Shifting Culture +

Ep. 445 Graham Joseph Hill - Are We Following Jesus, or Cultural Idols Disguised as Jesus?

Joshua Johnson and Graham Joseph Hill — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:08:57 GMT

In this episode, Graham Joseph Hill joins me to talk through how every culture tends to read Jesus through their own lens and how we tend to remake Him in our own image. And when we do that, we tend to follow idols rather than Jesus. In his latest book Ten Movements of the Jesus Way, Graham maps ten typical idols and the turn we need to make to follow Jesus instead. Are we following Jesus, or just following our own culture with Jesus attached?

Graham Joseph Hill (PhD, Flinders University) is an adjunct research fellow and associate professor in the School of Theology at Charles Sturt University. In 2024 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to theological education. His books include Global Church, Healing Our Broken Humanity, and World Christianity, shortlisted for the 2025 Australian Christian Book of the Year. He lives in Sydney with his wife, Shyn.

Graham’s Book:

Ten Movements of the Jesus Way

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Ep. 444 - Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz - How Do We Become Good News to the World?

Joshua Johnson and Jessica Cruickshank — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 14:16:55 GMT

In this episode, Jessica 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 News

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Ep. 443 Paul Anleitner - The Anti-Story is Collapsing. What's Replacing It?

Joshua Johnson and Paul Anleitner — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:08:08 GMT

In this episode, Paul Anleitner traces how a culture that once watched Rocky in full-throated sincerity learned to read everything through suspicion. We talk about the modern story we inherited, the postmodern anti-story that dismantled it, and the meaning crisis left in the rubble. There is a vibe shift happening as people reach for nostalgia and re-enchantment. We get into the three pillars of meaning, mean world syndrome, why Top Gun: Maverick and Project Hail Mary landed the way they did, and Paul’s central claim: that kenosis, self-emptying love, is the shape of reality.

Paul Anleitner is a cultural theologian who writes and speaks on the role of culture and story in our quest for meaning. He is the author of “Based on a True Story: Vibe Shifts, the End of Deconstruction, and the Reboot of Meaning” (Nelson Books)

His unique interdisciplinary approach integrates theology, philosophy, and science to help individuals and institutions navigate cultural shifts and address perennial religious longings.

Paul’s Book:

Based on a True Story

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Ep. 442 Randy Woodley - Has Plato Shaped Western Christianity More than Jesus and What Are We to do About it?

Joshua Johnson and Randy Woodley — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 22:17:10 GMT

In this episode, Randy Woodley argues that the church has been asking the wrong question. Not whether the story happened, but what the story asks of us. And to start to ask better questions, we have to go back to the root - where did this all come from? And how did Western Christianity get it wrong? We talk about how Platonic dualism made belief more important than action, producing hierarchy, empire, and harm. We talk about reading scripture as story rather than evidence, replacing the word salvation with healing, and what repentance actually costs. If you’ve felt the distance between what you believe and how you live, this conversation names where that came from and what it takes to close that gap.

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is a dynamic writer and speaker with a deep passion for creativity and Indigenous spirituality, justice, and earth empowerment. His diverse background and experiences have uniquely equipped him to bring about positive change in Indigenous communities for four decades. With his wife, Edith, (Shoshone) they have four children and six grandchildren.

An award-winning author and a tribally recognized Keetoowah descendant (UKB), the author of 15 books, Randy weaves together Indigenous wisdom, ecological sustainability, and spirituality. Randy is both an active farmer and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He is respected by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities worldwide and has been featured in The New York Times, Politifact, Time Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Randy publishes a weekly and is a faculty member at Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation. Together, the Woodley’s co-sustain Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm & Seeds, https://www.eloheh.org/ a non-profit, regenerative farm and school determined to assist others grow healthy food and combat the climate crisis. The Woodley’s are founders of Sho-Kee Cultural Consultants https://www.sho-kee.com/ where they bring Indigenous knowledge and cross-cultural expertise to clients nationwide, working with organizations, educational institutions, and creative projects.

Randy’s Book:

How Western Christianity Got it Wrong

Randy’s Recommendations:

Erased

The Dawn of Everything

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Ep. 441 Merideth Hite Estevez - Art is How God Loves Us

Joshua Johnson and Merideth Hite Estevez — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 18:41:30 GMT

In this episode, Merideth Hite Estevez joins me to talk about what happens when a lifetime of chasing excellence quietly empties out the joy that started it all. We dig into the idols hiding inside performance and perfectionism, why she redefines art not as a talent for the gifted few but as something anyone can do out of love, and what it means to create as an act of worship instead of proof of worth. It’s a conversation about shame, recovery, and the spiritual thread running through every creative act - whether you call yourself an artist or not.

Dr. Merideth Hite Estevez is a coach, educator, oboist, and author of The Artist’s Joy. Through her workshops, her award-winning podcast Artists for Joy, and her one-to-one coaching, she is a spiritual space-maker for artists, leading thousands in various fields to creative recovery. Dr. Estevez has performed with top orchestras and holds degrees in oboe from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music. Her writing, which Publishers Weekly calls “expansive and joyful,” illuminates the spiritual journey of the artist. Her next book, Art Is How God Loves Us, debuts in July 2026. She hails from Abbeville, SC, but now lives in Metro Detroit, Michigan, with her husband, Rev. Dr. Edwin Estevez, and their two children.

Merideth’s Book:

Art is How God Loves Us

Merideth’s Recommendation:

Counterweights

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Ep. 440 Daniel Hawk - Reckoning with America's Past and Imagining a Better Future

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 22:25:08 GMT

America turns 250 this year, and we’ll tell the old story again. But where does it actually start? Daniel Hawk traces our founding back past 1776 to the Doctrine of Discovery that gave Christian powers the right to seize “unclaimed” land, and to a reading of Genesis that turned wilderness into property and the people already here into obstacles. We talk about the myth of innocence: the belief that we are fundamentally good, that the brutal parts didn’t happen or didn’t count. It let us justify almost anything, and it left violence in our bones. We talk about how Scripture was used to take land and how it reads differently from underneath empire, about Canada and South Africa beginning to face their histories, and about what real repair asks of us - slow, relational, measured in generations. As we mark 250 years, this is an invitation to be honest about the first half of the story before we write the next.

L. Daniel Hawk (PhD, Emory University) is professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. Aspects of his work on biblical narrative take a postcolonial turn in books such as Joshua in 3-D: A Commentary on Biblical Conquest and Manifest Destiny and as coeditor of Evangelical Postcolonial Conversations.

Daniel’s Book:

Undoing Manifest Destiny

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Ep. 439 Kristin Lee - When the Faith You've Been Handed Begins to Crack, You Mend with Gold

Joshua Johnson and Kristin T. Lee — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 21:39:55 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Kristin T. Lee about what happens when a faith begins to crack, and whether the breaking might be the start of something truer. We get into kintsugi, the art of mending broken pottery with gold, what it costs to ask the questions we’ve been warned against, and what the church on the margins can teach the rest of us about following a marginal Jesus. What emerges is a picture of faith that doesn’t hide its fractures but lets them become the places where the light gets in.

Kristin T. Lee is a writer whose work has appeared in Christianity Today and Sojourners, and a primary care physician serving Boston’s Chinatown community. She writes about faith, culture, books, and solidarity at The Embers. Her passion all the best books you’ve never heard of (and some that you have) via book reviews and reading groups on Instagram @ktlee.writes. Lee’s work is informed by her experiences as an adoptive mother, host to refugees, and friend to those affected by incarceration.

Kristin’s Book:

We Mend With Gold

Kristin’s Recommendation:

The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran

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Ep. 438 Kyle Strobel - When God Seems Distant it Isn't Because You Failed

Joshua Johnson and Kyle Strobel — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:14:24 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Kyle Strobel about what’s actually happening when God feels distant. Most of us start with passion - prayer comes easy, Scripture comes alive - and then a season arrives where the lights go out and we assume we’ve failed or been abandoned. Kyle offers a different reading than abandonment: the dryness isn’t punishment or absence, but the desert where God weans us off the feeling and teaches us to abide. We get into the moralistic temptation that follows - how we turn disciplines, service, and even devotion into ways of managing God rather than meeting him - and why we have to relearn to live by faith and not by sight.

Kyle Strobel is the director of the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, who writes and teaches in the area of spiritual formation. He is the author of many books, most recently the co-author of the book, When God Seems Distant: Surprising Ways God Deepens Our Faith and Draws Us Near (with John Coe). Kyle regularly speaks at conferences, church trainings, and serves on the preaching team at Redeemer Church. He can be found at KyleStrobel.substack.com.

Kyle’s Book:

When God Seems Distant

Kyle’s Recommendation:

A Lifting Up for the Downcast

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Ep. 437 Michael Rhodes - The Gospel is Political (Just Not How You Think)

Joshua Johnson and Michael J. Rhodes — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 19:31:54 GMT

In this episode, Michael J. Rhodes claims the gospel is inherently political, and “the Lord reigns” was never just a private comfort but a statement about who actually runs the world. We name the two instincts that keep so many of us stuck: retreating into a safe bubble or chasing the halls of power, and why a more holistic approach is necessary. And we get practical: city council meetings, speed bumps, a libertarian business owner whose whole politics quietly rearranged once he started hiring single moms. In a moment when faith and politics have collapsed into the culture war, this feels like a third way, or a faithful way - a politics you can practice this week, on your own street, as a small taste of the beauty of the Kingdom of God.

Michael J. Rhodes (PhD, Trinity College / University of Aberdeen) is lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in Aotearoa New Zealand. He is the author of several books, including Reimagining Biblical Politics, Just Discipleship, Formative Feasting,and Practicing the King’s Economy (with Robby Holt and Brian Fikkert). Rhodes (an ordained EPC pastor) and his family currently live in South Auckland, where they are part of an intentional community engaged in Christian community development.

Michael’s Book:

Reimagining Biblical Politics

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Ep. 436 Amar Peterman - Loving Your Neighbor Across Real Difference

Joshua Johnson and Amar D. Peterman — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 20:18:46 GMT

In this conversation, Amar D. Peterman and I get into the slow, local, unglamorous work of becoming neighbors across real difference. We talk about the table as the place where the common good gets built, and why so many of us are far more comfortable playing host than being hosted - flinging our doors open without ever considering who actually walks through them. We get into hospitality as displacement, an accompaniment that refuses to leave, Thomas learning you can’t reason your way to resurrection, and an imagination that can see life where everything around us insists there’s only division. Here’s the challenge: we have to learn to receive before we can ever give, to love people beyond their labels, and to start right where we are, with the one neighbor in front of us.

Amar D. Peterman is a constructive theologian working at the intersection of faith and public life. He is the founder of Scholarship for Religion and Society LLC and the former assistant director of civic networks at Interfaith America. Peterman holds an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently a PhD student at the University of Chicago Divinity School. His writing and research have been featured in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century,The Fetzer Institute, The Berkley Forum, and more. He also publishes regularly on his Substack, This Common Life.

Amar’s Book:

Becoming Neighbors

Amar’s Recommendations:

Make Your Home in this Luminous Dark

Glimmerings

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Ep. 435 Ben Norquist & Brian Miller - The Places We Live Are Telling Stories. Which Ones Are Getting Told?

Joshua Johnson and Ben Norquist — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 22:07:20 GMT

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 Sacred

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Ep. 434 Aaron Cline Hanbury - When Machines Can Do More, What Does it Mean to be Alive?

Joshua Johnson and Aaron Cline Hanbury — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 14:03:29 GMT

In this episode with Aaron Cline Hanbury, we think through how we relate to technology and the things we make. We tackle the question underneath the whole AI moment: not just what it means to be human when machines can do more and more, but what it means to be alive. We get into whether any technology is really neutral, where our attention is going and who’s buying it, raising kids in a screen-saturated world, and what it takes to stay awake to wonder.

Aaron Cline Hanbury is a writer and editor whose essays and profiles have appeared in various publications, including The Atlantic. He is the founding editor of the award-winning magazine Common Good, and a past editor of RELEVANT magazine. He lives in the metro Atlanta area with his wife, Hannah, and their daughters.

Aaron’s Book:

Wired for Wonder

Aaron’s Recommendations:

The Science of Storytelling

Moby Dick

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Ep. 433 Brant Hansen - Living Unoffended in an Age of Outrage

Joshua Johnson — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:17:20 GMT

In this episode, Brant Hansen argues that holding onto offense is killing us - spiritually, physically, and relationally. He had to decide whether the offense he experienced as a young person should be held on to or if he should release it. It led him to a simple, uncomfortable conclusion: righteous human anger doesn’t exist in scripture, and the anger we carry, however justified it feels, is not what faithful people are called to hold. We talk about forgiveness, hypocrisy in the church, and what Jesus actually intended when he told us to love our enemies.

Brant is an author of several bestselling books, including Unoffendable, and a syndicated radio host on more than 200 stations. His podcast, “The Brant and Sherri Oddcast” has more than 20 million downloads. He’s been featured many times on outlets like Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, and Good Morning America.

Brant and wife Carolyn live in South Florida. His latest book, Living Unoffended releases June 9.

Brant’s Book:

Living Unoffended

Brant’s Recommendation:

The Matter With Things

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Ep. 432 Zachary Wagner - Is Virtue Formation the Answer to the Crises Men and Boys are Facing Right Now?

Joshua Johnson and Zachary Wagner — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:51:52 GMT

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 Virtue

Zachary’s Recommendations:

Against the Machine

Babel

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Ep. 431 Fr. John Dear - Surrendering to the God of Peace and Following the Nonviolent Jesus

Joshua Johnson and John Dear — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:30:52 GMT

In this episode, John Dear joins me to explore his latest book, Universal Love: Surrendering to the God of Peace and one of the core convictions at the center of it: genuine peacemaking begins not with better strategy or more effort, but with total surrender to the God of peace, to the will of God. We talk about what it looks like to take the Sermon on the Mount seriously, why following the non-violent Jesus is the way, and how the daily practice of “not my will, but yours” carries not only inner transformation, but political implications that go all the way to the streets.

Fr. John Dear is an American peace activist, lecturer, author and Catholic priest residing in the Diocese of Monterey in California. Dear has written 40 books on Jesus, peace and nonviolence, and has been arrested 85 times in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience against war, injustice, poverty, racism, executions, nuclear weapons, and environmental destruction. He is the founder and director of the Beatitudes Center, where he offers the “Nonviolent Jesus Podcast”.

Fr. John’s Book:

Universal Love

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Ep. 430 Jennifer Garcia Bashaw & Aaron Higashi - Interpreting the Bible in a World Fighting Over What It Means

Joshua Johnson — Fri, 29 May 2026 18:19:29 GMT

What are you actually doing when you read the Bible? Interpretation. Every time we open the text, we’re already choosing which questions to ask, which lenses to bring, and whose interests get served by the answers we land on. In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Garcia Bash and Aaron Higashi, authors of Serving Up Scripture, to talk about what responsible interpretation looks like, why certainty works against it, and how the same passages have been used both to enslave and to liberate. We also walk through different types of questions to ask while reading scripture.

Jennifer Garcia Bashaw is a professor at Campbell University and an ordained Baptist minister. She has a PhD in New Testament from Fuller Seminary and is the author of Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims and John for Normal People: A Guide through the Drama and Depth of the Fourth Gospel.

Aaron Higashi is a public Bible scholar with a PhD in biblical interpretation from Chicago Theological Seminary. He writes Bible commentaries, including 1 & 2 Samuel for Normal People: A Guide to Prophets, Kings, and Some Pretty Terrible Men, and answers Bible questions on Instagram at @abhigashi.

Jennifer and Aaron’s Book:

Serving Up Scripture

Jennifer’s Recommendation:

Reading the Women of the Bible

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Ep. 429 K.J. Ramsey - Finding Joy in the Place Between Our Pains

Joshua Johnson and K.J. Ramsey — Wed, 27 May 2026 15:43:01 GMT

What does joy look like in the midst of pain and grief? K.J. Ramsey’s memoir, The Place Between Our Pains, was written while she was fighting for her life - and in this conversation, she talks about what that actually means. We get into how dependence on others opens us to love in ways independence never could, why grief is a gate into aliveness rather than a place to get stuck, and what it looked like to launch a book about joy while facing a tumor diagnosis and an IV drip on launch day. This is a conversation about the kind of joy that doesn’t require a tidy resolution and why that might be the kind we’re searching for.

K.J. Ramsey is an increasingly feral mystic who is utterly devoted to the joy of being alive. She is a body-centered licensed professional counselor specialized in trauma recovery and an acclaimed author of prose and poetry, including The Book of Common Courage, The Lord Is My Courage, and This Too Shall Last, as well as the bestselling essay Substack Embodied. KJ advocates for fellow autoimmune patients and lives in Colorado with her husband Ryan, a hospice chaplain, and their two velcro dogs.

K.J.’s Book:

The Place Between Our Pains

K.J.’s Recommendation:

Project Hail Mary

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Ep. 428 Tim Ross - The Missing Peace

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 26 May 2026 00:46:09 GMT

In this conversation, Tim Ross opens up about the wound that shaped his early life, the silence that followed, and what the long road toward healing has actually required. We get into what secrets do to the body, the difference between vertical confession and horizontal healing, why accountability that feels like parole isn’t really accountability, what grief work demands and what gets stuck when we skip it, and what it looks like to stop letting a younger, wounded version of yourself run the show.

Tim Ross, bestselling author and host of the popular podcasts The Basement and Wide Open, was born in Inglewood, California, and went to college to study administration of justice to become a law enforcement officer. But God had other plans and Tim gave his life to Jesus Christ on January 14, 1996, and he started preaching on February 25, 1996. He’s been walking with Jesus ever since. In June of 1997, he moved to Dallas, and in the time he’s spent in the great state of Texas, Tim served in several ministry capacities, including youth evangelist, young adult pastor, director of student ministries, associate campus pastor, executive pastor of Apostolic Ministries, and lead pastor. Tim now occupies his time as a podcaster, social media influencer, bestselling author, and preacher.

Tim’s Book:

The Missing Peace

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Ep. 427 Richard Beck Returns - Reading the Bible Through the Lens of Love

Joshua Johnson and Richard Beck — Thu, 21 May 2026 17:49:29 GMT

In this conversation with Richard Beck, author of The Book of Love, we explore what it actually means to read Scripture through the hermeneutic of love. Richard helps us see that we have to reckon with our attachment to God - whether we actually believe he’s for us - because that fear or security shapes everything about how we read. We get into the violent texts of the Old Testament, why both conservatives and progressives have their own blind spots, how the Bible raises hard questions, and what seeing the cross through a hermeneutic of love looks like.

Richard Beck is professor of psychology at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, where he also lives. He is a popular blogger and speaker and the author of several books, most recently The Shape of Joy and The Book of Love. His published research also covers topics as diverse as the psychology of profanity and why Christian bookstore art is so bad. Beck leads a Bible study each week for inmates at a maximum-security prison.

Richard’s Book:

The Book of Love

Richard’s Recommendations:

What it Means to be Protestant

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Ep. 426 Brian Zahnd - Unseen Existences

Joshua Johnson and Brian Zahnd — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:04:13 GMT

Brian Zahnd joins me to talk about his new book Unseen Existences — and we get into why modern Western people suffer a kind of spiritual homelessness, how philosophical materialism has convinced us the spiritual world isn’t real, and what it looks like to recover a sense that heaven and earth actually overlap. We also dig into the Incarnation as a doorway into mystery, wonder and awe as non-negotiables for living faith, and what it means to hold onto a God who intervenes without turning prayer into a transaction.

Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for his theologically informed preaching and his embrace of the deep and long history of the church, Zahnd is a frequent speaker at conferences, universities, and seminaries around the world. As a pastor-theologian, he is the author of numerous titles, including The Wood Between the Worlds, When Everything’s on Fire, Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God, A Farewell to Mars, and Beauty Will Save the World.

Brian’s Book:

Unseen Existences

Brian’s Recommendation:

Wendell Berry

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Ep. 425 Elizabeth Berget - How Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God

Joshua Johnson and Elizabeth Berget — Wed, 13 May 2026 20:27:59 GMT

Elizabeth Berget joins the podcast to explore the maternal heart of God — tracing how the Hebrew word rakum, often translated simply as “compassionate,” is linguistically rooted in the word for womb, and what it means that God reaches for that word first when describing himself to Israel. The conversation moves through pregnancy, labor, and the crucifixion, the theology of secure attachment, what scripture’s birth language reveals about salvation, and why expanding our image of God isn’t a departure from orthodox Christianity but a return to something ancient that’s largely been lost in translation.

ELIZABETH BERGET is a speaker and author of Love like a Mother: How the Sacred Work of Motherhood Reveals the Maternal Heart of God. Her work has appeared in Christianity Today, Coffee + Crumbs, Mothering Spirit, and other online spaces where mothers gather to find meaning in the mundane. She shares her thoughts in her Substack newsletter, Back of the Flock, where she explores the image of God in the everyday work of motherhood. Berget has lived in Africa and Asia but now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her husband, three kids, and one mischievous dog. And yes, she’d love to hold your baby.

Elizabeth’s Book:

Love Like a Mother

Elizabeth’s Recommendations:

Nervous Systems

Living Easter

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Ep. 424 Jeffrey Overstreet - Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema

Joshua Johnson and Jeffrey Overstreet — Mon, 11 May 2026 21:11:24 GMT

Light is a language, and learning to read it - in a darkened theater, in the stories of your neighbors, in the films you were told to avoid - helps us see clearly. In this conversation, Jeffrey Overstreet and I talk about cinema as a spiritual practice, what it looks like to love your neighbor by actually watching their films, why the filmmakers he was told to fear have shaped his faith far more than he was told they would, and why pursuing truth and beauty on the big screen has a way of leading us back to Jesus.

Jeffrey Overstreet is the author of two film-focused memoirs—Through a Screen Darkly (2007) and Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema (2026)—and the four-volume fantasy series The Auralia Thread. He has served as Senior Film Critic at Christianity Today, a film columnist for the literary arts journal Image, and has been published at Paste and Bright Wall/Dark Room. In 2024, students at Seattle Pacific University voted him Undergraduate Professor of the Year for his work teaching creative writing and film studies. You can find more than 25 years of his writing on film, music, and faith at JeffreyOverstreet.com

Jeffrey’s Book:

Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema

Jeffrey’s Recommendations:

Scott Cairns

Tania Runyan

Delicate Machinery Suspended

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Ep. 423 Nijay Gupta - Paul for the World: What Does New Creation Look Like Here and Now?

Joshua Johnson and Nijay K. Gupta — Mon, 11 May 2026 17:02:10 GMT

Paul wasn’t just helping people get to heaven. Nijay K. Gupta joins me to make the case that Paul’s letters were written for people trying to figure out how to live, not how to escape. Drawing from his new book Paul for the World, Nijay walks through the Greco-Roman world Paul was writing into - its economic disparity, its philosophies, its hunger for meaning - and shows how we can see our world similarly. The conversation moves through economics, the arts, the Stoics, and the resurrection to land on a grounded, new creation vision of the Christian life. This is a conversation about meaning, hope, and what it looks like to be fully alive in the world God hasn’t given up on.

Nijay K. Gupta (PhD, Durham University) is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is the coauthor (with A. J. Swoboda) of the book Slow Theology, cohost of the Slow Theology podcast, and founder of the popular Substack newsletter Engaging Scripture. Gupta is an award-winning author of numerous books, including Tell Her Story, Strange Religion, and commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. He is also a senior translator for the New Living Translation. Gupta lives in Portland, Oregon.

Nijay’s Book:

Paul for the World

Nijay’s Recommendation:

God’s Homecoming

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Ep. 422 Tia Levings Returns - Recovery and Hope After Religious Trauma

Joshua Johnson and Tia Levings — Wed, 06 May 2026 20:51:18 GMT

In this episode, Tia Levings returns to talk about her new book I Belong to Me - a guide to healing and recovery after high-control religion and other controlling environments. Tia walks through what she calls the steps before the steps: the audacity, the centrality, the willingness to want something different before you’re even ready to name what happened to you. We talk about why language can free you and trap you at the same time, how cult-hopping happens and why, what developmental stages get stolen in high-control systems, and how somatic and body-based modalities opened up healing that talk therapy alone couldn’t reach. This is a grounded, honest conversation about what it looks like to start to become the protagonist of your own story.

Tia Levings is the New York Times Bestselling author of A Well-Trained Wife, her memoir of escape from Christian Patriarchy and I Belong to Me: A Survivor’s Guide to Recovery and Hope after Religious Trauma. She writes about the realities of religious trauma, evangelical patriarchy, and the Trad wife life, decoding the fundamentalist influences in our news and culture. Her work and quotes have appeared in Teen Vogue, Salon, Newsweek, and the HuffingtonPost. She is an experienced interviewee, speaker, and podcast guest, and has appeared in the hit Amazon docu-series, Shiny Happy People. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, she is mom to four incredible adults and likes to travel, hike, paint, and daydream. Find her on social media @TiaLevingsWriter.

Tia’s Book:

I Belong to Me

Tia’s Recommendation:

Heart the Lover

Everything in Color

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Ep. 421 Tish Harrison Warren - What Grows in Weary Lands

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 04 May 2026 18:42:34 GMT

What do you do when the fire won’t start - when life is full but God feels distant, when faith is intact but the soul is running on empty? In this conversation, I sit down with Tish Harrison Warren, who draws on her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands, to explore acedia, the ancient concept usually translated as sloth but better understood as a sadness that the good is difficult. We trace how the desert fathers and mothers were grappling with the same exhaustion and spiritual languishing that defines our moment and what their practices have to teach us about endurance, formation, and encounter with the living God.

Tish Harrison Warren is a writer and an Anglican priest. She is the author of several books, including Liturgy of the Ordinary, which won Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year, and Prayer in the Night, which won Christianity Today’s 2022 Book of the Year and the 2022 ECPA Christian Book of the Year. She formerly wrote a weekly newsletter for The New York Times, which focused on faith in public discourse and private life. She was also a columnist at Christianity Today. Her articles and essays have appeared in Comment Magazine, the The Point Magazine, Religion News Service, and elsewhere. She currently serves as the C.S. Lewis Theological Writer-in-Residence for The Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She is a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum and an assisting priest at Immanuel Anglican Church. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.

Tish’s Book:

What Grows in Weary Lands

Tish’s Recommendation:

Liturgies of the Wild

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Ep. 420 Eric Clayton Returns - The Spirituality of Star Wars

Joshua Johnson and Eric A. Clayton — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:05:14 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Eric A. Clayton to explore the spirituality of Star Wars and why these stories still shape how we see ourselves and the world. We talk about the cave on Dagobah, the pull of the dark side, nonviolence, discernment, and how stories can become spaces where God meets us and forms us - if we’re paying attention. We get into holy indifference, the tension between action and waiting, and what it means to choose a different way in the middle of chaos. This conversation is about learning to notice what’s stirring in us and to embody a better story in our everyday lives.

Eric Clayton is an award-winning author and the deputy director for communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. His books include, Finding Peace Here and Now: How Ignatian Spirituality Leads Us to Healing and Wholeness, My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars, and more. His writing has appeared in America Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, US Catholic, among others, and he is a frequent contributor to Give Us This Day and IgnatianSpirituality.com. Eric lives outside of Baltimore, Maryland, with his family. Learn more at ericclaytonwrites.com.

Eric’s Book:

My Life with the Jedi

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Ep. 419 Scot McKnight & Adrienne Gibson - Traumatized Church

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 20:41:47 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Scot McKnight and Adrienne Gibson about their new book Traumatized Church, and what it looks like to read Paul, and our congregations, through a trauma-informed lens. We explore what trauma actually is, how it lives in the body, and why so many people are being quietly re-traumatized in the very communities meant to heal them. The conversation moves between Paul’s raw, unraveling letter in 2 Corinthians and the practical work of building churches that are safe, full of mutuality, and honest about the pain in the room.

Scot McKnight (PhD, Nottingham) has been a Professor of New Testament for more than four decades. He is the author of more than ninety books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed as well as The King Jesus Gospel, A Fellowship of Differents, One.Life, The Blue Parakeet, Revelation for the Rest of Us, and Kingdom Conspiracy.

Adrienne Gibson is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), clinical supervisor for the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners (AZBBHE), and the owner of Valor Counseling. She has been licensed for over two decades, working with children, families, and adults, and has served as a clinical supervisor and clinical director for two large community based mental health agencies in Arizona and Oregon. She has master’s degrees in counseling and New Testament. She regularly speaks on the topic of trauma and healing and consults with denominations on implementing trauma-informed care practices.

Scot & Adrienne’s Book:

Traumatized Church

Scot’s Recommendation:

Complicity in the Holocaust

Adrienne’s Recommendation:

The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog

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Ep. 418 Alan Noble - How to Live Well in a Fractured World

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:35:20 GMT

We’re living in a fractured world, pulled in a thousand directions, unsure what it actually means to live a good life. In this episode, I talk with O. Alan Noble about virtue, telos, and how prudence, justice, courage, temperance, faith, hope, and love reorient us toward a life that is whole, grounded, and shaped by the way of Jesus. We explore decision-making, suffering, agency, and hope - and what it looks like to actually embody these virtues in everyday life.

Dr. O. Alan Noble is Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, a fellow at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, and author of four books, including: To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living, and You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World. Dr. Noble has published articles at The Atlantic, The Gospel Coalition, First Things, and Christianity Today. He lives in Oklahoma City with his wife and three children.

Alan’s Book:

To Live Well

Alan’s Recommendation:

The Quest for Community

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Ep. 417 Steven Garber - Making Peace with the Proximate

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 20:17:22 GMT

What do you do when the world refuses to become what you know it should be? In this conversation, Steven Garber introduces the concept of “the proximate” - learning to make peace with what is nearly, but not yet, true - in our marriages, our work for justice, and our longing for God’s kingdom to come. Drawing on Tolkien, Augustine, the Clapham Society, and the surprising cry of a postmodern novelist, Steven helps us understand the difference between hope and optimism, what it means to carry our wounds into the world as healers, and why the question of what it means to be human may be the most urgent question of our age. His new book is Hints of Hope.

Steven Garber has been teacher of many people in many places for many years, a professor for undergraduates, graduates, and people at work in the world. The founder of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation and Culture, he now serves as the Senior Fellow for Vocation and the Common Good for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Senior Advisor for the Economics of Mutuality and Senior Fellow for the Institute for Marketplace Transformation; and for several years was the Professor of Marketplace Theology at Regent College, Vancouver BC. The author of several books, his most recent are Hints of Hope: Essays on Making Peace with the Proximate, Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good, and The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work. With his wife Meg, they are the parents of children and grandchildren, and have long lived in Virginia among family, friends and flowers. A native of the mountain valleys of Colorado and California, a geography of people and place which is still a deep home to him.

Steven’s Book:

Hints of Hope

Steven’s Recommendations:

A Christmas Carol

Les Miserables

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Ep. 416 Andrew Root - Rescuing Church Growth from Idolatry

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 16:43:26 GMT

I sit down with Andrew Root to talk about his new book Baal and the Gods of More and the ways fertility idols still shape how we think about growth in the church. We explore how the drive for more - more people, more influence, more momentum - can pull us away from the way of Jesus, even when we think we’re being faithful. This conversation moves from Elijah to Mary and reframes growth as being formed into Christ, not building something bigger.

Andrew Root (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He writes and researches in the areas of theology, ministry, culture, and younger generations and is the author of more than twenty-five books, including the six-volume Ministry in a Secular Age set. Root is also the coauthor (with Kenda Creasy Dean) of The Theological Turn in Youth Ministry. He serves as staff theologian at Youthfront, is a frequent speaker, and cohosts the Ministry in a Secular Age podcast.

Andy’s Book:

Baal and the Gods of More

Andy’s Recommendation:

The Logic of the Spirit

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Ep. 415 Jason VanRuler Returns - Discovering Your Communication Type: The Path to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:57:59 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Jason VanRuler about why we keep missing each other in conversation and what’s actually going on beneath the surface. We explore the five communication types - peacemaker, advocate, thinker, harbor, and spark - and how our upbringing, attachment styles, and even shame shape the way we speak and listen. Jason offers a practical way forward: growing in self-awareness, understanding the person in front of you, and shifting from trying to win or convince to actually connecting.

Jason VanRuler, MA, CSAT, is a psychotherapist, author, and nationally recognized speaker specializing in communication, attachment, and relationships. He’s the author of Discovering Your Communication Type and Get Past Your Past and founder of a thriving private practice. Known for blending insight, story, and strategy, Jason leads workshops, retreats, and intensives that explore the patterns shaping how we connect, lead, and thrive. His work creates space for clarity, growth, and lasting change. He lives with his wife and three children and enjoys travel, cycling, and fly fishing.

Jason’s Book:

Discovering Your Communication Type

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Ep. 414 Amy Orr-Ewing Returns - Reclaiming the Power of Forgiveness in a Culture of Outrage and Fear

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:40:17 GMT

Forgiveness is one of the hardest, but most crucial parts of the Christian life. In this episode with Amy Orr-Ewing, we talk about why forgiveness matters right now, especially in a culture shaped by outrage, cancellation, and competing visions of justice. Amy helps clarify the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, why real forgiveness doesn’t minimize harm or remove consequences, and how the cross makes a way to take evil seriously while still offering grace. We also get into trauma, shame, enemy love, and what it looks like to practice forgiveness in our lives and communities without cheapening it.

Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is an international author, speaker and theologian who addresses the deep questions of our day with meaningful answers found in the Christian Faith. She is the author of multiple books including bestsellers ‘Where is God in All the Suffering?’, ‘Why Trust the Bible?’, ‘Mary’s Voice’, and her latest ‘Forgiveness Reclaiming its Power in a Culture of Outrage and Fear’ releases in 2026.

Over the last twenty five years, Amy has spoken in more than 40 countries as a public advocate for the Christian faith including public lectures and open forums on university campuses, and addressing Politicians and Parliamentarians in the UK Parliament and staffers on Capitol Hill, the Senate and the West Wing of The White House. Amy speaks at conferences, businesses, banks, and churches about how theology connects with the deepest questions of life.

In 2023, Amy was awarded the Alphege Medal for Evangelism and Witness by the Archbishop of Canterbury. She holds a D Dphil (doctorate) from the University of Oxford and is Honorary Lecturer at the School of Divinity, University of Aberdeen, Distinguished Scholar at Wheaton College Illinois and Founder of Advocate Collective. Amy is married to Frog and they have three wonderful sons.

Amy’s Book:

Forgiveness

Amy’s Recommendations:

The Mind of the Maker

The Body Keeps the Score

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Ep. 413 Malcolm Guite - Lifting the Veil: Beauty, Myth, and Re-Enchantment

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:00:03 GMT

Malcolm Guite joins me to talk about his new epic poem Galahad and the Grail and why these ancient stories still matter. We explore how myth and poetry can help us see what’s real, how we’ve lost a sense of wonder in a mechanized and disenchanted world, and why imagination is essential for meaning. Malcolm shares how the story of the wasteland speaks to our cultural moment - from ecological crisis to the rise of technology - and how beauty, story, and the recovery of the sacred can begin to heal what’s been broken. This conversation moves from Arthurian legend to theology, from poetry to modern life, and invites us to see the world again with clarity, depth, and hope.

Malcolm Guite is a poet, scholar, and Life Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge. He has published five collections of poetry and many other books including Mariner: A Voyage with Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Hodder, 2017).

In 2023 he was awarded the Lanfranc Medal for Education and Scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He lives in Norfolk and travels extensively to give poetry readings and lectures and also has a popular YouTube channel he calls “A Spell in the Library.”

Malcolm’s Book:

Galahad and the Grail

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Ep. 412 Jay Stringer - What Your Desires Are Trying to Tell You

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 17:00:51 GMT

Desire is shaping your life more than you think. In this conversation, I talk with Jay Stringer about why desire often feels like a civil war within us and how our longings are deeply connected to our story - our wounds, our past, and the formation we’ve received. We explore five core desires that lead to human flourishing, how shame keeps us stuck, and why paying attention to what you want can become a roadmap to healing. This conversation will help you understand your desires, uncover what’s beneath them, and begin to move toward a more whole, integrated life.

Jay Stringer is a licensed mental health counselor, researcher, and speaker who helps people uncover the unexpected meaning hidden in life’s hardest challenges. He is the award-winning author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing and lives in New York City with his wife, Heather, and their two children.

Jay’s Book:

Desire

Jay’s Recommendations:

Beowulf

Crossing the Unknown Sea

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Ep. 411 Mark DeYmaz Returns - Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 21:26:24 GMT

Mark DeYmaz - pastor, author, and longtime leader in building multi-ethnic, economically diverse churches returns to talk about what it actually means to be a peacemaker in a divided world. We center the conversation on the Prayer of St. Francis and explore the difference between claiming the name of Christ and embodying his way, why nuance and listening matter, and how to hold tension without trying to escape it. Mark shares practical ways to pursue peace in everyday relationships and in the broader culture, and we wrestle with how to live with both hope and despair at the same time. If we’re going to reflect Jesus in the world, this is work we can’t avoid.

A thought-leading writer and recognized champion of the Multiethnic Church Movement, Mark planted the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas (mosaicchurch.net) in 2001 where he continues to serve as Directional Leader. In 2004, he co-founded the Mosaix Global Network (mosaix.info), with Dr. George Yancey, today serving as its president and convener of the triennial National Multi-ethnic Church Conference. In 2008, he launched Vine and Village (vineandvillage.org) and remains active on the board of this 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on the spiritual, social, and financial transformation of Little Rock’s University District.

Mark has written several books, The Coming Revolution in Church Economics (Baker Books, 2019); Disruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the Community (Thomas Nelson, 2017); and Multiethnic Conversations: an Eight Week Guide to Unity in Your Church (Wesleyan Publishing House, 2016), the first daily devotional, small group curriculum on the subject for people in the pews. His book, Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church (Jossey-Bass, 2007), was a finalist for a Christianity Today Book of the Year Award (2008) and for a Resource of the Year Award (2008) sponsored by Outreach magazine. Other works include, re:MIX: Transitioning Your Church to Living Color (Abingdon, 2016); Leading a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church (formerly Ethnic Blends; Zondervan, 2010, 2013), and the e-Book, Should Pastors Accept or Reject the Homogeneous Unit Principle? (Mosaix Global Network, 2011). In addition to books, he is a contributing editor for Outreach magazine where his column, “Mosaic” appears in each issue.

He and his wife, Linda, have been married for thirty-two years and reside in Little Rock, AR. Linda is the author of the certified best-seller, Mommy, Please Don’t Cry: There Are No Tears in Heaven (Multnomah, 1996), an anointed resource providing hope and comfort for those who grieve the loss of a child. Mark and Linda have four adult children and three grandchildren.

Mark’s Book:

Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace

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Ep. 410 Al Gordon - Igniting Your God-Given Creativity

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:24:19 GMT

Creativity isn’t optional in this moment, it’s essential to what it means to be human and to follow Jesus in a rapidly changing world. In this conversation, I talk with Al Gordon about why imagination is under threat, how AI is reshaping our creative lives, and why the church is called to recover its role as a place that ignites creativity rather than suppresses it. We explore how the Holy Spirit fuels imagination, why wonder has faded in our culture, and what it looks like to move from inspiration to actually creating something that matters.

Al Gordon leads SAINT, a thriving church on a mission to bring hope to the people of East London. He’s the founder of RENAISSANCE, a global movement helping people encounter their Creator, be equipped as creatives, and empowering churches to become cathedrals of creativity. He is a trustee of Alpha International and is married to Olivia, an architect. Al is the author of SPARK: Ignite Your God-Given Creativity.

Al’s Book:

Spark

Al’s Recommendation:

Hamnet

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Ep. 409 Marty Solomon - The Gospel of Being Human

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:52:47 GMT

Marty Solomon joins me to talk about what it actually means to be human and why starting with belovedness changes everything. We explore how the stories we believe shape our view of God, ourselves, and others, why certainty can get in the way of real faith, and how to hold both our brokenness and our belovedness at the same time. This conversation moves from theology into practice - how we listen to the Spirit, see our enemies as human again, and participate in the shalom God is already bringing in the world.

Marty Solomon is a theologian, the president and director of discipleship for Impact Campus Ministries, and the creator and executive producer of The BEMA Podcast. He and his wife, Rebekah, live in Cincinnati with their two children. Marty’s previous book is titled Asking Better Questions of the Bible: A Guide for the Wounded, Wary, and Longing for More.

Marty’s Book:

The Gospel of Being Human

Marty’s Recommendation:

N.T. Wright

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Ep. 408 Kevin Burrell - Consider the Birds: Joy, Attention, and the Way of Jesus

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 08:48:54 GMT

Kevin Burrell joins me to talk about what it means to pay attention again - to consider the birds, as Jesus says, and to see how creation can lead us deeper into the life of God. We walk through Philippians, a letter written from prison yet full of joy, and explore how joy and suffering can coexist, how anxiety is reshaped by trust, and how rootedness, unity, and discernment are formed in us over time. Kevin shares how birdwatching became more than a hobby, opening up a way of seeing that reveals God’s presence in the ordinary and invites us to slow down, notice, and live with greater awareness of what God is doing all around us.

Kevin Burrell is the co-lead Pastor of StoneBridge Church Community in Charlotte, North Carolina. An avid birder, Kevin’s pastoral heart and avian interests united with the formation of his blog, Ornitheology, where he utilizes birds as illustrations of the Christian life. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Beverly, three children, and five birdfeeders.

Kevin’s Book:

Considering Sparrows

Kevin’s Recommendation:

East of Eden

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Ep. 407 James K.A. Smith - Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 20:18:27 GMT

In a world of misinformation and uncertainty, we’re often tempted to think our way out of our problems. But what if more knowledge isn’t the answer? In this episode, I talk with philosopher and author James K.A. Smith about his book Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark and why the pursuit of certainty can easily become an idol. We discuss his personal journey discovering the wisdom of silence, solitude, and surrender after a season of depression forced him to confront problems thinking alone couldn’t solve. We explore the insights of the medieval mystics, what it means to let go of the need to win arguments, why our bodies matter in spiritual practice, and how discovering our belovedness reshapes the way we live and engage the world.

James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin University and author of Make Your Home in this Luminous Dark: Mysticism, Art, and the Gift of Unknowing (Yale, March 2026). His popular writing has appeared in magazines such as Christianity Today, Christian Century, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, as well as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and USA Today. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

James’ Book:

Make Your Home in This Luminous Dark

James’ Recommendation:

Mussolini Son of the Century

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Ep. 406 Bethaney Wilkinson - A More Beautiful Way to Live

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:26:15 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Bethaney Wilkinson to talk about the pressure so many of us feel to move faster, do more, and carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Bethaney shares her own story of burnout and how that crisis forced her to rethink the pace of her life, the way she pursued justice, and what it means to live faithfully in a chaotic world. We explore why constantly staring at the problems of the world can slowly deform our souls, how beauty and attention can help reorient us toward love, and why slowing down and tending to our inner lives might actually be one of the most important ways we can become a healing presence in the world.

Bethaney B. Wilkinson (MA, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a writer, spiritual director, podcaster, and facilitator who is passionate about slow, sustainable, and soul-nourishing living. She has led conversations on spirituality, race, and social change at Google and the Chick-fil-A Foundation, and her work has been featured on Getaway House, The Plywood podcast, and Pantsuit Politics. Bethaney is the author of The Diversity Gap and lives in rural Georgia.

Bethaney’s Book:

A More Beautiful Way to Live

Bethaney’s Recommendations:

Against the Machine

Pride and Prejudice

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Ep. 405 Josh Nadeau - Heaven Meets Earth: Beauty, Truth, Goodness and the Nicene Creed

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 21:22:06 GMT

Josh Nadeau, author of Heaven Meets Earth, joins me to explore what it looks like to move beyond intellectual faith into something embodied and transformative. Drawing on the Nicene Creed as a 40-day guide, Josh makes the case that goodness, truth, and beauty are the doorways into a faith that actually forms us - shaping our loves, our attention, and how we see the world around us. We talk about why the Western Church has largely lost its sense of wonder, what the ancient spiritual practices do that head knowledge alone never can, and how the ordinary moments of everyday life are already full of divine invitation - if we have eyes to see them.

Josh Nadeau is a writer and illustrator from Canada’s West Coast, working to recover ancient ways of seeing God’s Reality in a disenchanted age. He believes Beauty is an apologetic; a call to rediscover the holy ordinary of everyday life by participating in God’s transcendent work.

He is husband to Aislinn and father to Ransom and Cassian. He holds an undergraduate degree in physics, a master’s in theological studies, and a doctorate from the school of hard knocks.

Josh is the founder of Sword and Pencil and Every Day Saints.

Josh’s Book:

Heaven Meets Earth

Josh’s Recommendations:

For the Life of the World

Slaughterhouse-Five

Mother Night

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Ep. 404 Jared Stacy - Reality in Ruins: Conspiracy, the Church, and the Way of Christ

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:56:04 GMT

In this episode, I talk with theologian Jared Stacy, PhD about why conspiracy theories have taken such deep root in our cultural moment and why they often find unique traction within American Christianity. We explore how an overload of information, fear, and ideological certainty can distort the stories we tell about the world and about God. Jared reflects on the Columbine martyrdom myth, the difference between ideology and the living story of Christ, and why presence, community, and faithful storytelling may be the church’s most important response in an age where reality itself often feels contested.

Jared Stacy is a theologian and ethicist and former pastor to evangelical churches in New Orleans and the Washington, DC, metro area. He received a PhD in moral & practical theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. His research focuses on the intersection of theology and politics. Specifically on ethics, extremism/conspiracy theory and US evangelicalism. Jared’s work and his story have been featured on platforms like Time, NPR, NBC News, the BBC, and Christianity Today.

Jared’s Book:

Reality in Ruins

Jared’s Recommendation:

Joining Creation’s Praise

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Ep. 402 Justin Ariel Bailey Returns - Discipling the Diseased Imagination

Joshua Johnson — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:27:36 GMT

Justin Ariel Bailey joins me to talk about his book Discipling the Diseased Imagination and why imagination plays a crucial role in spiritual formation. We explore how the stories, habits, and media that capture our attention quietly shape our discipleship, and why following Jesus requires learning to behold what is good, beautiful, and true. We also discuss hope, idolatry, attachment, and how the imagination can be healed as we live more deeply in the story of God.

Justin Ariel Bailey (PhD, Fuller Seminary) is dean of chapel and professor of theology at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. He is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church and has served as a pastor in diverse settings. Bailey is the author of Reimagining Apologetics and Interpreting Your World, and he is a sought-after speaker. His new book is Discipling the Diseased Imagination.

Justin’s Book:

Discipling the Diseased Imagination

Justin’s Recommendations:

Piranesi

That Hideous Strength

Broken Bonds

Everything is Never Enough

The Theological Imagination

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Ep. 401 Kendall Mariah - The Anchoring Tether in the Midst of Soul Friction

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 21:17:08 GMT

What do you do when your faith no longer fits the formulas you were given? In this episode, I sit down with Kendall Mariah to talk about what she calls “soul friction” — the holy discomfort that surfaces through disillusionment, infertility, adoption, racial awakening, purity culture, and watching the church miss the way of Jesus. We explore anger, courage, embodiment, and what it really means to pray “on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a conversation about tending the fire instead of letting it burn everything down and choosing courageous faith over easy certainty.

Kendall Mariah is a lifestyle content creator, photographer, and brand strategist whose honest storytelling has cultivated a deeply connected online community. As a business owner, military spouse, and adoptive mom, she speaks authentically about the intersections of faith, identity, and everyday life. Her debut book, THIS LITTLE FIRE OF MINE, releases in February 2026.

Kendall’s Book:

This Little Fire of Mine

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Ep. 399 Preston Sprinkle Returns - What Does the Bible Really Say About Women in Leadership?

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:37:41 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Preston Sprinkle to walk through one of the most debated questions in the church: women in leadership. We trace the story from Genesis to the prophets, through the ministry of Jesus, into Romans 16, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Timothy 2, asking what the whole sweep of Scripture actually says about authority, teaching, and the nature of leadership in the kingdom of God. Preston shares his multi-year journey of wrestling with the text, where he lands, and why he believes we need deeper study and better conversations around this issue for the sake of the church and our witness in the world.

Dr. Preston Sprinkle is a biblical scholar, speaker, podcaster, a New York Times bestselling author, and is the co-founder and president of The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. He earned a Ph.D. in New Testament from Aberdeen University in Scotland (2007), and has taught theology at Cedarville University (OH), Nottingham University (U.K.), and Eternity Bible College (CA). Preston is an international speaker who’s written over a dozen books including Does the Bible Support Same-Sex Marriage? and his most recent book: Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire. Preston currently serves as the president of The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, an organization that equips Christians to engage questions about faith, sexuality and gender with theological faithfulness and courageous love. And he’s also the president of Theology in the Raw, which includes the popular “Theology in the Raw” podcast and the annual “Exiles in Babylon” conference.

Preston’s Book:

From Genesis to Junia

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Ep. 400 Sarah Bessey Returns - Braving the Truth with Rachel Held Evans

Joshua Johnson and Sarah Bessey — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 23:06:15 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Sarah Bessey to talk about editing Braving the Truth, a curated collection of blog posts and essays from Rachel Held Evans that feel as timely now as when they were first written. We explore Rachel’s legacy, her refusal to give in to dualistic thinking, and her commitment to telling the truth without surrendering love. This conversation is about long-term faithfulness in a time of backlash, how to plant hope in our own patch of earth, and what it looks like for us to carry the baton forward, so that we can brave the truth.

Sarah Bessey is a Canadian writer whose work creates spaces of welcome where questions are honoured, stories matter, and resilient hope is practiced, one small faithful act at a time. She is the bestselling author of five books including Field Notes for the Wilderness: Practices for an Evolving Faith and the New York Times bestseller A Rhythm of Prayer. Sarah also writes the bestselling weekly Substack newsletter Field Notes.

Living in Calgary with her family, she writes from the ordinary rhythms of life with warmth and theological generosity.

Sarah’s Book:

Braving the Truth

Sarah’s Recommendations:

Wild Dark Shore

One Day Everyone Will Have Been Against This

Christ in the Rubble

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Ep. 398 Miroslav Volf & Christian Wiman - Wrestling with Faith Together

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:08:55 GMT

What happens when a poet and a theologian decide to write letters to each other about faith? In this episode, I sit down with Christian Wiman and Miroslav Volf to discuss their book Glimmerings and talk about the language we use for God and why it so often falls short, the tension between God’s presence and absence, what the Book of Job has to say about suffering, and whether faith can survive, even deepen, without easy answers. It’s a conversation about holding paradox, paying attention, and what it looks like to keep believing in the middle of real life.

Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. His books include Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, winner of the 2002 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. His Gifford Lectures (2025) are titled Amor Mundi: God and the Character of Our Relation to the World.

Christian Wiman is the Clement-Muehl Professor of the Arts at Yale Divinity School. He is the author, editor, or translator of fifteen books, including Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair and Hammer Is the Prayer: Selected Poems. His work appears regularly in Harper’s, The New Yorker, and Commonweal.

Miroslav & Chris’ Book:

Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian

Chris’ Recommendations:

The Banquet Years

Miroslav’s Recommendation:

The Cost of Discipleship

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Ep. 396 Christopher Beha - Why I Am Not an Atheist

Joshua Johnson and Christopher Beha — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 21:19:43 GMT

Christopher Beha grew up Catholic, lost his faith in college after his twin brother nearly died and he was later diagnosed with stage three cancer, and spent years immersed in atheism shaped by thinkers like Bertrand Russell and the New Atheists. In this episode, we talk about the limits of scientific materialism and romantic idealism, the problem of suffering, the reality of consciousness, and why atheism is never just disbelief but always carries a worldview. Chris shares why he ultimately returned to Catholicism, how he holds faith and doubt together, and why hope, transcendence, and human dignity still matter in a culture shaped by fear, anxiety, and self-interest.

Christopher Beha is former editor of Harper’s Magazine; the author of a memoir, The Whole Five Feet; and the novels Arts & Entertainments and What Happened to Sophie Wilder. His most recent novel, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts, was nominated for the 2020 National Book Award.

Chris’ Book:

Why I Am Not an Atheist

Chris’ Recommendations:

Madame Bovary

The Dying Grass

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Ep. 395 Tim Timmons - Holding Grief and Gratitude and The Story Behind "Even If" and "I Can Only Imagine 2"

Joshua Johnson and TIM TIMMONS — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 19:13:12 GMT

A few weeks before going to pursue mainstream music, TIM TIMMONS was told he had five years to live. In this episode, we talk about the story behind his song “Even If,” how that confession was forged in the middle of stage-four cancer, and how his journey is now portrayed in the film I Can Only Imagine 2. We explore what it means to hold grief and gratitude together, to surrender outcomes without giving up hope, and to resist contempt through enemy-love in a divided culture. This isn’t a polished victory arc. It’s a conversation about paying attention to Jesus in the 10,000 ordinary minutes of our lives — and discovering that even if the healing doesn’t come, God himself is still our hope.

Tim Timmons is a singer-songwriter who has spent over two decades in ministry, writing songs born from personal experience with pain, cancer, hope, and joy. In 2001, he received a terminal cancer diagnosis with a five-year prognosis—he’s now 24 years into that journey. “The gift of cancer is perspective,” he shares. “It’s really the open door to speak into people’s stories.”

Since his 2013 debut “Cast My Cares,” Timmons has been creating what he calls “prayers set to music,” including co-writing MercyMe’s Grammy-nominated “Even If.” His latest work with Integrity Music explores themes of God’s presence through struggle, including singles like “You Never Let Go” and “Roar”—songs that put praise into action even in the midst of hardship.

After 15 years leading worship in Orange County, California, Timmons now tours full-time, carrying a message forged in the fire of his own battle with incurable cancer. “I hear so many stories after every show where people are just stuck in religion—exhausted, shame-filled, powerless, and joyless,” he notes. “I want to have songs that actually help them through their journey and invite them beyond fear.”

When home in Nashville, Tim, his wife Hilary of 23+ years, and their four children live out their faith in everyday moments. Six years ago, he founded the non-profit 10000 MINUTES with a weekly podcast inspiring people to practice Jesus in all 10,000 minutes of their week, not just the 80 spent in church. He is also the author of the forthcoming book,Waking Up Again: A Journey of Grief and Gratitude (March 3, 2026).

Tim Timmons’ greatest desire—whether through his cancer story, his theology, or his songs—is to help people discover the real life found with Jesus, one day at a time.

Tim’s Book:

Waking Up Again

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Ep. 394 Jason Green - Building Community in a Divided World

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:57:55 GMT

Jason Green was serving in the Obama White House when a phone call from his mother sent him home to sit with his grandmother in the hospital — and into a story he never knew was his. In this conversation, we talk about the hidden history of Quince Orchard, a Black community founded after emancipation, and three segregated churches that chose to merge in 1968 after Dr. King’s assassination. We explore remembrance before reconciliation, the communal strength of the Black church, breaking cycles of harm, and what it actually costs to build resilient, integrated community in a divided time. If you’re asking where we go from here — chaos or community — this episode is for you.

Jason G. Green is a Maryland-born community organizer, attorney, entrepreneur, and storyteller whose work sits at the intersection of economic opportunity, community trust-building, and democratic renewal. He is the author of the forthcoming book Too Precious to Lose (One World | Penguin Random House, 2026), an intimate narrative that blends a personal, community history with a broader call to repair the connections that bind us together.

Green served as Special Assistant to the President and Associate White House Counsel to President Obama, advising on domestic and economic policy during the recovery from the Great Recession. He later co-founded SkillSmart, a pioneering workforce and economic-impact software company that has helped quantify more than $100 billion in economic development activity and supported a talent pipeline of more than 50,000 skilled workers across the United States.He is the President and CEO of EverGreen Labs, a strategy studio that helps organizations deepen stakeholder alignment, improve market positioning, and drive measurable business outcomes. Green previously served as Executive-in-Residence at Zeal Capital Partners, supporting early-stage companies focused on the future of work, financial technology, and health equity.

A civic leader deeply committed to history, memory, and reconciliation, Green is a trustee of the Pleasant View Historic Association and a founding commissioner and former chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation. His award-winning PBS documentary, Finding Fellowship, explores the intertwined Black and white history of Quince Orchard and the community-led fight to preserve its legacy

Green has served several corporate and nonprofit boards, including Daivergent, Flare, Clear Impact, Per Scholas, the Arena, the Washington University Alumni Board of Governors and Regional Cabinet, and the Yale Law School Executive Committee and is a non-resident fellow at the Urban Institute. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.His work—spanning technology, public service, storytelling, and community leadership—is rooted in a belief that our shared future depends on our capacity to connect and build together. Green currently lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Ritu and their son Aidan.

Jason’s Book:

Too Precious to Lose

Jason’s Recommendation:

Great Expectations

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Ep. 392 Michael Leach - Faith Over Fear

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 20:51:08 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Leach for a thoughtful conversation about fear, faith, and what it looks like to keep moving forward when clarity is hard to come by. We talk about his journey from growing up on the South Side of Chicago to working in the NFL and serving in the White House, but more importantly about how faith is formed through practice, resilience, and trust in uncertain seasons. We explore purpose and identity, calling versus assignment, burnout and boundaries, and why connection matters more than simply having the right words. This is an honest, grounded conversation about choosing faith over fear and learning how to live with courage and moral clarity in a complicated world.

Michael Leach is a distinguished leader whose career spans the NFL, national politics, and the White House. Born on the South Side of Chicago, his journey has shaped him into one of today’s most trusted and relatable voices on faith, leadership, and resilience. He began with the Chicago Bears, advanced to NFL Headquarters, helped lead and build the most diverse presidential campaign team in U.S. history, culminating in a historic victory, and later made history as the first-ever Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the White House. Now Founder & CEO of BridgeTrust Partners, Leach helps leaders and organizations strengthen trust, purpose, and impact across industries.

Michael’s Book:

Faith Over Fear

Michael’s Recommendation:

The One Thing

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Ep. 391 N.T. Wright - God's Homecoming: What if the Point of Christianity Isn't to Go to Heaven When We Die?

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 18:50:59 GMT

What if Christianity was never meant to be about escaping earth for heaven, but about God coming home to the world? In this episode, I sit down with N. T. Wright for a wide-ranging conversation that reclaims the Bible’s larger story: heaven and earth meant to overlap, God dwelling with humanity, and new creation beginning now. We explore temples and tabernacles, resurrection and judgment, what it truly means to be human, and how the church is called to reflect God’s presence in a fractured world. Drawing from Wright’s latest book God’s Homecoming, this conversation invites you to rethink faith, hope, justice, and the future of the world and to rediscover a gospel that is far bigger, richer, and more grounded than we thought.

N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Senior Editor at Saint Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God.

N.T. Wright’s Book:

God’s Homecoming

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Ep. 390 Martin Shaw - Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That Make Us

Joshua Johnson and Martin Shaw — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 21:18:23 GMT

We live in a world flooded with stories, opinions, and noise, and I find myself wondering which ones are actually worth giving our attention to. In this conversation, I sit down with mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw to explore why some stories shape us toward life while others quietly hollow us out. We talk about myths that function like prayers rather than spells, why Jesus taught through parables, and how stories still have the power to form us into more loving, grounded human beings.

Martin shares his own unexpected journey back to Christianity through a long wilderness vigil and reflects on grief, evil, beauty, and the kind of attention that makes something holy. This is a conversation about becoming human again, about learning how to see clearly, and about allowing the story of Jesus to break our enchantments and draw us toward love.

Martin Shaw is a writer, mythographer and Christian thinker. He’s Visiting Scholar at the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the Temenos Academy. Author of seventeen books, Dr Shaw is the director of the Westcountry School of Myth and founder of the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University. His book Bardskull was described as “rich and transgressive” by Erica Wagner in The Sunday Times and was Book of the Day in The Guardian. A hugely respected oral storyteller, Shaw has toured internationally numerous times, and led symposiums at both Oxford and Cambridge University, Robert Bly describing him as “a true master, one of the very greatest storytellers we have.”

His more recent work is what he describes as a developing “Christian mythopoetics”—a reminder of the depth and mysticism latent in this middle-eastern mystery religion. Shaw converted to Eastern Orthodoxy after a 101-day vigil in a Dartmoor forest. He still lives nearby to the wood, writing and teaching. The Irish Times call Martin “a seanchaí, an interloper from the medieval.”, Charles Foster adding, “there’s Shaw and there’s everyone else.”

Martin’s Book:

Liturgies of the Wild

Martin’s Recommendation:

Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives

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Ep. 389 Fr. James Martin Returns - Work in Progress

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:56:01 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Father James Martin about his new memoir Work in Progress and the ways our ordinary jobs shape who we become. We explore summer work, vocation, grief, perseverance, and how faith is formed not just in churches, but in kitchens, factories, offices, and everyday life. Jim reflects on loss, discernment, and the slow work of becoming human, and together we talk about where God shows up in suffering, in work we enjoy, and in work we endure. This conversation is an invitation to look back on your own story, pay attention to the unfinished edges, and notice how grace has been present all along.

The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author and editor at large at America, the national Catholic magazine. Martin was born in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He worked in corporate finance for General Electric for six years before leaving and joining the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits). Martin was novitiate in Boston where he worked with seriously ill at a hospital in Cambridge. He also worked with hospice patients at the Missionaries of Charity in Kingston, Jamaica and at a school for poor boys, Nativity Mission School, in New York City. He was ordained a Catholic priest in June 1999 in Chestnut Hill, Ma. On Nov. 1, 2009, he pronounced his final vows as a “fully professed” Jesuit in New York City. Martin is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller, “Jesus: A Pilgrimage”.

Fr. Martin’s Book:

Work in Progress

Fr. Martin’s Recommendation:

Sacred Fire

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Ep. 388 Lori Melton - Walking with a Spiritual Giant

Joshua Johnson and Lori Melton — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 20:22:53 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Lori Melton, author of Journey with a Giant, about the practice of walking with spiritual giants from history as a way of formation. We explore slowness, silence, pilgrimage, and what Lori learned by walking with Fred Rogers, including why listening is love, why presence matters more than productivity, and how paying attention to the person in front of us reshapes faith. This conversation offers a grounded, countercultural vision of discipleship rooted in companionship, attentiveness, and trust.

Lori G. Melton is an author, spiritual director, podcaster, and retreat leader with a life-long passion for walking with God and helping others grow in their relationship with Him.

She and her husband Bryan are the founders of the Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat Center in Allegan, Michigan. Lori is the host of the Sanctuary Stirrings podcast.

Raised as an Episcopalian and educated in Catholic schools, Lori came to Christ through an Assembly of God youth group and has spent her adult life in non-denominational Bible churches. One of her greatest strengths is her appreciation for diverse Christian denominations.

Lori was born in Niagara Falls, New York (Yes, one of the Eight Wonders of the World!), played competitive badminton in high school (Don’t laugh, it is a sport), and is the other half of a twin-sister combination. When she’s not writing, speaking, or welcoming retreat guests, she loves spending time with her six grown children and three adorable grands.

You can find Lori on Facebook and Instagram, and at her website, lorigmelton.com.

Lori’s Book:

Journey with a Giant

Lori’s Recommendation:

In Search of God’s Will

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Ep. 404 Shannan Martin - Counterweights: Holding Hope in a Heavy World

Joshua Johnson and Shannan Martin — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:00:25 GMT

In this episode, I’m joined by Shannan Martin to talk about her new book Counterweights and how we keep moving forward when life feels overwhelmingly heavy. We explore grief, collective trauma, and why quick fixes and toxic positivity fall short, alongside the small, ordinary practices that help us stay grounded and human. This conversation moves through faith, paradox, community, and the kingdom of God, not as something we wait for, but something we practice together here and now. If you’re carrying more than you know what to do with and looking for a way to remain present, honest, and hopeful, this conversation is for you.

Shannan Martin is the bestselling author of several books, including Start with Hello, The Ministry of Ordinary Places, and the popular Substack The Soup. Shannan is a wannabe gardener, a news geek, a fighter for justice, and a thrift store stalker. She and her family live as grateful neighbors in Goshen, Indiana, where Shannan is on staff at the local community kitchen. Find her on Instagram @shannanwrites.

Shannan’s Book:

Counterweights

Shannan’s Recommendations:

Shrinking

Where Do We Go From Here

Cherished Belonging

Love Walked In

All About Love

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Ep. 397 Kristen LaValley - Finding Wholeness and Love After Spiritual Trauma

Joshua Johnson and Kristen LaValley — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:15:06 GMT

In this conversation, I sit down with Kristen LaValley to talk about the complexity of growing up in the church and what happens when faith both forms us and harms us. We talk about spiritual trauma, shame, neurodivergence, fear-based theology, and the moment when the frameworks we were given stop holding. Kristen shares her story of growing up in ministry, leaving church leadership, and slowly rebuilding a faith centered not on performance or fear, but on the love of God. This episode is about healing, asking honest questions, and the long work of moving toward wholeness—trusting that flourishing is possible, even after faith has hurt you.

Kristen LaValley is a writer and storyteller whose words offer a refreshing perspective on faith and spirituality and resonate with those who carry tension in their faith. She offers insights that intersect doubt and belief, hope and suffering, beauty and heartache. With a deep love for the Christian faith and a willingness to explore its complexities, Kristen’s writing offers nuanced conversations that challenge readers to think deeply and wrestle with important questions. Kristen lives in Massachusetts with her husband, Zach, and their five children.

Kristen’s Book:

Growing Up Saved

Kristen’s Recommendation:

Monk and Robot

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Ep. 393 Hannah Miller King - Feasting on Hope

Joshua Johnson and Hannah Miller King — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:29:35 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Hannah Miller King to talk about hope when life doesn’t resolve neatly. We explore what it means to live in the now and the not yet, how grief, loss, and unanswered prayers shape our faith, and why Christian hope isn’t the same thing as optimism. We talk about the table, the Eucharist, and the idea that salvation is less about transaction and more about union with God. This conversation wrestles honestly with suffering, expectancy versus expectation, and the courage it takes to keep loving and hoping in a broken world - without rushing past the pain.

Hannah Miller King is an Anglican priest and writer in western North Carolina. She is the associate pastor of the vine Anglican Church and author of “Feasting On Hope: How God Sets a Table in thr Wilderness” (IVP)

Hannah’s Book:

Feasting on Hope

Hannah’s Recommendations:

Between Two Kingdoms

The Teacher of Nomad Land

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Ep. 385 J.R. Briggs - The Art of Asking Better Questions

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 17:20:21 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with J.R. Briggs, author of The Art of Asking Better Questions, to talk about why questions matter in a culture shaped by certainty, polarization, and the pressure to always have the right answer. We explore how questions shape our relationships, our faith, and the stories we tell ourselves, why Jesus so often chose questions over direct answers, and how the questions we ask can either wound or heal. We talk about curiosity, humility, power, and what it looks like to ask questions that lead to connection instead of control, and the conversation turns personal as J.R. puts me in the hot seat to reflect on desire, vocation, and what it means to slow down and really listen.

J.R. Briggs (DMin, Missio Seminary) is the founder of Kairos Partnerships, an organization committed to serving hungry leaders through coaching, consulting, and speaking. He serves on staff with the Ecclesia Network and Fresh Expressions, and as guest instructor for Friends University in the Masters of Spiritual Formation and Leadership program. His books include The Sacred Overlap, Fail, and Eldership and the Mission of God. He and his wife and two children live in the greater Philadelphia area.

J.R.’s Book:

The Art of Asking Better Questions

J.R.’s Recommendations:

King: A Life

The Accidental President

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Ep. 386 Dr. Lee Warren - How to Change Your Brain, Build Resilience, and Change Your Life

Joshua Johnson and Dr. Lee Warren — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:15:31 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with neurosurgeon and author Dr. Lee Warren to talk about how our thoughts shape our brains and, over time, our lives. Lee draws from neuroscience, Scripture, and his own story, serving as an Army surgeon, living with PTSD, and walking through the loss of a child, to help make sense of why so many of us feel stuck in anxiety, fear, or reactivity. We talk about what Lee calls “self-brain surgery,” the practice of learning to think about our thoughts instead of being ruled by them. We explore the difference between the mind and the brain, why most of our daily thoughts aren’t actually true, how trauma rewires us, and how healing can too. We also talk about gratitude, attention, habits, and spiritual warfare and why slowing down and responding with intention matters more than trying to fix everything at once. This conversation is about building resilience, telling the truth about what’s happening inside us, and finding a more hopeful way forward.

W. Lee Warren, MD, is a neurosurgeon, an award-winning author, an Iraq War veteran, and the host of The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast. He teaches the art of connecting neuroscience, faith, and daily practices for leading a healthier, better, and happier life. www.DrLeeWarren.com

Lee’s Book:

The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery

Lee’s Recommendation:

Gradually Then Suddenly

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Ep. 387 Lisa Colón DeLay - The Wisdom of the Desert Elders and the Way of Spiritual Formation

Joshua Johnson and Lisa Colón DeLay | SparkMyMuse — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:07:51 GMT

The Desert Elders didn’t flee the world to escape it. Some left because Christianity had become comfortable, aligned with power, and disconnected from real transformation. In this episode, I am joined by Lisa Colón DeLay | SparkMyMuse to explore the wisdom of the early Christian desert mothers and fathers and what their lives teach us about spiritual formation today. We talk about attention and restlessness, judgment and humility, silence and prayer, and how habits slowly form, or deform, the soul. You’ll hear the story of Abba Moses, who moved from violence to mercy, and learn why real change doesn’t come through information or performance but through patience, repentance, and faithfulness over time. This episode is for anyone trying to take Jesus seriously in a noisy, restless, and divided world and looking for a way of life that actually leads to transformation.

Lisa Colón DeLay is an author, the podcast host of Spark My Muse podcast, consultant, teacher, Substack writer, and spiritual companion known for focusing on spiritual growth, the inner life, and connection. She holds a Masters Degree in Spiritual Formation

Lisa’s Book:

The Way of the Desert Elders

Lisa’s Recommendation:

The Holy Ordinary

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Ep. 384 Nathan Clarkson - I'm the Worst: How Freedom Is Found in Admitting Our Faults

Joshua Johnson and Nathan Clarkson — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 17:45:18 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Nathan Clarkson, author of I’m the Worst, for an honest conversation about brokenness, shame, confession, and freedom. Nathan shares what it was like growing up in a well-known Christian family, learning how to perform moral goodness while hiding the parts of himself he didn’t know how to face, and how confronting that reality became the beginning of healing rather than the end of the story. We talk about moral superiority, cancel culture, and the ways fear turns both politics and church life into tribes instead of communities. We also dig into the difference between shame and conviction, why confession and forgiveness matter so much for spiritual formation, and how dehumanization always leads to harm. This conversation is for anyone who is tired of polarized Christianity and is looking for a more honest, freeing, and love-shaped way forward.

Nathan Clarkson is the author of I’m the Worst, and an award-winning actor, a Netflix-trending filmmaker, and best-selling author of several books, including Different and Uniquely You. He is a podcast philosopher on the award-winning show The Overthinkers. Nathan writes regularly on the intersection of faith and culture for the Patheos column Cross Cultural and has been featured in outlets such as the Today Show, LA Times, Variety, and Relevant Magazine. Find out more at nathanclarkson.me.

Nathan’s Book:

I’m the Worst

Nathan’s Recommendation:

The Hidden Habits of Genius

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Ep. 383 Winfield Bevins - How Beauty Will Save the World

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 21:31:12 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Winfield Bevins to talk about beauty and why it matters for everyday life, the church, and spiritual formation. We discuss his book How Beauty Will Save the World and how beauty shapes attention, formation, and the way we live, work, and follow Jesus. Winfield shares his own story, including seasons of burnout and vocational transition, and how art and creativity became central to his faith and calling. We talk about creativity beyond the arts, the pace of modern life, and how beauty helps form us spiritually, reorient our desires, and shape communities of faith. This is a grounded conversation about renewal, formation, and learning to see the world with care and hope.

Winfield Bevins is an internationally recognized author, artist, and the founding director of Creo Arts, which is a non-profit that exists to bring beauty, goodness, and truth to the world through the arts. Winfield is also artist-in-residence at Asbury Theological Seminary where he champions the integration of art, theology, and mission. Over the past decade, he has helped start numerous initiatives and academic programs that have trained leaders from around the world. He is the author of several books, including, How Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Power of the Arts for the Christian Life.

Winfield’s Book:

How Beauty Will Save the World

Winfield’s Recommendation:

Surprised by Joy

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Ep. 382 David Dault - The Accessorized Bible: How We Use the Bible For Harm or For Life

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 22:35:25 GMT

In this episode, I talk with David Dault is writing things. about his book The Accessorized Bible and the ways the Bible is actually used in our churches, institutions, and public life. We wrestle with how the Bible can be taken seriously without being turned into a prop, a weapon, or a justification for harm. Our conversation moves through questions of power, responsibility, and interpretation, and keeps returning to a simple but difficult concern: whether or not our ways of using the Bible are making life more possible for the people around us.

David Dault is an assistant professor of Christian spirituality in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University of Chicago. His previous faculty appointments were at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, and at Christian Brothers University in Memphis, TN. He began his teaching career at American Baptist College in Nashville, TN, where he served as chair of the department of theology and biblical studies.

He is the host and executive producer of Things Not Seen: Conversations about Culture and Faith, an award-winning radio show and podcast, and is the podcast editor for Commonweal magazine, the Paulist Fathers, and GIA Publications.

David received his Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt University, and he holds an M.A in religion from Vanderbilt, as well as an M.A. in theological studies from Columbia Theological Seminary.

He lives with his family in Hyde Park, a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago.

David’s Book:

The Accessorized Bible

David’s Recommendations:

Midnight Mass

The Essays of James Baldwin

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Ep. 381 Best of 2025: Top 10 Movies of the Year

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 00:08:27 GMT

In this episode, I’m joined by Craig Detweiler and Elijah Davidson for our Best Movies of 2025 conversation. We count down our top films of the year and explain why each one made our list. We talk about the themes that stood out in 2025 movies, including grief, violence, faith, memory, creativity, and what it means to be human. We also discuss overlooked films, shrinking theatrical releases, genre storytelling, and how personal experiences shaped the way we watched and ranked these movies. This episode offers a thoughtful, honest look at the year in film and the cultural moment behind it.

Elijah’s List:

10. Hamnet/Predator: Badlands

9. Frankenstein

8. Avatar: Fire and Ash

7. Train Dreams

6. Sinners

5. Presence

4. One Battle After Another

3. Black Bag

2. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

1. 28 Years Later

Craig’s List:

10. The Phoenician Scheme

9. Roofman

8. Weapons

7. Wake Up Dead Man

6. The Ballad of Wallis Island

5. It Was Just an Accident

4. Train Dreams

3. Sinners

2. One Battle After Another

1. The Testament of Ann Lee

Joshua’s List:

10. The Ballad of Wallis Island

9. The Life of Chuck

8. Blue Moon

7. 28 Years Later

6. Sinners

5. Train Dreams

4. One Battle After Another

3. Sentimental Value

2. It Was Just an Accident

1. Wake Up Dead Man

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Ep. 380 Ryan Burge - The Vanishing Church and the Cost of Polarization

Joshua Johnson and Ryan Burge — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 17:11:04 GMT

What’s actually happening to the church in America and why does it matter beyond Sunday morning? In this episode I’m joined by Ryan Burge, a social scientist who studies religion in the U.S. and brings long-term data, charts, and lived pastoral experience into a conversation often driven by fear or nostalgia. We discuss his book The Vanishing Church, the quiet decline of the moderate church, the rise of polarization inside Christianity, and how broader cultural tribalism has reshaped faith communities. We also explore the growth of the religious “nones,” why church closures are happening steadily but largely unnoticed, and what’s lost when the church can no longer function as a space where people learn how to live together across difference.

Ryan Burge is professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that he was an associate professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, and was also the graduate coordinator. He has authored over thirty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters alongside four books about religion and politics in the United States. He has written for the New York Times, POLITICO, and the Wall Street Journal. He has also appeared in an NBC Documentary, on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, as well as 60 Minutes which called him, “one of the country’s leading data analysts on religion and politics.” He served as a pastor in the American Baptist Church for over twenty years, leading First Baptist Church of Mount Vernon, IL for 17.5 years until its closure in July 2024. He has been married to his wife Jacqueline for over seventeen years. They have two boys.

Ryan’s Book:

The Vanishing Church

Ryan’s Recommendation:

Dominion

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Ep. 377 Best of 2025: Top 10 Books of the Year

Joshua Johnson and Lore Wilbert — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 20:40:34 GMT

In this episode, I am joined by Lore Wilbert and Byron Borger for a roundtable countdown of our top ten books of 2025. Moving from number ten to number one, we reflect on the novels, memoirs, theology, and cultural criticism that most shaped our reading year. Along the way, the conversation opens into deeper questions about faith and doubt, grief and hope, community and isolation, and what it means to stay human in an anxious, mechanized world. Rather than chasing trends, this episode lingers with books that slowed us down, challenged empire, and pointed toward love, imagination, and faithful presence. This is a conversation about reading as formation and why the stories we choose matter more than ever.

Go to Hearts and Minds Books to order any of these books and let Byron know you heard about them from Shifting Culture.

Lore’s List:

10. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

9. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert

8. Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly

7. Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

6. Nervous Systems by Sara Billups

5. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

4. Monsters by Claire Dederer

3. The Names by Florence Knapp

2. Circle of Hope by Eliza Griswold

1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Byron’s List:

10. Becoming God’s Family by Carmen Imes

9. The Core of the Christian Faith by Michael Goheen

8. You Can Trust a God with Scars by Jared Ayers

7. Liturgies for Resisting Empire by Kat Armas

6. The Violent Take it by Force by Matthew Taylor

5. Bear Witness by Ross Halperin

4. Rags of Light by Brian Walsh

3. Good Soil by Jeff Chu

2. The Last Supper by Paul Elie

1. World of Wonders by Jeff Crosby

Joshua’s List:

10. Making Time by Maria Bowler

9. We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson

8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

7. Spellbound by Molly Worthen

6. The Anti-Greed Gospel by Malcolm Foley

5. The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

4. Twelve Churches by Fergus Butler-Gallie

3. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

2. Christ in the Rubble by Munther Isaac

1. A Beautiful Year by Diana Butler Bass

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Ep. 379 Kelley Nikondeha Returns - Jubilee Economics

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 23:06:43 GMT

What does it mean to take Jesus seriously when he announces good news to the poor, freedom for the captive, and release from debt? In this episode of Shifting Culture, I’m joined by theologian and practitioner Kelley Nikondeha to talk about her new book Jubilee Economics and the disruptive, concrete vision of Jubilee found in Scripture. We explore why Jubilee was never just a spiritual metaphor but a real economic practice involving debt forgiveness, land, labor, and community restoration. Kelley shares stories from her work in Burundi—where economic collapse forced hard, human decisions about care, reentry, and neighbor-love—and helps us reframe Jesus’s sermon in Luke 4 as dangerous, embodied good news. This conversation asks what Jubilee might look like today, and what it might cost us to love our neighbors well in a debt-saturated world.

Kelley Nikondeha is a liberation theologian, community development practitioner, and author of First Advent in Palestine and Defiant. She is Co-founder of Communities of Hope in Burundi.

Kelley’s Book:

Jubilee Economics

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Ep. 378 Best of 2025: Most Listened to Episodes of the Year

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 20:52:20 GMT

As 2025 comes to a close, I wanted to pause and look back, not at what was loud or polarizing, but at what people actually stayed with. This episode gathers the 10 most listened to conversations of the year, and together they reveal something honest about this moment: a deep longing for a faith shaped by humility instead of power, a discipleship rooted in real life, and a way of Jesus that resists fear, shame, and easy answers. This episode counts down from #10 to #1. I introduce each clip, then step back and let the voices speak for themselves. You’ll hear excerpts from conversations with John Eldredge, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Trevor Hudson, Michael John Cusick, Dr. Kerry Burnight, Matthew Bates, Beth Allison Barr, Andrew Root, Daniel G. Hummel and John Fugelsang, voices that helped shape Shifting Culture this year and, judging by the listens, shaped many of you as well.

Episodes featured:

Ep. 280 Andrew Root - Hope Beyond the Failed Promise of Happiness

Ep. 287 Sheila Gregoire - The Marriage You Want

Ep. 327 Dr. Kerry Burnight - Joyspan

Ep. 281 Beth Allison Barr - Becoming the Pastor’s Wife

Ep. 259 Trevor Hudson - Discerning God’s Will in Our Lives

Ep. 314 Daniel Hummel - The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism

Ep. 257 Michael John Cusick - Sacred Attachment

Ep. 279 Matthew Bates - What Does the Bible Really Say About Salvation?

Ep. 278 John Eldredge - Experience Jesus. Really.

Ep. 341 John Fugelsang - Separation of Church and Hate

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Ep. 376 Bill & Kristi Gaultiere - Receiving and Reflecting God's Great Empathy For You

Joshua Johnson — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:35:43 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Bill and Kristi Gaultiere for a thoughtful conversation about empathy - what it really is, why it’s so often misunderstood, and why it matters for the way of Jesus. We talk about God’s great empathy for us and how the incarnation reveals a God who enters our experience, not just intellectually but emotionally and bodily. Together, we explore the role of emotions in the spiritual life, the weight of shame and grief, the reality of compassion fatigue, and how empathy, truth, and responsibility belong together. This conversation is an invitation to receive God’s love more deeply and to learn how that love reshapes the way we live, love, and care for others.

Bill is a psychologist (PhD) and ordained pastor and Kristi is a licensed professional counselor (PsyD). Together they lead Soul Shepherding, which is a nonprofit ministry to help pastors, leaders, churches, and others to go deeper with Jesus in emotional health and loving leadership. They lead immersive retreats that integrate Jesus-centered psychology and spiritual formation. Participants have the option to earn a Certificate in Spiritual Direction to improve their relationship skills and earn side income as a spiritual director or coach. They are authors of a number of soul care books, including Journey of the Soul, which was #1 on Amazon in Christian Counseling, and Healthy Feelings, Thriving Faith. Their newest book is Deeply Loved: Receiving and Reflecting God’s Great Empathy for You.

Bill & Kristi’s Book:

Deeply Loved

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Ep. 375 Leonard Sweet - Living into the Imagination of Jesus, the Maker, Mender, Minder, Master

Joshua Johnson and Leonard Sweet — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 17:41:52 GMT

In this episode, I’m joined by theologian and storyteller Leonard Sweet for a deep conversation on the imagination of Jesus and why imagination is central to faith, discipleship, and what it means to be human. We talk about how Jesus doesn’t simply explain reality but reshapes it through story and metaphor, and why Jubilee sits at the heart of his vision for the world. We also explore what it means to move beyond fear-based, information-driven faith toward a life where Christ is formed in us. This conversation is an invitation to move from knowing about God to truly knowing God, and to live with an imagination shaped by goodness, beauty, and truth.

Leonard Sweet is one of the most prolific Christian authors in the world today, with over 70 books to his name—and a dozen more on the way–and 2000 published sermons. A theologian of imagination, a semiotician of Bible and culture, and a prophetic voice to the church, Sweet defies easy categorization. His works span genres and generations, challenging readers to see the world—and the gospel—with fresh eyes. While others chase bestseller lists, Sweet charts a different path: one defined not by sales, but by depth, creativity, and theological daring.

Len’s Book:

Jesus: Maker, Mender, Minder, Master

Len’s Recommendation:

They Flew: A History of the Impossible

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Ep. 374 Kate Murphy - The Way of Jesus is Often Found in the Lost, Hidden, and Small

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 20:53:31 GMT

In this episode, pastor and author Kate Murphy shares the surprising story behind Lost, Hidden, Small, a season when ministry fell apart, illusions shattered, and the only way forward was surrender. Kate reflects on discovering that God often does His deepest work in places that look like failure, weakness, and smallness, and how her congregation learned to see again, love their neighbors without transaction, and trust God for resurrection they could not manufacture. This conversation offers a hopeful reminder that faithfulness, not success, is the true metric of the kingdom, and that the quiet and hidden work of God in ordinary communities still creates life beyond anything we can imagine.

Kate Murphy serves as the pastor of The Grove Presbyterian Church, a multi-ethnic congregation in Charlotte NC. Originally from Louisville, KY, she studied biology and music at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She received her Masters of Divinity and Masters of Sacred Theology from Boston University and accepted her first call to be an Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian, a multicultural, inner-city church in South Boston. She’s just published her first book, Lost Hidden Small. In her free time, Kate enjoys running, reading, writing, drinking coffee, and watching pointless reality television. She and her husband Colin have three daughters.

Kate’s Book:

Lost, Hidden, Small

Kate’s Recommendations:

Looking Inward, Living Outward

Field Notes for the Wilderness

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Ep. 373 William J. Kole - Evangelical Gun Culture and the Nonviolent Way of Jesus

Joshua Johnson and The Fly Guy 🎣 — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 23:31:28 GMT

Journalist and author William J. Kole (The Fly Guy 🎣) joins me to unpack the deep and often hidden ties between white evangelicalism, politics, fear, and America’s gun culture. Drawing from his new book In Guns We Trust, Bill shares how his own ministry collided with concealed weapons, why fear has shaped so much of the church’s response to gun violence, and how Christian nationalism and the idolizing of the Second Amendment have influenced our national crisis. We talk about the shift from historic Christian nonviolence to the embrace of firearms, the political power that keeps common-sense reforms stalled, and what other countries have done to reduce mass shootings. We also explore why “thoughts and prayers” aren’t enough and what a truly pro-life ethic demands of us today. If you long to break cycles of violence and return to the nonviolent way of Jesus, this is an essential and challenging conversation.

William J. Kole is a veteran journalist and a former foreign correspondent who has reported from North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As Vienna bureau chief for The Associated Press, he wrote extensively on the nexus of crime, the weapons trade, arms trafficking and terrorism across Eastern Europe.

His evangelical credentials are as extensive as his journalistic ones: He’s a former lay missionary for the Assemblies of God, a worship leader at evangelical churches in Europe and around his native New England, and served as board president of Dorcas USA, an international Christian relief and development agency.

Kole was AP’s New England bureau chief when a gunman armed with a military-style assault rifle massacred 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Earlier in his career, he was a lead writer on the car crash that killed Britain’s Princess Diana, and he also covered the arrest of former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic, the death of Pope John Paul II, and Kosovo’s independence. His many awards include one from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers for an investigation into the exploitation of undocumented immigrants by the Walmart retail chain.

Kole, who speaks French, Dutch and German, studied journalism at Boston University and was a journalism fellow at Columbia University in New York and the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C. Now an editor for Axios, he lives in Providence, R.I., and Paris.

Bill’s Book:

In Guns We Trust

Bill’s Recommendation:

Jesus and John Wayne

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Ep. 372 Dorothy Littell Greco - Rooting Out Misogyny For the Love of Women

Joshua Johnson and Dorothy Littell Greco — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 21:19:58 GMT

In this conversation, I sit down with Dorothy Littell Greco to explore misogyny not just as individual prejudice, but as a system that shapes our culture, our institutions, our churches, and even our closest relationships. Dorothy walks me through how misogyny shows up in medicine, economics, purity culture, pornography, and the daily lives of women, and why it remains so difficult to see and name. We talk about the ways entitlement and distorted power sustain this harm, and how the way of Jesus offers a radically different vision, one rooted in dignity, equality, and mutual flourishing. This episode invites all of us to look beneath the surface, recognize what’s been hidden in plain sight, and imagine what healing and justice might require from us moving forward.

Dorothy Littel Greco has worked as a photojournalist for more than forty years. She is the author of three books, including the recently released, For the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America. When Dorothy is not writing or making photos, she loves to bike, kayak, and share food with friends.

Dorothy’s Book:

For the Love of Women

Dorothy’s Recommendation:

This is Happiness

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Ep. 371 Valentyn Syniy - Serving God in the Midst of the War in Ukraine

Joshua Johnson — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:52:59 GMT

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Valentyn Syniy, president of a theological seminary in Kherson, to explore what it means to lead, shepherd, and hold on to hope in the midst of war. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Valentyn lost almost everything - his home, his church community, and the entire seminary campus he helped build. Yet in the chaos of evacuation, the trauma of displacement, and the destruction of his city, he discovered a deeper sense of calling and a renewed understanding of God’s presence in suffering. We talk about spiritual leadership under siege, the impossible decisions families face when war arrives at their doorstep, the wound and weight of leaving or staying, the formation of pastors for a traumatized nation, and the surprising ways God rebuilds what has been shattered. Valentyn’s story, captured in his book Serving God Under Siege, is both heartbreaking and hopeful - a gripping reminder that faith can survive the fire and that the voices of Ukrainians must be heard. This episode invites you into a story of resilience, courage, and a theology forged under pressure.

Valentyn Syniy holds master’s degrees in theology and history and a doctorate in theology. Since 2006, he has served as president of Tavriski Christian Institute, an evangelical seminary in Ukraine.

Valentyn’s Book:

Serving God Under Siege

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Ep. 370 Stephanie Spellers - What the Nones and Dones Teach Us About the Future of Faith

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 20:33:45 GMT

The church is in a moment of honest reckoning. Attendance is shrinking, institutions are thinning, and many who once belonged now stand on the outside looking in. In this conversation with author and priest Stephanie Spellers, we explore what the “nones” and “dones” are teaching us about faith, community, and the way of Jesus. Stephanie invites us to look directly at decline, name the shame we carry, and listen to the prophetic longings rising from a generation hungry for authenticity, belonging, and spiritual depth. We talk about Christian nationalism, idolized structures, meeting God outside our buildings, the table as a site of renewal, and the possibility of becoming a true Jesus movement again. If you care about where the church is headed, or whether new life can emerge from the dry bones, this episode offers clarity, courage, and hope.

Rev. Stephanie Spellers is a renowned author, Episcopal priest and change agent. Her newest book, “Church Tomorrow?: What the Nones and Dones Teach Us About the Future of Faith,” explores the stories of nonreligious young Americans and their prophetic charge to traditional, declining religion. She recently completed nearly a decade leading The Episcopal Church’s work on evangelism, racial reconciliation and environmental justice. Today she serves as canon in residence at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in New York City.

Stephanie’s Book:

Church Tomorrow?

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Ep. 369 Mark Yarhouse & Julia Sadusky - Navigating and Understanding Emerging Sexual Identities

Joshua Johnson, Dr. Julia Sadusky, and Mark Yarhouse — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 20:23:08 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mark Yarhouse and Dr. Julia Sadusky about the rapidly expanding language of emerging sexual identities and what it means for the young people we care about. We explore why new terms keep appearing, how identity forms in adolescence, and what teens are actually trying to express when they use language many of us have never heard before. Rather than reacting with fear or reducing anyone to a label, Mark and Julia help us rethink our posture, moving toward curiosity, presence, and trust instead of anxiety and quick judgments. We dig into discipleship, belonging, and how to walk with teens in a way that reflects the steady, un-fragile heart of God. If you’re a parent, pastor, or leader trying to navigate this moment with wisdom, compassion, and clarity, this conversation offers a hopeful and deeply grounded way forward.

Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist who specializes in conflicts tied to religious identity and sexual and gender identity. He assists people who are navigating the complex relationship between their sexual or gender identity and Christian faith. He is a Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, where he runs the Sexual and Gender Identity (SGI) Institute and the Mental Health Collective. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher and is the past recipient of the Gary Collins Award for Excellence in Christian Counseling. He was a past participant with the Ethics and Public Policy Center think tank in Washington, DC, and he was named Senior Fellow with the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities to conduct a study of students navigating sexual identity concerns at Christian colleges and universities. He has served for over a decade as the Chair of the task force on LGBT issues for Division 36 (Psychology of Religion and Spirituality) of the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Julia Sadusky is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of a private practice in Littleton, CO. She is also an author, consultant, speaker, and adjunct professor. Dr. Sadusky has done extensive research and clinical work in sexual and gender development and specializes in trauma-informed care. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Ave Maria University and a master’s degree and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Regent University. She has authored several books around human sexuality and gender with Dr. Mark Yarhouse and has authored several books herself helping equip parents to teach kids and teens about sexuality in developmentally-appropriate ways.

Mark and Julia’s book:

Emerging Sexual Identities

Mark’s Recommendation:

The Anxious Generation

Julia’s Recommendation:

Tenderness

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Ep. 368 Faith Womack - Discovering the Fullness of Scripture: Context, Wonder, and Worship

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:10:26 GMT

In this episode, I’m joined by Faith Womack, known to many as Bible Nerd Ministries, for a deeply refreshing conversation on how to read Scripture with clarity, curiosity, and joy. Faith shares her own story of growing up with mishandled and misapplied Bible teaching, and how learning the basics of hermeneutics transformed everything for her. We talk about context, genre, the big story of God’s redemption, why so many of us default to reading ourselves into the text, and how Scripture becomes truly alive when we allow it to reveal who God is rather than simply serve our needs. If you’ve ever felt bored, intimidated, confused, or stuck in your Bible reading, this episode is a hopeful path back toward awe, depth, and worship. And as Faith reminds us, understanding the Word isn’t reserved for scholars, it’s an invitation extended to every follower of Jesus.

Faith Womack is the founder of Bible Nerd Ministries and a content creator who aims to inspire Christians to get back into the Word of God. Her courses, including “Bible Study Bootcamp” and “Theology Bootcamp,” have reached thousands, and her Bible study content has reached over 10 million people on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Faith aims to empower Christians not only to understand the Bible but also to enjoy it. Her debut book, No More Boring Bible Study: Why Taking Scripture Seriously Is Easier and More Exciting Than You Think releases from Zondervan in November 2025.

Faith has a B.A. in biblical and theological studies from Covenant College and a M.A.T.S. from Erskine Seminary. When she’s not filming or teaching, Faith spends her time with her family going on hikes, crafting and drinking way too much coffee.

Faith’s Book:

No More Boring Bible Study

Faith’s Recommendation:

The Incarnate Christ and His Critics

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Ep. 367 Brian Recker - How the Fear of Hell Holds Christians Back from a Spirituality of Love

Joshua Johnson and Brian Recker — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:31:20 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Brian Recker about his new book Hell Bent and the ways fear-based theology has shaped so many of our spiritual imaginations. Brian grew up learning about hell and God in the same breath, and he unpacks how that fusion created a system built on binary thinking, punishment, and spiritual insecurity. We explore his journey from fundamentalism to evangelical ministry to a reimagined faith centered on love, liberation, and a vision Jesus preached. We get into Gehenna, apocalyptic language, why evangelicals cling to certainty, how fear distorts our understanding of God, and what it means to live as people who bring heaven to earth rather than create hell on it. This is a conversation about reclaiming our belovedness, deconstructing fear, and rediscovering a spirituality that looks like compassion, justice, and the radical welcome of Jesus.

Brian Recker, M.Div, is a public theologian, speaker, and writer on Christian spirituality without exclusionary dogma. The son of a Baptist preacher and an alum of the fundamentalist Bob Jones University, he spent eight years as an evangelical pastor before deconstructing his faith to find a more inclusive spirituality. He now speaks about following Jesus without fear of hell on his popular Instagram account and his Substack, Beloved. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has four children and a rescue pup named Maev.

Brian’s Book:

Hell Bent

Brian’s Recommendations:

Reason, Faith, and Revolution

Acts

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Ep. 366 Jenny Marrs - Trust God, Love People

Joshua Johnson and Jenny Marrs — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 19:27:28 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Jenny Marrs, author, adoptive mom, and co-host of HGTV’s Fixer to Fabulous, for a tender and deeply human conversation about grief, waiting, restoration, and the steady presence of God in the middle of it all. Jenny shares openly about a season of profound loss, the long and miraculous journey to bring her daughter home from the Congo, and the everyday choice to trust God when life feels overwhelming or out of control. We talk about compassion in a divided world, what it means to “go with the strength you have,” and how the smallest moments, from heart-shaped stones to a stranger’s kindness to a child’s simple confession of faith, can become markers of God’s faithfulness. This is an honest and hopeful look at what it means to live out Trust God, Love People in real time, and I believe her story will be both grounding and deeply encouraging for you.

Jenny Marrs is a designer, author, and passionate advocate for community transformation, family preservation, and orphan care around the globe. She is the author of House + Home = Love, and co-hosts Fixer to Fabulous with her husband, Dave. She and Dave live on a small farm in Bentonville, Arkansas, with their five kids and too many animals to count.

Jenny’s Book:

Trust God, Love People

Jenny’s Recommendation:

Heartland

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Ep. 365 Diana Butler Bass - Time, Love, and a Calendar that Says No to Imperialism and Empire

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:33:14 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Diana Butler Bass about her new book A Beautiful Year and the deeper story that sits beneath our experience of time. We explore how the Roman calendar still shapes us with the imagination of empire - militarism, consumerism, and control - and how the Christian calendar offers a counter-formation rooted in love, hope, peace, and a circular sense of time that keeps drawing us deeper into God. Diana walks us through Advent’s darkness and silence, the meaning of waiting in an age addicted to noise, the subversive beauty of St. Martin’s Day on November 11, and the power of saying “no” to imperial narratives through the ordinary practices that shape a life. We talk about storytelling, grief, Candlemas, the parables of Jesus, and how the Christian year can help us embody a different kind of presence in the world - one marked by compassion, courage, and light. This is a conversation about time, but really, it’s about learning to live a better story.

Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D. (Duke University) is an award-winning author of eleven books, a speaker, preacher, and a trusted commentator on religion and contemporary spirituality. Her bylines include The New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN Opinion, On Being, and Readers Digest. She has appeared on CBS, CNN, PBS, NPR, and other global news outlets. She currently writes The Cottage, one of the most widely-read Substack newsletters. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Diana’s Book:

A Beautiful Year

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Ep. 364 Justin Giboney - Conviction and Compassion that Lead Us Out of the Culture War

Joshua Johnson — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 21:22:23 GMT

In this conversation, I talk with Justin Giboney, cofounder of the AND Campaign and author of Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around, about how we can follow Jesus faithfully in the midst of the culture war. Justin shares how the civil rights generation embodied both conviction and compassion, and what it looks like to recover that kind of moral imagination today. We talk about seeing the sin in ourselves and the image of God in our opponents, moving from blind certainty to humble conviction, and bearing the cross in the public square. This episode calls us to reimagine public faith beyond partisanship and to embody the way of Jesus with courage, truth, and love.

Justin Giboney is an attorney, political strategist, and civic leader based in Atlanta, GA. As the co-founder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization, Justin focuses on the intersection between faith and politics. In 2012 and 2016 Georgia’s 5th congressional district elected him as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention. He’s the co-author of Compassion (&) Conviction – The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement and the forthcoming book – “Don’t Let Nobody Turn you Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War.” His work has been featured in publications such as including the New York Times and Christianity Today.

Justin’s Book:

Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around

Justin’s Recommendation:

Believe

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Ep. 363 Chris Hoklotubbe & Danny Zacharias - Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: Indigenous Wisdom and Interpretation

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:52:48 GMT

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chris Hoklotubbe and Dr. Danny Zacharias about their book Reading the Bible on Turtle Island and how Indigenous wisdom invites us to see Scripture through a different lens. We explore how the Bible, written by tribal people deeply connected to land and kinship, calls us back into right relationship with Creator, creation, and one another. Chris and Danny share stories that connect the Trail of Tears to the exile in Babylon, the teachings of Jesus to the call of Jubilee, and how truth-telling and reconciliation are part of our ongoing discipleship. This conversation challenges the transactional faith that has shaped so much of Western Christianity and reclaims a relational vision of faith grounded in love, harmony, and gratitude. It’s a reminder that reading the Bible through Indigenous eyes doesn’t just reveal something new about the text, it helps us remember who we are and how to walk the bright path of Jesus together.

H. Daniel Zacharias (PhD, Highland Theological College/Aberdeen) is a Cree-Anishinaabe/Métis and Austrian man originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba (Treaty One territory), with ancestors also residing in Treaty Two, Treaty Three, and Treaty Five territories. He lives in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) with his wife, Maria, and four children in Wolfville, NS. He is associate dean and professor of New Testament studies at Acadia Divinity College, where he has worked since 2007. He also serves as an adjunct faculty for NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community.

T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (ThD, Harvard) is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He is the director of graduate studies of NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, the first accredited Indigenous designed, developed, delivered, and governed theological institute. He is also assistant professor of classics at Cornell College (Mount Vernon, Iowa). He is the author of Civilized Piety: The Rhetoric of Pietas in the Pastoral Epistles and the Roman Empire, which was awarded the Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters and live near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Chris & Danny’s Book:

Reading the Bible on Turtle Island

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Ep. 362 Glen Henry - Father Yourself First

Joshua Johnson and Beleaf — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:46:35 GMT

Glen Henry, the creator of Beleaf in Fatherhood, shares his story of how resistance turned into calling - how learning to father himself helped him become the father his children needed. We talk about the inherited baggage we carry, the control we try to hold, and the grace that grows when we choose presence over perfection. Glen opens up about fatherhood as a form of cultural resistance, the power of family to heal generational wounds, and the daily work of creating a home rooted in love and faith. It’s a conversation about wholeness, Black fatherhood, and the beauty of learning to be fathered by God while raising children in a complicated world.

Glen Henry is the creative force behind the beloved YouTube channel Beleaf in Fatherhood, where he blends humor, honesty, and heart to uplift and inspire families around the world. A devoted father and visionary storyteller, Glen uses his platform to champion positive parenting and redefine what modern fatherhood looks like. BeyondYouTube, he connects with audiences through social media, workshops, and speaking engagements — encouraging dads to show up with love, purpose, and presence. With his relatable voice and unwavering passion, Glen has become a leading advocate for strong families and meaningful father-child relationships.

Glen’s Book:

Father Yourself First

Glen’s Recommendation:

Successful Failure

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Ep. 361 Kat Armas Returns - Liturgies for Resisting Empire

Joshua Johnson and Kat Armas — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 00:26:32 GMT

Kat Armas joins Shifting Culture to talk about her new book, Liturgies for Resisting Empire, a powerful exploration of how empire shapes the way we think about God, community, time, and ourselves. She names the ways control, hierarchy, and productivity have distorted our faith and imaginations, and invites us into practices of resistance rooted in love, rest, and belonging. Kat offers a vision of wholeness that embraces paradox over dualism, kinship over domination, and peace over violence. This conversation points us toward a more human way of living. One where we belong without conditions and find God in the places empire forgets.

Kat Armas is a Cuban American writer, speaker, and theologian from Miami, FL. She holds a ThM from Vanderbilt Divinity School, and a dual MDiv and MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary where she was awarded the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing.

Her first book, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence and Strength, sits at the intersection of women, decolonialism, the Bible, and Cuban identity. Her second book, Sacred Belonging: A 40-day Devotional on the Liberating Heart of Scripture invites readers to encounter the Bible through a decolonized lens, lifting up themes of creation, wisdom, spirit, the body, and the feminine.

Kat has spoken at seminaries, universities, and conferences nationwide and her work has appeared in the National Catholic Reporter—where one of her essays was shared by the pope!, Plough Magazine, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Sojornours Magazine, and more.

Kat currently lives on a small farm in middle Tennessee with her family—which includes her spouse, young children, chickens, goats, pigs, dogs, and cats. Her forthcoming third book Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World examines the ideologies of empire that infiltrate daily life and offers a pathway toward liberation. It releases November 4th.

Kat’s Book:

Liturgies for Resisting Empire

Kat’s Recommendations:

The Correspondent

Tell Me Everything

Resident Alien

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Ep. 360 Mark Batterson - Your God-Sized Dreams Happen Gradually, Then Suddenly

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 22:48:49 GMT

Pastor and author Mark Batterson joins me to talk about his new book Gradually, Then Suddenly, a powerful invitation to dream God-sized dreams, start small, and stay faithful long enough to see legacy take root. We explore what it means to move from imagination to action, how to live with long vision and long obedience, and why true success often looks like quiet persistence over time. Mark shares stories of transformation from Washington, D.C., turning a crack house into a coffeehouse, a dream into a citywide ministry, and faith into a generational story. This conversation reminds us that what looks like slow progress may actually be sacred preparation. Join us for an inspiring look at how to live, lead, and love with purpose over the long haul.

Mark Batterson is the New York Times bestselling author of two dozen adult and children’s books including Win the Day, Chase the Lion and A Million Little Miracles. His newest book is Gradually Then Suddenly, How to Dream Bigger, Decide Better, and Leave a Lasting Legacy (Multnomah; on sale 11/4/25). He’s also the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with multiple campuses, NCC owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, the DC Dream Center and the Capital Turnaround—a 100,000-square-foot city block that includes an event venue and child development center. Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University. He and his wife, Lora, reside on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit markbatterson.com and https://twitter.com/markbatterson & Instagram.com/markbatterson

Mark’s Book:

Gradually, Then Suddenly

Mark’s Recommendation:

The River of Doubt

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Ep. 359 Sara Billups Returns - Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics

Joshua Johnson and Sara Billups — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 14:32:33 GMT

Sara Billups returns to Shifting Culture to talk about her new book Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church, and Politics. Together we explore the anxiety running through our lives, our churches, and our culture and what it means to find peace that’s deeper than control. Sara shares how Ignatian spirituality and the practice of “holy indifference” can help us let go, stay present, and love well in a restless world. We talk about caregiving, community, mental health, and how the embodied way of Jesus leads us toward healing, trust, and wholeness.

Sara Billups is a Seattle-based writer and cultural commentator whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Christianity Today, Aspen Ideas, and others. Sara writes Bitter Scroll, a monthly Substack letter and co-hosts the podcast That’s the Spirit. She earned a Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at the Peterson Center for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary.

Sara works to help wavering Christians remain steadfast through cultural storms and continues to hope for the flourishing of the Church amid deep political and cultural division in America.

Her first book, Orphaned Believers, follows the journey of a generation raised in the 80s and 90s of evangelicalism reckoning with the tradition that raised them and searching for a new way to participate in the story of God. Her second book, Nervous Systems, will be released November 4, 2025, from Baker Books.

Sara’s Book:

Nervous Systems

Sara’s Recommendations:

Slow Horses

Semi Permanent by Molly Parden

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Fr. Ronald Rolheiser - Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years

Joshua Johnson — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:50:45 GMT

Fr. Ronald Rolheiser joins me to talk about his new book Insane for the Light, the final part of his spiritual trilogy that began with The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire. Together, we explore what it means to live faithfully through every stage of life from getting our lives together, to giving them away, to finally giving our deaths away. Fr. Rolheiser shares profound insights on the difference between resignation and surrender, how helplessness can become holiness, and why love is sustained not by emotion but by fidelity and presence. We talk about aging as a spiritual practice, the call to move from bitterness to gratitude, and the deep grace found in letting go. This is a conversation about surrendering in love, learning to live with open hands, and allowing the light of God to shine through us, even as everything else fades.

Ronald Rolheiser, O.M.I., is President-Emeritus of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio Texas, where he remains a full-time faculty member and Professor of Spirituality. In 1982, he began writing a column “In Exile” which is carried in Catholic newspapers worldwide. He is the author of many award-winning books including The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire, and his newest book Insane for the Light releases in 2025.

Ron’s Books:

Insane for the Light

Sacred Fire

The Holy Longing

Ron’s Recommendations:

All the Way to Heaven

Rachel Held Evans

Richard Rohr

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Ep. 357 Carmen Imes - Why Church Still Matters

Joshua Johnson and Carmen Joy Imes — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 19:12:35 GMT

In this episode, Carmen Joy Imes joins me to explore her new book Becoming God’s Family: Why Church Still Matters. We look at why the church, despite its failures, divisions, and imperfections, remains central to the way of Jesus. Carmen traces the story of God’s people from Abraham and Sinai to the early church, revealing how God has always chosen to work through community. She offers a compelling vision of what it means to belong to one another, to wait together on God, and to become a family formed by grace. This conversation is a reminder that church isn’t a perfect institution, it’s a gathering of people who need God and one another. In a world of disconnection and individualism, this is an invitation to rediscover the beauty of life together.

Dr. Carmen Joy Imes is associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in Southern California. She is the author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters. Her primary areas of expertise are Exodus and the Psalms. Carmen has a YouTube channel where she releases weekly Torah Tuesday videos and you can find her writing on various websites, including Christianity Today, Substack, The Well, and The Politics of Scripture blog. Carmen has appeared on over 150 podcasts and radio outlets. She enjoys traveling to speak at churches, schools, conferences, and retreats. Carmen is passionate about equipping the church to engage the Old Testament well and to see its relevance for the Christian life.

Carmen’s Book:

Becoming God’s Family

Carmen’s Recommendations:

All Creatures Great and Small

Single Ever After

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Ep. 355 Kelsey McGinnis & Marissa Burt - The Myth of Good Christian Parenting

Joshua Johnson, Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, and Marissa Franks Burt — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:58:40 GMT

What happens when “biblical parenting” becomes more about control than compassion? In this episode, I talk with Kelsey McGinnis and Marissa Burt, authors of The Myth of Good Christian Parenting, about the rise of evangelical parenting culture, from James Dobson and Bill Gothard to today’s influencer economy, and how these ideas have shaped generations of families. Together, we explore how fear and hierarchy took root in the church’s imagination, why so many parents feel trapped by formulas and shame, and what it might look like to recover freedom, grace, and mutuality in our homes. This is a conversation about rethinking authority, rediscovering gentleness, and learning to see our children as people to love, not projects to manage.

Marissa Franks Burt (MTh, Columbia International University) is a novelist, editor, teacher, and cohost of the At Home with the Lectionary podcast. She lives in a small town in Washington’s Snoqualmie Valley with her husband, six children, and heaps of books.

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis (PhD, University of Iowa) is a musicologist, educator, and correspondent for Christianity Today, writing on worship practices and Christian subculture. She is an adjunct professor at Grand View University in Des Moines and previously worked at the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.

Marissa & Kelsey’s Book:

The Myth of Good Christian Parenting

Kelsey’s Recommendations:

Celebrities for Jesus

Monsters

Marissa’s Recommendations:

The Justice of Jesus

The Thursday Murder Club

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Ep. 330 Clarissa Moll - Hope Has Legs: Grief, Lament, and the Slow Work of Healing After Loss

Joshua Johnson and Clarissa Moll — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:18:19 GMT

When Clarissa Moll’s husband died suddenly, she was thrust into a new reality one shaped by deep grief, single parenting, and the quiet work of guiding her four children through unimaginable loss. In this episode, Clarissa shares hard-won wisdom about how children grieve, how adults can walk alongside them with care and presence, and how grief doesn’t need to be fixed it needs to be witnessed. We talk about building a grief-literate community, the sacred role of lament, and how the church can hold space for sorrow and hope at the same time. Clarissa offers powerful insight into what it means to be beloved in the midst of pain and how the slow work of healing happens in community, in story, and in the soil of everyday life. This is an honest, hope-filled conversation for anyone navigating loss or walking with someone who is.

Clarissa Moll is an award-winning writer and podcaster who helps bereaved people find flourishing after loss. Clarissa’s writing appears in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, RELEVANT, Modern Loss, Grief Digest and more. She co-hosted Christianity Today’s “Surprised by Grief” podcast and produces Christianity Today's flagship news podcast, "The Bulletin." Clarissa’s debut book, Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss, was a best-selling new release in 2022. She is the author of the Beyond the Darkness Devotional, Hurt Help Hope: A Real Conversation about Teen Grief and Life after Loss, and Hope Comes to Stay. Clarissa is a remarried widow and lives with her large blended family in the Boston area.

Clarissa's Books:

Hope Comes to Stay

Beyond the Darkness

Clarissa's Recommendation:

Rising from the Plains

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Ep. 327 Dr. Kerry Burnight - Joyspan

Joshua Johnson and Dr. Kerry Burnight — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 09:45:51 GMT

What if aging wasn’t something to fear, but something to embrace? In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kerry Burnight, a leading gerontologist and author of Joyspan, to explore how we can shift our mindset around aging. Instead of chasing anti-aging fads or resisting change, what if we cultivated joy, purpose, and connection across every season of life? Kerry unpacks the four practices at the heart of a long and meaningful “joy span”: growing, connecting, adapting, and giving and how these practices not only enrich our lives but can extend them. Whether you're in your 30s or your 80s, this conversation is a reminder: aging is human, and joy is possible all the way through.

Gerontologist, Dr. Kerry Burnight, is sparking a global revolution to make older better.

Fed up with the fear-driven, anti-aging hysteria, millions of people turn to “Dr. Kerry” for her proven approach to navigating longevity. This approach is based upon a profound truth: the key to good longevity isn’t the length of your life, it’s the quality of your life.

Efforts to maximize lifespan and even healthspan don’t address the whole picture. Longevity is meaningless if you don’t like your life. Burnight introduces the critical concept, “Joyspan” based on the science of well-being, contentment, connection, meaning, growth, choice, and purpose.

Dr. Burnight taught Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology for 18 years at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. She was a speaker to the U.S. White House at the Elder Justice Summit and at the U.S. Department of Justice. She has appeared on such T.V. programs as CBS News, NBC News, The Doctors, and Money Matters.

Kerry's Book:

Joyspan

Kerry's Recommendation:

Write a Must-Read

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Ep. 314 Daniel Hummel - The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism

Joshua Johnson and Daniel G. Hummel — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 21:06:00 GMT

In this episode, historian Daniel G. Hummel joins me to discuss the fascinating rise and decline of dispensationalism, a theological movement deeply embedded in American evangelicalism. Daniel shares his personal journey growing up in a dispensationalist environment, exploring its roots with John Nelson Darby, its influence post-Civil War, and its widespread popularity through media like the Left Behind series. This conversation delves into dispensationalism’s impacts on evangelical views regarding end-times, Israel, biblical interpretation, and societal engagement. Daniel provides valuable insights into how anxieties, cultural shifts, and media have reshaped evangelical priorities and engagement today. So join us to discover how our beliefs about the future shape our actions and commitments in the present, and how interpreting scripture continues to influence contemporary Christian life.

Daniel G. Hummel (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is the director of the Lumen Center in Madison, WI and a research fellow in the History Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle Over the End Times Shaped a Nation (Eerdmans, 2023).

Daniel's Book:

The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism

Daniel's Recommendations:

Self Made

On the Incarnation

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Ep. 284 Jeff Chu - Cultivating Good Soil: What Composting Reveals About Transformation

Joshua Johnson and Jeff Chu 朱天慧 — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 11:00:00 GMT

In a world that often feels overwhelming, where systemic challenges can paralyze us into inaction, I sat down with Jeff Chu - a journalist, preacher and storyteller who understands that transformation happens through small, beautiful acts of grace. Jeff's journey is anything but ordinary. From the bustling newsrooms of Time and Fast Company to the contemplative acres of Princeton's farminary, he discovered profound wisdom in the most unexpected place: a messy, rotting compost pile. There, amid liquefying spinach and decomposing vegetables, Jeff learned that death and resurrection aren't just theological concepts - they're living, breathing realities happening beneath our feet. Jeff, like all of us navigating this world, has every reason to be cynical. Instead, he chooses love. He chooses curiosity. He invites us to channel our anger not into destruction, but into small, ordinary graces that can fundamentally reshape our world. In this conversation, we'll explore how we might move from transactional relationships - with land, with each other, with God - to something more beautiful. We'll talk about rest, about poetry, about seeing each other as God's beloved creation. So join us, open your heart, and prepare to be transformed by a radical vision of grace.

Jeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author, with the late Rachel Held Evans, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer,” Chu writes about spirituality, gardening, food, travel, and culture. He lives with his husband, Tristan, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Jeff's Book:

Good Soil

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Ep. 281 Beth Allison Barr - Becoming the Pastor's Wife

Joshua Johnson and Beth Allison Barr — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:26:05 GMT

Today, we're exploring the hidden history of women in ministry through the lens of the pastor's wife role. Historian Beth Allison Barr takes us on a journey that challenges everything we think we know about women's leadership in the church. We'll trace how women went from being active leaders in the early Christian church to being systematically pushed out of ministry. Barr reveals how the pastor's wife role evolved from a radical act of Protestant resistance to a complex system that both empowered and constrained women. The conversation digs into some tough terrain - how complementarian theology has created environments where women's ministry is limited, and in some cases, where abuse has been hidden. But it's not just a story of limitation. It's a powerful call for reimagining how men and women can work together in ministry. At its heart, this is a conversation about breaking down barriers, recognizing historical complicity, and creating spaces where all people can fully express their calling - regardless of gender. We'll explore how the Southern Baptist Convention became a flashpoint for these debates, why ordination became a weapon against women's leadership, and most importantly, how we might move forward toward mutual flourishing in church communities. Get ready for a conversation that challenges, enlightens, and offers a hopeful vision for the future of ministry.

Beth Allison Barr (PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is James Vardaman Endowed Chair of History at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she specializes in medieval history, women’s history, and church history. She is the author of the USA Today bestseller The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. Her work has been featured by NPR and the New Yorker, and she has written for Christianity Today, the Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, Sojourners, and Baptist News Global. Barr lives in Texas with her husband, a Baptist pastor, and their two children.

Beth's Book:

Becoming the Pastor's Wife

Beth's Recommendations:

The Anti-Greed Gospel

We Refuse

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Ep. 279 Matthew Bates - What Does the Bible Really Say About Salvation?

Joshua Johnson — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:30:57 GMT

Matthew Bates joins us today to work out salvation. What is it? What have we got wrong? In our contemporary moment, we find ourselves wrestling with a profound misunderstanding of the gospel - a narrative that has been truncated, individualized, and stripped of its royal, communal essence. The gospel is not merely a personal transaction about individual salvation, but a comprehensive royal announcement about Jesus the Christ. For too long, both Protestant and Catholic traditions have inadvertently narrowed the expansive biblical vision of salvation. We've reduced faith to mental assent or ritualistic practice, when in reality, faith is fundamentally about allegiance - a comprehensive, embodied loyalty to King Jesus that transforms not just individuals, but entire communities and, ultimately, all of creation. Matthew seeks to recover a more holistic understanding. We are saved not just from something, but for something: the full restoration of our image-bearing capacity, the renewal of God's glory in and through us. This isn't about personal spiritual escapism, but about participating in a cosmic restoration project. In our conversation today, we'll explore how reimagining salvation as allegiance can bridge denominational divides, challenge our narcissistic cultural assumptions, and invite us into a more profound understanding of discipleship. We're not just talking about theological abstractions, but about a transformative way of being in the world. Prepare to have your understanding of the gospel radically expanded.

Matthew W. Bates is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. His books have won top honors from Christianity Today, Outreach Magazine, Jesus Creed, and Englewood Review. When he isn't hiking, baseballing, or chasing his seven children, he co-hosts the OnScript podcast. A Protestant by conviction, Bates holds a PhD in theology (New Testament) from the University of Notre Dame. His popular titles include Salvation by Allegiance Alone, Why the Gospel?, The Gospel Precisely, and The Birth of the Trinity. He lives with his family in Quincy, Illinois. Learn more about his books, lectures, or conference-speaking at MatthewWBates.com.

Matthew's Book:

Beyond the Salvation Wars

Matthew's Recommendations:

The Affections of Christ Jesus

Renovation of the Heart

The Great Divorce

The Deeply Formed Life

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