A Deep Thought is a concise episode on a particular aspect of the Christian faith that we sprinkle in between full-length episodes. This deep thought is on Christianity and the ‘isms — you know — like universalism, polytheism, and deism. This episode focuses on comparing and contrasting Christianity with materialism, secularism, individualism, and pluralism.

A Deep Thought is a “concise” episode on a particular aspect of the Christian faith that we sprinkle in between full-length episodes. This deep thought is on  Israelite Conquest of Canaan. More specifically, Matt aims to help our listeners to make sense of the passages of Scripture where God instructs the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites dwelling in the land. You know, some light summer listening.

In this episode Matt chats with Heather Thompson Day, a passionate advocate for women and young adults. She believes her calling is to stand in the gaps of our churches for young people. This conversation was a ton of fun and really insightful. If you’re a young adult I hope you feel seen and loved in this episode and if you’re desiring to make an impact in young peoples’ lives, you’ll find this episode super helpful. ABOUT Dr. Heather Thompson Day is an Associate Professor of Communication at Andrews University. She runs an online community called I’m That Wife which has over 200k followers. She is also a speaker and has been a contributor for Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Newsweek and the Barna Group, and hosts a podcast with Christianity Today called Viral Jesus. Her writing has been featured on outlets like the Today Show and has been interviewed by BBC Radio Live and been featured in Forbes. She believes her calling is to stand in the gaps of our churches for young people and is the author of 7 books; including two that we get into a bit in this episode: It’s Not Your Turn, and Confessions of a Christian Wife.

Matt answers listener submitted questions on all sorts of topics: 1. Can Christians play the lottery? 2. Has the Church been built or is it being built? 3. How do we know what God’s will is when making decisions? 4. How can Christians help fellow believers turn from sin to truth? 5. How can I trust God’s plan for me and live in the waiting of singleness? 6. What are we to make of “weird takes” people have regarding Covid and the Ukraine/Russia war? 7. What should Christians think about the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court? 8. What is the best way to study the end times? Keep your eye out on the Deep Thoughts instagram for future opportunities to submit a question. In the meantime, thank you for listening to deep thoughts. We hope it helps you in fostering deep faith.

Matt Shantz interviews Mark Vroegop about prayers of lament in the Christian life, emphasizing the importance of honesty and trust in expressing grief. They discuss the power of lament in personal struggles, racial reconciliation, and fostering empathy within the Christian community.

Matt chats with tweed aficionado and Oklahoma’s finest, O. Alan Noble about his two books, Disruptive Witness and You Are Not Your Own. How can we be a disruptive witness to a distracted, secular culture? In a society that tells us that you are your own and belong to your self, how is the Christian paradigm that you are not your own but belong to Christ actually incredibly freeing and comforting? ABOUT Dr. O. Alan Noble is assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and cofounder of Christ and Pop Culture. He has written for The Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and First Things. He is also an advisor for the AND Campaign. Plus, the simple pleasure of dressing nicely gives him sense of order in a disordered world.

Dr. Raphael Samuel’s story begins with his upbringing during Apartheid in South Africa. For his day job he works as an anesthesiologist but he’s also passionate about explaining the coherence of the Christian faith and does itinerant work as an Apologetics Canada speaker. In this episode Matt and Raphael get into Christianity’s scientific, moral, logical, and historical coherence. ABOUT Raphael Samuel is a Christian speaker, apologist and anesthesiologist. Born in Durban, South Africa, he obtained his medical degree and a Master’s degree in Medicine there. He further obtained Fellowships in Anesthesiology from the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is currently completing his Master’s degree in Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, Southern California. Having lived, worked and ministered in three different countries on three respective continents, he testifies to the transformative power of, and universal need for the Gospel of Jesus. By presenting evidence for the moral, logical, historical, and scientific coherence of the Christian worldview, he aims to help the fellow believer to love the Lord God with all his mind (Mk 12:30), as well as address barriers to belief faced by the skeptic.

Everybody dies and everybody loses people they love dearly. How does the gospel affect and inform the way we grieve as Christians?

Matt sits down with two members of Central Community Church  for a roundtable conversation about the intersection of reading, writing, and the Christian faith. Sheri and Cecily both happen to be book-writing, home-schooling moms. ABOUT Sheri Hiebert co-wrote THINKING?: Answering Life’s Five Biggest Questions and RECLAIMED: How Jesus Restores Our Humanity In A Dehumanized World with Andy Steiger. Sheri is a freelance writer and homeschooling mother of three. Cecily Dickey wrote RAISING GIRLS: Devotional for Mom: 60 Days of Uplifting, Faith-Filled Wisdom. She is a wife and mom, worship leader, writer, and cohost of The Boom Clap Podcast.

It’s a new year and we already need a fresh dose of hope! So Matt called up some pastor and ministry leader friends and asked them two questions: "What’s a word of caution you would give the church for 2022?" and "What’s an opportunity before the church in 2022?”. Guests: Chris Ross, Family Pastor, Central Community Church (1:07-mark) | Shaila Visser, National Director, Alpha Canada (15:40-mark) | Jeff Bucknam, Lead Teaching Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel (24:45-mark) | Brett Landry, Senior Pastor, Christ City Church South Vancouver (34:40-mark).