Winsome Conviction

Mean-spiritedness and vitriol are contributing to the breakdown in our contemporary discourse, and tactics expressive of affective polarization, where disagreements on policies devolve into bitterness and hatred toward people with whom we disagree, are all too tempting for Christians. And yet, aren’t Christians called to a different way, a different manner of public engagement? On today’s episode, Steve Porter (Ph.D.) speaks with R...

The crisis in higher education highlights the vital role of faith-based institutions within the broader educational landscape and the value these institutions provide to society at large. By integrating rigorous academics with religious identity, faith-based universities are poised to address a meaningful, purpose-driven education. Today’s episode is a live recording of a discussion that took place this past December at Biola Unive...

In the biblical wisdom literature, Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This is sound wisdom, but this bit of advice can often seem irrelevant in matters of church quarreling and cultural rage. And yet, formation in civility, both for the health of the Church and for broader cultural engagement, is crucial. On today’s podcast, Rick and Tim speak with Rev. Dr. Todd Pickett...

Over the past decade, there have been rallying cries among supporters of youth sport “to fix” youth sports. One reason youth sports is not working so well is the apparent and increasing incivility at games and sporting events. Today’s guest thinks Christian parents can do better. Ed Uszynksi (Ph.D.) recently co-authored a book, Away Game: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, and it’s is sure to be a helpful resour...

The biblical call to “love your neighbor” is one of Christianity’s most profound and challenging practices, especially in today’s argument culture. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with professors Katherine Douglass (Ph.D.) and Brittany Tausen (Ph.D.) on their forthcoming book, Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community (released on January 15, 2026), in which they wed insights from social psychology...

The Christian faith should shape and enliven our ordinary, day-to-day activities. But it can be difficult to drum up things to do that are public, practical, and powerful. Tim speaks with J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of recently released, Everyday Revolutionary, on a theology of place. They look to the book of Acts and the ministry of Jesus to draw out some everyday activities Christia...

How do we transcend the culture war and transform the world with the good news of Jesus Christ? J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of recently released, Everyday Revolutionary, is on today’s episode to speak with Tim about this question. They draw from the biblical example of Daniel as a model for how we might think about Christian influence in our current cultural moment. J.D. spends time u...

In the abortion debates, what does a win look like? On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Julia Hejduk (Ph.D.) on abortion and civility. They consider “the sacred core” of pro-choice and pro-life groups, the importance of having a telos, some important communication strategies for addressing conflict, and they also draw from resources in Christianity to consider what might be a worthy goal in these longstanding, contentious debates.

S...

Are there some topics and issues where we just can’t have a winsome conversation? For many listeners, abortion is likely high on the list. It often seems impossible to find common ground between being pro-choice and being pro-life. Today on the podcast, Tim is joined by Dr. Julia Hejduk (Ph.D.), a professor of Classics at Baylor University. Julia speaks with Tim about the work she has been doing and the friendships that have come a...

Last year, five months after the terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7th, Simon Greer, a Jewish leader and social entrepreneur, assembled a diverse team of scholars and activists - pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and atheist, to study the Israel-Palestine conflict from the ground up. The group spent 10 days traveling through the region to hear from local leaders what has spurred this centuries old conf...

Simon Greer, a Jewish leader, social entrepreneur, and founder of Bridging the Gap, and Saad Soliman, a Muslim entrepreneur and justice reform advocate, could be enemies. A generation ago, members of their families were trying to kill each other in the Six-Day war. Simon’s uncles fought for Israel in 1967, while Saad’s uncles died fighting for Egypt in that same war. And yet, after meeting at a justice event for formerly incarcerat...

On today’s episode, Tim speaks with psychologists Liz Hall (Ph.D.) and Erin Smith (Ph.D.) on the virtue of intellectual humility and the importance of this virtue for addressing biases and in helping with our consumption of social media. Through the course of the discussion, they address the following questions: What is intellectual humility? Do Christians have a responsibility to be intellectually humble? And drawing from resource...

Dr. Ed Uszynski (Ph.D.) is back on the podcast to speak with Tim about a provocative cultural moment: when Max Lucado issued an apology to a multi-ethnic church in San Antonio, TX, following the death of George Floyd. The incident received mixed responses, positively received as being an act of racial reconciliation to being negatively critiqued as an act of bowing to the woke mob. So, Tim and Ed practice perspective-taking in orde...

Psychologists Liz Hall (Ph.D.) and Erin Smith (Ph.D.) are back on the podcast to speak with Tim about myside bias, a prevalent phenomenon that also goes by the name of confirmation bias. While myside bias has been around for awhile, cultural conditions seem to to be exacerbating this type of bias. What cost does myside bias exact on our critical thinking, disagreements, and relationships with others? Tim, Liz, and Erin explore thes...

On today’s episode, we’re practicing perspective-taking on the topic of Critical Race Theory (CRT), and we’re getting some help from Dr. Ed Uszynski (Ph.D.). Ed’s book, Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need To Know And Why It Matters, is an excellent resource on this subject, and it helps the church to frame conversations on race relations and critical race theory. Tim and Ed discuss key terms that are often misunde...

On today’s episode, Tim speaks with psychologists Liz Hall (Ph.D.) and Erin Smith (Ph.D.) on how emotions shape perspectives on science, including new scientific technologies. Hall and Smith point to research that indicates emotions are some of the main features causing problems in dialogues between science and religious beliefs and values, and gaining understanding around emotions might help to address some of the uneasy tensions ...

Tim Milosch (Ph.D.) joins today’s episode for another edition of Report From The Front, conversations with people who are doing it right, to speak with Tim and Rick about his work with Braver Angels, a non-profit dedicated to political depolarization. They discuss the function and benefits of parliamentary procedure - What is it? How to practice it? They discuss how roles like “the chair” and having established boundaries help to d...

How do friends who hold differing views of religion and faith maintain a friendship? How do friends handle central and fundamental disagreements about God and faith? On today’s episode, Tim speaks with two such friends - Andrew Reid, professor at Brigham Young University, and Greg Johnson, founder of Standing Together, a bridge-building ministry focused on LDS/Evangelical dialogues. Over the course of 11 years, Andrew and Greg have...

Undergraduate students have a thirst for interfaith conversations. So this past spring professors and students from Brigham Young University traveled to Southern California to engage in meaningful conversations and build relationships with professors and students from Biola University. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Andy Reid, associate professor of religious understanding and church history at BYU, and Greg Johnson, a pastor ...