves underdiscipled and overprogrammed. In this episode, Dr. Steve Cloer shares how members of the Southside Church of Christ in Ft Worth move from membership to partnership in the gospel.

Sometimes we find ourselves majoring in the minors. Join Jonathan and Harding University Professor Scott Adair, as they look deeper into the importance of defining the Gospel and letting it define our churches and our daily lives.

A lot of issues, questions and practices have united and divided believers over the years. But what IS the Gospel... really; and why is it important to not only define the Gospel but to let it define our churches and our daily lives?

Over half of our students graduate from church when they graduate high school. Let that sink in a minute, then join Jonathan and Dr. David Fraze of Growing Young for this Wednesday Night Conversation. Dr. Fraze will walk us through real solutions we can utilize TODAY to help make the next generation of Christians, as well as anyone visiting from our communities, feel welcome, connected and vital to the family of God.

So much of what we believe about the Holy Spirit stems from our lack of experience and the impact of culture and church history. Join Dr. Leonard Allen, Dean of Bible at Lipscomb University and Harding University Bible Alumni of the Year (2019), as he walks through the history of Holy Spirit theology in the restoration movement and why it is important as we strive to be the kind of people God wants us to be. Jonathan and Dr. Allen will discuss how the Spirit draws us into the Trinity and pours God's divine love into our hearts while sharing personal experiences along the way.

So much of what we believe about the Holy Spirit stems from our lack of experience and the impact of culture and church history. Join Dr. Leonard Allen, Dean of Bible at Lipscomb University and Harding University Bible Alumni of the Year (2019), as he walks through the history of Holy Spirit theology in the restoration movement and why it is important as we strive to be the kind of people God wants us to be. Jonathan and Dr. Allen will discuss how the Spirit draws us into the Trinity and pours God's divine love into our hearts while sharing personal experiences along the way.

Christians only, not the only Christians," might be shocking to some of our parents or grandparents, but not necessarily to their grandparents. Dr. Rubel Shelly rediscovered and rekindled this mindset in Churches of Christ after personal experiences with racial injustice and the lack of unity among Christians led him to ask tough questions and make changes in his own theology. Join Dr. Shelly and Jonathan for the conclusion of a conversation on these ideas filled with grace and humility.

"Christians only, not the only Christians," might be shocking to some of our parents or grandparents, but not necessarily to their grandparents. Dr. Rubel Shelly rediscovered and rekindled this mindset in Churches of Christ after personal experiences with racial injustice and the lack of unity among Christians led him to ask tough questions and make changes in his own theology. Join Dr. Shelly and Jonathan for part one of a two-part conversation on these ideas filled with grace and humility.

Most all of us would say we believe in grace, but do we live in it? Join Jonathan and Kevin Pendergrass at 7 pm as they walk candidly through the trap of legalism touching on "salvation issues," "checklist faith," and the personal satisfaction that comes with elitism.

In this episode, Dr. Joel Anderson, chancellor emeritus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, talks about his involvement in the civil rights movement and ways we can share in the responsibility of racial reconciliation today.

Understanding and living in a community with people who are different than ourselves takes honest conversations between real friends. Jonathan and Jason Darden talk about race in the church and their own lives, asking and responding to hard questions with love, grace, and laughter.

Spiritual integration, the openness of our hearts through the Holy Spirit, is an antidote to the rigidities, greed, hatreds, and prejudices that destroy our world. In this episode, Dr. Jerry Taylor discusses the need for individual spiritual integration to achieve true racial integration in our communities.

Paul's churches were the first racially diverse gatherings in history. Jonathan and Scot discuss what the Bible has to say about the responsibility of the church during times of social unrest.

God often comes to us in unexpected ways. You will not want to miss Richard Beck sharing this experience in his own life in “The Gospel According to Johnny Cash.”

“The call of God is not to go into survival mode.” Josh Ross, author of the book, Re/entry, applies the lessons he learned in Barrow, Alaska, to our re-emergence from quarantine. Residents in Barrow experience sixty-five days of darkness every winter and must be purposeful to thrive when the sun returns.

Throughout history, people have asked themselves why good people suffer. Mike Cope and Jonathan take a look at how the practice of lamenting addresses the question of suffering by giving us an outlet for the pain.

John Mark Hicks and Jonathan take a closer look at the importance of table fellowship, especially during seasons of isolation, and how the table of Jesus transforms our life and relationships.

Christians throughout history have found Jesus in their suffering. They can teach us valuable lessons about finding God in new and closer ways by not trying to escape the suffering in our own lives. Jonathan and Jeff take a look at how we can follow Jesus in suffering.

Jesus promises he will be with us but how do you really live a “WITH God” life? Join Sean Palmer and Jonathan for a conversation about how practicing spiritual disciplines changes you from the inside out.

We all tend to want to trust in our own ability, which breeds anxiety in times of crisis. Randy Harris and Jonathan discuss how contemplative prayer can help us connect with God and fight our anxiety.