Episodes

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 is the Church? (ecclesiology) How am I saved / how do I stand before God? (soteriology) Who or what has ultimate authority to def...

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 between church and state in early Protestant contexts. Greg explains that most Protestants still lived inside the w...

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. Peter’s Basilica and a chain of financial incentives involving an ambitious archbishop, borrowed money, and a gifted salesman—Johann Tetzel—whose catchy ...

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 opposite. Luther returns disillusioned by the moral and spiritual decay he sees—corruption, scandal, an...

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” in a world with no social safety net. But beneath the surface, Luther’s life was haunted by a question that medieva...

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 late-medieval Germany marked by constant death, recurring plague, widespread poverty, church corruption, and sp...

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 an...

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 explain...

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 teac...

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: God’...

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 b...

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 comme...

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 Varmafor a wide-ranging conversation about what the data shows—and what it doesn’t show—about the theolog...

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, the ...

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 vocabulary ...

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 ...