Podcasts about Christians

“Was Jonathan Roumie wrong to kneel for Communion?” This question opens a discussion on liturgical practices, while also addressing varied topics such as Old Testament references to speaking in tongues, the Catholic perspective on dancing during the liturgy, and the relationship between Catholics and Protestants. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 04:00 – “Was Jonathan Roumie wrong to kneel for Holy Communion If Others Stood?” 16:16 – Are there Old Testament references that mention speaking in tongues? 19:27 – How do I respond to my Sedavacantist family members who say protestants are not Christians because they are not Catholic? 22:50 – Did the Virgin Mary have sisters? 32:59 – What is the church's stance on dancing during the liturgy? 41:46 – Are the Torah codes reliable? 45:40 – Why did the Latin Mass change to Novus Ordo Mass? 50:21 – What is the process to ensure a Catholic book is published (without error)?

In this episode of Pray the Word on Genesis 17:3, David Platt teaches us to respond appropriately to God's glory and God's Word.Explore more content from Radical.

 This episode dives into the heated clashes over immigration enforcement and media narratives in the wake of the fatal January 7, 2026, ICE shooting in Minneapolis, where a 37 year old mother of three, Renee Nicole Good, was killed by an agent during an operation. Federal officials claim the shooting was justified self-defense after she allegedly drove toward officers, while Minnesota leaders including Gov. Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey dispute the account, demand accountability, and criticize the broader crackdown. The incident sparked immediate protests in Minneapolis (with clashes involving snowballs and police pullbacks), vigils, and solidarity demonstrations in cities like New York City, where the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) organized marches demanding an end to ICE operations—highlighting claims of orchestrated chaos by the left.Dan Bongino fires back at the "Black Pill crowd" in a fiery segment, refusing to let pessimists, grifters, and division-stokers hijack the movement he helped build. The show also connects these tensions to broader media bias, spotlighting how legacy outlets may downplay or frame stories like the ongoing Minnesota welfare/child-care fraud scandal (with federal charges against dozens, convictions mounting, and estimates reaching potentially billions in misused funds.Join guests Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted and Truth Nigeria, for an in-depth look at the escalating persecution of Christians in Nigeria including recent coordinated attacks killing dozens in early 2026 and calls for stronger U.S. and international intervention. Then, Sam Anthony, founder and CEO of YourNews.com, discusses building a decentralized, citizen powered media platform to counter censorship and bias, with real time insights into covering fast-moving crises like Minnesota's ICE fallout and fraud investigations. Tune in for unfiltered truth, advocacy, and the fight against division!

Israel and the Jewish people always seem to be in the headlines. Terrorism. War. Antisemitism on university campuses and around the globe. Jews are the topics of conversation in podcasts, on school campuses, and in our homes. Yet Christians are wondering about the modern State of Israel and contemporary Jewish people. Are they related to the biblical kingdom of Israel and the ancient Jewish people of the Scriptures? Others question whether Jewish people are only God’s people of yesterday, or do they have an ongoing place in God’s plan? How does the Church relate to the Jewish people and why should Christians care about the Jewish people and their homeland? Dr. Michael Rydelnik joins us to offer clarity and biblical guidance.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Pastor Matthew addresses a timely cultural question at the start before diving into deeper conversations about how Christians navigate freedom, authority, parenting, and fractured family relationships in today's world. As theology meets real life, this episode offers biblical clarity and pastoral wisdom for believers facing complex and emotional realities.

On this episode of Crosspolitic at AmFest 2025, Pastor Toby and Gabe welcome on Mike Ring, CEO of Old Glory Bank, to talk about the issue of debanking and why Christians and conservatives are being systematically canceled by major financial institutions. Sign up for the FLF 2026 Holy Wars Conference for Early Bird pricing! https://tickets.flfnetwork.com/holy-wars-conference

Is America witnessing a quiet Christian revival - and why does it terrify the cultural gatekeepers? For decades, Christians were told to sit down, shut up, and stay out of politics. That faith belonged in private. That masculinity was toxic. That truth was negotiable. But something has shifted. Young men are pushing back. Churches are filling back up. And a generation raised on chaos is searching for meaning, order, and moral clarity - whether the culture likes it or not.In this episode, I'm joined by Bryce Eddy to break down why Christian values are re-entering public life, why Gen Z men are rejecting secular nonsense, and why politics can never be separated from belief systems. We dig into masculinity, persuasion vs arguing, Charlie Kirk's legacy, weak men vs dangerous men, and why selling good ideas matters more than winning debates. This isn't about nostalgia - it's about whether a free society can survive without a moral foundation. Order ⁠Cardio Miracle⁠ (⁠CardioMiracle.com/TBNS⁠) for 15% off and take a step towards better heart health and overall well-being! WATCH The Brian Nichols Show on ⁠YouTube⁠ & ⁠Rumble⁠ Follow Brian on social media: X.com/Twitter ⁠(https://www.briannicholsshow.com/twitter⁠) & Facebook (⁠https://www.briannicholsshow.com/facebook⁠) LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE to ⁠The Brian Nichols Show ⁠for 3 new episodes per week! Email Listener Questions to ⁠brian@briannicholsshow.com⁠! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and mental health therapist Mark DeJesus reflects on his journey from a performance-driven, “superhero” version of Christianity toward a healthier faith rooted in receiving the Father's love. He explains why grief, anxiety, and weakness are not spiritual failures, but places where deeper connection with God is formed.Listen to the full episode hereSpotifyiTunes----------------------Ben has completely revised and updated his powerful book, Jesus in the Secular World: Reaching a Culture in Crisis—a must-read guide for anyone longing to reach those who may never step foot in a church. Packed with real-world insights and practical strategies, this book could be the breakthrough you've been searching for.Don't wait—get your copy today!Click HERE to check it out on Amazon.For more information, go to: jesusinthesecularworld.com------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Click HERE to receive news, thought-provoking articles, and stories directly in your inbox from Ben, David, Luke, and Chad!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke GreenwoodSend us a text

In this profound episode, Jesse Schwamb delves into the theological treasure found in John Owen's work on being free from sin's dominion. As Christians enter a new year, the question of our relationship with sin becomes particularly relevant. Owen's core thesis—that sin still lives in believers but no longer rules them—provides a framework for understanding the Christian's true freedom. Jesse unpacks how union with Christ fundamentally changes our relationship with sin, breaking its dominion while acknowledging its continued presence. This episode serves as both theological instruction and pastoral encouragement, reminding believers that our freedom comes not from our perfect grip on Christ, but from Christ's unbreakable grip on us. Key Takeaways Sin's Presence vs. Sin's Dominion: Sin continues to dwell in believers, but it no longer reigns as king—it remains a presence, but not a ruling power. Understanding True Dominion: Sin's dominion means it calls the shots, sets the direction, issues orders, and gets obeyed. The diagnostic question is: "Is sin merely present in you, or is sin in charge of you?" Freedom Through Union with Christ: Our freedom from sin's dominion comes not through self-improvement but through our union with Christ in his death and resurrection. Evidence of Grace's Reign: The very battle against sin is often evidence that sin has lost its dominion—tyrants don't get resisted by loyal subjects. Practical Test for Sin's Rule: Owen provides diagnostic questions: Do you make peace with sin or war on it? Do you hide sin or expose it? Do you justify sin or confess it? Do you plan and cherish sin or grieve and fight it? Ordinary Means of Grace: God provides ordinary means—Word, prayer, sacraments, and fellowship—as the channels through which grace's reign is established and maintained. Christian Hope: Our freedom is not based on our perfect grip on Christ but on Christ's unbreakable grip on us. Grace doesn't just forgive rebellion; it overthrows the rebel regime. Understanding Sin's Dominion When we speak of sin's "dominion," we're referring to something far more significant than sin's mere influence or temptation. Dominion speaks to a reign, a throne, a ruling power. In his exposition of Romans 6:12, John Owen helps us see that sin's dominion means it "calls the shots, sets the direction, issues the order, and gets obeyed." This is crucial to understand because many Christians confuse sin's presence with sin's rule. The diagnostic question Owen poses is profound: "Is sin merely present in you or is sin in charge of you?" This distinction helps us avoid both the despair of perfectionism and the complacency of antinomianism. Sin's presence in our lives—even when it causes us to stumble—is not the same as sin having dominion. In fact, our very resistance to sin is often evidence that sin's dominion has been broken, for "tyrants don't usually get resisted by loyal subjects." Freedom Through Union with Christ The gospel's answer to sin's dominion is not found in our determination or moral improvement but in our union with Christ. This union fundamentally changes everything about our relationship with sin. As Jesse articulates from Owen's work, "Grace doesn't just pardon rebels; grace transfers rebels into a new kingdom." This is the heart of the Christian's freedom—not that we've somehow eliminated sin from our lives, but that we've been brought under a new reign, a new dominion. Christ didn't merely come to forgive sin's guilt; He came to break sin's rule. Through our union with Christ in His death and resurrection, we have died to sin's dominion and been raised to walk in newness of life. This means that our fight against sin isn't waged in our own strength but in the power of Christ who has already secured the victory. The Christian life is "warfare under a victorious King," not a horror movie where we're unarmed against an unstoppable monster. The Ordinary Means of Grace Owen reminds us that God has provided ordinary yet extraordinary means through which grace's reign is established and maintained in our lives. These are not secret spiritual hacks or techniques but the divinely appointed channels through which the Spirit works: the Word of God (not merely read, but received with faith and applied with honesty); prayer (not as performance, but as dependence); the sacraments (as God's visible grace to strengthen faith); and fellowship and accountability (because "lone sheep Christianity is basically wolf delivery"). As Jesse notes, "These are simple but profound, ordinary but extraordinary in their effect." The neglect of these ordinary means doesn't create mysterious seasons of spiritual dryness—it creates predictable weakness. Our freedom from sin's dominion is maintained not through extraordinary spiritual experiences but through ordinary faithfulness to God's appointed means. Memorable Quotes "Take heart, Christian, you're not free because your grip on Christ is perfect. You're free because Christ's grip on you is unbreakable." "The Christian life is not a horror movie where sin is the monster and you're unarmed in the basement. The Christian life is warfare, yes, but it's warfare under a victorious King." "Sin doesn't need you to throw a parade for it. Sin just needs you to keep paying tribute." Guest Bio Jesse Schwamb serves as co-host of The Reformed Brotherhood podcast alongside Tony Arsenal. With a passion for making Reformed theology accessible and practical, Jesse brings theological depth combined with pastoral sensitivity to each episode. His ability to distill complex theological concepts into applicable wisdom makes him a trusted voice in Reformed circles. Full Transcript

It's Friday, January 9th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nayereh Arjaneh, a Christian convert living in Iran, began serving a five-year prison term on December 23 because of her faith, reports International Christian Concern. Christian converts are often targets of imprisonment, false accusations, mistreatment, and torture under the Iranian regime, with hundreds of Christ followers targeted by Iranian authorities in 2025 alone. Arjaneh and her husband, Qasem, were arrested on July 7, 2025, after they attended a Christian training event in Turkey. She was initially released on bail and later convicted of “promoting deviant propaganda and teachings contrary to Islamic law” and “providing financial and material support to groups affiliated with Zionist Christianity.” Senate restricts Trump from future strikes on Venezuela Here in America, the U.S. Senate has passed a war powers resolution, which would limit President Donald Trump's ability to conduct further strikes in Venezuela, reports NewsNation.com. Five Republicans voted with Democrats to pass the resolution including Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Todd Young of Indiana, and Josh Hawley of Missouri. The legislation will require Trump to get approval from Congress before conducting any strikes on Venezuela. Democrats have previously failed to pass resolutions limiting the president's ability to strike alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The move comes after a surprise strike on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Congress was not notified of the mission in advance, breaking from tradition. While only Congress has the power to declare war, presidents have used broad authority to act unilaterally in the absence of a formal declaration of war. The last time the U.S. formally declared war was World War II. Devastating admission by lesbian lover after ICE shooting Wednesday's fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minnesota has brought even more national attention to arrest and deportation efforts, reports The Western Journal. Media members and the public alike took to dissecting Wednesday's footage of Good's altercation with ICE as she tried to stop officers from doing their jobs, parked her car in the street, refused to move it, and threatened to run over an officer. Good's last moments as she tried to drive into an officer have been the subject of intense debate as to what her intentions actually were, but another telling moment from her lesbian lover reveals why she was trying to stop ICE in the first place. In the immediate aftermath, Good's faux wife, was heard saying, “I made her come down here; it's my fault. They just shot my wife,” according to the New York Post. Samuel Short of The Western Journal wrote, “Left-wing media outlets consistently refuse to look at the entire story when a fatal shooting takes place involving law enforcement. In this instance, Renee Good's [faux] “wife” brought her out to do this. Good was a problem for ICE that day already as she refused to comply with officers who told her to get out of her car. Good put her foot on the gas despite the fact an agent was standing in front of her vehicle. “She put herself in a dangerous position, stopping armed federal officers from arresting dangerous people.” J.D. Vance: Woman ICE killed tried to run them over In a White House briefing, Vice President J.D. Vance put the press, which defended Renee Good, in its place. Listen. VANCE: “What's going on here? You guys are meant to report the truth. How have you let yourself become agents of propaganda of a radical fringe that's making it harder for us to enforce our laws? “You just asked me a question that presumed that the reason why this woman died is because she was engaged in legitimate protest. She tried to run somebody over with her car, and the guy defended himself when that happened.” The Department of Homeland Security reported a 1,154 percent increase in assaults on officers in November. That's not to mention deadly shootings targeting ICE detention centers. House Republicans reject Trump's call to be “flexible” on Hyde Amendment Most House Republicans appear to uphold the party's longstanding principle against allocating taxpayer funds for abortion, despite President Donald Trump's call for them to be “flexible” on it, reports LifeNews.com. As President Trump laid out a game plan for Republicans to win on the healthcare issue in 2026, he said, “You have to be a little flexible on Hyde.” TRUMP: “Now you have to be a little flexible on [the] Hyde [Amendment]. You know that you got to be a little flexible. You got to work something.” House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who spoke at the March For Life in 2025, said, “We're not going to authorize taxpayer funding for abortion. I mean, it's been a consistent policy. We are not going to change the standard that has been, frankly, bipartisan up until recent days. … I'm just not going to allow that to happen.” The Hyde Amendment is named after the late Republican Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois whose 1976 amendment to a health funding bill prohibited funding for abortions “except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term.” Since then, Hyde provisions have been a non-negotiable item for Republicans in funding bills. Republican Rep. Mark Harris of North Carolina told The Daily Signal, “All the folks I hear from are very committed to Hyde.” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, a Roman Catholic who chairs the House Pro-Life Caucus, also rejected the idea of finding middle-ground on the issue. He told reporters, “There's no flexibility. You're either using public funds to pay for abortion or you're not.” And appearing on Washington Watch with Tony Perkins, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said this. LANKFORD: “I'm not flexible on the value of every single child. Every single child is valuable. There aren't some children that are disposable and some children that are valuable. Every child is valuable.” Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker turns to Bible after missing field goal And finally, after missing a crucial field goal in the final moments of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop pointed probing reporters to Scripture, reports FaithWire.com. There's no doubt Loop was discouraged; he immediately buried his face in his hands after the failed kick. But once he was in the locker room, he opened up about how his personal devotional time — and one passage in particular — comforted him. Tyler told sports journalists, “I had written down a little prayer before the game and [I was] just re-reading it. Faith is a big part of my life and, right now, I'm reading the book of Romans. In Romans 8, it says, ‘God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.'” The pro-athlete was referencing Romans 8:28. In that verse, the Apostle Paul spoke directly to Christians, encouraging those who have found salvation through Jesus with the promise that — for them — all things will work out for their good. The verse says, “And we know that, for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Friday, January 9th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

That's not fair! Virtually every parent has heard that complaint countless times from their children. But many adults, including Christians, say the same thing when confronted with the spiritual teachings on election, predestination, and salvation by God's free sovereign grace. What does the Bible have to say about these complex and controversial subjects? Find out on Dr. Barnhouse and the Bible. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/791/29?v=20251111

We're back. Not with a reset episode, not with resolutions—but with a real conversation.This episode wrestles with evangelism as it actually exists for pastors and everyday Christians: fear, hesitation, prayer, relational tension, transfer growth, and the strange reality that preaching can feel easier than talking to your neighbor.No formulas. No guilt. Just honest reflection on why evangelism matters—and why it's harder than we admit.Contact us at podcast@tobethechurch.com

1 Peter 2:11-25 (NKJV)Andrew, Isack, and Edwin recognize the main theme of the second half of 1 Peter 2 about instruction in honorable conduct before the Gentiles who mistreat us.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=24013The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

Is America witnessing a quiet Christian revival - and why does it terrify the cultural gatekeepers? For decades, Christians were told to sit down, shut up, and stay out of politics. That faith belonged in private. That masculinity was toxic. That truth was negotiable. But something has shifted. Young men are pushing back. Churches are filling back up. And a generation raised on chaos is searching for meaning, order, and moral clarity - whether the culture likes it or not. Studio Sponsor: ⁠Cardio Miracle⁠ - "Unlock the secret to a healthier heart, increased energy levels, and transform your cardiovascular fitness like never before.": ⁠CardioMiracle.com/TBNS⁠ In this episode, I'm joined by Bryce Eddy to break down why Christian values are re-entering public life, why Gen Z men are rejecting secular nonsense, and why politics can never be separated from belief systems. We dig into masculinity, persuasion vs arguing, Charlie Kirk's legacy, weak men vs dangerous men, and why selling good ideas matters more than winning debates. This isn't about nostalgia - it's about whether a free society can survive without a moral foundation. ❤️ Order ⁠Cardio Miracle⁠ (⁠CardioMiracle.com/TBNS⁠) for 15% off and take a step towards better heart health and overall well-being!

This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes consideration of the U.S. attack on Venezuelan and how Christians are responding, Pete Hegseth's pledge to change the military chaplaincy program, and how people are now betting on the return of Jesus and pretty much everything else in life. You can watch a video version of the conversation here. Here are a few pieces related to the episode: Brian wrote at A Public Witness about Christian responses to the U.S. attack on Venezuela. The Bulwark unpacked problems with Hegseth's criticism of the military chaplaincy program. Brian documented Hegseth's Christian prayer services at the Pentagon. People have been betting on the return of Jesus. Also, check out the most recent books by the three panelists: Brian Kaylor, The Bible According to Christian Nationalists: Exploiting Scripture for Political Power Angela Denker, Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood Beau Underwood (with Brian Kaylor), Baptizing America How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism

What does the Bible say about putting labels before our beliefs? Do you describe yourself as a hyphenated individual? God's word specifically speaks about Christians who think like this and what we should be doing instead.(00:00) A hyphenated culture(04:30) Patrick Henry and the end of divided identity(07:30) Biblical unity: One in Christ(11:20) Temptation vs. identity(18:40) Cultural labels and political faith(24:20) Cultures, denominations, and biblical truth(28:40) The global church without hyphens(33:40) Final call: No labels, only Christ CONNECT WITH PASTOR JACK:Get Updates via Text:  https://text.whisp.io/jack-hibbs-podcast Website: https://jackhibbs.com/Instagram: http://bit.ly/2FCyXpOFacebook: https://bit.ly/2WZBWV0 YouTube: https://bit.ly/437xMHnTwitter/X: https://x.com/RealJackHibbs CALLED TO TAKE A BOLD STAND:https://boldstand.org/DAZE OF DECEPTION:https://jackhibbs.com/daze-of-deception/ Did you know we have a Real Life Network? Sign up for free today for more exclusive content:https://www.reallifenetwork.com/

Many Christians think stewardship is just about money or volunteering. Dr. Tony Evans stretches our understanding of stewardship, showing how God's expectations touch every area of life, from family to work to spiritual responsibility.

Segment 1 • When can we address an event without it being gossip? • As we get older, the temptations and challenges that we face change too. • We're not gossiping about anyone - but these are warnings that apply to everyone. Segment 2 • A respected Christian author admits to an 8-year affair. How did this happen? • As we get older, we can get bogged down with fatigue and complacency. • If we grow soft and lethargic, our theology leans that way too. Segment 3 • Older Christians don't automatically become wiser. • When leaders aren't held accountable, they can drift in silence for years. • Isolation makes us vulnerable. If no one can speak truth and accountability into your life, you're in danger. Segment 4 • We will not be free of temptation and sin until this life is over. • Don't wait until it's too late - be on the lookout for signs of “softening”. • 5 warning signs: Bible boredom, church indifference, gospel apathy, worldly comfort, and minimized sin. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

Genesis 4:1–15 Jealousy, anger, and murder have existed from the beginning. We see them in the first few pages of the Bible. How Christians handle their emotions and temptations toward sin matters. Dig deep into Genesis 4 with Pastor Chuck Swindoll. Face the reality of hatred and sin by examining the tragedy of Cain and Abel. Refuse to tolerate jealousy and unrestrained anger. Release it to God. His way provides the way out—take it!

From Pews to Planet: Faith-Based Steps to Better Creation Stewardship   In this episode of the Good Faith Podcast, host Curtis Chang and guest Dr. Katherine Hayhoe—Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy and a committed evangelical Christian—explore why Christians and churches should care about climate change as a biblical "love your neighbor" issue rooted in justice for the poor and vulnerable. Hayhoe explains how political polarization and "solution aversion" fuel climate skepticism. She introduces the "Six Americas" framework and offers practical guidance for having hopeful, effective conversations that connect climate action to what people already care about. Dr. Hayhoe offers actionable next steps for individuals and congregations—like sharing solutions, starting church initiatives, and leading with hope instead of doom—so Christians can faithfully steward God's creation.   05:23 - Dr. Hayhoe's Faith Journey and Science 07:12 - Experiencing Creation's Vulnerability  09:17 - Is Climate Change a Justice Issue? 10:42 - Encountering Christian Climate Skepticism  18:06 - Christian Organizations and Climate Action 24:35 - Connecting Climate to Personal Values A 28:23 - Navigating Difficult Conversations  33:31 -  What Are the "Six Americas" of Climate Attitudes? 43:02 - Scientific Evidence and Human Impact  48:15 - Focusing on Solutions, Not Just Science  50:03 - What Is One Action Step for the Unsure Christian? 53:00 - What Is One Action Step for the Committed Christian  55:00 - Are There Practical Church-Based Climate Actions?   Episode Companion: Christians and Climate Change Guide 1   Sign up for the Good Faith Newsletter   Mentioned In This Episode:   Organizations and Networks A Rocha USA Evangelical Environmental Network Tearfund Compassion International World Vision Yale Program on Climate Change Communication   Websites, Tools, Books, and Newsletters Skeptical Science Global Weirding (Video podcast) Colby May's Energy For Purpose (ministry Energy Management) Mark Noll's The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind Dr. John Cook's Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change: How to Understand and Respond to Climate Science Deniers Bill McKibben's website   Studies and Surveys National Academy of Sciences Survey Results (2023-2024) Belief in divine (versus human) control of earth affects perceived threat of climate change (npj) Pew Research: The pope is concerned about climate change. How do U.S. Catholics feel about it? (2023) The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes (2025)   More From Dr. Katharine Hayhoe: Katharine Hayhoe's Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World Katharine Hayhoe's Substack: Talking Climate Katharine Hayhoe's website  Subscribe to Katharine Hayhoe's Newsletter   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   The Good Faith Podcast is a production of a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization that does not engage in any political campaign activity to support or oppose any candidate for public office. Any views and opinions expressed by any guests on this program are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Good Faith.

In this episode of Pray the Word on Genesis 15:1, David Platt challenges us to put our faith in God as our Shield and Great Reward.Explore more content from Radical.

In this episode, we welcome Raymond Ibrahim back to the show. He is an author, translator, columnist, and vocal critic of Islam. He is an expert in Islamic history and doctrine and is fluent in English and Arabic. He is the author of multiple books including “Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West”, “Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam”, and his newest book “The Two Swords of Christ: Five Centuries of War between Islam and the Warrior Monks of Christendom”. In this interview, we discuss why there is so much ignorance as to the true tenets of the Islamic religion, his commentary on the targeting of Christians by Muslims in Africa, an overview of “the Crusades”, an overview of the Templar Knights and the Hospitallers, how Muslims use slavery as a tool of warfare, how Muslims are taught to pretend to assimilate into countries that they hope to conquer in the future, and much more. Let's get into it… Episode notes and links HERE. Donate to support our mission of equipping men to push back darkness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our loving heavenly Father wants His children to be a joyful people. But sometimes we seek out joy and fulfillment where they can never be found. Today, Sinclair Ferguson shows where true happiness lies and how Christians can obtain it. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/things-unseen-with-sinclair-ferguson/how-to-be-happy/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

How can Christians know which biblical commands and promises apply to all believers? Today, Joel Kim explains how to read Scripture faithfully by honoring both its context and its enduring wisdom. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/ask-ligonier/which-commands-and-promises-in-the-bible-only-apply-to-those-being-immediately-spoken-to-and-which-apply-to-all-believers/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ Submit a biblical or theological question of your own by calling 1-800-607-9386 or by emailing an audio recording of your question to askligoniervm@ligonier.org. You can also receive real-time answers through our online chat service at https://ask.ligonier.org/. A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

In this special edition of the Theology Mom podcast, Krista examines the "I" in DEI from a historic Christian perspective. She contrasts the widely agreeable "noble" definitions of inclusion and belonging with their real-world applications in workplaces and Christian institutions, highlighting unintended consequences, ideological conflicts with biblical teaching, and how DEI practices often infiltrate conservative Christian universities through a shifting of definitions. A thoughtful call for Christians to pursue biblical unity, hospitality, and impartial justice rather than secular social engineering. The Biola Chronicles | Theology Mom YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHfxxaVbHJaajgjRpeC6w2d2h3ftjiYrD Diversity/DEI | CFBU YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSr-7Jtur6g_bGxIsIWliAUr-H25uipQu Critical Dilemma: The Rise of Critical Theories and Social Justice Ideology―Implications for the Church and Society https://a.co/d/2ftQnuf #DEI #Inclusion #Belonging #Christianperspective

A few years ago, a study found only ten percent of Christians, and only four percent of young people, in America have a biblical worldview.

In this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay shares the story of a simple song written more than 250 years ago that now has a profound and universal legacy. John Newton wrote the hymn Amazing Grace to connect with Christians and over decades it's been sung to a number of melodies. However, addition to its religious origins, it is now a popular folk song and an anthem for civil rights which transcends divisions and speaks to people across time and faiths about shared pain, hope and forgiveness. Newton's creation may have been inspired by his past as a slave and captain of a slave ship. But today, Amazing Grace is a comforting song of redemption that helps many recover from dark times and see ahead to the light. 

Share a commentFire tore through Rome and a rumor finished the job. As the city smoldered, Nero's propaganda machine named Christians as arsonists, and what had been scattered suspicion hardened into open hostility. Into that pressure cooker, Peter writes like a seasoned shepherd, urging believers to hold their confession without panic and to choose a defiant, settled joy that makes the world curious.We walk through why the shortest creed, “Jesus Christ,” is both the church's anchor and culture's stumbling block. Peter stakes the claim that Jesus is the anointed Messiah and God the Son, echoing Acts 4:12 and the earliest preaching of the apostles. We contrast the apostles' experience with Paul's sudden encounter on the Damascus Road, unpacking why he often says “Christ Jesus” and how that reinforces the same confession from a different angle. The thread running through it all is grace: not a cushion for comfort but solid ground that cannot be shaken by mockery, loss, or marginalization.To bring the theology to life, we zoom in on Peter himself. He's brave, impulsive, corrected often, and yet restored—exactly the kind of flawed follower grace can turn into a pillar. From the Mount of Transfiguration, where his words drift into nonsense, to Caesarea Philippi, where his insight nails the truth, we see how God shaped him to sign his letter, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,” with a steady hand. Along the way we get practical: why the end of casual Christianity can be good news, how joy functions as evangelism, and why a rooted local church is a lifeline for worship, teaching, prayer, and mission when the cost of faith rises.If you're sensing that cultural comfort and Christian conviction no longer fit together, you're not alone—and you're not without a map. Press play to learn how to stand firm in true grace, keep a clear confession, and live with a luminous joy when the lights go out. If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

What happens when an Australian butcher starts reading Leviticus—and finds it fun? In this unique episode, Dru Johnson speaks with Phil Bray, author of Leviticus on the Butcher's Block, about how his day job cutting lambs and steaks helped him see the book of Leviticus in a whole new light. Phil traces his journey from casual Bible reader to Leviticus superfan, exploring how rituals, sacrifice, and atonement make far more sense when you've broken down hundreds of animals by hand. Phil shares how ancient sacrificial rituals weren't necessarily about violent death but about preparing food as a gift to God. The conversation dives into the Hebrew understanding of holiness, clean vs. unclean, and why God's presence is depicted as a space without disease or death. Along the way, Phil and Dru reflect on Mary Douglas, Jewish slaughter laws, the power of smell and memory, and how the altar isn't where the animal dies—but where it becomes holy. Phil's insights bring theology and meat science into one coherent (and hilarious) frame, showing why Leviticus is deeply spiritual, richly embodied, and more relevant than most Christians assume. For Phil's YouTube Channel, go here: https://www.youtube.com/@Leviticus_is_fun We are listener supported. Give to the cause here: https://hebraicthought.org/give For more articles: https://thebiblicalmind.org/ Social Links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HebraicThought Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hebraicthought Threads: https://www.threads.net/hebraicthought X: https://www.twitter.com/HebraicThought Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/hebraicthought.org Chapters: 00:00 The Journey to Leviticus 03:19 Understanding Atonement and Sacrifice 06:19 The Butcher's Perspective on Rituals 09:15 Cultural Context of Sacrifice 12:32 The Nature of Death in Sacrifice 15:29 The Art of Kosher Slaughter 18:23 Leviticus: A Fun Exploration 21:27 The Meaning Beyond Death in Rituals 27:01 The Olfactory Experience of Worship 30:24 The Significance of Sacrifice in Ancient Cultures 34:07 Rethinking Atonement and Sacrifice 39:19 The Life of Jesus: More Than Just Death 45:06 Leviticus: A Guide to Drawing Near to God

Many Christians think stewardship is just about money or volunteering. Dr. Tony Evans stretches our understanding of stewardship, showing how God's expectations touch every area of life, from family to work to spiritual responsibility.

On this episode of The Ricecast, Pastors Willy Rice and Dan Pigsley talk about New Years Resolutions and things that every Christian should do. Support the showFind us at! Calvary.us

Share a commentFire tore through Rome and a rumor finished the job. As the city smoldered, Nero's propaganda machine named Christians as arsonists, and what had been scattered suspicion hardened into open hostility. Into that pressure cooker, Peter writes like a seasoned shepherd, urging believers to hold their confession without panic and to choose a defiant, settled joy that makes the world curious.We walk through why the shortest creed, “Jesus Christ,” is both the church's anchor and culture's stumbling block. Peter stakes the claim that Jesus is the anointed Messiah and God the Son, echoing Acts 4:12 and the earliest preaching of the apostles. We contrast the apostles' experience with Paul's sudden encounter on the Damascus Road, unpacking why he often says “Christ Jesus” and how that reinforces the same confession from a different angle. The thread running through it all is grace: not a cushion for comfort but solid ground that cannot be shaken by mockery, loss, or marginalization.To bring the theology to life, we zoom in on Peter himself. He's brave, impulsive, corrected often, and yet restored—exactly the kind of flawed follower grace can turn into a pillar. From the Mount of Transfiguration, where his words drift into nonsense, to Caesarea Philippi, where his insight nails the truth, we see how God shaped him to sign his letter, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,” with a steady hand. Along the way we get practical: why the end of casual Christianity can be good news, how joy functions as evangelism, and why a rooted local church is a lifeline for worship, teaching, prayer, and mission when the cost of faith rises.If you're sensing that cultural comfort and Christian conviction no longer fit together, you're not alone—and you're not without a map. Press play to learn how to stand firm in true grace, keep a clear confession, and live with a luminous joy when the lights go out. If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to help others find the show.Get our magazine and daily devotional: https://www.wisdomonline.org/lp/magazineSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

What's the difference between true revival and revivalism, and how should Christians respond when God seems to be stirring something fresh? Mark reflects on the Salt Company Conference and the broader signs of spiritual hunger he's seeing among Gen Z. He explains why this moment is deeply encouraging, while also offering a needed distinction between revival and revivalism.Mark draws from Iain Murray's Revival and Revivalism and echoes a helpful framework often attributed to Tim Keller: in true revival, dead Christians come alive, sleepy Christians wake up, and non-Christians are converted. As he looks ahead, Mark shares both a fear and a hope: that momentum could drift toward big event “mountaintop moments,” or instead fuel a lasting renewal centered on the local church, discipleship, and church planting.Episode Highlights00:04 — What does it look like to be deeply rooted in Christ in a world of cultural chaos? 00:32 — Reflecting on Salt Company Conference and what God is doing through it02:29 — Introducing the key question: revival vs. revivalism 05:03 — Defining revival: God's Spirit igniting ordinary means of grace 06:06 — Defining revivalism: using human methods to produce extraordinary results 06:57 — Mark's fear: momentum gets centered on big events and emotional moments 07:29 — Mark's hope: a renewal movement that strengthens the local church 10:13 — The main point: God's plan is the local church (not revival events) 15:43 — Luke 10:2: pray for laborers and for lasting fruit through church plantingResourcesCornerstone Church Sermons: Listen onlineSalt Company Conference: Listen to Sessions & BreakoutsRevival and Revivalism — Iain MurrayThe Gospel Coalition — "It's Here: Gen-Z Revival Hits Campuses This Fall"

1 Peter 2:9-12 (ESV)Andrew, Isack, and Edwin discuss the war being waged against our souls from the enemy, the world, and our flesh.Read the written devo that goes along with this episode by clicking here.    Let us know what you are learning or any questions you have. Email us at TextTalk@ChristiansMeetHere.org.    Join the Facebook community and join the conversation by clicking here. We'd love to meet you. Be a guest among the Christians who meet on Livingston Avenue. Click here to find out more. Michael Eldridge sang all four parts of our theme song. Find more from him by clicking here.   Thanks for talking about the text with us today.________________________________________________If the hyperlinks do not work, copy the following addresses and paste them into the URL bar of your web browser: Daily Written Devo: https://readthebiblemakedisciples.wordpress.com/?p=24006The Christians Who Meet on Livingston Avenue: http://www.christiansmeethere.org/Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TalkAboutTheTextFacebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/texttalkMichael Eldridge: https://acapeldridge.com/ 

As Amanda's sabbatical begins, we are revisiting previous episodes of the podcast. This week marked the 5th anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol. In today's episode of Respecting Religion, hear a conversation two years after the attack. Amanda and Holly share their reactions to the report released by the January 6 Select Committee at the end of 2022, including the lack of any mention of Christian nationalism and why that matters. They also discuss the importance of Christian leaders providing an alternative witness in 2023 to the Christian nationalism exhibited during the attack on the Capitol. And, they review how the insurrection still shapes our world and how it – surprisingly – doesn't shape Capitol tours. This program originally aired on January 12, 2023, in season 4 of Respecting Religion.   SHOW NOTES This episode was originally broadcast as episode 10 of season 4 in 2023. For another conversation about January 6 and Christian nationalism, check out S3, Ep. 12 from 2022. Segment 1 (starting at 01:06): The Select Committee Report Read the final report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. We played a clip compiling three individuals' statements during the January 6 hearings claiming the Constitution was divinely inspired: Greg Jacob, Rusty Bowers, and Rep. Liz Cheney. See the video on Amanda's Twitter (now X) account. The comprehensive BJC/Freedom From Religion Foundation report on Christian nationalism and the January 6, 2021 insurrection is available online. Click here to read the letter organized by BJC and Christians from Christian Nationalism to the Select Committee, asking them to investigate how Christian nationalism motivated and intensified the attack. Watch Amanda's testimony about Christian nationalism before a House subcommittee in December 2022 at this link. Amanda and Holly discuss it in more detail in episode 9 of season 10. Amanda and Holly mentioned this article by Vera Bergengruen for TIME Magazine: Why a Group of Christians Is Fighting the Growing Threat of Christian Nationalism Additional media coverage on the absence of Christian nationalism from the final report: Despite ample evidence, Christian nationalism mostly absent from final Jan. 6 report by Jack Jenkins for Religion News Service Christian nationalism conspicuously absent from January 6 report, featuring an interview with Amanda Tyler and MSNBC's Alicia Menendez on the Alex Wagner Tonight program   Segment 2 (starting at 21:01): Contrasting images on the 2nd anniversary of January 6 After this podcast was first released, BJC created a compilation of clips from the 2023 prayer vigil, which you can watch on BJC's YouTube channel.  See BJC's photos of the prayer vigil in this Instagram post. There are also photos still online from Getty Images and Reuters at the vigil.  Watch this short compilation of the two events on January 6, 2023, on the @EndChristianNationalism TikTok.  You can follow the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign on Instagram and TikTok at the handle @EndChristianNationalism.   Segment 3 (starting at 29:29): Scrubbing the insurrection from Capitol tours Amanda and Holly discussed this story from The Washington Post by Joe Heim: Official U.S. Capitol tour guides told to only mention Jan. 6 if asked Respecting Religion is made possible by BJC's generous donors. You can support these conversations with a gift to BJC. 

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. We're talking with Andrew Hopper, Lead Pastor of Mercy Hill Church in North Carolina. Planted in 2012 with just 30 people, Mercy Hill has grown into a multi-campus, fast-growing church known for its gospel clarity and sending culture. In this conversation, Andrew shares why adoption and foster care have become central expressions of Mercy Hill's mission—and how those practices flow directly out of the gospel. He also unpacks the heart behind his book, Chosen: Building Your Family the Way God Builds His. Is your church unsure how to engage big social needs without drifting from the gospel? Are you looking for a way to mobilize people beyond church walls while keeping discipleship front and center? Andrew offers a clear framework for doing both. Doing good as a sign of the kingdom. // Andrew addresses a common tension churches feel between community engagement and disciple-making. Mercy Hill refuses to treat these as competing priorities. Acts of service—whether foster care, adoption, or family restoration—are not the kingdom itself but signposts pointing to it. Meeting tangible needs creates openings for gospel conversations. These ministries don't replace evangelism; they amplify it by demonstrating the heart of God in visible ways. A church’s collective heartbeat. // Mercy Hill's deep involvement in adoption, foster care, and family restoration didn't start as a top-down strategy but emerged organically from the gifts and passions within the church. Many leaders and members have adopted children themselves, shaping the church's collective heartbeat. Rather than attempting to address every social issue, Mercy Hill chose to focus deeply on a few—believing churches are most effective when they lean into the specific good works God has prepared for them. This focus has mobilized hundreds of families and created a powerful witness in their community. Rope-holding and shared responsibility. // Not everyone is called to adopt or foster, but everyone can hold the rope. Drawing from the William Carey analogy, Mercy Hill equips members to support families on the front lines through prayer, childcare, meals, financial help, and presence. Over time, they've learned that rope-holding works best when built on existing relationships rather than formal assignments. The goal is to ensure no family fights alone in what Andrew describes as intense spiritual warfare. Big vision with baby steps. // Mercy Hill isn't afraid to cast a bold vision—whether for global missions, adoption, or church planting—but they pair that vision with accessible next steps. Prayer nights, giving opportunities, short-term service, and relational support allow people to grow into greater obedience over time. High challenge without guilt creates healthy discipleship. Why Andrew wrote Chosen. // Andrew wrote Chosen: Building Your Family the Way God Builds His not to promote a program, but to give churches a theological foundation for engaging adoption and foster care. The book weaves together Andrew's family story, Mercy Hill's journey, and a deeply gospel-centered motivation rooted in Scripture. Designed to be used individually or in groups, Chosen includes discussion questions and practical guidance for churches or small groups wanting to explore this calling in community. Andrew's prayer is that the book would catalyze thousands of Christian families to participate meaningfully in caring for vulnerable children and families. Gospel-driven motivation. // Underneath everything is Andrew's conviction that gospel motivation outlasts guilt. Behavior rooted in grace goes further than behavior driven by pressure. Adopted people adopt people. Chosen people choose people. That theological clarity fuels Mercy Hill's sending culture, their community impact, and their ongoing growth. To explore Andrew's resources on adoption, foster care, and grab his book, Chosen, visit andrewphopper.com/chosen or follow him on Instagram @andrewphopper. You can learn more about Mercy Hill Church at mercyhillchurch.com. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it's time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. We have got a multi-time guest on, and you know what that means. That means that I really respect, deeply admire, and want you to listen up, and today is no exception. Excited to have Andrew Hopper with us. He is the lead pastor of a church that they should be following, that you should be following. He’s a lead pastor of Mercy Hill Church with five locations, if I’m counting correctly, in North Carolina, and is repeatedly one of the fastest growing churches in the country. I love this church on many levels. They’re centered on the gospel and have a radical commitment to sending people to the nations. They have a desire to make disciples and multiply churches. Andrew, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Andrew Hopper — Man, I’m so pumped to be here. Love the podcast. Really appreciate it, man.Rich Birch — Yeah, I’m honored that you would come back. For folks that that don’t know Mercy Hill, give me a bit of a kind of an update. Tell us a little bit about the church.Andrew Hopper — Yeah.Rich Birch — Maybe update us from last time you were on.Andrew Hopper — Yeah, man. So just real quick, planted in 2012. We had 30 people, all you know kind of young professional age, and man, just really believe that God could do something incredible ah through, you know just through our our open hands, and he did.Andrew Hopper — And so it’s been 13 years. It’s crazy. We’ve been sort of pushing the same boulder up the same mountain for 13 years, just flywheel kind of concept and keep pushing. And ah the Lord has done an incredible thing, like you said, five campuses. And man, just moved into a new home and hub. That was from last time we had a chance. That’s been really great. Andrew Hopper — We were in a rented location for a long time as our main like broadcast campus. We’re a video-based multi-site. And so um it’s ah it was a three or four-year journey to raise the money and build this new facility. But we’re in, and the Lord has really blessed that with tons of new people, highest baptisms, sent ones, first time guest numbers, all everything that we’ve done. This has been a, you know, we’ve gone been on a ride – praise God for that. It’s it’s, um, it’s for his sake and his renown, but this year has been unlike the others. So it’s been…Rich Birch — Yeah, you were saying beforehand, it’s like 30 or something like 30 some percent year over year growth. That’s insane to keep up with.Andrew Hopper — It is man. And the, and the giving does not, uh, you know, the giving doesn’t happen.Rich Birch — Reflect that yet.Andrew Hopper — So it’s, it’s like, we’re trying to do ministry on a budget of a church that’s 3000, but a church that’s running 4,500. And it’s like, how do you do that effectively without killing everybody?Rich Birch — Nice.Andrew Hopper — All your staff, I mean, so, but we’re, we’re learning, man, we’re figuring it out. It’s fun. We got, we just planted our sixth church. So that’s apart from the campuses. This is first time, Rich, we’ve planted a church in our own city.Rich Birch — Oh, nice. That’s cool.Andrew Hopper — It’s been really, a really cool dynamic and it’s been fun. He’s doing great. Man, it was a college student that we met when he was 19 years old at North Carolina AT&T 10 years later. He’s an elder here. He’s done a lot of different things. And man, he goes and plants a new church in Greensboro about five minutes from one of our campuses and they’re doing great.Rich Birch — Wow. Yeah, that’s so good. Well, the thing, there’s lots I love about Mercy Hill, but one of the things that I’ve loved about your church from the you know the chance we’ve had to journey a little bit over the years about it is you just have real clarity around the mission, this idea of making disciples, multiplying churches. It’s like that has been rock solid from the beginning. When you think about we want churches to have discipleship at its core, this idea of a church that actually grows people up in their relationship with Christ. What matters most at the foundation? How are you keeping that so foundational to you know what’s happening at Mercy Hill?Andrew Hopper — Yeah, I think um I think that we always sort of bought into kind of what we see in Acts 2 as a little bit of a flywheel. We call it gather, group, give, go. A lot of churches have something like that.Andrew Hopper — The the difference, I think, at Mercy Hill a little bit than what I see ah in in in a lot of churches that we help mentor and coach is that 2020 hit and everybody was like, man, what is a church? What is discipleship? What are we going to do now? And and people were kind of… And I do think it was and it wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t just me. I mean, our, you know, our executive pastor Bobby, he was really integral in this. We sort of really doubled down on no, I kind of think the church is going to come back. Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — And I kind of think what we were doing is sort of what our church is set up to do. It kind of a brand thing. We are sort of a big box sending brand. And that, you know, for us, when we look at Acts 2, we’re like, dude, the gathering, there’s no more there’s no more important hour for discipleship and evangelism. And I know there’s a lot of things written against that. And people are kind of almost like downplaying it. Andrew Hopper — We’re just like, man, we just don’t believe it. We believe people need to be in a group. You know, we they need generosity is lead step in discipleship, give. And we got to teach people that there’s a mission bigger than themselves. And if we do that, it’s going to funnel more people into the gathering. Andrew Hopper — So I think fundamentally what I would say, we need to get, you know, we could talk about our value, you know we can talk about values to gospel and [inaudible] identity, but I think landing on you know, it’s very hard now to, to not get a word salad book form or thing. When you ask somebody, how are you making disciples? It can just be like…Rich Birch — Right. Very vacuous. Who knows what that means? Yeah.Andrew Hopper — For us, it’s just been a very clear, simple process.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — Like, man, we believe if someone is in the gathering, if they’re in relationship, if they’re being pushed on generosity, and if they’re living for a mission bigger than themselves, that’s a current of maturity that will move them. They just get in the stream, they’ll move.Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It’s so good.Andrew Hopper — that’s kind of So you know for us, I think that’s as, you know we’ve we’ve tried to simplify things there.Rich Birch — Yeah. And, and your last episode, I’ve pointed a ton of people to it, uh, to really, and we really unpack a lot of what you talked about there in more detail.Andrew Hopper — Right. Yeah.Rich Birch — You’re going to want to go back and, uh, and listen to that. You’ve reached as a church, you’ve reached a lot of people who don’t grow up in church that it’s like, there’s a lot of people who are there. You know, we used to say we ain’t your mama’s church, but mama didn’t go to church, you know? So, you know, and it’s been a long time that people were there. What challenges have you seen, you know, helping move people from curiosity into real ongoing discipleship? So like, I think there are, we’re seeing a swell of attendance across the country. People are like, oh, I’m kind of interested in this, but we got to move them from just, oh, this is something interesting to like, oh, I’m actually want to grow my relationship with Jesus.Andrew Hopper — Yeah, I mean, and it’s it’s funny too, Rich, you probably have a better bird’s eye view of this than I do. But I feel like churches that have been faithfully growing for like the last 10 years, they’re not really doing a lot different now. Or even though there’s this big swell happening, what I do think is that some churches have sort of decided like, oh, clarity does matter.Rich Birch — Yes. Yeah, that’s true.Andrew Hopper — And don’t try to be friends with the culture. We’re going to speak in and be prophetic. And, you know, even even to the you know Proverbs 25:26 says, you know, there’s there there’s no there’s no benefit in a muddied spring. You know, it’s like you got to be sort of you got to figure out if we’re going to be clear.Andrew Hopper — So, I you know, for me, I think like and you’re right, we do reach most of the people that we reach that are in the camp that you’re talking about our college age. We reach a lot of people, though, ah that are, you know, they’re they’re coming back to the faith because they’re a southerner.Rich Birch — Sure.Andrew Hopper — You know, they they kind of they kind of were, you know, they they did have some church in their background. They’re coming back. Their kids are not only born, but they’re realizing they’re sinners and they don’t have answers. They’re trying to figure that out.Rich Birch — Right. Right.Andrew Hopper — They’re coming back to church.Andrew Hopper — And, you know, I think the biggest thing that moves people from like interest into a decision point is just being very clear on this is what the gospel is. This is the life it compels you to. Are you going to be in or out?Andrew Hopper — One of the things we say at Mercy Hill a lot is like, man, if you’re if you’re just intrigued, you know, if you’re interested, you’re not going to stay at Mercy Hill because we’re never going to let you, you’re going to get pushed every week. And it’s like, man, people are not really in or like that. I’m not going to do that. You know, they’re just like, no I’m not going to sit here and get like pushed every single week on something I don’t really… And the flip side is when people say, all right, you know what? Stake in the ground. I’m in.Rich Birch — Yeah, we’re doing this, yep.Andrew Hopper — I wanna look like this, I want to build my life on this. It’s like, well, now, you know, it’s it’s man, I’m hopefully, you know, putting tools in the belt every single week to live that life.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, it’s good. I do think there was a time where people wandered into our churches where I don’t think that happens as much anymore. I think people, when they arrive, they come with questions, with live active questions that they’re trying to wrestle with, kind of regardless of where they’re they’re at in their journey.Andrew Hopper — Yeah.Rich Birch — And they’re what you to your point around, you know, there’s no benefit in a muddy stream. People aren’t looking for anything that sounds like, well, what do you think? Because the reason why they’re there is because they’re asking questions. And so, you know, they’re they’re looking for clarity, like I think you’re saying. Rich Birch — Well one of the things I love about your church is there’s a high commitment to, you’re you’re you’re tearing down what I think is a false dichotomy. Sometimes I think when churches come to this idea of outreach or making a difference in their community, there’s this there can be this gap or false dichotomy between doing good in our communities and making disciples. Like we gave that up at some point. We were like, you can’t, you know, we can’t do both of those things for some reason. Why, why did we do that? Why did we, as churches say, we can’t both make a difference in our communities and also make disciples?Andrew Hopper — Yeah, I think it’s, I actually have a lot of sympathy for the fundamentalist leaning. I know it sounds a little bit weird. Rich Birch — No, that’s fine.Andrew Hopper — Churches that led from the, you know, from the good do good in your city kind of thing. I don’t think they’re right, but I do have sympathy for that because I understand how quickly that sort of, you know, is so hijacked by liberal, by theological liberalism to where it’s finally man we’re digging wells and wherever but we’re not talking about who the true source of living water is. Like we don’t want to be offensive we just want to do good without speaking the whole you know you know live your life as a Christian only use words if necessary, whatever, you know. And and I so I understand why people kind of fled and have fled that.Andrew Hopper — Like, you know, I’ve even had our church before when I when I talk about adoption or we we have a ministry, and a ministry called No More Spectators. We’re like moving people towards community ministry. And we had people kind of going on like, oh, my gosh, this seems like a sign of like churches start going this way and then they lose the gospel.Andrew Hopper — And I’m like, well, the reason you’re kind of feeling like that is because a lot of churches have done that. You know, you’re not [inaudible] like that just out of nowhere. Now, of course, I think it’s a little bit immature and we’ve got to push through. The way we talk about it, Rich, is, man, we want to do good in our community as signs of the kingdom coming.Andrew Hopper — They are not building the kingdom. You know, if we go repaint a house or house a homeless person, one day that person would parted with that house, whether they, you know, get messed up and leave or whether they do great and then would die one day, you know.Andrew Hopper — Or, if we have, ah you know, if we go and, and you know, we’re going to, for example, we have ah ah a family in our church that they need a ramp built because, man, the the brother is struggling with MS and he’s, they’re they’re fighting it like Christians do. We’re going to go do that. You know, we’re going to go build that ramp. That ramp’s going to rot and die one, you know, rot and rot away one day. And, you know, whether it’s 100 years from now or whatever.Andrew Hopper — Like it’s not literally the kingdom. But when the outside world sees us engage and, you know, our church will talk about this primarily when we think about community ministry, we think about it in terms of adoption, foster care and families count, which I can talk to you about. I think it’s bringing a sign of the kingdom that is to the community around us to say, hey, this is not the gospel. But it sure points to the gospel. Rich Birch — Right, right.Andrew Hopper — You know, it’s a pretty good signpost of like, yeah, there’s a kingdom coming where kids aren’t separated from their parents, you know. And and so that’s kind of the way that we think about, it’s not, you know, it’s not the kingdom. It’s a sign of the kingdom that is coming.Rich Birch — Yeah, let’s let’s dive in. So adoptions, foster care, families count. These are not small issues. Like you started with like putting a ramp on, painting somebody – those are like, okay, I can organize my head around that. And then we jump to what I think are obviously significant. How, it can be easy, I think, for church leaders it can be easy where, you know, we got a lot of fish to fry in our own backyard. When you see big problems like that, help us unpack that. Why do you as a lead pastor, why are you passionate about these issues? Why are these the things that you’ve chosen?Andrew Hopper — I think it’s, man, I think it’s great. I mean if you can’t if you don’t mind I’ll go back and give you a little bit of context. I’m a context [inaudible]… Rich Birch — Yeah, absolutely. Let’s do it. Yeah. Andrew Hopper — …number one so I always want to frame it in where we’ve been. But the short answer to the question is I think that every church because it is made up of individual believers that have individual gift matrix, you know they’re they’re gifted the church is gifted in a unique way because the people which are the church are gifted in a unique way, right? Andrew Hopper — And so to me, you know, slapping, you know, a top down every single church has to to manifest signs of the kingdom in X way, which, for for example, I’m not to pick on it, but like, you know, the whole diversity church kind of movement. I love you know, if that’s your brand, that’s awesome. That’s great. Go, go bring signs of the kingdom in that area. But you know what people do is they take their thing and then slap it on every single church. You know, this is the sign of the kingdom that you have to manifest.Andrew Hopper — I don’t think that. It takes every kind of church to reach a city because there’s all you know, there’s every kind of people in the city. Right? For us, though, and I think for a lot of churches that that maybe are are made up a little bit like we are, I think there is a lot of meat on the bone for adoption, foster care, families count ministry. And I think churches could be greatly helped by latching on to maybe, you know, something in particular, maybe this, maybe this specifically. How we got there, Rich, was we had we had, you know, huge movement in our church in 2019. I was very convicted.Andrew Hopper — Some of the exponential stuff was coming out, you know, mobilizing people outside the walls of the church. And I really was, man, I was just really affected by that. And I don’t want the dichotomy, you know, I don’t want, well, you your people serve in the church and not outside the church. It’s like, no, most people serve outside the church. If you watch them, they are serving inside the church as well. It’s it’s like a it’s like, man, you know, just just because serving inside the church is not the finish line, don’t demonize it because it is a starting place.Rich Birch — That’s good.Andrew Hopper — So it’s like, I don’t like that kind of whole thing. But but it did affect me to say, OK, what are we doing to push to the outside? So we we we did a thing. You would have loved this, man. But it except for the fact that it didn’t really work that good. OK, it was awesome.Andrew Hopper — It was, we still have the domain name – nomorespectators.com – I had the tagline: Jesus didn’t die to create spectators. He died to create servants, not spectators, workers, not watchers. We, man, you could go to nomorespectators.com and, you know, it was like, it was like a funnel for all of these community ministry opportunities in our city. So it was, you know, people from the housing, you know, authority type stuff would post things. And it was, it was all this kind of, it had a bunch of stuff in it. Andrew Hopper — In the end of the day, great idea. It was a little too complex. Our people latched on to the foster care, pregnancy network, you know, ended up being families count, Guardian ad Litem and adoption. So our guy that was over all that at the time our sending director, which is hard for me to have a good idea that ends up dying hard, okay that’s just tough for me.Rich Birch — You had a great sticky statement and everything. Come on.Andrew Hopper — I’m the king of sunken cost bias. Okay. Like, I’m like, dude. And so finally around 2020, he came to me and he said, bro, I know this is hard for you. Cause it was like a two year initiative. He’s like, this is hard. He said, No More Spectators needs to just turn into Chosen. And it needs to be like, you had this idea for 30 different things. It just, this needs to be our niche, man. You know, we we don’t do a lot of these other things, but we do this really well.Andrew Hopper — And it was hard for me. Ultimately, it was great wisdom by them, not me. And we started going down that road. And partly, I think it’s because, Rich, is heart is near to my heart. I have an adopted daughter. A lot of our staff have adopted kids. We just have a guy right now. Our associate director of first impressions at the Rich campus is in Texas right now, you know, bringing their daughter home.Andrew Hopper — I mean, so it’s just, and so it’s sort of started to morph into, and the the the big thing I’ll say, and I, you know, I’ve been talking a lot here, but the big thing I’ll say is, if you think about the way I just ah described all that, it doesn’t start with the need in the community. It starts with the gift matrix of the church. The poor we will always have with us. Like there there is no there’s no scenario until Jesus comes back that there’s no kids that need to be adopted, you know.Rich Birch — Right, right.Andrew Hopper — And it’s just the reality of it. And so there’s always going to be need in the community. It’s more about, okay, what are the Ephesians 2:10 works that your church, because the church is made up of people who are individually called, what are the you know what are those works that God has set out for your church? Rich Birch — That’s good.Andrew Hopper — And, you know, so for us, we just felt like, dude, this is a a heartbeat thing. Our people got more, they get more fired up. The greatest thing I’ve ever been able to mobilize our people for prayer for is go to the abortion clinic and pray. I mean, a thousand people on their face in the pavement. It’s like, it just strikes a chord with our church and who we are. So we wanna run after that.Rich Birch — Yeah. Well, I love that. And we’re going to dig out a bunch of this, but let’s think about it first from a perspective of somebody who’s maybe attended your church. They just started. They’re they’re relatively new, you know. The idea of something as weighty as adoption or foster care, that’s a big ask. And you know when you yeah how do I experience that as someone who’s just new? What are some ways that I could get plugged in? What does that look like? That, that, cause I, I’m hard, it’s hard to imagine that I go from zero to, to, you know, adoption, you know, how do I end up or flying to Texas to, you know, pick up a kid. That’s a lot. Help me understand. How are you, cause I know you guys are so good at moving people along from kind of where they are to where you’re hoping to – what’s that look like? What’s the kind of, how do you bring people along in this?Andrew Hopper — Man, totally. I think you’re right. I think it’s a combination of big vision on one end and then baby steps on the other. But the big vision matters.Rich Birch — That’s good.Andrew Hopper — Like we don’t want to be scared of the big vision. So, you know, for example, our weekender process, which I know you talked about some, you know, that weekender process, you know, people literally for years, we would give them a passport application in the weekender process. Because we’re like you’re at this church you’re probably going to be overseas at some point on a mission trip. And so to me it’s like people are like dude that probably scares the crap out of people. And it’s like well, I mean we want to make sure they know what they’re getting into, you know. We’re not telling them they got to do that tomorrow… Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — …but that is the, and then and then there’s all these baby steps, right? Like hey come to you know, every February we do Sent weekend. Come to the prayer night. Like that’s a baby step. That’s not you getting on a plane to go to Nepal. But you know hey we’re doing this missions offering at the end of the year, like maybe get you know. So there’s all these I would say that our the way we think about Chosen ministry, which again: adoption, foster care, families count, and rope holding, which is a big part of this discussion… Rich Birch — Okay. Andrew Hopper —…is that way. It’s big vision on the front end so we’re never going to tell somebody, hey you know, I know you could never do this. Like I’ll never…I think people can do it and they should. Or or you know more Christians than are should. At the same time we’re also not guilting anybody. Like so I’m I you know the the first thing I’ll tell people is like, hey, you know we start talking about adoption. I always say always say, hey, we have not lined up a bunch of little kids in the lobby for you to take one home today, okay. And then I’ll tell them, that’s next week.Rich Birch — That’s great.Andrew Hopper — Okay, so yeah but and we we try hard to like put some levity in it. Man, we’re not everybody’s not going to do that. In fact, a minority, of a small minority is going to do it. But everyone can be involved and there are baby steps.Andrew Hopper — So we try to highlight giving, man. Like if you someone adopts from Mercy Hill, we pay 25% of their adoption. Okay.Rich Birch — Wow. Yep.Andrew Hopper — If they’re a member and they’re in a community group, they get 25%. All right, well, you know, we’re going to connect that. Like, man, you you are never going to adopt. You feel like that’s, but it’s like, well, I give $100 a month to the church. Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — Well, hey, what? You know, you’re you are you are supporting.Rich Birch — We’re making a difference.Andrew Hopper — We do parents night out, you know, for all of our foster and adoptive parents. We do it quarterly. It’s like, hey, those are opportunities to come and serve, man. You can serve the meal you can do. We do rope holding, which I know we’ll probably talk about. But but the the idea of rope holding is just like, man, I’m not going to do this, but I can be in the corner for somebody. They’re in my community group. I want to be their first call if they need a babysitter or they need, you know, a gift card, or whatever they need.Andrew Hopper — So I think, man, we try to do big vision. You know, we’re going we’re going to set a huge vision, you know, for 2030 for 2030. Actually, we just hit our vision for 2025, which is 200 adoptive or foster families. There’s a lot of ways people can be involved with it.Rich Birch — So good. There’s, I think thing I would encourage friends who are listening in, you really should be following Mercy Hill, Andrew, because I do think you’re a very unique communicator where you, and you just described it. And I think to you, it’s just like, that’s just what you do. But this idea of like, you’re calling people to a high bar, but you’re not leveraging shame, guilt. you know, it’s, and I think so many times our language can kind of lean in that direction. Or we can, if we really are trying to push people towards something, or we can just undersell the vision. You know We can be like, oh, it’s not that it’s not that big of a deal. You know It’s not for everybody. So I would encourage people to listen in.Rich Birch — Talk to me about rope holding. How is that, what’s that look like? Unpack what that looks like a little bit.Andrew Hopper — Yeah, so rope so the the the rope-holding analogy, which a lot of your listeners probably gonna already know this, but you know William Carey, Andrew Fuller, William Carey, father of modern missions, he’s he he he makes the statement, “I’ll dangle at the end of the rope in the pit, if you’ll hold the rope,” talking to Fuller. And Fuller held the rope for him. Like, you know, Carey the mission field, Fuller’s raising money, preaching sermons, organizing mission boards. So that’s kind of the picture. Right.Andrew Hopper — So we say, all right, not everybody is going to go down into the pit of foster care adoption, even even families count. I mean, these are these are massive spiritual warfare battlegrounds you know um which is one of the reasons why our church wants to be involved so much. I mean you if you want to talk about getting to the you can do all the rhetoric in the world, brother, you want to get to the very bottom of societal issues, you you be involved in somebody’s story that’s trying that’s trying to get their kids back from the foster care system. You’re trying to help them with that. I mean, every you could fatherlessness, poverty, drug abuse. I mean, everything you can think, you know.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — So this this is just spiritual war. So what we tell people is like, hey, man. If we got people that are mobilizing for for adoption and foster care, we better have people in their corne,r because the enemy is going to bring his war machine.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — And we see it all the time. I mean, you’re going to see, you know, a family steps in to adopt and you’re going to start seeing them, you know, there can be sickness. They can have marital problems. They can have financial things that come up. They can begin to believe lies, frustrations. I mean, There’s just so they can become, you know, their their heart can start getting hard toward the system. I mean, there’s so many things that come at them. And so what we say is we need people in their corner, right. Andrew Hopper — Now, it’s funny because like the way our church has operated was at first we said, all right, we’re going to we’re going to do, you know, the the community group is going hold the rope for the people. And and that that was fine. The problem is when we really kicked off this ministry, so many people got involved that it became overwhelming to the group. So we said we got to start this… Rich Birch — Right. Andrew Hopper — …rope holding ministry. The rope holder ministry is good. It’s like, what does a rope holder do? They kind of do whatever the person needs them to do. Rich Birch — Right. Andrew Hopper — So there are examples of the rope holding ministry going really well, where it’s like, hey, man, they’re they’re helping with ah child care with the other kids when they’re going to foster care appointments in court. And or, hey, we’re we’re helping you do some things around the house whenever you’re overseas doing your adoption, which is going to put you three weeks in country. You know, there are some good examples like that. Andrew Hopper — But the other thing that we’ve learned is, you know, foster care and adoption families that are that are walking through this, they’re going through a very trying time. And to just pair them with somebody they don’t know and say, hey, look, here’s your supporter, it can be a little bit like, oh, that’s awesome, and then they never reach out to them.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — They never reach out – the rope holder’s ready.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — But it’s just like, dude, I don’t I don’t know you. And this is a hard time.Rich Birch — Who are you? Yeah, yeah.Andrew Hopper — And so what we’re trying to figure out now as we reboot that rope holder idea is, you know, how how do you kind of integrate relationships they’ve already had? Almost like, hey, do you have this massive pool of people called rope holders? Or when an adoptive family comes up, you say to them, hey, who can we shoulder tap, rope holder for you.Rich Birch — That’s good.Andrew Hopper — And then we’ll train them.Rich Birch — Oh, that’s cool. Yeah.Andrew Hopper — But not have this pool, but say for you, we’ll put them in. So that’s kind of what we’re, so as part of our reboot for 2030, you know, that’s sort of what’s in our mind right now.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool.Andrew Hopper — We have a whole playbook for the way we’ve done it, which anybody, you know, if anybody wants any of those things, they can go to AndrewPHopper.com/chosen. And I can send you any of that stuff we have, but on the rope holder side, you know, just full transparency, we’re still, you know, kind of, of you know, and I’m sure it’ll always be that way that we make an improvement.Rich Birch — Yeah, always trying to make it better. Yeah. And I want to, yeah, at some point in this journey, you decided, hey, we’ve got to put this vision and framework into writing, like we and you actually ended up writing a book, and friends who are listening in, I want to encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. Listen, we’re almost half an hour in. I know you’re interested in this. This is the kind of thing you, Andrew’s a trusted leader. He’s, I’ve had a chance to take a peek at the book. This will be super helpful for you. But, but that’s a lot of effort to put this together into a book. What pushed you from just leading this ministry to ultimately saying, hey, I want to capture this into a resource that could help other people?Andrew Hopper — Well, you know, Rich, I never really saw myself as like a writer, just like a practitioner, man. Let’s just keep keep working on the thing and going.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — And truthfully, I got approached. Hey, would you have any interest in writing? You know, New Growth Press is the one that’s editing this book and putting it out. And it was funny, though, because the second I was asked, I was like, man, I know what we should do [inaudible] that should be what we should do. It’s it’s our it’s it’s my story’s family story with our special needs child that we’ve adopted. It’s our church’s journey. But more important than either of those two things, it’s a grounding in the gospel-centered motivation. Because I think that is what is so important. We don’t do guilt motivation. And you know, cute kids and sad, cute kids and and sad stories are good reasons, but they you need a great reason, because it’s hard. Rich Birch — That’s good. Yep.Andrew Hopper — You know, and the great reason is of course, adopted people adopt people. And so we delve way into the helplessness of our spiritual condition, how God adopted us and then how, you know, that provides a deep motivation for us to go and do the same for others.Rich Birch — Can you unpack that a little bit more? Because I think this is, ah to me, a core part of the book that I think is really helpful. Even if you’re maybe listening in, you’re thinking, okay, I’m not sure adoption or foster care is necessarily the thing, but you unpack this idea of gospel rather than guilt. And can you talk us through, you know, how, yeah, just talk us through that part, that concept a bit more. Just double click on that a little bit.Andrew Hopper — Yeah. So, you know, when we think about behaviors that flow from the Christian life, there’s really only two ways to think about it, right? Like one of them is we try to do things in order that God would approve of us, you know, that he would, you know, he would, ah he would, he would let us in his family, you know, those those types of things. And we, you know, this is for a lot of Baptistic world, which I am, this was kind of like, wow, this is really revolutionary, but that was 20 years ago – Keller and all that. You know, we just started understanding what more of a gospel center motivation. Andrew Hopper — Of course, the other way to think about Christian behaviors is you are part of the family because of what Christ has done for you. And the family has a culture. The family works a certain way. There’s fruit that will pop out in your life, not so that you can gain entrance into the vine. That’s not how it works. Like, ah you know, you don’t you don’t produce fruit to get in the vine. You produce fruit because you’re in the vine. Andrew Hopper — And so, you know, when we think about like like Titus 2, for example, we think about how the grace of God appears to all men, teaching us not just salvation, but teaching us to obey his commands. So there’s something about salvation that and is inherent to the gospel-centered motivation of of of going out, living the Christian life. You know, it’s it’s kind of the John Bunyan idea when they said, man, if you, you know, if you keep preaching this gospel message, people are going to do whatever they want to do. And he said, no, if I keep preaching this gospel message, people are going to do whatever God wants them to do. Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — You know, and so I think what we’ve done in this book is just say, hey, that that is true universally in our Christian life. Like if I’m not tithing and I’m stingy, I can do motivation in two ways. Number one, how dare you, you piece of trash that you never, you know why would you never give? Look what God, you know, blah blah blah, blah, blah, guilt, guilt, shame, shame. Right. Andrew Hopper — Of course, the other way to say is like, man, what kind of riches has God given you in the gospel? And what kind of inheritance do you now have as a son of the king? It’s like, all right, that’s powerful, you know, and it will it will take us places that guilt never can. Guilt will work for a while. You can put fire under somebody and it’ll move them. But if you put it in them, they’ll run through a wall, you know. Rich Birch — So true.Andrew Hopper — And so it’s like it’s like, hey, OK, so you could do it with all these different things. We’ve tried to take this book and do that with adoption to say, all right.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — We know James 1:27, we need to care for the fatherless and the orphan. We understand. I mean, dude, there ain’t, when you talk about metaphors, there’s two big ones, marriage and adoption, you know? And so if you want to do adoption well, we can do it from two motivations. One motivation is look how many kids need. That’s all and that’s all true. That moves my heart. You know, look, can you believe this story of this kid? And that’s fine.Andrew Hopper — Of course, you could do guilt, too. Like, how dare you, you know, have this nice, happy family and not go adopt a little poor orphan kid. You know, you could do guilt. All those things will be fine. They’ll put fire under you a little bit. But if you want to put the fire in someone that is going to carry them through the long haul of all this stuff, I think it’s better to start with: All right. There’s kids that need to be chosen. Were you chosen?Andrew Hopper — You know, so like one of the you know, one I’ll give you an example. We know of a family here in the tribe. They’ve got an awesome son that is 20-something years old, kids got Down syndrome, and they adopted him from Ecuador. And his story was one day a carpenter was working on this building and he heard cries coming out of a dump, like a trash heap. This child had just been born and been left you know with his deformities had just been left for the dumpster. Andrew Hopper — And they brought him to the orphanage. And next thing you know, you know about three or four years later, he got adopted by this family that we know. And that family’s father, he said, Eddie’s story is my story. I was pulled from a trash heap by a carpenter. And if you it’s like that is powerful. Rich Birch — Right. Yes.Andrew Hopper — You know, when you start thinking about, man, in my sin, I was one who had no part and parcel in the kingdom of God. I was headlong in rebellion. I had rejected. I was not a son. And God lavished his love upon me, that I would be called his child. And if if that has happened to me spiritually, how could I not want to do that? Or at least help those. you know I’m not saying that’s a call for everybody, but be involved in others that are doing that as well.Andrew Hopper — And so that’s what we say. Adopted people, adopt people, chosen people, choose people. And hey, I didn’t answer your last question. Rich Birch — That’s fine.Andrew Hopper — Okay. Your last question was, why did we write the book? Very simply, I think more people just need to think about what I just said. You know, and I think churches do. And I think that if, you know, a lot of churches have adoption-minded people and a little bit of of fuel in that fire might create some really cool ministry in that church. And this book lays really well for being like, man, make it a small group resource for eight weeks. You know, it’s got questions at the end of each chapter.Andrew Hopper — Like my my prayer is that this book would catalyze tens of thousands of Christian adoptions. Rich Birch — Wow. Andrew Hopper — And that’s why we wrote the book.Rich Birch — Yeah. It’s and I thought the same thing as I was looking through it, that this would be a great resource for a small group, a great resource as a staff training thing. Because again, I think there’s two things happening on two levels. From my perspective, there’s what you’re actually talking about – adoption, but then there’s how you talk about it. And I think even both of those, I think could be interesting as a as a staff team to kind of unpack and think about. How do we ensure that what we’re doing is so gospel-infused. That’s part of why i love you as a communicator. I think you do such a good job on that. It’s just fantastic. So I would strongly encourage people to pick it up.Rich Birch — Help me understand the connection. So Mercy Hill is known for, or at least from my perspective, known as a sending church. You know, the thing, one of the and I’ve told again, I told you this before, you’re the first church leader I’ve ever bumped into that has connected new here guests to number of missionaries sent. This like idea of like this funnel of how do we move people all the way along to that? I think that’s incredible. How does that kind of sending culture and adoption, how does that fit together? How does that help kind of fuel the flywheel of what’s happening at Mercy Hill?Andrew Hopper — Well, you you helped me think about this when you came and did our one day for our for our Breaking Barriers group, you know, for the pastoral trainings that we do. Because in your church growth book, you talk about how, ah you know, community ministry is used as an evangelism tool. I’m not, I’m probably butchering the way you talk about it.Rich Birch — Yep. Yep. Oh, that’s good. Yep. That’s great.Andrew Hopper — That was like a big light bulb for me because because we we definitely do that, but we have not leveraged the communications of that.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — And so, um you know, for us now, what we’re trying to really think about is how does our adoption of foster care ministry and rope holding and families count ministry, how does that create open? We call them open doors, right? Rich Birch — Yep.Andrew Hopper — Like, how does it create open doors, questions in the community, where people come in? And we’ve seen it. You know, so like when we’re talking about the sending culture, that pipeline starts when new people get interested in faith, they get interested in church.Andrew Hopper — And, you know, like, for example, we we had a guy, we just did a historic video. Man, he’s saved, baptized, serving now, ah or, you know, family, young family, prototypical Mercy Hill guy, like, man, just you know blue collar heart, white collar job, just that. I mean, just everything we talk about. Right. He’s our he’s kind of our guy. And the way he got connected was his boss had signed up to be a rope holder. And it just blew his mind. Like, why would a guy take limited time and go help these families? I mean, he of course, he thought it was a good thing. But it really intrigued them. Andrew Hopper — And so we’ve tried to we’re trying to leverage more of the communication side. It’s tricky. You don’t want to be like, hey, look at us you know in the community. At the same time, I’m like, man, this year, you know when we’re going to do a pretty significant upgrade to some of the there our foster care system has, there’s a house that has a backyard and the backyard is where families come to play with kids, play with their kids they’re trying to get back from the foster care.Rich Birch — Right. Yep.Andrew Hopper — And we’ve said like, you know what, man, if these parents are putting in, that needs to be like the best, the best backyard, and you know?Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, absolutely. 100%.Andrew Hopper — And so, you know, we’re, we’re going to do a significant investment in some, you know, whatever…Rich Birch — Play structures and yeah. Andrew Hopper — …like a, you know, whatever, like a pergola type thing. They’re going put a shed out there. All going to connect it, pavers, all that stuff is what we want to do. And, you know, we’re, we’re looking at that and I’m going like, yeah, I mean, I get it. Like you don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, but at the same time, that’s not for us. That’s for people that are interested to say like, why would a church do that? You know, like why do they care so much?Andrew Hopper — And it’s because, Hey, sign of the kingdom. We want to build families through adoption. We want to restore families through foster care and families count. This is part of that. So we’ve tried to we’ve tried to use it as a way. And I would really encourage church leaders to think about that. Like, hey, is your community ministry actually an evangelism strategy?Rich Birch — Right. Yeah, that’s good. Love that. And yeah, I would encourage you continue to encourage you to think through those things because I do think that there’s, we’ve seen that there’s huge opportunity for folks who don’t normally attend church. They’re interested the way I’ve said in other contexts is they see it as a good thing. We see it as a God thing. We’re not going to fight them over the semantics of it at the front end. Because like you say it’s it’s the kingdom puncturing through that grabs their attention and you’re like oh what what you know what’s going on there? It’s a first step – how do we encourage those people? Rich Birch — Like on that backyard project, I no doubt if you’re rallying a bunch of guys to go work there, I know that there are guys in your church who have friends who they could invite who don’t attend church who maybe would never walk in your church who’d say, hey, will you come and work for a Saturday for a couple hours and swing a hammer and help us do this thing? Let me explain what this is about.They absolutely would show up, right? 100% they’d show up and and they’ll get intrigued by that. And they’ll be like, oh, what’s going on there? That’s that’s fantastic. Rich Birch — Well, friends, unabashedly, I want you to pick up copies of, not just a copy, copies of this book. So where do we want to send people to pick up copies, that sort of thing?Andrew Hopper — Yeah, man, they can just go to andrewphopper.com/chosen. Rich Birch — Perfect. Yep.Andrew Hopper — The book’s out so they can pick up a copy. I mean, it’s also just like on Amazon or whatever, but that link will take you straight to New Growth Press.Rich Birch — Right.Andrew Hopper — So, yeah, man, would love it. Would love to hear from anybody who’s using it well in a church context um to catalyze Christian adoption.Rich Birch — Love it. Anything else you want to share just as we close and how can people track, go to the website, other places we want to send them as we close up today.Andrew Hopper — Also on Instagram, we have a lot of stuff on Instagram, andrewphopper on Instagram. Yeah, the last thing I would say as a closing thought, Rich, is you know, the Christian adoption boom has sort of happened 20 years ago. People started talking about this a lot more. And now you can feel in some of the podcast world and all that, there’s a bit of a backlash, not not to don’t do it, but also like, hey, no one told us how hard this was going to be. Andrew Hopper — You’re dealing with traumatic situations, kids that have been brought, you know, I mean, it’s, it’s crazy. One thing I try to do in this book is I try to say, Hey, that’s not a good reason to take our ball and go home, you know.Rich Birch — That’s good.Andrew Hopper — Instead we just need to try to shoot as straight as we can. And I do that in this book, man. It is hard. It’s you’re on the front lines of spiritual war. I mean, it’s almost like, dude, the, the, the greatest transfer of faith from one generation to another happens in the home. We love it when adults get saved. I get that. But let’s be honest. Statistically, where does it normally happen? Right. Rich Birch — Yeah. Kids. Andrew Hopper — And so if you got a home that’s broken apart, that Christians are trying to put back together, what did we think Satan was going to do? You know, and so instead of taking our ball and going home, let’s just call it what it is, and then ask the Lord to steel our spine… Rich Birch — That’s good. Andrew Hopper — …and to move forward with the mission. So, yeah, man, I’d love for people to pick it up. And I appreciate the time to talk about it today.Rich Birch — Andrew, thanks so much. Appreciate you. Just want to honor you for the work you do. You’re a great leader. And I love how God’s using you and your church to make a difference. Thanks for being on the show today.Andrew Hopper — Thanks, brother.

When it comes to my own worldview and journey in theology and the Bible, this was a question to settle on an answer for: Did Jesus die for every person who ever lived, or only for the elect? And then there were the follow-up questions: If Jesus died for the everyone, ever, then why weren't their sins paid for? Why do they still go to Hell? And if Jesus died for a "category" of people (and we join that category through deciding to have faith), then can I ever really say that "Jesus died for me?" This is where the heart of the difference lies between Roman Catholics and Reformed Protestants on this issue: the Reformed can say "Jesus Christ loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). This is Limited Atonement, or "Particular Redemption" expressed.Watch my whole Apologetics Answers playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSpUNYR5qo6sv8Pk8x0tmaq8lLQHHlTm&si=FlnSB-pBhZ6SSaJEMen, get real accountability and knowledge to help you become the worldview leader your family and church need. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society FREE. Learn more ➡️ https://hammerandanvil.circle.so/c/join/join-the-hammer-anvil-society----Check out our FREE CLASS on 3 Steps for Unleashing the POWER of Presuppositional Apologetics

Many Christians believe the Bible matters, yet struggle to make it a consistent part of daily life. In this episode, we explore the quiet, reasonable resistance that keeps Scripture from becoming a habit and why missing a day does not mean it is time to quit.

Today we steel-man the Doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment, the view of hell which states that all people who go there will be tormented unceasingly for all eternity. This is part 2 of our series on hell, in which we will make the biblical case for all three historical views of hell held by Christians. Our aim is to educate, not indoctrinate. If you follow along with us as we publish this series, you will be able to decide for yourself what the Bible teaches about hell. That You May Know Him, Episode 282.

As a new year begins, many Christians start thinking about goal setting, vision casting, and how they want their life to look moving forward. We want clarity. We want confidence. We want to follow through—and we want to honor God with the life we're building. Yet for so many growth-minded, faith-filled believers, change doesn't last the way we hope it will. In this episode, we explore the one essential thing that must come first if you want meaningful, lasting change this year—whether you're setting goals, discerning your calling, or simply wanting to live with more intention and peace. If you love personal growth, value your faith, and feel tired of starting over or feeling stuck in familiar patterns, this conversation will meet you right where you are. We'll gently unpack why motivation and discipline alone aren't enough, how your inner world shapes your outer life, and why real transformation begins beneath the surface. This episode blends neuroscience, biblical truth, and identity-based growth to help you approach change in a way that feels grounded, compassionate, and sustainable. You'll walk away with greater self-awareness, renewed hope, and a fresh perspective on what it actually takes to move forward—without striving, pressure, or burnout. This is the beginning of a journey toward living with clarity, confidence, and purpose—from the inside out. _____________________ Join our community on Facebook Follow @ReneeBooe on Instagram  Apply here for 1:1 coaching Learn more on reneebooe.com Book Renee to speak at your event HERE

Pastor Shaun and Pastor Joe kick off the year with a message on how 2026 is going to be different. That we all need to show that we are Christians both on the inside and on the outside!

Jase offers a painfully funny account of a pre-dawn mishap that leaves his family jewels in serious jeopardy and the rest of the room somewhere between laughing and wincing. Al celebrates turning 61 and reflects on feeling healthier than ever—even as Jase's story proves that the margin for error gets slimmer with age. The guys lay out an overview of 1 John, as well as an account of John's remarkable life. They also dig into why the early church had to defend the truth that Jesus really appeared in the flesh, not as an idea or symbol, but as a living, tangible person.  In this episode: Proverbs 6, verses 26–29; John 20, verses 30–31; 1 Timothy 3, verse 16; John 17, verses 20–26; 1 John 1-5 “Unashamed” Episode 1242 is sponsored by: https://chministries.org/unashamed — See why Christians are ditching health insurance for good. Get a simpler alternative at half the cost! https://helixsleep.com/unashamed — Get 27% off sitewide and make sure you enter our show name after checkout so they know we sent you! Get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas when you download the FREE Upside App and use promo code UNASHAMED! http://unashamedforhillsdale.com/ — Sign up now for free, and join the Unashamed hosts every Friday for Unashamed Academy Powered by Hillsdale College Check out At Home with Phil Robertson, nearly 800 episodes of Phil's unfiltered wisdom, humor, and biblical truth, available for free for the first time! Get it on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and anywhere you listen to podcasts! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-home-with-phil-robertson/id1835224621 Listen to Not Yet Now with Zach Dasher on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, or anywhere you get podcasts. Chapters: 00:00-13:08 Jase nearly burns off the family jewels 13:09-19:32 Why Willie is bitter about Zach's congressional run 19:33-27:19 Jase finds better hunters than even the Robertsons 27:20-37:00 Overview of 1 John & John's amazing life 37:01-43:34 The fellowship of life 43:35-54:10 The fellowship of death — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday's Mark Levin Show, Michael Reagan, the eldest adopted son of President Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman, passed away at age 80 in Los Angeles. He was a man of deep faith who overcame early issues to become an engaging and supportive figure, strongly defending his father, Ronald Reagan, and backing President Trump. He wasn't just the son of a president; he was a strong voice for conservative principles and a defender of the values that made this country great. Also, the military's operation that swiftly removed Nicholas Maduro from Caracas, without injuring any American soldiers, was spectacular. Democrats previously called for Maduro's removal but now criticize the action, raising questions of impeachment of President Trump and war crimes. There's a lack of national unity. In the past both parties would celebrate such an event and praise the president and military, but now Democrats oppose it while their militia protests in U.S. cities. The country is in deep trouble regardless of the president, as constitutional protections for free speech and association are exploited by these groups, now joined by a recurring Hitlerian wing of neo-fascists who celebrate Hitler and Stalin, obsessively trash Jews, evangelical Christians supporting Israel, and the U.S. itself, while promoting Islamism and Sharia law. Later, property rights are fundamental human rights, earned through intellectual and physical labor, reflecting one's limited time on earth to accumulate wealth for family. Slogans like Zohran Mamdani's "warmth of the community" mask an iron fist of centralized government that erodes individual rights and liberties, rejecting Enlightenment and Judeo-Christian values in favor of Islamism and Marxism, which are incompatible with America's founding. The collective dehumanizes individuals and diminishes their creations. Afterward, these ideologies, whether Islamist or Marxist are incompatible with Americanism, posing a survival threat rather than an affordability issue. Marxism has failed everywhere, yet it's not taught in schools, media, or by podcasters. Our generation—parents and grandparents—must reclaim the public square to shield children from brainwashing by these diabolical saboteurs, including the Democrat Party, historically hostile to American beliefs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Description:What if the most faithful thing we could do right now is simply pay attention? In this episode of For the Love, Jen and Amy sit down with theologian, ethics professor, and artist Lee C. Camp for a soulful conversation about the kind of faith that wakes us up to what truly matters. As part of our Wake Up Call series on faith, Lee invites us to slow down and notice the world—our lives, our neighbors, and the beauty that keeps trying to reach us. Together, they explore why paying attention is not a luxury but a spiritual practice—and how our obsession with productivity, planning, and certainty can cause us to miss the most beautiful and formative parts of our lives. Lee reflects on what it means to know ourselves as deeply beloved by God, not because of what we produce but because love is the starting point of a life well lived. This conversation traces the threads of human flourishing and imagination, and asks why beauty—found in art, nature, poetry, and story—often teaches us more about God than arguments ever could. As he often does on his own No Small Endeavor podcast, Lee challenges us to consider what Christians are being called to wake up to in this season: a renewed attention to community, to creation, and to a church that is something we practice together, not merely something we attend. If you're longing for a faith that feels grounded, spacious, and alive—one that helps you live a good life in the world you actually inhabit—this episode is a gentle, necessary wake-up call. Thought-provoking Quotes: “What Christianity most needs right now is to rediscover the basics of the beautiful story which we claim to believe.” – Lee C. Camp The model of the cross means that if we take up our cross and follow Christ, that we can expect difficulty because so much of human history doesn't want that kind of way. Religious powers don't want that. Imperialist powers don't want that. And so we can trust that we're going to have our own kind of crosses to bear along the way. And yet that life has triumphed over death. That love has triumphed over hatred. that beauty and truth and goodness has triumphed over hostility and ugliness and meanness. And so that's the big story.” – Lee C. Camp I deeply understand why a lot of people just can't believe all this [religious] stuff. But for me, it, the story at its best. is so beautiful that I don't know why everybody doesn't want to believe it, even if they can't believe it. It's this place  we embody this narrative, embody this beauty, embody this brokenness in which we try to find tangible ways to do life together.” – Lee C. Camp Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Jen Hatmaker on Lee Camp's No Small Endeavor podcast | Jen Hatmaker: When Everything Breaks: Grief, Growth, and Human Flourishing – https://www.nosmallendeavor.com/jen-hatmaker-when-everything-breaks-grief-growth-and-human-flourishing No Small Endeavor Podcast – https://www.nosmallendeavor.com/ Munther Isaac: Palestinian Christian Pastor on War, Hope, and Love –https://www.nosmallendeavor.com/munther-isaac-palestinian-christian-pastor-on-war-hope-and-love Munther Isaac Sermon | Christ in the Rubble – youtube.com/watch?si=zK8OKK_xGMZR64ZD&v=ZPTrmN6Dzmw&feature=youtu.be Guest's Links: Website - https://www.leeccamp.com/home Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/LeeCCamp Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/leeccamp Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2Rk2D2fHz5mzmJT8G-x9uO5kyhQiU1N2 Podcast - https://www.nosmallendeavor.com/ The Subtext Podcast – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-subtext/id1835471106 Connect with Jen!Jen's Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen's Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen's Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen's Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen's YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was one of the bestselling Christian comedians on the touring circuit, with millions in revenue, a dedicated staff, and followers willing to fund his lifestyle with “love offerings.” But soon, two journalists - a pair of fellow Christians, no less - shed a less-than-flattering light on the self-proclaimed Bishop, and the whole empire came tumbling down. This week's episode is Mike Warnke, Fake Satanist – Part 2.Click here for this week's show notes.Click here to sign up for our Patreon and receive hundreds of hours of bonus content.Please click here to leave a review and tell us what you think of the show.Please consider supporting the companies that support us!-Go to Quince.com/creepy for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too.-Head to tryfum.com and use code CREEPY to claim your Double Cores and your free gift before this New Years offer closes for good.-This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/SINISTER-Hero Bread is offering 10% off your order. Go to hero.co and use code CREEPY at checkout. -For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you go to Nutrafol.com and enter the promo code CREEPY.

Tammy Comer returns to the Exorcist Files. After years of chronic illness and no medical explanation, Tammy Comer ultimately found healing through deliverance. In an incredible testimony told in Season 1 of the Exorcist Files, Tammy's story challenged the notion that Christians cannot face demonic assault. She returns to the show to talk about her story, how it's changed her and how she has seen healing through deliverance in others.Thank you to our sponsors!Remi- Go to shopremi.com/EXFILES and use code EXFILES at checkout for 50% off.Babbel- Learn a new Language and get up to 55% off your subscription at Babbel.com.com/exfilesGraza- Take your food to the next level with Graza Olive Oil. Visit https://graza.co/EXFILES and use promo code EXFILES today for 10% off your first order!Cowboy Collostrum- Get 25% Off Cowboy Colostrum with code EXFILES at https://www.cowboycolostrum.com/EXFILESWant more content? Ask Me Anythings Or Just Support The Show?-Join the Vault!Exorcistfiles.supercast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The new year began with a successful U.S. military operation to capture Venezuela's president. But the mission killed approximately 80 people and is being condemned by some American and international leaders as illegal. Esau McCaulley joins Phil and Skye this week to discuss the fallout from the operation. Was it legal? Was it moral? And what does it reveal about Trump's vision of America? Kaitlyn talks with author Sara Billups about her new book, "Nervous System," and how our age of anxiety is affecting Christians and the whole church. Also this week—the Trump administration celebrated the holidays with Christian memes, festive taunts, and "Ice Ice Baby."   Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147587950/   Bonus Interview with Sarah Billups: https://www.patreon.com/posts/147498089/   0:00 - Show Starts   2:52 - Theme Song   3:13 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!   4:15 - Sponsor - Our Place - Go to https://www.fromourplace.com and use code HOLYPOST to get 10% off site wide on beautiful cookware!   5:23 - Christmas   7:35 - Trump Got Venezuela?   13:46 - What Does America Want to Be?   28:34 - Trump Administration's Christmas   36:10 - Optimism and America   44:50 - Sponsor - Poncho - If you've been looking for the perfect shirt—something breathable, fits great, feels even better, and stands out in a good way—give Poncho a try. Get $10 off your first order by using this link: https://www.ponchooutdoors.com/holypost   46:02 - Sponsor - Brooklyn Bedding - Use code HOLYPOST for 30% off sitewide for a great night's sleep! Go to https://www.brooklynbedding.com/holypost   47:04 - Sponsor - DripDrop - Fast hydration in 16 original flavors! Get 20% on your first order and use promo code HOLYPOST! Go to https://www.dripdrop.com   48:05 - Interview   50:28 - Why Write About Anxiety?   56:14 - Practicing Non-Anxiousness   1:02:40 - Lasting Effects of Fundamentalist Mindsets   1:09:17 - The Church as a Non-Anxious Presence   1:18:09 - End Credits Links: Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics by Sara Billups: https://amzn.to/3N0A60t   Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  

Genesis 4:1–15 Jealousy, anger, and murder have existed from the beginning. We see them in the first few pages of the Bible. How Christians handle their emotions and temptations toward sin matters. Dig deep into Genesis 4 with Pastor Chuck Swindoll. Face the reality of hatred and sin by examining the tragedy of Cain and Abel. Refuse to tolerate jealousy and unrestrained anger. Release it to God. His way provides the way out—take it!

Guest: Professor Edward J. Watts. Emperor Diocletian reorganized the empire's administration and persecuted Christians to protect his new system. Following Diocletian's retirement, Constantine seized power through civil war, attributing his military victory to a Christian vision. Constantine subsequently established Constantinople as a new, grand capital to rival Rome.

“How do we respond to people that accuse Catholics of celebrating pagan holidays?” This question opens a discussion on the misconceptions surrounding Catholic traditions. Additionally, the episode addresses the relationship between Christians and Muslims as brothers, the distinctions between Catholic doctrine and dogma, and the Catholic perspective on predestination. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 28:55 – Curious why the Catholic Faith does not teach dispensationalism? 36:08 – What is the difference between Catholic Doctrine and Catholic Dogma? 47:25 – If catholicism is true, then protestantism is false, but if protestantism is true, then catholicism is idolatry. 51:02 – What is the catholic view on predestination? 54:02 – My friend is protestant and is interested in church history where can he find the papacy in early Church history?