Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World
Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ. Find more from James at https://usefultogod.com/.
Episodes
Was America founded as a “new Israel”? And if so, what happens when biblical conquest narratives are used to justify colonization, displacement, and violence? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer speaks with Dr. Daniel Hawk, prof...
Can Christians pursue success in business without sidelining their faith—or turning God into just another “box” in life? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer sits down with Andrea Anderson, Christian business coach and author of ...
What do you do when faith feels dry, confusing, or emotionally barren—when God seems absent, or even uncomfortably near? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer talks with Dr. Noelle Forlini-Byrte, author of Read more
What if a major driver of today’s mental health crisis isn’t simply “more disorders,” but more people who feel unseen, unheard, and alone? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer talks with Read more
In this final episode of our German Reformation series, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Greg Quiggle step back from the 16th century to ask a pressing modern question: what does it actually mean to be Protestant today—and what have we gained (and lost) since the Reformation?
Greg frames Protestantism with a memorable realism: it isn’t perfect—it’s the “least problematic&rdq...
In this episode of our German Reformation series, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Greg Quiggle pivot to one of the defining features of Protestant tradition: the Reformation Solas—and why they still matter for Christians today.
Rather than beginning with a list of “five solas,” Greg frames the Reformation around three theological questions that generated the solas:
- What ...
In this episode of our German Reformation series, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Greg Quiggle begin exploring what happens after the attempt to reform the Catholic Church breaks down and the division becomes permanent: What does Protestantism look like under Luther once it’s no longer simply a reform movement?
The conversation opens with a key structural issue: the evolving relationship...
In this episode of our German Reformation series, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Greg Quiggle linger in Wittenbergbefore the Diet of Worms and Wartburg Castle to unpack the moment everyone knows—but few understand: Luther’s 95 Theses.
Greg begins with the real backstory: indulgence-selling tied to the fundraising machine behind the rebuilding of St. P...
In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer and Dr. Greg Quiggle pick up the story after Luther’s intensifying crisis of conscience. If the monastery wasn’t bringing peace—what could? Luther’s mentor, Johann von Staupitz, attempts an intervention, first by sending Luther to Rome, hoping the pilgrimage and the center of the Church might relieve the pressure.
Instead, Rome does the oppos...
In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Greg Quiggle to continue the German Reformation series—this time focusing on Martin Luther’s years in Erfurt and the startling turn that led him into the Augustinian monastery.
Luther wasn’t headed toward ministry. He was a brilliant student on track for law, positioned to become his father’s “golden ticket&rd...
In this first episode of a new Thinking Christian series on the German Reformation, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Greg Quiggle—a historian, former Moody Bible Institute professor, and leader of Tours for Ten—to set the stage for the world that produced Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformation.
Before you can understand Luther, you have to understand the world Luther lived in: a ...
What does it look like for Christians to pursue multicultural unity without flattening real differences—or turning ethnicity into an ultimate identity? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer is joined by recurring guest
Counseling and the Church: How Pastors and Congregations Should Work Together (Dr. Steve Stuhlreyer)
Pastors are carrying more emotional and spiritual weight than most congregations realize—and many churches still treat counseling and discipleship as if they’re separate worlds. In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Read more
Why do so many Christians feel like they’re “bad at prayer”? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer sits down with Addison Bevere (President of Messenger International) to talk about prayer as...
Is discipleship mainly about trying harder—or is it something God does in us?
In this short, focused segment on the Thinking Christian Podcast, Roger Ross explains why the Holy Spirit is the prime mover in the entire work of Christian disc...
How do Christian parents raise kids with wisdom in a culture shaped by pornography, confusion about gender, and broken ideas about relationships—without living in “hair-on-fire” panic?
In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, James Spencer sits down with L...
Before angels sing over Bethlehem in Luke 2, two other voices break into song—Mary and Zechariah. In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer continues the “Thinking Christian about Christmas” series by walking through Luke 1:39–79, where Mary visits Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaps in the womb, and two rich, Scripture-satur...
What kind of hope can actually sustain racial justice work over decades—not just months? In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer is joined by anthropologist and author Dr. Christine Jeske to talk about her new book, Racial Justice for the Long ...
As technology offers us endless ways to be “present” without actually being there, what does it mean for Christians to imitate the incarnation of Christ? In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer explores the often-overlooked ethical and theological dimensions of the incarnation—not just that “the Word became flesh,” ...
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