Shifting Culture

I love to enter the woods find a path and walk with Jesus. It’s a place of life and connection for me. And I know it is for Lore as well. Lore Wilbert spent time reflecting on the forest floor for her latest book The Understory.  In this conversation, Lore and I talk about finding identity and community through change and loss.Laurie talks about learning from nature by observing decay and emergence on the forest floor, seeing death...

In this episode, Yolanda Solomon shares what effective discipleship looks like. It’s important to encounter Jesus' beauty and person rather than focus on behavior modification. She highlights examples of communal and experiential discipleship, navigating cultural biases by focusing on Jesus, and understanding identity and authority in Christ. We also talk about justice and embodiment through following Jesus' care for the ...

In this episode, Grace Ji-Sun Kim discusses her experience immigrating to Canada from Korea as a child and facing racism. She talks about how Christianity became associated with whiteness over time as it spread in Europe, with Jesus portrayed as a white man. Grace explains that the concept of race and whiteness are social constructs used to maintain power structures. We unpack the idea of a white God and try to figure out how to pr...

The world is falling apart. The earth is hotter than it has ever been since we have been recording temperatures, the ocean is heating up. We have polarization that tears us to pieces. We are good at division. There is war over resources and power. What can we do? We need some wisdom and courage to move forward together in a world like ours. And Brian McLaren brings it to us in this conversation. Brian helps us to reframe our storie...

The whole system seems to be out of order. It’s time we reckon with the abuse, structure, and outworkings of church. But first, it’s time to heal, to find hope even in the midst of our disillusionment. In this conversation, Aimee Byrd shares her story of disillusionment with the church after facing public shaming and harassment for writing a book critiquing certain theological teachings. She discusses the pain of this experience an...

In this conversation, Kimberly Stuart talks about her journey with grace and her new book "Star for Jesus". We discuss Kimberly's struggles with perfectionism and legalism, and how embracing God's grace has transformed her life and perspective. We also talked about the important roles that humor, shared experiences, and vulnerability play in building understanding and extending grace to ourselves and others. It ...

In this episode, Neil Cole explores spiritual formation and missionary methods through a discussion of Paul's journeys in the book of Acts. He shares insights from his book "Journeys" about Paul's progression and growth through each journey of his life and ministry, as well as lessons learned during a 13-year period of silence. Neil applies Paul's model to our own spiritual journeys and finishing well. We a...

In this episode Bri Stensrud shares about shifting from a traditional pro-life stance to a whole life approach that values all human dignity and life. Bri shares her personal journey in this regard and emphasized the importance of proximity, empathy, and compassion when it comes to issues like immigration. She encourages Christians to move beyond comfort, engage with Scripture, and advocate for vulnerable groups like immigrants and...

Ryan George grew up in an abusive independent fundamental Baptist church led by his father. In the conversation, Ryan discusses how he eventually left that church and the abuse of his father and started a journey of healing from the trauma of his upbringing. He talks about some of the unhealthy and abusive behaviors he experienced. He also talks about how he eventually found healthy church communities that helped him heal and come ...

In this episode, Lucas Pulley and I have a great conversation around microchurches and decentralized church networks. Lucas shares his story of how he got involved in microchurches and how they operate. We talk about having an "ecclesial minimum" of worship, community and mission, microchurches can be mission-specific around a calling or distributive with people following various callings, the importance of connecting mic...

What does spiritual formation have to do with our political engagement? Well, if we are followers of Jesus, it’s has a lot to do with it. In this episode, Michael Wear discusses how Dallas Willard's work influenced his view that Christians should approach politics as a way to love God and love their neighbor through civic involvement. We talk about different approaches to political engagement, the role of the church, and stori...

In this episode, Micha  Boyett shares her story of finding out her son Ace would be born with down syndrome and the subsequent years of raising him. Through her story, she uses the framework of the beatitudes found in Jesus’ sermon on the mount as a way to embrace the limits and longings that she has been given. We talk about how the Beatitudes help redefine human worth and value through Jesus' teachings of blessing the margin...

In this episode, A.J. Swoboda returns to Shifting Culture to discuss his latest book The Gift of Thorns. We talk desires and longings. Our desires are good – we see desire in Adam even before the fall. But sometimes we have desires of the flesh, but even those desires point to an ultimate longing that we have that can be ordered towards God. This is a great conversation, but we lost a bit of it because of technical issues. So you a...

In this conversation, John Inazu and I have a great conversation about learning how to disagree civilly. We talk the importance of seeing others as image-bearers of God, developing empathy even for those we disagree with, distinguishing facts from judgments, and finding common ground. John gave great examples of disagreeing respectfully from his legal and interfaith work. The postures of curiosity, patience, and commitment to relat...

In this episode, Dan Kreiss and I have a conversation about how churches can better engage emerging generations and become more just and inclusive faith communities. Dan discusses his experience ministering in New Zealand and the US. He emphasizes the importance of understanding one's community, being intentional in serving others, and working together across denominations. We also get into insights from Dan’s research on what...

In this episode, Charles Martin and I explore the crucifixion of Jesus and its profound impact on his life and faith. Charles shares a powerful personal experience encountering the site of Jesus' scourging in Jerusalem, which gave him new insight into both God's wrath towards sin and his limitless love shown through Christ's sacrifice. We talk about struggling to comprehend the depth of Jesus' suffering and why ...

In this episode, Craig Detweiler and I have a great conversation around creativity, faith, and storytelling. We talk about how creativity reflects the nature of God and is a godly activity, the differences between humans and AI, and the importance of recognizing humanity. We talk about perceiving inspiration through openness to God's spirit and finding quiet moments, the role of criticism and collaboration in the creative proc...

In this episode, Irwyn Ince and I talk about hope in the context of race, oppression, community, and lament. He inspires us to persevere in hope through difficult times. We explore the roots of hope in Christ despite past rejections, detangling oppressive actions from the gospel message, and the importance of fixing one's gaze on Jesus and enduring through suffering by looking to his example. So join us as we actively push aga...

In this episode, Wai Jia Tam shares her incredible story of discovering Jesus and following Him despite facing many obstacles and setbacks along the way. Wai Jia grew up in a Buddhist home in Singapore but had a powerful encounter with God as a teenager that set her on a journey of faith. She shares about her experiences serving in Nepal as a young woman and how God provided in amazing ways. Wai Jia also walked through great diffic...