Podcasts about Wheaton College

Dr. Timothy Larsen writes about serious, energetic faith in the places other historians assume the faith cannot really be. A Victorian Christian fantasist. A Westminster canon who quietly set aside biblical authority. And, in his newest and most acclaimed book, seventeen Anglican chaplains who came out of the trenches of World War I as radicals. Tim is McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College and the 2025 president of the American Society of Church History, and this hour is us moving through three of his books at once. The Fires of Moloch takes its title from H. G. Wells's line describing Britain sending its sons into the fires of a false god during the Passchendaele Offensive. George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles takes the mid-nineteenth-century Scottish theological turn from the Age of Atonement to the Age of the Incarnation and shows what happens when a rigorously Calvinist minister-turned-fantasy-writer decides doubt is the door in, and therefore the door out, of a mature faith. Every Leaf, Line, and Letter returns to Tim's PhD supervisor David Bebbington's famous quadrilateral for defining evangelicalism and asks what it takes to keep that word doing honest work now that polls will code Muslim Trump voters as evangelical. Come for Anglo-Catholic sacramental confession as battle-tested ministry. Stay for the George MacDonald grandmother who burned her son's violin because he enjoyed music too much. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Timothy Larsen is McManis Professor of Christian Thought and Professor of History at Wheaton College, an Honorary Fellow of the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, All Souls College, Oxford, and Christ Church, Oxford. In 2025 he served as President of the American Society of Church History. He has authored or edited more than twenty books. Books at the center of this conversation: The Fires of Moloch: Anglican Clergymen in the Furnace of World War One; George MacDonald in the Age of Miracles: Incarnation, Doubt, and Reenchantment ; and Every Leaf, Line, and Letter: Evangelicals and the Bible from the 1730s to the Present. JOIN OUR OPEN ONLINE CLASS: The Empire Christ Couldn't Keep⁠ Ever notice how Christian nationalism gets talked about like it's some bizarre new glitch in the faith? It isn't — it's a 2,000-year-old arrangement wearing new clothes, and once you see how the pattern works, you can also spot the Christ who keeps slipping free of it. Join theologian Joerg Rieger and Tripp Fuller for The Christ Empire Couldn't Keep, a free six-week online class tracing the holy alliances, imperial creeds, and stubborn resistance that have shaped Christianity from Paul to the present. You'll get six lectures from Joerg, six live Q&As, weekly readings from his book Christ and Empire, and a community of fellow troublemakers thinking it through together. It's free to join, every session is recorded, and it kicks off Thursday, August 27. Grab your spot at ⁠HomebrewedClasses.com.⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Almost everyone thinks the third commandment is about language. Watch your mouth. Do not use God's name as a curse word. Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology, takes us back to the Hebrew of Exodus 20:7 and shows that the command was never about how you say God's name. The verb was never "take." It was "carry." And that single word reopens the entire meaning of Sinai.Drawing on the research behind her book Bearing God's Name, Dr. Imes traces what it actually meant for Israel to be stamped with God's name and sent out as His representatives. We get into the high priest who wore the names of the twelve tribes on his body, the invisible tattoo that marked a people as God's own, the ancient practice of branding slaves, and the moment God sealed His name onto Israel. From there the conversation moves through the exile, into the Gospels, and lands on what it means for anyone who claims the name of Christ today.In this episode you will learn:- Why "take the Lord's name in vain" is a mistranslation and what the Hebrew actually says- How the verb "carry" or "bear" changes the meaning of the entire command- Why the high priest wore the names of the twelve tribes on his shoulders and chest- What it meant for Israel to be branded with God's name like an invisible tattoo- The ancient link between tattoos, slavery, and belonging to a master- How this one command reframes all Ten Commandments- Why the exile became a crisis for God's reputation among the nations- How Jesus embodies Israel's mission and bears the name perfectly- What it means for the church to carry God's name well, or in vain, todayAbout the Guest:Dr. Carmen Joy Imes is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology (PhD, Wheaton College). She is currently writing a commentary on Exodus for Baker Academic.Her books include:Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still MattersBearing YHWH's Name at Sinai (the academic edition of her dissertation)Being God's Image: Why Creation Still MattersBecoming God's Family: Why the Church Still MattersHer books are available on Amazon and through InterVarsity Press.Website: carmenjoyimes.comYouTube: Carmen Joy Imes (home of Torah Tuesday and her weekly teaching)Stay Connected:Website: johnnyova.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thejohnnyovaGet Johnny's book, The Revelation Reset: https://a.co/d/hiUkW8H

Abuse cover-up at Wheaton College and Lindsey Graham died leading to a thirty-three percent drop in war just kidding I made that last part up.  The guys welcome a special four-legged guest—Ranger the pod dog—before diving straight into the chaos of the internet comment section. Things get spicy as they tackle wild online reactions to their controversial takes on Noah's flood, divine violence, and the Nephilim.  Later in the show, the hosts reflect on the passing of Lindsey Graham, unravel the troubling cover-up scandal out of Wheaton College, and dissect the subtle art of soccer flopping and terrible baseball umpires.  Grab a drink, stick around through the technical choppiness, and let us know in the comments where we got it wrong! 00:00:30 - Show Intro & Pod Dog Ranger Joins 00:02:09 - Drink Sponsor Ideas & Riverside Technical Issues 00:04:06 - Internet Comments: The Flood & Divine Violence 00:07:22 - Dealing with Blasphemy Accusations & Fundamentalist Energy 00:18:54 - Enthusiast Personalities & Deep Dive Hobbies 00:24:23 - Lindsey Graham's Passing & War Theories 00:29:19 - Wheaton College Controversy & Institutional Cover-ups 00:46:12 - Zach's Odd Visit to Wheaton 00:50:31 - Institutional Fear vs. Truth 00:58:10 - Sports Talk: The Lakers & Soccer Flopping 00:03:31 - Bad Umpires & John Boy Media SUBSCRIBE & SHARE us this week!Contact Us: brosbiblesbeer@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Leave Us A VoicemailYouTubeSimpleCastSpotifyApple PodcastsXInstaWe Should Know Better is: Zack Krater & Andy McCraw Find us wherever fine podcasts are distributed. Oh, and share us with a friend this week! Grace. Peace. Cheers! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

God is not waiting to give you something. He's waiting for you to go get what He's already given. That's the tension at the heart of this episode, and if you've ever found yourself in a season of praying, waiting, and wondering why nothing seems to be moving, Christine Caine has a direct word for you from the Book of Joshua: how long will you put off going in to possess the land? In this week of our summer series, Christine Caine brings the entire series to a point. We've built the roots. We've developed the resilience. We've walked through shame, waited through the wilderness, found the peace. Now comes the question that determines whether any of it produces fruit: are you willing to go in and possess what God has already promised you? Because the abundant life Jesus described in John 10:10 was never meant to be dropped from the sky. It was meant to be walked into actively, faithfully, and at personal cost. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ Why does it feel like God's promises are for everyone else but not for me? ✅ I've been praying and believing for years, but why haven't I seen the breakthrough yet? ✅ What does it actually mean to possess the promises of God — is there something I need to do? ✅ How do I know what I need to cut away in order to move forward? ✅ Is the abundant life Jesus promised actually available to me right now, in my circumstances? ✅ Why do some Christians seem to walk in blessing and favor while others don't? ✅ Am I co-laboring with God or just waiting for Him to do something I'm supposed to participate in? …then this is your episode.

The KJV of 2 Sam. 17:3 reads in part, "And I will bring back all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the people shall be in peace," whereas the ESV reads, "and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace." Behind this difference is a fascinating story of rediscovery worthy of Indiana Jones. Dr. Michael Graves, a frequent contributor to this podcast, is Armerding Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College. He is the translator of Commentary on Jeremiah (Ancient Christian Texts) and author of How Scripture Interprets Scripture, among other things.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4tiQPeS  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4eXoqY4 

Show Transcript https://youtu.be/7D_mStBw7aU Did Wheaton College President Phil Ryken lie when he claimed in a recent statement that he apologized to the congregation of his previous church for mishandling abuse? In this stunning podcast, an eyewitness says yes. And he explains what really happened, which is a far cry from the statement Wheaton College recently […]

Dr. Ben Norquist is a writer, scholar, and serves as the Director of Communications & Development for Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice, bringing Palestinian Christian teaching into conversations within the global church. Dr. Brian Miller is a professor of sociology at Wheaton College, and his research interests include the American suburbs (particularly their development, culture, depictions in media, and housing), cities, religion and place and how it relates to American evangelicalism and culture. Together, Ben and Brian wrote a recent book together called: Every Somewhere Sacred: Rescuing a Theology of Place in the American ImaginationTime Stamps00:00 Introduction02:01 What is a Theology of Place? 06:56 Ethics and Place. 11:29 The Morality of Cities. Why do we build these places? 17:11 Patriotism, Christian Citizenship & Love of Place 23:54 Gentrification, NIMBYism & Who Is My Neighbor?30:33 What Theology of Place Is Trying to Recover34:40 Israel-Palestine Through the Lens of Land40:34 Christianity in the Big City vs. Rural Christianity and the Suburbs49:2 Where to Find More Brian and BenSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See a snapshot of Elisabeth Elliot's gift to Joni. --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

In this episode, Jessie Cruickshank and Julia Schmaltz join me to talk about Becoming Good News and the argument at its center: that discipleship is less about acquiring information and trying harder and more about receiving; receiving a name and a story. We get into what happens in the brain when something finally gets named, why the sentences we say about ourselves function as theology, and how autobiographical memory shapes the story we think we're living in. We talk about the difference between receiving an identity and constructing one, why "receive" sounds like laziness to American ears, how healthy spiritual authority flows out of knowing who you are, and why loving your enemy turns out to be a requirement that starts in infancy rather than a skill reserved for the mature.Jessie Cruickshank is a Harvard-trained expert in the neuroscience of transformation. She founded Whoology to equip churches and leaders worldwide in brain-based discipleship. Author of Ordinary Discipleship and a sought-after speaker, Jessie weaves story, science, and faith to inspire lasting change. She lives in Colorado, where she enjoys mountain adventures with her husband.Julia Schmaltz is a storyteller and leader with three decades of ministry experience and serves as the chief operating officer of Identity Exchange, equipping others to live fearlessly in their true identity. Julia holds a master's in evangelism and leadership from Wheaton College and is shaping discipleship efforts across the globe. She lives in Orange County, California, with her husband and three adult children.Jessie & Julia's Book:Becoming Good NewsConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

You can have deep roots, genuine resilience, open hands, and real faith — and still not fully flourish. Because flourishing requires freedom. And for most of us, the thing standing between us and that freedom is something we've been carrying so long we don't notice the weight anymore. It's shame. In week 8 of our summer series, Christine Caine gets personal. This is the episode where she shares the testimony that reaches the part of us we don't usually let anyone see, the part that wonders, quietly and persistently, whether we are actually enough. Whether God could really use someone like us. Whether what happened to us has somehow disqualified us from what He intended for us. Christine Caine takes us back to Genesis 2, to the last verse before the fall, to the one thing God never designed us to carry, and shows that shame was never part of the original design. The enemy introduced it precisely because it is the most effective weapon against the thing he most wants to destroy: a life bearing fruit for the Kingdom. In this episode, Christine Caine opens her own story and shows what happened when she chose to place the truth of God's Word over the facts of her circumstances. She doesn't minimize the facts. She simply introduces a force that is higher than the facts: the truth of who God says you are. The takeaway that will stay with you: the thing the enemy used to shame you is often the very thing God will use to qualify you. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ Why do I still feel like I'm not enough, even after years of faith? ✅ Can God really use someone with a past like mine? ✅ How do I separate my identity from what happened to me? ✅ What do I do with shame that feels too deep or too old to shift? ✅ How do I believe what God says about me when the facts of my life say something different? ✅ Is it possible to flourish when I'm still carrying things I haven't told anyone? ✅ What does it actually mean to be God's workmanship — and does that include me? …then this is your episode.

In this episode of the Pastor Theologians Podcast, we invite Heather Joy Zimmerman, a member of CPT's St Irenaeus fellowship, to share how profound personal suffering shaped both her faith and her calling. Reflecting on the loss of a close friend, her father's battle with cancer, and her journey through lament, Heather explains how God used Scripture—especially Romans 8 and the Psalms—to deepen her understanding of God's goodness and inspire a lifelong passion for helping others faithfully navigate suffering. Heather also traces her path from Moody Bible Institute to Dallas Theological Seminary and Wheaton College, where her academic work on the Psalms of lament and preaching emerged from her own spiritual journey. She discusses her passion for theological education, forming faithful preachers, and bridging the gap between the academy and the local church. The conversation offers a compelling vision of the Pastor Theologian—one whose scholarship is rooted in personal faith, pastoral ministry, and a deep love for Christ and his people.Join us at the CPT Conference

Paul writes to the Philippian believers, "if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love . . . ." Does he doubt that they do? How do conditional sentences work on occasions like this? Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college's history. His most recent book is I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4urqZpE  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4eMmXnB 

FROM THE ARCHIVES 2017:The discussion centered on the need for revival, emphasizing the importance of a visitation from God to address the current moral and spiritual decline. Speaker referenced Second Chronicles 7:14, highlighting the conditions for God's forgiveness and healing of the land. The conversation also referenced Charles Finney's observations on revival, noting the deep convictions of sin it brings. Examples included a 1995 Wheaton College revival where students confessed sins publicly, and the 1949-1952 Hebrides revival, marked by profound spiritual experiences and community transformation. The speaker stressed the urgency of spiritual awakening to restore biblical truth and moral perception.

Americans have stopped looking to the Bible for answers. We assume we already know the story. Dr. Adam Rasmussen joins The Narrative to reveal the data on biblical worldview and remind us that real understanding only starts when we trust and engage with the source.More About Dr. Adam RasmussenAs a Fellow at the Cultural Research Center and the Dean of the College of Arts & Humanities at Arizona Christian University, Dr. Adam Rasmussen draws upon his 25 years of experience in Christian education to inspire students to thrive under the Lordship of Christ in all aspects of their lives. With a passion for helping students connect their faith with reason and culture, he guides them to make meaningful and relevant connections that go beyond mere academic study. Dr. Rasmussen is a magna cum laude graduate of Northwestern College, where he earned a BA in history. He also holds an MA in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College, as well as a PhD in Educational Studies with a focus on leadership and administration from the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. His research interests include biblical literacy, educational ministries, and Christian apologetics.Support the show: https://www.ccv.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As artificial intelligence reshapes technology at an unprecedented pace, two fundamental questions emerge, will AI replace software developers? Who really owns data in an AI-driven world?KEY MOMENTS   02:47 Summarization of the New World 7:41 How does it impact the developer community 10:50 What was expected on developer 16:40 Who owns the data? 22:30 Data Protocol 25:50 Developers Alliance Mission 32:22 How to contact Jake WardIn this episode of the FIT4Privacy Podcast, host Punit Bhatia speaks with Jake Ward Co-founder of Data Protocol and Developers Alliance to unpack these critical issues.The conversation explores why today's AI disruption is part of a recurring technology cycle, and why, despite rapid advancements, developers are not disappearing but evolving. From coding to engineering, from execution to decision-making, the role of developers is shifting toward higher-value, context-driven work.The episode also dives into one of the most complex topics in the AI era: data ownership. As data becomes more aggregated, personalized, and abstracted, traditional ideas of ownership are being challenged. Instead of clear ownership lines, organizations must focus on data governance, compliance, and responsible usage.  ⸻ ABOUT THE GUEST Jake Ward is the co-founder and board chair of the Developers Alliance, the leading advocate for developers worldwide, and co-founder and chief executive officer of Data Protocol, a learning platform that helps developers and developer-led companies succeed. Since graduating from Wheaton College and Northeastern University, Jake's extensive career has spanned policy communications, technology, and entrepreneurship.      ABOUT THE HOST    Punit Bhatia is one of the leading privacy experts who works independently and has worked with professionals in over 30 countries. Punit works with business and privacy leaders to create an organization culture with high privacy awareness and compliance as a business priority. Selectively, Punit is open to mentor and coach privacy professionals.   ⸻ Resources & Links  Guest Links Jake Ward• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmward/  • Website: Developers Alliance - Shaping the Future of Innovation https://devalliance.org/ https://dataprotocol.com/   Grow Skills (Privacy Courses & Insights) • Courses: https://growskills.store/courses/ • Insights: https://growskills.store/insights/ • Website: https://growskills.store/  FIT4Privacy • Website: https://www.fit4privacy.com • Podcast: https://www.fit4privacy.com/podcast • Blog: https://www.fit4privacy.com/blog • YouTube: http://youtube.com/fit4privacy  Punit Bhatia • Website: https://www.punitbhatia.com  Books  • Be Ready for GDPR • AI & Privacy – How to Find Balance • Intro to GDPR • Be an Effective DPO   

What does it mean to be human — really? In an age of AI, transhumanism, and relentless technological "progress," Christians are making confident claims about humanity without a solid theological foundation underneath them. In this episode, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Ashish Varma sit down with Dr. Marc Cortez, Dean of the Litvin School of Divinity at Wheaton College, to explore one of the most urgent and underdeveloped doctrines in Christian thought: theological anthropology. Dr. Cortez challenges the tendency to let the Image of God do all the heavy lifting — and makes a compelling case that the human body is not merely an instrument of the soul, but is fundamental to what it means to be made in God's image. Drawing from ancient idol language in Genesis 1, the resurrection, and modern cognitive science, this conversation reorients how Christians should think about embodiment, flourishing, technology, and even taking care of a tree. If you've ever wondered whether your theology can hold up in a world reshaped by AI, this is the episode to start with. KEY TAKEAWAYS The Image of God (Imago Dei) uses ancient idol language — humans are the material means by which God manifests His divine presence in the world We cannot think well about AI, transhumanism, sexuality, race, or disability without first building a robust theology of embodiment The soul-body hierarchy in Christian history was never meant to devalue the body — but it almost always has "Spiritual maturity" and "physical health" belong on the same list — our bifurcation of them reveals a modern, unbiblical blind spot Before making confident claims about technology making us "less human," ask the prior question: what does it mean to be human in the first place? Christian eschatology (resurrected, transformed bodies) gives us more theological complexity around human enhancement than most people realize Dr. Cortez's shorthand for the Image of God: "We are the material means by which God is seeking to manifest His divine presence in a unique way in the world." Get early access and a bonus with a Patreon membership. Subscribe to our YouTube channel To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

God never said, "Hurry up." He said, "Wait." And most of us are terrible at it. In week seven of our summer series, Christine Caine speaks into the season most of us are trying to get through as fast as possible — the waiting room. The season between the promise and the fulfillment. The gap between what God said and what you can currently see. Most of us treat that gap as a problem to be solved or a delay to be endured. Christine Caine makes clear it's neither. It is the place where the deepest roots get formed. She takes us through David's journey, not to show us how he arrived, but to show us what happened in between. Because David didn't just wait. He became. Every stage of the process taught him something he could not have learned any other way. The sheep. The palace. The cave. The wilderness. None of it was wasted. All of it was preparation. Waiting on God is not passive. It is the most active, faith-filled posture you can take. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ I feel called and gifted — so why does it feel like nothing is happening? ✅ How do I stay faithful in a season that feels pointless or beneath me? ✅ What do I do when life feels genuinely unfair and God hasn't explained why? ✅ How do I trust God's timing when I'm watching less qualified people get ahead? ✅ Is the hard season I'm in actually preparing me for something or have I missed my moment? ✅ What's the difference between being anointed and being appointed — and what happens in between? ✅ How do I keep turning up when I've been overlooked, misunderstood, or treated unjustly? …then this is your episode.

In the hevel-ridden world of Ecclesiastes the writer is asking whether it is all worth it for human beings. These reflections resonate with a modern audience, but what can be hard to grasp in translation is the sound of the Hebrew sentences, which itself assists in conveying the intended meaning. Bradley Cameron (PhD, Wheaton), who has been on the podcast before, is Visiting Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. His dissertation was, "Learning to Fear: An Exploration of the Fear of God in Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Emotion." His publications can be found on his faculty page.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4dbqUQh  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48Dqj8y 

"The Lord used prayer to open my heart to Ukraine." Discover how a heartfelt prayer journey led Kendra Patty to make an impactful difference as a full-time missionary. Kendra, a missionary kid who grew up in Slovenia with Josiah Venture, studied economics and international relations at Wheaton College. She moved to Ukraine after the 2022 invasion prompted a year of daily prayer, which led her to a Josiah Venture internship and then to full-time ministry. Now living in Irpin, Kendra leads the internship program in Ukraine and serves as a youth leader, carrying both grief and joy while trusting God's work amid war. She shares how being a third-culture kid shaped her identity in Christ and her heart for Europe, describes recruiting interns despite wartime barriers, and celebrates having 14 interns from five countries. Kendra highlights bonding through the Amazing Race and Intern training, and asks for prayer for an end to the war, encouragement for weary leaders, and for many young people to come to faith. Connect with Us: Follow @josiahventure on Instagram Learn more about Josiah Venture at josiahventure.com Contact: social@josiahventure.com Online Prayer Room Prayer Room App Summer Internships Mission Trips Subscribe & Share: If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend or on your social media. Thank you, friends, and have a blessed day!

Gandalf the wizard as an Old Testament prophet? Hobbits as intercessory priests? Aragorn as a messianic king? Dr. Philip Ryken, president of Wheaton College, joins Brian in the studio to uncover the rich Gospel themes in J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. While Tolkien famously insisted his work was not an allegory, Dr. Ryken explains how the author's faith and theological imagination imbued the text with profoundly Christian motifs—most significantly, “the threefold office of Christ” depicted through several of the story's central characters.Check out Dr. Ryken's book, The Messiah Comes to Middle-Earth: Images of Christ's Threefold Office in The Lord of the Rings:https://www.ivpress.com/the-messiah-comes-to-middle-earth-ebook?srsltid=AfmBOoqIanzXkiPyRO2X4rIxKb0kBGrYOE-fWxYlRUj0R3WN1_0knL92Dr. Ryken has published more than 50 books and he serves as president of Wheaton College: https://www.wheaton.edu/about-wheaton/leadership/president-rykenDr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.htmlIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Your circumstances haven't changed. The storm is still there. So why are you so calm? That's not a problem. That's a testimony. In week six of our summer series, Christine Caine takes us into one of the most practical and quietly radical things a believer can do in a chaotic world: refuse to let your heart spiral. Drawing on Philippians 4:6–7 and John 14, she shows that the peace of God isn't the absence of storms — every single one of us is either heading into one, standing in the middle of one, or coming out of one. Peace isn't what happens when the storm stops. It's what guards your heart while it's still raging. In this episode, Christine Caine unpacks the military language behind Philippians 4:7, the peace of God standing guard like a Roman soldier stationed at the gates of your heart, and makes the case that supernatural peace in the middle of chaos is one of the most powerful witnessing tools a believer has. She's honest about a recent situation that could have sent her spiraling, and shares what it looked like to actually apply Paul's instruction: pray about it, give it to God, and go to bed. Not because the situation was resolved, but because God never sleeps. The takeaway that will stay with you: don't lose your peace over something you can do nothing about. Take it to the only one who can do something about everything. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ How do I stop my mind from spiraling when something scary or uncertain is happening? ✅ Is it possible to genuinely have peace when my circumstances are still a mess? ✅ What does it actually mean to give something to God — and how do I stop picking it back up? ✅ Why does it feel like I'm not allowed to be at peace, like I don't care enough if I'm not worrying? ✅ How do I trust God when I can't see Him doing anything about my situation? ✅ What does biblical peace actually feel like and how is it different from just numbing out? ✅ How do I guard my heart without shutting down or pretending everything is fine? …then this is your episode.

What if the opening chapter of the Bible isn't telling you how God built the universe... but why he moved into it?Dr. John Walton has spent over four decades studying Genesis through the lens of ancient Near Eastern literature, and his conclusion has reshaped the way scholars, pastors, and Christians around the world read the creation account. In this conversation, Dr. Walton walks us through his groundbreaking argument that Genesis 1 is not a material origins story. It's not a science textbook. It's not answering the question "how did God make all the stuff?" It's answering a far more profound question: what kind of world is this, and what is our place in it?Dr. John Walton is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Wheaton College, where he taught for over two decades after 20 years at Moody Bible Institute. He holds a Ph.D. from Hebrew Union College and is the author of the bestselling Lost World series, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, and dozens of other works that have shaped evangelical scholarship for a generation.In this episode you will learn:- Why Genesis 1 is an account of order and function, not material manufacturing- What the Hebrew word "bara" actually does in the text and why "create" doesn't capture it- How the seven days map to a cosmic temple inauguration, not a construction timeline- Why Day 7 is the climax of the entire creation account and what divine rest really means- What ancient Israelites would have understood about the sun, moon, and stars that we completely miss- Why the phrase "the Bible was written for us but not to us" changes everything- How Walton responds to critics who say he's disconnected Genesis from real history- Why his framework removes Genesis from the science vs. faith debate entirely- What's new in his latest book, New Explorations in the Lost World of GenesisGUEST: Dr. John WaltonProfessor Emeritus of Old Testament, Wheaton CollegePh.D., Hebrew Union CollegeThe Lost World of Genesis One:https://a.co/d/07tltChHWheaton College Faculty Page:https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/john-walton/IVP Author Page:https://www.ivpress.com/john-h-waltonBioLogos:https://biologos.org/people/john-waltonSTAY CONNECTEDWebsite:https://www.johnnyova.comYouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@thejohnnyovaThe Revelation Reset:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DQMR4BH3

In Luke 19:3, Zacchaeus is unable to see Jesus because he is short. Is it possible that the short person in question is Jesus?  Jon C. Laansma is Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek & Exegesis and the Director of the Classical Languages program at Wheaton College, and also the Wheaton-based director of this podcast series. Some of his publications may be found here. He is currently working on a commentary on 1 Corinthians for the T&T Clark International Theological Commentary series.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4uOCpV1  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4uu1Ivc 

Wheaton College claims to be for “Christ and His Kingdom.” But when confronted with the school's three-decade, sex abuse cover-up and its devastating consequences, Wheaton's board chairman has chosen to whitewash what the school did, instead of coming clean.

What do you do when you've prayed and nothing has changed? You go again. In week 5 of our summer series, Christine Caine takes us to Elijah on the summit of Carmel: face between his knees, praying in the dark, sending his servant back to the horizon seven times before a cloud the size of a man's hand finally appears. Most of us go once. Maybe twice. Maybe three times. But the fourth, fifth, sixth time — that's where most people stop. That's where faith gets tested not by what we see, but by what we don't. Elijah heard the sound of rain before a single drop fell. That gap, between what you hear in the spirit and what you can see in the natural, is what Christine Caine calls the faith zone. And it's where every one of us will be asked to live. We've committed to the direction. Now comes the test: what do you do when you keep going and it's still hard? Resilience isn't the absence of exhaustion. It's the willingness to eat the bread God puts in front of you and get up one more time. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ I've been praying for the same thing for years and nothing has changed — should I keep going? ✅ How do I pray with faith and expectation when I'm exhausted and discouraged? ✅ What do I do when God feels silent and I can't see anything happening? ✅ How do I hold onto peace without ignoring the reality of what I'm facing? ✅ What does persistent prayer actually look like in everyday life? ✅ Is it okay to feel like giving up — and what do I do when I get there? ✅ How do I keep believing for a miracle when I've seen nothing for so long? …then this is your episode.

We're returning to a soul-filling conversation with Dr. Tom Schwanda ahead of his summer class, "Experiencing the Presence: Walking with God All Day Long," which will be running from July 13-17. Two years ago, he spoke with Claire and Christina about the joys of soul recreation, enjoying God, contemplation and meditation. Drawing on the rich history of the church and artistic engagement with Scripture, Tom invites us to slow down and notice God in our lives. He also tackles the distractions that keep us from God. If you are longing for this kind of rest, consider joining us this summer.Tom's BioAfter serving as a pastor for eighteen years, Tom Schwanda taught Christian spirituality at Wheaton College until his retirement. He now serves as Senior Fellow for Christian Spirituality at the C. S. Lewis Institute and continues to teach Doctor of Ministry courses at several seminaries. He is a trained spiritual director and has published widely. His most recent publication is Whitefield on the Christian Life: New Birth to Enjoy God (Crossway, 2025). His current project involves compiling evening hymns and prayers on sleep and insomnia from across the centuries.Regent College PodcastThanks for listening. Please like, rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice and share this episode with a friend. Follow Us on Social MediaFacebookInstagramYoutubeKeep in TouchRegent CollegeThe Regent VineSummer ProgramsRegent College NewsletterSupport UsGive Back

Jeff Ford leads Man Up and Go, an organization dedicated to ending fatherlessness by championing healthy biblical masculinity — and his story starts with an adoption class he and his wife wandered into back in 2010. That decision led to adopting two kids from Ethiopia and China, a mission trip to Uganda that changed his life, and eventually a full-time calling to disciple men toward what he calls being a "Patros" — an ancient word meaning father, rooted in Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 4:15 about spiritual fathers who pass on wisdom to the next generation. Brian From talks with his old Wheaton College dormmate about his new book, The Way of the Patros, 74 short, three-minute chapters built for the average guy in any town to grow as a man of faith a few minutes at a time. Jeff doesn't shy away from hard data either — citing a stat that the average man has less than one close friend — and makes the case that healthy masculinity requires real vulnerability, brotherhood, and putting faith into action, not just talk. Learn more at manupandgo.org and patros.us, and find The Way of the Patros on Amazon, available for presale through July 28.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are only three words — and Jesus said them in the middle of a conversation about the end times, almost as an aside. But nothing Jesus says is random. “Remember Lot's wife.” Of the possible 170 women mentioned in the Bible, she is the only one Jesus ever told us to remember. Not Eve. Not Sarah. Not Esther. Not Deborah. Not even his own mother. One woman. Three words. And Christine Caine believes Jesus meant every one of them for you. In week 4 of our summer series, Christine opens Luke 17 and Genesis 19 to ask the question Lot's wife couldn't answer: what happens when your longing for what you're leaving behind becomes greater than your trust in what God has promised ahead? In this episode, Christine Caine unpacks the story of Lot's wife — a woman with no name, a single cameo in the Old Testament, and one of the most arresting warnings in all of scripture. Lot's wife was being led out of destruction by an angel, toward the future God had promised her family, and she looked back. Her misplaced longing led to lingering. Her lingering led to being calcified — stuck forever in a place she was only ever supposed to be passing through. Christine Caine makes the case that this is not an ancient cautionary tale. It is the central challenge of the resilient life: will you keep moving forward into what God has for you, or will you keep looking back at what He's asking you to leave behind? ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ Why can't I seem to let go of my past — even when I know God is calling me forward? ✅ Is it wrong to grieve what I've lost or left behind, or does that mean I'm looking back? ✅ How do I know the difference between healthy reflection and destructive nostalgia? ✅ I feel stuck — emotionally, spiritually, in old patterns — how do I move forward? ✅ Why does God ask us to leave things behind that feel safe, familiar, or good? ✅ What does it actually look like to fix my eyes on Jesus when the past keeps pulling at me? ✅ Can God still use me if I've already looked back — if I've already gotten stuck? …then this is your episode.

When Noah (Noach) is first introduced in Genesis 5, it is said that "he will bring us relief (nacham)." This and other wordplays will feature significantly throughout the entire story of the flood, not least in Gen. 6:6-8. Dr. Adam E. Miglio, a frequent contributor to our podcast, is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. His publications include The Gilgamesh Epic in Genesis 1-11: Peering into the Deep and Tribe and State: The Dynamics of International Politics and the Reign of Zimri-Lim.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4dpBfZV  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/49rF9iw 

Words matter — and a post-fight interview at a White House UFC event where a fighter dropped F-bombs, thanked Jesus, and then spread a conspiracy theory about Michelle Obama is Exhibit A. Brian From doesn't let it slide, and his point isn't political: when you claim the name of Jesus publicly, how you speak and how you treat people reflects on Him. From there, a meditation on Ephesians 3:20 and the power of expectation — do you still believe God is doing immeasurably more than you could ask or imagine, or has your faith quietly settled into apathy? Brian makes the case that awe is the fuel of a growing faith, and walks through what that looks like from Moses at the burning bush to Peter at the miraculous catch of fish. A heartfelt reflection on two young Wheaton College alumni lost in a Lake Michigan drowning tragedy. And a closing devotion on the unconditional love of God — not just that He loves you, but that the unconditional part is the part most of us struggle to actually believe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Ben Norquist and Brian Miller make the case that American Christians have become a placeless, rootless people and that we are shaped by inherited land stories. That our land is exceptional. That property is something to wall off. That the ground exists to be taken and turned into wealth. We dig into where these stories came from, how they affect our faith, and why it matters that Scripture opens with God calling place good. We talk about how to read the place you actually live, whose stories get monuments and whose get erased, and what better land stories, ones shaped more like Jesus, might look like.Dr. Ben Norquist is a writer, researcher, and communications strategist whose work explores how Christian understandings of land shape mora/l imagination and public life. He serves with the Bethlehem Institute for Peace & Justice, engaging American Christians on questions of theology, justice, and the realities in Palestine. He is co-author of Every Somewhere Sacred: Rescuing a Theology of Place in the American Imagination (InterVarsity Press, 2026).Brian Miller (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of sociology at Wheaton College and regularly teaches about and publishes on Christian residential and cultural patterns. His books include Sanctifying Suburbia: How the Suburbs Becamethe Promised Land for American Evangelicals and Building Faith: A Sociology of Religious Structures, coauthored with Robert Brenneman.Ben & Brian's Book:Every Somewhere SacredConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

What if the pressure you're under right now isn't a sign that something is going wrong — but that something is being built? We live in a world that treats discomfort as a problem to be solved and pressure as a threat to be escaped. But Christine Caine opens Hebrews with a different diagnosis entirely: the pressure isn't the enemy of your faith. It's the furnace where your faith becomes real. In week 3 of our summer series, Christine Caine closes the Root phase with the message that connects everything: faith, endurance, and pressure don't just coexist — they're designed to work together. James 1 tells us the testing of faith produces endurance. Endurance produces the rooted character that holds a flourishing life. Roots don't grow in comfort. They grow in resistance. This is the last week of the Root phase. Next week everything shifts — and you need this foundation under you before it does. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ How do I keep going in my faith when I'm exhausted and everything feels hard? ✅ Is it okay to feel like I want to quit — and what do I do with that feeling? ✅ Why does God allow so much pressure and pain if He's for me? ✅ What does it mean to run with endurance — is that just white-knuckling it? ✅ How do I stop running from hard things and start growing through them? ✅ What does the "great cloud of witnesses" actually mean for me in my daily life? ✅ How do I build roots strong enough to hold everything God is calling me toward? …then this is your episode.

In a Trinitarian passage, Jesus (the Son) declares, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another παράκλητος (parakletos), to be with you forever." The understanding of that Greek designation of the Holy Spirit is critical for grasping the promise of Jesus, the assurance it contains, and the marks of its fulfillment. Dr. Phil Ryken, who has been a regular on our podcast, is the President of Wheaton College, 8th in the college's history. His most recent book is I Have My Doubts: How God Can Use Your Uncertainty to Reawaken Your Faith. You can hear many of his talks at Family Life Ministry – Podcast or at Every Last Word.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/4wqxtaq  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/48FmVtH 

Andy Cook is the Executive Director at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. He also co-chairs Lausanne North America and every year he hosts the Amplify Conference. Today we talk about what the Billy Graham is doing to promote evangelism and Andy gives evangelists a dangerous prayer they should pray every day. 

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by John Plake, Chief Innovation Officer and Editor-in-Chief of the State of the Bible research at the American Bible Society. With decades of experience as a pastor, missionary, professor, and researcher, John brings a unique perspective on how people are actually engaging with Scripture and what we should do about it. The “movable middle” is growing. // One of the most significant insights from recent research is the rise of what John calls the “movable middle”—millions of people who are open to the Bible but not yet engaged with it. This group has grown by approximately nine million people in recent years. They are curious, interested, and even positive toward Scripture, but they lack the tools, confidence, or guidance to engage it meaningfully. This represents a massive opportunity for churches willing to step in and help. People want a guide. // Through focus groups and research, John discovered that many people in the movable middle feel intimidated by the Bible. They struggle with language, context, and navigation. But perhaps most striking is they want help. Contrary to what some leaders might assume, they are not rejecting the church as a guide. In fact, many say, “If we can't trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good is it?” This creates a clear invitation for churches to step into a more relational, guiding role in discipleship. A surprising discipleship gap. // One of the most sobering findings is that nearly half of weekly church attenders are not regularly engaging Scripture on their own. While churches invest heavily in preaching and programming, many people are not developing personal habits of Bible engagement. John suggests that churches often focus on delivering content rather than equipping people to engage Scripture themselves. The result is a gap between what happens on Sunday and what happens in everyday life. From teaching to equipping. // If churches want to close that gap, they must shift from being primarily content providers to equipping environments. This means helping people develop the skills, habits, and confidence to read and apply Scripture on their own. It also requires understanding the real barriers people face, like time constraints, confusion, or lack of community support, and addressing those barriers with practical solutions. A new tool for churches. // To help leaders take action, the American Bible Society has developed the “Next Step for Church” assessment. This free tool allows churches to measure spiritual health, Bible engagement, and key leadership behaviors within their congregation. Within a few weeks, leaders receive a detailed, data-driven report highlighting strengths, challenges, and suggested next steps. Data that leads to discipleship. // John emphasizes that data is not an end in itself; it's a tool for better shepherding. By listening to their congregation at scale, leaders can identify patterns, confirm instincts, and prioritize what matters most. The assessment surfaces both what's working and where growth is needed, giving churches a clear path forward. It also connects individuals to personalized Scripture engagement resources, helping them take their next step spiritually. Why Scripture engagement matters most. // Nothing has a greater impact on spiritual growth than a person's relationship with the Bible. In fact, Scripture engagement accounts for a significant portion of overall spiritual health. When people consistently engage with God's Word, transformation follows—affecting beliefs, behaviors, and relationships. Signs of hope for the future. // Despite broader cultural challenges, John sees encouraging trends, especially among younger generations. Millennials and Gen Z show increasing openness to Scripture, even if they are still exploring. While overall trends may appear flat, meaningful change is happening beneath the surface. For churches willing to engage this moment, there is real opportunity for impact. To explore the research further or access the free church assessment, visit church.nextstep.bible and begin discovering how your church can better equip people to engage Scripture every day. 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: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s or school's facility could be preventing growth? Are you frustrated or possibly overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that you could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe can help! As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead you to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Your mission should not be held back by your building. Their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to incorporate creative design solutions to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at risepointe.com and while you’re there, schedule a FREE call to explore possibilities for your needs, vision and future…Risepointe believes that God still uses spaces…and they're here to help. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. I am so glad that you have decided to tune in today. This is one of those episodes that there’s a great resource in it that going to want to make sure you engage with. There’s super helpful content. Plus it’s about an area that I know so many of us are thinking about, we’re wondering about, we’re asking questions about. Rich Birch — So super excited to have John Plake with us today. He is the chief innovator ah innovation officer and editor-in-chief of the State of the Bible Research Series, which comes from the American Bible Society. And they’re on a mission to make the Bible available to every person in a language and format each can understand and afford so that all may experience its life-changing message. ABS has really a whole bunch of different tools and approaches, and we’re excited kind of expose a little bit more about that today. John has been in ministry over 30 years. We’ll just call it over 30 years. And it served as a pastor, missionary, professor, researcher. John, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.John Plake — Thanks so much for having me today. It’s great to be with you.Rich Birch — Why don’t you fill in the picture a little bit? Tell us a little bit about your background. You know, what brings you to your current work?John Plake — Yeah. Closer to 40 years now. Rich Birch — Nice. Yeah, yeah. That’s great.John Plake — It’s a little uncomfortable to talk about that.Rich Birch — That’s great.John Plake — Yeah. You know, I start out like a lot of people in ministry. I grew up in a home that ministry was central. Actually, both my grandfathers were ministers. My father was a minister. Ministry is kind of the family business in a way, but I really did sense a direction from God when I was about 15 years old to to pursue full-time ministry.John Plake — There was some detail around that. Ended up going to Bible college and and then started what turned out to be about nine years of full-time pastoral service. And I hadn’t been in that for very long before I realized that everything I learned in Bible College was preparing me to serve a generation that no longer existed in a culture that was gone. John Plake — And I thought, my goodness, I know God’s word pretty well. And mean, I’m a lifelong learner of God’s word. I love the Bible. And yet, didn’t really know culture very well. And I didn’t develop those tools until just years and years of practice, some missionary service, wonderful teachers at at Wheaton College and graduate school and and just a lifelong journey of learning.John Plake — So at American Bible Society, when I got here, the State of the Bible, program or this research project was already underway. And we’d been helped out by the Barna Group, which does some wonderful foundational work. And eventually it just kind of grew up and it got to a place where we had an internal team that was running it ourselves, now in collaboration with the National Opinion Research Council or NORC at the University of Chicago. We just do, I think, what is the largest ongoing study of Americans’ relationship with the Bible and faith and the church. And we get to talk about it all the time. Rich Birch — Yeah, I love it.John Plake — So, I mean, this is the best job in the world.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. It’s it’s great research, something that I think should be on the kind of list of things that we need to be paying attention to. It’s been a gift to the church for so long and something that we should continue to to pay attention through. Now, let’s talk about you specifically. You spent three plus decades. I didn’t want to say almost 40. You know, I’m not saying that. I’m not saying that. I could say that, you know, a couple years ago, I clicked across one of those numbers with a zero on the end as my birthday. And ever since then, I’m a little sensitive about the the age thing. Rich Birch — So anyways, As a ministry, missionary professor, researcher, you’ve done a lot. How does wearing all of those hats, what do you what does that bring to you as you come to the data? How does that impact you as you think about really the state of the Bible research?John Plake — Yeah, you know, I think research can be dull. You know, it can sound like it’s all about writing questions or it’s all statistics and numbers. But for me, the research is all about the people. Rich Birch — So true.John Plake — It’s all about the people in our communities and in our churches that we’re trying to understand better so we can serve them well with the gospel. I, for years, I’ve used the analogy that that being in gospel ministry is like being a human bridge across a river. I grew up not very far from the Mississippi River in the St. Louis area, and there was a big 100-year flood when I was early on in ministry. And I mean, none of the bridges worked anymore. You couldn’t get from one side to the other.John Plake — And I thought, you know, that’s a tragedy that I encountered sometimes in ministry where maybe I was deeply rooted in one bank of the river, the text, but I wasn’t necessarily deeply rooted in the other bank of the river, which was the context.John Plake — And it’s this lived experience of the people that I was I was serving. And that I wanted to serve in my community, but I needed to understand them better. So I wasn’t just spouting you know Aristotelian logic to them. Or I wasn’t just coming at them with the pat answers that I’d learned. Like I’d never heard anybody in my life walk into my office and say, Pastor John, you got to tell me, what can you describe hamartiology to me from. You know like I had to learn that in school, but that’s not what people struggle with. Rich Birch — That’s so true. Yeah. John Plake — They had totally different questions and I needed to love them and honor them enough to understand their questions and answer them responsibly and reliably from the pages of scripture.Rich Birch — Yeah, love it. Okay, well, we’re going to dig into a little bit of just a couple of the findings just to kind of, we’re trying to whet your appetite, friends, to take steps towards this. So the 2025 data showed, and we’ve seen this, a real bump in Bible engagement, particularly among millennials and men. If I’m reading it correctly, though, we saw 2026, a shift happen, maybe back down. And so what’s going on? Actually, I heard another sociologist in a kind of a related field that was about church attendance talked about the dead cat bounce, that it was like, you know, which I thought, oh, that’s a, but there’s a similarity going on here. Pull this, this finding apart. Help us understand this.John Plake — Yeah, apologies to cat lovers out there.Rich Birch — Yes, exactly.John Plake — We were we were hoping, you know, I think we were really hoping. We looked at 2025. We saw that men in particular were leaning into the Bible in ways we hadn’t seen recently. Millennials doing the same thing. There there were some interesting numbers in 2025. And so when the 2026 numbers came to my desk in late January, I thought, I hope we’re extending I hope it’s going to be a trend. But it wasn’t. It was a blip.John Plake — And there’s more to it, though, than just the fact that scripture engagement didn’t go up. It also didn’t go down. And the level of people in America who are Bible disengaged, meaning they never pick up the Bible on purpose at all, that actually didn’t go up either. What grew was this kind of curious explorer group in the middle that we call the movable middle. And over the last two years, it’s grown by 9 million American adults. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And so what we do see is there’s there’s openness to the Bible. There’s experimentation with the Bible. But people are jumping in and they’re trying it and they’re not being able to get hold of it. And I think that’s largely because of us.John Plake — Because Bible people who are around them aren’t saying, please come do this with me. Let me help you. Let me honor you enough to to respect your questions, to ask what you’re dealing with, and help you explore those issues through the pages of Scripture.Rich Birch — I love that movable middle, man, that feels like the kind of group we want to connect with and reach out to in our community. Any other, when you, when you’ve been thinking about this movable middle, what are some other kind of characteristics of those people or other things that, you know, are kind of telltale signs of this group as we’re thinking about them as it, as it pertains to Bible engagement?John Plake — Yeah, they’re an amazing group, and we’re going talking more about them all year, but they are probably my favorite subject in America. There are 74 million American adults that are in the movable middle.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — 74 million of our neighbors who are like…Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — …and here’s what they tend to say: They love the Bible. They think it’s a great idea. But if you handed them a Bible, they don’t know how to find what they’re looking for. They don’t know how to navigate it. They get confused by the language in in Scripture.John Plake — I remember doing a a focus group with a bunch of people in the movable middle. I was in Chicago. it was an area I was really familiar with. I used to pastor in that area. And we got them talking about their experience with the Bible. And we said, hey, does anything ever stop you or kind of you know make you check out because you’re struggling with what’s going on? John Plake — And one young lady at the table said, yeah, you know the language of the Bible is really really hard for me to understand. It’s it’s a really old book. It uses expressions I don’t understand. And a gentleman sitting across the table from her just kind of chuckled and said, yeah, what the hell’s a mustard seed? And everybody laughed.John Plake — I was behind the glass and I just about fell out of my chair because they didn’t teach me to talk like that in a Assemblies of God seminary.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake —Things like that, you know, that’s just not the way we roll.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. Yes.John Plake — But it was so authentic and he wasn’t being mean.Rich Birch — No.John Plake — He was just saying, boy, I don’t I don’t get it. And then they said, you know, we really want a guide. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And so we pushed on that a little bit. At the time, there were some clergy abuse scandals that actually there were billboards up in Chicago about clergy abuse scandals that all of us lamented. And so we’re like, OK, listen, do you trust the church to be your guide? Because ee saw these billboards, you know, and it’s your city. And so what what do you think?John Plake — And they said, well, of course we do. I mean, it’s terrible when people in the church abuse their position and abuse others. And that’s not what they’re supposed to do. But if we can’t trust the church to help us understand the Bible, what good are they, really? And so, yes, we’re looking to you, church, to help us connect more deeply with the Bible, understand what it meant to the original hearers and readers and how we apply it to our lives today.Rich Birch — Okay, that’s yeah, that’s really cool. I look forward to hearing more about the movable middle in this coming year. Another thing that jumped out to me, which I feel like, man, I’ve seen this in my church. This is like you you named a group that I see, but it’s surprising, at least it’s surprising on its face. So nearly half of weekly church attenders, weekly church attenders, which is, that’s like really engaged, you know, are not regularly engaging, engaging scripture on their own.Rich Birch — Man, what, so what should we do about that? That’s an interesting, how does, how should that impact our discipleship strategy? What are you encouraging us to be thinking about? And these people that are with us all the time, but they’re not engaged with scripture.John Plake — Well, I think the first thing to do is to just recognize it. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You know, a lot of pastors that I’ve talked to, when we talk about scripture engagement, they tell me things like this: Everything we do is scripture engagement. I spend my whole week preparing a scriptural message. I’m, you know, we’re preparing small group curriculum and Sunday school curriculum and all of this stuff. It’s all about the, everything we do is about the Bible. John Plake — Well, okay. But I had a I had a young youth pastor come to me not that long ago and he said, John, look, you were me once a few years ago. If you knew then what you know now, what would you do differently?John Plake — And the answer is I would do everything differently, than the way I ought to do it. Because what, in my tradition, there was a lot of emphasis on the preaching event, and I put a lot of effort into those communication events, but what I didn’t put as much effort into is empowering people in my church to do what I was doing, which was dig into scripture, understand it for themselves, giving them the tools to do that.John Plake — And then in May, we’re going to be releasing a chapter, just in a few few days now, we’re going to be releasing a chapter all about parents. And one of the startling things is the time pressure that moms are under. I mean, it’s incredible. And so we need to understand where they’re coming from and where they have barriers, but also have some compassion on them and help to support them when they’re really facing struggles. Like they don’t have enough time. They don’t have the resources or the community coming around them to help them to engage God’s word ah more fulsomely, more transformatively.John Plake — We know how to do this stuff, but we’re not connecting the dots to everybody that’s coming to hear us talk every…Rich Birch — That’s good. That’s good. I know I’ve in my seat as an XP, um you know, I’ve overseen a lot of what we do on the programming side and what we do on the weekends. And I’ve, you know, it’s like, that i don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly. It’s like the kind of behind the scenes conversation. I’ve sometimes wondered, I’ve said, you know, like, what we do on the weekend to try to make the Bible understandable is so completely different than Tuesday morning in someone’s life. Rich Birch — Like, we pull out all the stops to make it interesting. We get like world class communicators, incredible graphics, you know, emotional music, all of this to try to… But then the question is, okay, so now on Tuesday morning when you’re tired and you haven’t had your coffee yet and you’re just about to go read scripture, man, like that feels like a long ways away. There’s like a gap there that I sometimes wonder maybe we’re making it worse. You know. Maybe we’re making it harder. I said that. You didn’t say that. Rich Birch — So maybe there’s pastors that are listening here and they read this kind of report. They read this kind of finding and they’re like, hey, that’s interesting. But like, how what do I do in my church specifically? So you know we want we don’t want to just leave people with a tough stat.Rich Birch — I think we see that in our church. There’s people in our church that are here all the time. They’re not that engaged. But you’ve actually developed a new tool or ABS has developed a new tool to help us think through that. Why don’t you walk us through it? Tell us a little bit about it. How’s it work? Talk us how it can help us.John Plake — Yeah, so recently we developed two tools that kind of work together. One of them you can find on the internet at nextstep.bible. And it’s just for anybody who’s like, hey, I’m on a spiritual journey. I’m kind of stuck. I don’t really know what to do next. Maybe you’re just getting started exploring what it means to be a Christian. Maybe you’re Jesus’ little brother or sister. Wherever you are in that journey, there’s always a next step for us.John Plake — And so what we’ve done is analyzed along about a million spiritual life surveys. Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — And from this huge quantity of data, we’ve learned that people are at different places in that journey. They’re at different points on the map. And we want to make sure that they’re equipped to have the right thing at the right time. I think currently there are 21,000 scripture engagement resources available there.Rich Birch — Wow.John Plake — They’re absolutely free. They’re in English, Spanish, and French. So go check it out, nextstep.bible.John Plake — But if you’re a pastor or you’re a church leader, you’re probably wondering, well, what’s going on in my church, right? So I see all the national data, but I think our tendency is to say, well, we’re the exception, right?Rich Birch — So true. Well, that’s not our people. John Plake — I know I know everybody else is struggling, but we’re doing okay.Rich Birch — Yes.John Plake — And and so it’s good to check our assumptions a little bit. They used to say a really sad statistic that 10 o’clock on Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America, which makes me sad. What makes me sad also is that 12 o’clock noon in America is the most dishonest hour in America. That’s the hour when pastors tend to start greeting their people after the church service closes and they hear all these comments: oh, Pastor, that was the best sermon I’ve ever heard. And it wasn’t. It just wasn’t. All right, let’s face it.John Plake — There’s somebody out there who preaches better than you do and better than I do. They’re available on YouTube. People don’t need you to be the best Bible teacher in the world. They need you to be the best pastor for them. Rich Birch — That’s good.John Plake — And the tools that are all about focusing on their relationship with the Bible, their holistic spiritual formation, and our leadership behaviors. And so for that, we built the Next Step for Church Assessment.John Plake — It’s actually standing on the foundation or built on the engine block, if you want a different metaphor, of the old reveal research that the Willow Creek Association had come out with. It’s no longer available. And we were able to acquire all of their historical learnings, but also add in things like human flourishing and e-pastoral leadership behaviors that lead to churches really being missionally effective and strong. Excellent stuff on Bible engagement and spiritual formation. John Plake — So the the big challenge we had, I was talking with Dr. Ed Stetzer about this because he was at LifeWay Research when the Transformational Church Assessment was being built. And it was always hard because analyzing this kind of data required a lot of human intervention. It’s very expensive to do. It’s very complicated to deliver. And even a small cost can be a barrier for churches that have strained budgets. It doesn’t matter if you’re a church of, you know, 2,500 25,000 or 250. There’s always more places to put your money than there are dollars that are available to do it.John Plake — And so at American Bible Society, we said, you know what, as a gift to the church, because we love the church, we need to make it completely free. And so you can go to church.nextstep.bible and you could sign up today. Literally, we’re recording this on a on a Thursday. You could go there today and by Sunday, you could be launching your survey. Two weeks later, you’d automatically have results in your own online dashboard. You’d get key highlights emailed to you. There’s a place for custom questions. There’s just all kinds of really, really rich information.Rich Birch — So good.John Plake — And it it doesn’t take the place of the kind of learning that you have as a pastor. You learn deeply in relationship with others. You’re observing what’s going on. You have a team that’s around you. But what it does is it provides this valid, reliable sift and sort function. It’s based on well, I don’t know even know how many, well over 3000 churches, well over half a million survey responses went into building this and making it a tool that that is a good benchmark for you to say, you know what, if we want to move from where we are today to where God is calling us, here are the things we need to focus on.Rich Birch — It’s so good. And friends, I want to encourage you to to go there. Just church.nextstep.bible. I know many of us have a heart for saying, listen, we want to measure more than just nickels and noses. The number of people that show up and revenue that comes in. And this a great way to kind of inject at something that’s at the core of what we’re supposed to be doing as a church. So why don’t we just give a little bit more detail?Rich Birch — What is it? You know, what’s it actually measuring? How is it? You know, how could it be helpful? How how could it kind of dovetail with some of the things we’re already tracking? Maybe give us, you know, what kind of insights are we going to gain from this if we if we put our people through this?John Plake — Yeah, maybe it’s worthwhile to just back up and say it’s based on a congregational assessment. So really this kind of work is all about just listening to your congregation at scale. So if you have 25 people coming to church, you can probably have this conversation with them if you know how to ask the right questions. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — You can go to the website. You’re like, what’s in the survey? There’s a button you can click. You can read the whole survey. It’s fine. We’re not going to try and surprise you with anything. But really simple stuff. How’s your relationship with Jesus? How often are you interacting with Scripture? What difference is that making in your life? We ask the standard Harvard human flourishing questions. We ask about um how the pastoral team or the senior pastor, him or herself, is doing at actually modeling Christlike leadership for you. Rich Birch — It’s so good.John Plake — And all of that reporting then gets brought into a database. It’s all anonymous. So individuals don’t, they don’t have to tell you who they are. They can’t tell you who they are other than by characteristics. And you’re going to get this really good, robust picture of what’s going on at the church. John Plake — Now, what does it take for somebody to do that? It takes about 20 minutes of their time, and time is expensive, right? People always have too much to do. So in return for that investment, at the end of their survey experience, they will have already told us everything we need to know to match them to great resources at nextstep.bible.John Plake — And with their permission, not without it, they can click a button, pass that data over to the individual nextstep.bible platform. They can create an account and right away, they’re going to be finding things like YouVersion Bible reading plans that are just for them.John Plake — If you’ve got people in your church and they’re outliers, they’re they’re way more spiritually advanced than everybody else, or they’re just getting started and everybody else is way ahead of them, these kinds of tools create bespoke pathways for them so they know what to do next. All the while, the church leadership can sit back and say, okay, here’s our results. And as a team, now what do we need to do to serve the whole congregation well?Rich Birch — I love this. You know, this is what incredible tool that you’ve put together here for our churches to wrestle through and to, you know, not only help us as a church as we’re thinking about these issues, but then help individuals in our church. What what would be some of the ways that churches might use the data that’s generated to impact what we’re doing in our programming? How how could we use this to improve what we’re doing?John Plake — Sure. There are really three things we want everybody to do. First, just discover what’s going on. Just just check your assumptions at the door and and say, okay, what do the data tell us about what’s going on in our church life and in our people’s lives? That’s the first thing.John Plake — Second thing is it’s going to surface for you the top three things that you’re doing great. And it’s going to give them to you in the report. And you need to throw a party. Like there are people who make these things happen for you. No pastor is doing this all by themselves. And so plan a party, celebrate what’s going well.John Plake — The third thing it’s going to do is it’s going to give you suggestions about, okay, here’s where your congregation is today. It won’t surprise you, but it might inform you. I’ve never seen a pastor look at the report and go, ah you guys got it wrong. Rich Birch — Sure, right.John Plake — Usually they they see the report and they go, yeah, okay, yeah, you got me.Rich Birch — Yeah. Confirmed some hunches I’ve had. Yeah. Yeah.John Plake — Right? But we don’t we don’t have time. We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the expertise to be able to sit down and and kind of scientifically walk through this process. So we do that for you. We deliver the report. And then we’re going to give you two key action items that we think churches like yours in a similar place have done that have helped move them toward spiritual health and missional effectiveness.John Plake — And that’s really what it’s all about. We want your congregation to be spiritually healthy. We want your your church as a whole to be missionally effective. And when that happens, often there’s numerical growth. Often there’s financial growth. But there’s certainly more missional impact that’s coming through your congregation and its work.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s cool. So if I’m like a church of a thousand people, let’s say, and just round number to picking out of the sky, how how what kind of percentage of my congregation would I need to take this to give me a reasonable, you know, statistical, you know, feeling good about the data for it? What what kind of number um should I be thinking about?John Plake — Well, the first thing is we’ve built in a tool that will tell you how to get to a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Rich Birch — Love it.John Plake — And that does vary depending on the adult attendance that you have. So let’s say you’ve a thousand adults. And by adults, I mean anybody in high school or older can probably take this survey. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — And you can cut the data like by gender or by age. All of that live filtering is in the online platform. Rich Birch — Oh, that’s so good.John Plake — So if you’re the you’re the youth pastor and you’re like, well, wait, tell me about the young people that took the survey. You can just look right at them and compare them to the rest of the congregation, which I bet will be enlightening. But nevertheless, how many do you need if you’re a church of 1,000, it’s about 275.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — If it’s a smaller church than that, then you’re still going to need a pretty significant percentage. So if I roll that all the way down to a church of 100, you need 80.Rich Birch — Okay.John Plake — And if you roll that up to a church of 5,000, well, you don’t need that many more than 275.Rich Birch — Interesting.John Plake — So you’re going to report that out to you. It’s very, very doable. And, you know, I’ve pastored at large churches and I pastored a small church. And I’ll tell you, when I pastored a church of under 100, I could have gotten a census of the people, like everybody, to do a survey like this. They would have been glad to tell me these things. Rich Birch — Right.John Plake — And it’s not that I couldn’t have had a conversation one-on-one with most of the adults in the congregation. It was something different in that case. I actually didn’t know what to ask. I used to run into this when I was a campus pastor at a Christian university. And I would have young people walk into my office and I was like, I know I should be able to help them, but the challenge they’re facing is different than anything I’m familiar with. I don’t have any analog for this in my personal experience. And so this sort of takes the mystery away. We don’t ask fluffy questions. We ask research proven questions that are going to give you the information you really need so you can take action.Rich Birch — That’s amazing. That’s think this is such a great tool for people. I can see how, you know, it’d be so helpful for folks that are listening in to, you know, might be be able to plug in grab this experience for their people, help their church, help the folks that are attending. That’s, that’s incredible.Rich Birch — So, you know, you’ve picked an interesting vocation to be connected with the American Bible Society. And because, you know, this is such a critical and important part of developing people’s relationship, obviously, with Jesus; its core to all of it. And we have seen a long historical downward trend, and you’re pushing against that, which is amazing. But what gives you hope in the middle of all of that? What would it when you look at the church around you know, the country, where do you see flashes of just good things going on that are like, you know, when it comes to the relationship with scripture that even, you know, even when we see maybe the overall numbers are not as great as we want them to be, what are some kind of flashes of hope we should, that we could encourage folks with today?John Plake — Well, I’d like to maybe point to just three things that leap to mind. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — The first of them is I never talk to anybody in the church who says the Bible is a bad idea. Rich Birch — Sure.John Plake — Everybody likes the Bible. We’re all trying to figure out how to communicate its message better, to understand it more deeply. It’s transforming our lives, and we want to be able to share it with others. John Plake — And that’s great because, number two, there’s nothing that makes a bigger difference in somebody’s spiritual life than their relationship with the Bible. I mean, absolutely nothing. And I’m saying this as a researcher. I’ve tested it. I can’t find anything that makes a bigger difference. John Plake — In fact, when we looked at Christian college and university students, 60% of their overall spiritual health across lots of domains—beliefs, practice, putting faith into action, loving God, loving others, all these things, 60% of the variance in their spiritual health is solely accounted for by their relationship with the Bible.John Plake — So if we can help people have a dynamic relationship with scripture, we win. That’s all there is to it. It’s just that simple. And so that is really encouraging.John Plake — And then the third thing, ah the third thing is how I say this nicely? I'm I’m from Gen X and so to my Baby Boomer friends, I’m sorry, but you guys don’t have the influence that you once did.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s true.John Plake — And that’s a good thing because there’s new openness among Millennials, and Gen Z and even younger Gen X um that we just don’t see among Baby Boomers. It’s like Baby Boomers made up their minds in the 60s and early 70s and said, this is what I believe and I’m not changing. And they haven’t. John Plake — That’s not to say that someone who’s a Baby Boomer can’t have a a spiritual experience and transformational experience. It does happen. But on the population level, like when we looked at the Bay Area of San Francisco, if you look at the scripture engagement, church engagement, love God, love others data in the Bay Area, it looks like what you’d expect, until you strip out the Baby Boomers. And then suddenly it looks better than every place else in America.John Plake — You’re like, what’s going on? Well, looks like all the unreconstructed hippies that moved to the Bay Area are actually holding a lid on the population numbers. And when you remove that and you go, oh, wait a minute, let me look under the headline and say what’s happening. There’s more going on than is easy to see. And I think this happens in big national trends.John Plake — Oh, is Scripture engagement up or down? Is you know church attendance up or down? Whats what’s going… big national trends. Yeah, okay, those are helpful, and we want those to change. But what’s changing first is below the fold. Things in Gen Z, things among Millennials, things in young men, those things are starting to change, and I think those are the first glimmerings that God is at work in a new way in America, and I can’t wait to see it.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s that’s a great word. And that lines up with what we’re seeing, even just experientially talking to churches across the country. You know we’re so we’re seeing there is something going on with younger generations, which is great to see. I was I was born in 1974, the lowest birth rate year of the 20th century. I am classic Gen X. Like you know I am like statistic I’m the statistical average Gen X and has spent a lot of my time trying to hand stuff from the Boomers to the Millennials. And, yeah, there’s lots of encouraging news there, particularly with the younger generations. Rich Birch — I also want to speak to on the the work I’ve done in the church growth stuff that I’ve done and coaching I’ve done with churches, one of the things that’s just undeniable is churches that have a high view of scripture, that is, they’re trying to get people engaged with scripture. They they talk about it like it’s actually true. How do we say don’t know what’s the best way to talk about that? Those are the churches that are prevailing, and that actually works out statistically. You see that time and again. Talk to us about that dynamic, which is kind of co-related to the things we’re talking about today. From your perspective in the stats and all that, how how have you seen that work out as you’ve looked at churches across the country?John Plake — Yeah, I think you’re exactly right. The churches that are the healthiest in America, that are growing, that where where people are spiritually healthy, have a really dynamic relationship with Scripture. And it kind of it cuts across tradition. Rich Birch — Yep.John Plake — There are some traditional things going on. I was listening to Justin Brierley and his surprising Rebirth of Belief in God podcast, and it was from last season, and he he had someone on, he was interviewing, and what she was saying was there are the parts of the church that seem to be thriving are kind of the, the the older, the ancientness traditions, whether it’s Catholic or Orthodox, that what she called somewhat irreverently, the smells and bells side of of the church.Rich Birch — Sure, sure.John Plake — And on the other side, kind of my end of the swimming pool, I’m, from the Assemblies of God, so the Pentecostal and Charismatic side. And she said, what’s going on is that both ends of that spectrum are totalizing. John Plake — They’re saying, you know what, the the Bible places certain expectations and demands on people. Christ places certain expectations and demands on people. And these parts of the church aren’t sort of shy about talking about that from a biblical perspective. She said, what’s what’s dying is that part in the middle where we’ve reduced church to a PowerPoint and you know an Excel spreadsheet. And she said, that part of the church seems to be dying and no one’s coming to the funeral. Rich Birch — That’s good. John Plake — And I thought, you know okay, right?Rich Birch — Yeah. Yeah, that’s good.John Plake — So if we revitalize our relationship with God through scripture, there’s a next step for every church. It doesn’t matter what, you know whether you’re mainline or evangelical or, you know, Pentecostal or Orthodox or whatever it is, but but reviving our relationship with God through Scripture is really where it’s at.Rich Birch — That’s so good. i Yeah, I call that middle group the just because it rhymes doesn’t mean it’s true group. You know, like the, you know, were just like, it’s all my thoughts. No one wants to come and find us. They want to find God ultimately. Well, I don’t want to pick any fights with anybody that’s listening in, but I really appreciate today’s conversation, John. This has been great. So we want to send people to church.nextstep.bible.Rich Birch — The the promise of in two weeks, your church could have a comprehensive report on spiritual health, on where your church is, spiritual health is at, that’s a huge promise. And so again, this is go to church.nextstep.bible. Any kind of final words as we wrap up today’s episode?John Plake — You know, you might be familiar with Cally Parkinson. Cally was the co-author of all of the Reveal books, every single one of them. She was head of communications for the Willow Creek Association when they were running this. She’s probably had more conversations with pastors and church leaders about survey results like this than anybody I know, maybe than anybody alive. And Cally likes this so much. She said, John, I want to have a personal consultation with the first hundred churches that go through this.John Plake — And so if you want to be in that group, she’s going to offer to spend an hour with you and just walk through your results and help explain it. There are videos throughout the platform that will explain it as well. And you can’t beat talking to Cally. She loves pastors. She says you’re the salt of the earth. And she just really wants to serve you because the work that you do to save people is just so valuable to her. So anyway, just wanted to offer that. And I know you’d probably love to meet Cally.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s fantastic. Well, appreciate you being here today. Thanks for the great work you do at the American Bible Society. John, appreciate you being on today. Thank you.John Plake — Thank you.

After suffering in silence, Hannah Dreher, the daughter of Wheaton College's alleged predator Dennis Massaro, calls for accountability and urges people to sign a petition to see change.

Nobody told you the waiting is the work. We live in a world that rewards being discovered — going viral, moving fast, getting noticed. But God's economy runs on something entirely different: development. And development always happens in the dark. In week two of this summer series, Christine Caine takes us into the darkroom — the season of delay, disappointment, and hiddenness that God uses not to hold us back, but to build the roots that will hold us up when everything shakes. Christine Caine does it through the story of a young man named David: anointed at 17, appointed at 37. Twenty years. Twenty chapters. And not one of them wasted. This isn't a season you endure. It's a season you grow in. Originally heard by over 135,000 people — what is God growing in you right now that you can't yet see? ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ Why does it feel like everyone else is moving forward while I'm still waiting? ✅ I feel called and gifted — so why isn't anything happening yet? ✅ What's the difference between a gift and an anointing — and why does it matter? ✅ How do I stay faithful in private when no one seems to notice? ✅ Why does God's process feel so slow when the world moves so fast? ✅ What do I do when I feel overlooked by the people who were supposed to see me? ✅ How do I stop comparing my journey to someone else's highlight reel? …then this is your episode.

Today on ND Couples Coaches' Corner, Dr. Stephanie and Barbara Grant continue the series on the month-long series examining how Scripture is sometimes misused by spiritual authorities—such as clergy, small-group leaders, biblical counselors, and Christian counselors—in ways that shame or further harm those who are already experiencing abuse in their marriages.In this special series, Twisted Scripture: When the Bible Is Weaponized, we take a careful and thoughtful look at passages that are frequently used in ways that silence the vulnerable or pressure victims to remain in harmful situations. Today's Guest: Author of Life-Saving Divorce, Gretchen BaskervilleSome of today's verses included Malachi 2:16 and passages in Mark 10 and Matthew 19 about divorce. Short bioGretchen Baskerville is a Christian divorce recovery leader and author. She began leading support groups for single mothers in conservative churches in the Los Angeles area in 1998 and now focuses primarily on reaching people online. For more than 25 years, Gretchen has helped women and men of faith find strength, courage, and healing through the challenges of life-saving divorce. She listens with empathy to those recovering from domestic violence, betrayal, infidelity, addiction, and emotional abuse. A survivor of a toxic marriage herself, Gretchen understands the journey of rebuilding after loss. Following her own life-saving divorce and years as a single mother, she is now happily remarried. She is a graduate of Wheaton College with a degree in Bible and Christian Education. Definition:What's a Life-Saving Divorce?A Life-Saving Divorce is the opposite of an “I'm bored” divorce, or an “I miss the party life” divorce. It is a divorce for serious reasons: to find relief from a pattern of sexual immorality, physical violence, chronic emotional abuse, felony behavior, family-crushing addictions, or abandonment through neglect and indifference. Links to my resourcesThe Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive RelationshipsBook (paperback/eBook/audiobook page): https://amzn.to/3J3vXa7Audiobook (direct link): https://amzn.to/4f52Mh4Website & Blog: https://lifesavingdivorce.com/Pastor Education page: https://lifesavingdivorce.com/pastor-education-domestic-violence-biblical-response/Gumroad (EPUB + PDF download): https://gumroad.com/lspFor those who share an Amazon account with their abuser.Social mediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lifesavingdivorce.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifesavingdivorceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lifesavingdivorceTwitter/X: https://twitter.com/GGBaskervilleLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-baskerville-2873591b5/  If you want to join a class for women with Dr. Stephanie Holmes: https://www.holmesasr.com/womengroups check here for current classes.If you want to work with Barbara Grant: https://bg-hc.com/

Some modern translations of John 20:2 have Mary exclaiming, "They have taken away the Lord's body from the tomb." The word "body" is not in the Greek sentence, and its insertion might dampen our sympathy with Mary's profound grief. Dr. Amy Peeler has contributed several episodes to this podcast. She is the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies, Professor of New Testament, and Chair of the Ph.D. Program at Wheaton College. Her most recent publication include Ordinary Time: The Season of Growth and Hebrews (Commentaries for Christian Formation). She is presently working on Paul's view on the impact of the Incarnation.   Check out related programs at Wheaton College: B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3QOZOqE  M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/4tZGPs8 

There's no shortage of voices telling men who they should be right now and most of them are answering the wrong question. In this conversation with Zachary Wagner, author of Men of Virtue, we get underneath the culture war noise around masculinity and into something more substantive: the four concrete crises facing men and boys today, why virtue formation is better than role definition as a response, and how the fruit of the Spirit offers a more deeply human, and more countercultural, vision of manhood than anything the manosphere or the stoics are selling. This is a conversation about character, embodiment, fatherlessness, meaning, and what it might look like for men to be formed into something more Christ-like.Zachary is an author, ordained minister, and New Testament scholar.He grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago in a homeschooling family as the fourth of six siblings, an environment that sparked his lifelong love of languages, ideas, and reading.After completing degrees from the Moody Bible Institute and Wheaton College. Zachary and his family moved to Oxford, England, in 2020 for him to pursue a DPhil (PhD) in New Testament studies. His research focused on the theme of reward in the letters of Paul and the Gospel of Matthew, and he successfully defended his thesis in 2025.He published his first book, Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality, in 2023 with InterVarsity Press. His second book, Men of Virtue: How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World, will release from Brazos Press in May 2026. He is currently pursuing publication for his DPhil thesis, as well as a further writing and research projects on Christianity and Stoicism.Zachary was ordained for gospel ministry in 2022 and has over a decade of nonprofit leadership experience. He currently serves as the director of programs at the Center for Pastor Theologians, where he also co-hosts the Pastor Theologians Podcast.He lives just outside Chicago in an intentional community with his wife, three kids, and two additional housemates.Zachary's Book:Men of VirtueZachary's Recommendations:Against the MachineBabelConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeSupport the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Support the show

Chris chats with Liz Zenger, program manager of The Inklings Project, which provides resources for professors, teachers, and other groups developing Inklings-related courses. Also, by way of update, this just in from Liz herself:  This is currently live for 6-12 teachers! Goes along with your second to last question of the podcast :-)   Call for Proposals Inklings Project Fellowship for 6-12 Teachers Applications can be submitted via this link until Aug 1, 2026.     For the first time in its history, the Inklings Project, under the University of Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life, is opening its fellowship to middle school and high school educators. Previous cohorts have drawn from college and university faculty; this new two-year cohort, beginning in Fall 2026, will be made up of those who educate in grades 6–12. Middle and high school is when many readers first encounter C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien—and where an educator's love for these authors can ripple outward to students, parents, and an entire school community. View the Call for Proposals or visit www.inklingsproject.org/apply for more information on the fellowship and application requirements. Applications can be submitted via this link until August 1, 2026.   Among other things, we discuss: What The Inklings Project is (~0:53) — Liz explains the initiative: supporting faculty to create Inklings courses, providing grants, and building fellowship through a cohort model. The Wade Center at Wheaton College (~4:10) — The in-person annual gathering for fellows, housing original manuscripts, Tolkien's desk, Lewis's wardrobe, etc. Diverse faculty backgrounds (~6:30) — How professors from biology, business, public relations, and other non-literary fields are teaching Inklings courses, and why that breadth matters. The origin story of the project (~10:20) — Liz traces it from a CS Lewis course she took as a freshman at Brown, to founding a student society, to pitching the idea to Notre Dame's McGrath Institute. The challenge of reading loads & expanding to high schools (~17:30) — How professors handle the sheer volume of Inklings material, and the project's potential future cohort for high school and homeschool teachers. Next Week: At long last, The Silver Trumpet!

REWIND ⏪ Harvest is NOW!

This summer on Equip & Empower with Christine Caine, we're answering the question: what does it actually look like to live a rooted, resilient, and fruitful life? We're starting not with survival, but with possibility. A rooted life isn't just a stable life — it's a life capable of believing God for the impossible. And most of us have confused those two things. We want to be steady. We want to be safe. But Christine Caine opens this summer series with a provocation: the moment your situation stops being impossible is the moment you stop needing God. Roots aren't just for holding you in place. They're what make everything else possible. In this opening episode, Christine draws the line between intellectual faith and active trust — the difference between believing in God and believing God. For the thing in front of you.  For the miracle that seems too far.  For the promise you've nearly stopped praying for. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ What's the difference between believing in God and actually believing God — for my specific situation? ✅ How do I trust God when the people I should have been able to trust have hurt me? ✅ Can God really rebuild what's broken in me before He can use me for something bigger? ✅ How do I step out in faith when I'm still carrying wounds from my past? ✅ Why do I keep praying for a miracle but pulling back from anything that actually requires one? ✅ What does it mean to be rooted — and why does it matter for the life I'm trying to build? ✅ Is it possible to flourish after abandonment, betrayal, or brokenness? …then this is your episode.

What do you do when the dream God gave you feels completely disconnected from the reality you're living? When life feels unfair, painful, delayed, or deeply disappointing, it can be easy to wonder if God has forgotten you. In this episode, Christine Caine walks through the story of Joseph in Genesis 37–50 — one where betrayal, waiting, setbacks, and suffering aren't the end of the narrative. They're the process. From the pit to Potiphar's house. From prison to the palace. God wasn't absent in Joseph's darkest chapters. He was positioning him. Christine Caine shows that the painful seasons aren't detours from your purpose. They are the preparation for it. If you're in a waiting room right now, wondering whether God has forgotten the dream He placed in you, this message is for you. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like… ✅ Why would God allow painful seasons if He gave me the dream? ✅ What do I do when I feel forgotten or overlooked? ✅ Can God still use my trauma and setbacks for good? ✅ How do I forgive people who have deeply hurt me? ✅ How do I trust God's timing when the wait feels unbearable? ✅ What does faithfulness look like when nothing is going the way I planned? ✅ Is it possible for my story to still turn out the way God intended? ...then listen in!

What if the thing you've been praying for requires the response you've been avoiding? In this powerful message, we dive into John 5 and the story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda—a man who had been stuck for 38 years, waiting for change but bound by excuses, disappointment, and patterns. When Jesus asks him a seemingly simple question—“Do you want to get well?”—everything shifts. In this episode, Christine Caine unpacks the deeper meaning behind Jesus' question and challenges us to confront the areas where we may be choosing comfort over transformation. With biblical truth and personal insight, she reveals how healing often requires participation, obedience, and the courage to let go of the past. If you're tired of feeling stuck, defined by your past, or limited by your circumstances—this message will stir your faith and call you forward. ✨ If you've ever asked questions like: ● Why do I feel stuck even though I want change? ● What's actually holding me back from healing? ● How do I move past my past? ● Why does God ask me to do things that feel impossible? ● Am I unknowingly choosing comfort over breakthrough?

What happens when a Christian college protects its reputation instead of vulnerable people? In part two of this interview, Kathy Gallagher says Wheaton College had the chance to stop further harm — and didn't.

Most of us have never been taught what the Bible actually says about our bodies. Christine Caine is asking the question a lot of people are afraid to ask out loud — does God care what you do with your body? How you eat, how you exercise, how you present yourself? What about tattoos, piercings, or cosmetic surgery? The answer is more nuanced — and more freeing — than you might think. In this full sermon, Christine Caine walks through the biblical truth about the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and brings Scripture into conversation with some of the most personal questions we carry — about fitness, beauty standards, stewardship, and identity. She's not here to shame anyone. She's here to bring clarity where the culture has created confusion. Because there's a difference between honoring your body and idolizing it. And most of us are navigating that line without a map. In this episode, you'll discover: What it actually means to steward your body as God's temple — without becoming consumed by it Why your identity is rooted in Christ, not your appearance or your fitness level What the Bible says about tattoos, piercings, cosmetic surgery, and beauty standards How to examine your motives — and make decisions about your body from freedom, not pressure This is for you if you've ever asked: → Does God care how I look or how I take care of my body? → Is it wrong to want to be fit, healthy, or attractive? → What does the Bible actually say about tattoos or cosmetic surgery? → How do I stop swinging between neglect and obsession with my appearance?

My conversation with Miranda starts at about 35 minutes Subscribe and Watch Interviews LIVE : On YOUTUBE.com/StandUpWithPete ON SubstackStandUpWithPete Stand Up is a daily podcast. I book,host,edit, post and promote new episodes with brilliant guests every day. This show is Ad free and fully supported by listeners like you! Please subscribe now for as little as 5$ and gain access to a community of over 750 awesome, curious, kind, funny, brilliant, generous souls Miranda Yaver teaches courses on health policy and health politics. She is a political scientist whose research lies at the intersection of health politics, inequality, and administrative burden in U.S. health insurance, with additional projects examining the politics of U.S. health reform as well as ways that patient administrative burden intersects with reproductive health. In addition to her academic appointment, she is co-leader of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Scholars Strategy Network, which connects scholars, journalists, and policymakers to translate academic findings into public facing work that tackles public policy challenges and promotes democracy. She is the 2025 Author-in-Residence in Healthcare Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute. Her research has appeared in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Scientific Reports, World Medical & Health Policy Journal, and the Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law, with additional health politics writings in such outlets as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, STATNews, and The Hill. Her forthcoming book, Coverage Denied: How Health Insurers Drive Inequality in the United States, will be published by Cambridge University Press in spring 2026. She was previously an assistant professor of political science at Wheaton College in MA.  Listen rate and review on Apple Podcasts Listen rate and review on Spotify Pete On Instagram Pete on Blue Sky Pete on Threads Pete on Tik Tok Pete on Twitter Pete Personal FB page Stand Up with Pete FB page Gift a Subscription https://www.patreon.com/PeteDominick/gift Send Pete $ Directly on Venmo All things Jon Carroll  Buy Ava's Art    Subscribe to Piano Tuner Paul Paul Wesley on Substack Listen to Barry and Abigail Hummel Podcast Listen to Matty C Podcast and Substack Follow and Support Pete Coe Hire DJ Monzyk to build your website or help you with Marketing  

Anger doesn't always look the way you think it does. Christine Caine has sat with this question for years — and in this message, she gets honest about what's really underneath our anger, and why most of us have never been taught to look there. Sometimes anger is a raised voice. Sometimes it's withdrawal. Sometimes it's the quiet bitterness you've been carrying for years and calling something else. In Jonah 4, God asks Jonah a simple question: "Is it right for you to be angry?" Jonah couldn't answer it. A lot of us can't either. In this full sermon, Christine Caine unpacks the difference between righteous anger and destructive anger, how to identify what's actually driving your emotions, and what it looks like to process anger in a way that leads to healing — not more harm. This one will stay with you. In this episode, you'll discover: ● The difference between righteous anger and the kind that destroys ● How to identify the real root of your emotions (not just the trigger) ● Practical, biblical steps to process anger and walk in genuine freedom ● Why God isn't afraid of your anger — and what He wants to do with it This is for you if you've ever asked: → Is anger always a sin? → Why do I react so strongly → even when I know better? → How do I actually control my anger in the moment? → Can God use my anger for something good?

In this episode, we sit down with Jared Smith –an ex-Christian, former Wheaton College student, and atheist YouTuber –to explore what happens when someone deeply rooted in evangelical Christianity takes a serious look at Mormonism.Jared shares his journey from devoted believer to skeptic, including his time at Wheaton College (often called the “Harvard of Christian institutions”), where he studied everything from apologetics to exorcism –and even Christian heavy metal.We dive into his firsthand experiences auditing religions, attending Mormon services, reading the Book of Mormon, and engaging with LDS culture from an outsider's perspective. Along the way, we explore what it's like to WANT your religion to be true –and still lose it, the role of Jesus in Mormonism vs. traditional Christianity, those who take religion most seriously are the ones who seem to be leaving, the emotional and intellectual toll of deconstruction, what he thought when he read the Book of Mormon, and the intersection of belief, identity, and online content creation.We also discuss broader topics like Jehovah's Witnesses and blood doctrine, charismatic Christianity (including exorcism and speaking in tongues), and the culture of apologetics across faith traditions.Jared offers a thoughtful, non-combative perspective as someone more interested in understanding belief than attacking it –making this conversation a nuanced look at faith, doubt and everything in between.Check out Jared's YouTube channel “Heliocentric”: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS5YtyTzVJo_N-vjub8te3gVideos to watch in preparation for our next episode with Jared Smith:“This Mormon church sucked” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_iAA_Zp-GQHis episode with Nemo the Mormon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQSo0aQQkbgJacob Hansen's response to Jared - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOFghorZj9s___________________YouTubeAt Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals.  Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions