Impact 360 Institute

We all have problems. Many people today are stuck in unhealthy and unwanted behaviors, thoughts, and relationship patterns. You may have unresolved hurts, live with a constant sense of shame, or struggle with how you see God. It can be easy to feel hopeless or like there's no way out. So how do we overcome our struggles and find health and wholeness? The truth is that there is hope and there are real answers that can bring lasting freedom. This week on the podcast Jonathan sits down with Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett to discuss their new book Free to Thrive: How Your Hurt, Struggles, and Deepest Longings Can Lead to a Fulfilling Life. Join us this week as we talk about struggles that people are experiencing in the church today and how people are coping, the God-given needs and longings that we all have in common, how Christians can experience healing from unresolved hurts, and encouragement on how to overcome our unwanted behaviors and engage our unmet longings. Josh McDowell has shared the gospel with over 45 million people across the globe through his work with Cru and the global outreach of Josh McDowell Ministry. He is a leading figure in the Christian Apologetics movement and is the author or coauthor of over 150 books, including the classic Evidence That Demands a Verdict and the new book Free to Thrive. You can find Josh online at josh.org. Ben Bennett is an author, speaker, and the Director of Resolution Movement - a global movement helping young people overcome hurts and struggles to thrive in life. He also partners with world-renowned therapists and ministry leaders to help individuals young and old understand and work through the underlying factors driving the unhealthy patterns in their lives. He has been a staff member of Josh McDowell Ministry since 2017. Learn more about Impact 360 Institute at impact360.org.   

How do we connect with the next generation? The way that we answer that question is foundational if we want to disciple the next generation well. So how do we connect with Gen Z? Should we try to be "relevant"? This week on the podcast Jonathan sits down with Dr. Gene Fant, author of the chapter "Faith, Truth, and the Problem of Irrelevance" in the brand new book Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. Join us this week as we talk about the quest for significance and relevance, the problem of "spectacle over substance",  and opportunities for the Church to be agents of grace and truth. Dr. Gene Fant and his wife, Lisa, are the proud parents of twins – Ethan and Emily. He currently serves as President of North Greenville University in Tigerville, South Carolina. Previously, Dr. Fant was provost and chief academic officer of Palm Beach Atlantic University, and former executive vice president and dean of faculty at Union University.Dr. Fant holds a certificate in educational management from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He is a writer who recently published a book entitled The Liberal Arts: A Student’s Guide, and occasionally contributes blog posts to the Chronicle of Higher Education and First Things.This episode of the podcast is part of a companion series with our new book, Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. The book is out now wherever books are sold. Order today! 

Does Jesus still matter in a world that rejects the Bible? Can the truth about Jesus be uncovered, even without a body or a crime scene? If we didn't have the New Testament, would we know anything about Jesus at all? This week on the podcast Jonathan sits down with our friend J. Warner Wallace to discuss his new book Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible . Join us as we discuss how to make the case for Jesus from history alone, the impact that Jesus of Nazareth had on human history, how Messianic prophesies came true in history, and why Jesus absolutely still matters. J. Warner Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker, and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. J. Warner was a conscientious and vocal atheist until the age of thirty-five when he took a serious and expansive look at the evidence for the Christian Worldview and determined that Christianity was demonstrably true. After becoming a Christ-follower in 1996, Jim continued to take an evidential approach to truth as he examined the Christian worldview. He eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of several best-selling books including Cold-Case Christianity, God's Crime Scene, and his brand new book Person of Interest. You can connect with Jim online at coldcasechristianity.com .

The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to love. In light of that, our conversations about discipling the next generation have to take love into account. So, what is love and why does it matter?  This week on the podcast Jonathan sits down with our friend Dr. Stonestreet to discuss the importance of defining and ordering loves. Join us this week as we discuss the importance of defining our terms, why love is more than just feelings and sentimentality, properly ordering the things we love, helping Gen Z to love well, and a lot more! John Stonestreet serves as President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He’s a sought-after author and speaker on areas of faith and culture, theology, worldview, education and apologetics. John is the daily voice of BreakPoint, the nationally syndicated commentary on  the culture founded by the late Chuck Colson. He is also the voice of the Point, a daily one-minute feature on worldview, apologetics and cultural issues. Before coming to the Colson Center in 2010, John served in various leadership capacities with Summit Ministries and was on the biblical studies faculty at Bryan College (TN). John has co-authored four books: A Practical Guide to Culture, Restoring All Things, Same-Sex Marriage, and Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview. John holds degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (IL) and Bryan College (TN). He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO. Connect with John at BreakPoint.org, or follow him on Twitter (@jbstonestreet).This episode of the podcast is part of a companion series with our new book, Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. The book is out now wherever books are sold. Order today! 

How can we avoid both overprotection and underprotection as we parent and lead Gen Z?Are the parents of Gen Z more overprotective or underprotective? Studies say...both. In our recent study with Barna, we found that the parents of Gen Z are often simultaneously overinvolved and too detached. So how do we find the middle ground for providing support for Gen Z that is both engaged and appropriately connected?This week on the podcast Jonathan sits down with Dr. Stephanie Shackelford, author of the chapter "Gen Z's Overprotective, Unprotective Parents" in the brand new book Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. Join us this week as we talk about traits of overprotective and underprotective parents, the influence of media and technology and the importance of a parent's presence in it, and the way forward from double-mindedness to a single focus.Through her work as a writer, researcher, and coach, Dr. Stephanie Shackelford helps people identify and take hold of their purpose. She is the author of You on Purpose: Discover Your Calling and Create the Life You Were Meant to Live, a contributing author for Christians at Work: Examining the Intersection of Calling and Career and Know, Be, Live: A 360 Degree Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era, and a Senior Fellow at Barna Group, primarily studying vocation and calling.In 2012, she founded a career coaching company and has since helped hundreds of students, recent graduates, and working professionals live into their purpose. Stephanie received her Ed.D. from Northeastern University and her M.Ed. and B.S. from Vanderbilt University, where she is also an Adjunct Instructor. She lives with her husband and two children in Georgia. You can connect with Dr. Shackelford at https://www.stephshackelford.com/This episode of the podcast is part of a companion series with our new book, Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. The book is out now wherever books are sold. Order today! 

How do we help Gen Z pursue authentic Kingdom diversity? Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse generation in American history. With the ethnic diversity of the next generation come unique opportunities and challenges that Gen Z must deal with. So how can we help Gen Z pursue authentic Kingdom diversity? How can we lead the next generation to pursue racial unity as God intended? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan sits down with author and speaker Melissa Pellew to discuss real solutions and a way forward for helping Gen Z choose unity rather than division. Join us as we talk about why diversity is a discipleship issue, the ideas affecting Gen Z's view of diversity, how secular social theories sometimes lead to more division, how to approach the conversation in a gospel-centered way, and why diversity is ultimately God's idea. Melissa Pellew is Co-Chapter Director and Community Apologist with Ratio Christi at Winthrop University (Rock Hill, SC) and in Ratio Christi College Prep ministry to youth. Through the ministry of Ratio Christi, she is equipping students to defend the Christian faith, as well as engaging unbelieving and skeptical students on the truth of Christianity using science, history, and philosophy. She regularly speaks at conferences and events on a variety of apologetic and worldview issues. She has also been involved in biblical racial unity advocacy and pro-life activism in various leadership and training capacities for the last 15 years. This episode of the podcast is part of a companion series with our new book, Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. The book is out now wherever books are sold. Order today! Learn more at impact360.org. 

How do you cultivate a holistic worldview in the next generation? This week on the Impact 360 Institute podcast, Jonathan sits down with Dr. Nathan Finn to discuss how we can disciple the next generation by helping them develop a holistic biblical worldview. Join us this week as we talk about why worldview is important, practical ways to disciple teenagers, how to have better conversations with the Gen Z'ers in our lives, how screens relate to Gen Z and discipleship, and more. Dr. Nathan Finn serves as provost and dean of the university faculty at North Greenville University. He is the author/editor of 10 books, his latest being Historical Theology for the Church (B&H Academic, 2021).  He is also an ordained minister who preaches regularly in local congregations. Nathan has been married to Leah for over 20 years and has 4 children. This episode of the podcast is part of a companion series with our new book, Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. The book is out on October 12th wherever books are sold. Order today! Learn more at impact360.org. 

What would a 360˚ approach to discipleship in a post-Christian era look like?  In this episode of the Impact 360 Institute podcast we're talking with John Basie, the editor of our brand new book Know. Be. Live. : a 360˚ Approach to Discipleship in a Post-Christian Era. Join us this week as we talk about why we need this new book now, how we raise up a new generation of students to be ambassadors for Christ, the cultural aspects that are shaping today's students, and how to have a holistic approach to making disciples in our post-Christian culture. Listen in, and pre-order Know. Be. Live. here, out on October 12th!John D. Basie (Ph.D., Baylor University) serves as director of the Masters Experience at Impact 360 Institute in Pine Mountain, Georgia. He also holds a faculty appointment with North Greenville University as an affiliated professor of leadership. John has served in various leadership capacities in Christian higher education since 1997. One of his gifts is coaching undergraduates, graduate students, and young professionals in a process to identify their strengths and God-given callings.He is a certified executive coach who has facilitated leadership development seminars in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. John is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. He is the author of Your College Launch Story: Six Things Every Parent Must Do (2016). He resides in Pine Mountain, Georgia, with his wife of nearly twenty-five years, Marana, and their three teenage children. John and his family are members of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Columbus, GA.

What are 3 myths about marriage that the next generation needs to understand? Join us this week as we talk with our friend Sean McDowell, professor at Biola University and author of Chasing Love about how to have healthy relationships and the purpose of biblical marriage. Sean McDowell is a professor at Biola University  and the author of several books including Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture. You can connect with Sean online at seanmcdowell.org.

What does a biblical approach to ethnic unity look like? Why is it important to pursue racial unity, and why is that important now in our particular cultural moment. How do we frame all of this in light of Scripture? This week on the podcast we sit down with our friends Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager from the Center for Biblical Unity to talk about their brand new resource Reconciled: A Biblical Approach to Racial Unity. Join us as we discuss how to pursue this issue in light of biblical principles, and talk about what identity, family, and unity look like in the kingdom of God. Monique Duson and Krista Bontrager are the founders of The Center for Biblical Unity and the hosts of the All the Things Podcast. You can learn more about Monique and Krista and their work at CFBU here and order the new resource Reconciled here.