Episodes

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 Ben Mathew (Professor of Counselor Education at Columbia International University ) to discuss multiculturalism in the church through both a clinical lens and a biblical theology lens. Ben begins with his own story: growing up in Canada as part of a...

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 , Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Steve Stuhlreyer (Professor of Counselor Education at Columbia International University , former lead pastor) to talk about what it looks like when the church becomes a place of healing, relational care, and wise referral . Steve expla...

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 presence, not performance —and why shame and distraction keep God’s people from the intimacy they were made for. Addison shares the origin story behind RediscoverPrayer.com and a pivotal conversation with his dad that reshaped his view of prayer: “I pray for about 15 minutes...

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 discipleship. If spiritual growth becomes merely human effort, Roger argues, we’ve missed the point of how God actually transforms people. Using growth as a concrete example, Roger describes how the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to what God wants to teach...

What happens when God confronts the “two lives” we’re living—and calls us out of the background and into honest testimony? In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast , Dr. James Spencer is joined by Nick Sash (a longtime friend and the host of the Foundational Fathers Podcast ) to talk about Nick’s new book, Unmuted: From Silence to Testimony , and the story behind it. Nick shares how years of hiding, silence, and “keep your emotions in check” masculinity gave way to a defining moment: Go...

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 Lori Krieg , co-author (with Matt Krieg) of Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World (IVP) and Director of Parent Programs & Discipleship at the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender . Lori explains why so many Christian families...

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-saturated songs frame what God is doing in the birth of Christ. James explores how the Magnificat and Zechariah’s prophecy function as “nexus passages,” pulling tog...

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 Haul: How White Christian Advocates Persevere and Why . Christine explains how anthropological research actually works—long interviews, deep listening, and time spent in “ordinary” spaces—and how she used it to study white Christians comm...

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,” but how Jesus chose to be with us and for us. Using The Matrix as a modern parable, James contrasts Christ’s self-giving descent with Cypher’s decision to abandon re...

Every two years, Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research release The State of Theology —a massive survey that reveals what Americans (including evangelicals) actually believe about God, the Bible, Jesus, and culture. The 2025 report is out, and some of the numbers are… surprising. In this episode of Thinking Christian , Dr. James Spencer is joined by longtime friend and theologian Dr. Ashish Varma for a wide-ranging conversation about what the data shows—and what it doesn’t show—about the theol...

James welcomes Dylan (founder of Varsity Skateboarding & leader of Skate Church KC ) and co-host Nate to unpack how skateparks have become mission fields. They cover why skating is exploding post-Olympics, what makes a skatepark a “safe space,” and a practical model— teach, equip, empower —that moves kids from pizza and push-offs to Scripture, mentorship, and local church life. Expect candid stories (Dylan’s own faith journey from party life to pastoring), Gen Z/Gen A trends (digital overload, t...

In a season filled with noise, outrage, and “cancel culture,” is there still room for real joy? In this Christmas episode of Thinking Christian , Dr. James Spencer invites you to slow down, listen, and remember. He begins with a personal memory of reading the Christmas story in church as a teenager, then simply does the same for you—reading Luke 2 so you can hear the story of Jesus’s birth without distraction. After the reading, James reflects on Mary, the shepherds, and the wonder of that first...

At Christmas, Christians often quote Isaiah 7:14—“the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son”—but few pause to ask what that verse meant for King Ahaz before it pointed to Christ. In this episode of Thinking Christian , Dr. James Spencer walks through the political and spiritual crisis facing Judah, the rising Assyrian threat, and Ahaz’s refusal to ask God for a sign. James unpacks why God answered with something that seemed wildly inadequate in the face of war: a child. He explores how th...

In this episode of Thinking Christian , I sit down with Dr. Tanita Maddox—National Director of Generational Impact for Young Life and author of What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God . Drawing from years of research and on-the-ground ministry, Tanita helps untangle the unique worldview of Gen Z and why many of our “classic” Christian explanations fall flat with today’s young people. We explore how Gen Z understands concepts like truth , goodness , safety , and identity , and why shared vocabu...

In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Daniel (Danny) Zacharias and Dr. Christopher Hoklotubbe, co-authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation . Together they explore how Indigenous perspectives can help Christians read Scripture more faithfully on this land we often call North America—but which many Indigenous peoples know as “Turtle Island.” Danny and Chris explain the story of Turtle Is...

In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, Dr. James Spencer welcomes back Sathiya Sam—CEO and founder of Deep Clean Coaching—to talk about pornography addiction, sexual integrity, and the power of Christian community in lasting recovery. Sathiya shares his own story of breaking free from pornography after years of struggle as a pastor’s kid, ministry leader, and researcher—and how that journey led to the creation of Deep Clean, a ministry now helping thousands of men pursue freedom and ...

In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, Dr. James Spencer talks with J.R. Briggs—founder of Kairos Partnerships and author of The Art of Asking Better Questions: Pursuing Stronger Relationships, Healthier Leadership, and Deeper Faith . Together they explore why the questions we ask of God, ourselves, and others shape the quality of our lives, leadership, and discipleship. J.R. shares how his own experience of isolation in ministry led him to ask three haunting questions—“Who pastors t...

In this episode of Thinking Christian , I sit down with Pieter Valk—founder and director of Equip and a founding brother of an ecumenical monastery in Nashville—to talk about what it really means to follow Jesus as single men and women in the church. Pieter shares how his ministry equips churches and parents to care well for people who experience same-sex attraction or gender incongruence while embracing a historic Christian sexual ethic. We explore the biblical vision for vocational singleness ...

James sits down with Denise Lester , founder of Rended Heart (Kansas City, MO), to explore what sexual exploitation looks like today—and how her ministry stands in the 30-day gap between crisis and long-term recovery. Denise shares her journey from NYC to KC, early work with Exodus Cry , street and club outreach, and why most trafficking now hides offline and online . They discuss highways I-35/I-70 , drug dependency, the legal hurdles of proving force, fraud, or coercion , how porn and grooming...

In this episode of Thinking Christian , James Spencer talks with David Green , CEO of Hobby Lobby, and Bill High , CEO of Legacy Stone, about their new book Legacy Life: Leading Your Family to Make a Difference for Eternity . Together they explore what it really means to live a legacy life —one rooted not in wealth or success, but in faithfulness, purpose, and generational discipleship . Reframing legacy as something you set in motion , not just leave behind Rethinking retirement as a season of ...

In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer engages with Dr. Carmen Imes about her book 'Becoming God's Family: Why the Church Still Matters.' They explore the themes of identity, vocation, and belonging within the context of the church, discussing the significance of ecclesia and its roots in the Old Testament. The conversation emphasizes the continuity of God's people from the Old Testament to the New Testament, the importance of community in faith, and the call for believers to a...

Dr. James Spencer sits down with Beth Felker Jones (Professor of Theology, Northern Seminary) to talk about her new IVP book Why I Am Protestant . Beth lays out how Protestant distinctives—especially Scripture as the norming norm —fit within a broader, lowercase-c catholic Christian unity rooted in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They dig into the ecumenical creeds, the messiness of the church, recovering historic practices (like corporate confession), how to live with rival interpre...

Dr. James Spencer welcomes Gregory R. Lanier (RTS Orlando, NT) and William A. Ross (RTS Charlotte, OT), co-editors of The Authority of the Septuagint: Biblical, Historical & Theological Approaches (IVP Academic). What is the Septuagint (LXX)? Why is it a library of Greek translations rather than one book? How did NT authors access Scripture—and why do their citations sometimes match Greek more than Hebrew? We unpack a three-fold framework for authority ( normative Hebrew text, derived authority ...

In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer engages with Dr. Greg Quiggle and Dr. Jerry Root to discuss an upcoming study tour focused on the English Reformation and the works of C.S. Lewis. The conversation delves into the complexities of the English Reformation, exploring its political and theological dimensions, and how these historical events resonate with contemporary issues. The discussion also highlights C.S. Lewis's contributions to Christian thought and the importance of di...