Is progressive Christianity just that? Christianity progressing? Or has it progressed into something else entirely, and a whole other gospel? And what legitimate critiques of evangelicalism is progressivism responding to that we would be wise to listen to and engage with? I talk about all this and more with my guest, ZOEGirl’s own, Alisa Childers. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…yet.  ABOUT: ALISA CHILDERS From singer in the Christian teen pop group, ZOEGirl (think the Spice Girls but less spicy) to the author of one of the bestselling apologetics books of the year, Alisa’s path has been less than conventional. As a lifelong church-goer and follower of Jesus, Alisa experienced a period of profound doubt about her faith in her mid-thirties. She didn’t know where to find answers to her questions, or if answers existed at all. In her book, Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, she invites you into her journey from unreasoned doubt into vibrant, intellectually informed faith. Whether you are exploring faith in Jesus, have big doubts about Christianity, or wanting to become better at articulating your faith, this book will be a lifeboat for you as you tackle tough questions together.

Matt lies on the proverbial counseling couch while Jason walks us through the turbulent waters many are feeling during the pandemic with the gospel-centred approach to counseling that he utilizes. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…yet.  ABOUT: JASON KOVACS Jason has been serving individuals, leaders, families, churches and non-profit organizations in the areas of pastoral care, counseling, and orphan advocacy for over 20 years. Prior to starting Gospel Care Collective, Jason served as the Pastor of Counseling at the Austin Stone Community Church where he founded and directed The Austin Stone Counseling Center. Jason’s areas of interest include marriage, adoption-related issues, parenting, depression, anger, anxiety, addiction, stress, and work-related struggles. Jason received his Masters of Arts with a focus on Biblical Counseling, utilizes a gospel-centred, clinically-informed approach, and has received specialized training in working with foster/adopt families and trauma through TBRI® and is a member and Certified Biblical Counselor with the Association of Biblical Counselors. He serves on the Council of the Biblical Counseling Coalition and the Board of the Canadian Biblical Counseling Coalition. He founded and currently serves as the Executive Director of Redemption Counseling Centers in British Columbia, Canada. Jason’s greatest passion is to see clients and churches experience the reality of the overcoming grace of God in their lives.

Matt calls Brett McCracken in L.A. to congratulate him on the Dodgers & Laker's championships and has a conversation about his new book, The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul In A Post-Truth World. They also chat about good and bad Christian art and Brett provides some music and film recommendations. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…yet.  ABOUT: BRETT MCCRACKEN Brett’s latest book, The Wisdom Pyramid comes out February 2021. He also authored, Uncomfortable; Gray Matters; Hipster Christianity; and is a senior editor for The Gospel Coalition. He regularly reviews music and movies and makes recommendations. Here’s Songs to Help Kids Love God: 14 Artists to Know; Quality Christian Music: 15 Artists to Watch; The 15 Best Films About Faith from the 2010s; and 30 Edifying Things to Watch When Stuck at Home — which he curated early on in the pandemic. Brett and his wife, Kira, live in Santa Ana, California, with their two sons. They belong to Southlands Church, where Brett serves as an elder. You can follow him on Twitter. In the episode, Brett recommended Jon Guerra’s new album, Keeper of Days. Matt’s been listening to it non-stop since and now they both highly recommend it.

Matt sits down with Norm Funk for a conversation that’s not about horticulture per se, but about planting and replanting churches. Norm planted Westside Church and is a replanter of the soon-to-be Midtown Church in Vancouver. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…yet.  ABOUT: NORM FUNK Norm planted Westside Church in Vancouver 15 years ago and is on the verge of replanting Culloden Church as Midtown Church.  Norm’s ministry is marked by his unwavering desire to make Jesus known. During his time at Westside, he trained and released church planters who started churches in other parts of the city and its outskirts. In certain circles, we refer to Norm as the godfather of church planting and the church plant whisperer. Matt made that last one up but would like to see it take off.

In this bonus episode, Matt responds to a request on the Deep Thoughts Instagram page for an episode on when it’s okay to disobey the government. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: In order to answer the question of when it’s okay to disobey the government, Matt interacts with a case study of John MacArthur and Grace Community Church’s decision to defy the state order in California banning indoor worship services and fellow California Pastor Gavin Ortlund’s response, entitled, Should Churches in California Defy Government Restrictions? A Response to John MacArthur. Matt has a ton of respect for both Gavin Ortlund and John MacArthur.

In the season finale, Matt gets Graham Watt on the line to talk about faith deconstruction & reconstruction. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: GRAHAM WATT My guest this week is Graham Watt. Graham received his Doctorate in Leadership and is the National Director of Creative Communications at Power 2 Change (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ) & co-hosts the Dear Student podcast with his daughter Hannah. Our conversation centres around the trend of deconstruction as it pertains to deconstructing one’s faith. We will also look at the often neglected side of faith deconstruction, faith reconstruction. For more, read Graham’s article, Deconstruction and reconstruction with Justine Bieber, Rhett and Link. For more on the concepts of the Transcendent Frame and Immanent Frame we talked about, read How (Not) To Be Secular by James K.A. Smith.

Matt gets Aimee Byrd on the line to talk about her new book, ‘Recovering From Biblical Manhood & Womanhood’. We discuss some ‘fences' that have been built in the church that are extra-biblical and at worst harm women and at best hinder their flourishing in the faith and church. Aimee’s book seeks to serve as a corrective and help the church rediscover her purpose. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: AIMEE BYRD What a gift Aimee is to us as a woman committed to the church, a wise theologian, and a clarion voice for biblical faithfulness in discipleship. You can follow her on Twitter — as she says in her Twitter bio, ‘Dogs gotta bark, Byrd’s gotta Tweet’ — read her articles on aimeebyrd.com, listen to her alongside Carl Trueman and Todd Pruitt on the Mortification of Spin podcast, and read her books, including her latest, Recovering From Biblical Manhood & Womanhood.

Matt sits down with Marie Baars for a candid conversation about infertility, adoption, foster care, and faith. We also uncover why her voice sounds like Jill’s. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: MARIE BAARS Marie is married to Gary and they are a part of Central Community Church where Matt serves as Pastor. They have two adopted children, Noah and Hannah, and have fostered 6 children (currently 3) — that is a busy house! Marie’s journey through infertility and on to adoption and foster care involved a lot of grief, hardship and faith struggle and yet she has seen God’s hand of kindness and calling through it. These are the subject matter of our conversation. Here is some reading she highly recommends: Reframing Foster Care: Filtering Your Foster Parenting Journey Through The Lens of the Gospel and The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family.

Matt sits down with Jason Kovacs, co-founder of Together for Adoption and board member of ABBA Canada, to talk about foster care and adoption. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: JASON KOVACS Jason has been serving individuals, leaders, families, churches and non-profit organizations in the areas of pastoral care, counseling, and orphan advocacy for over 20 years. He helped plant a church, started a non-profit, and served as the Pastor of Counseling at the Austin Stone Church in Austin, Tx where he founded and directed The Austin Stone Counseling Center. In 2018 Jason and his family moved back to Canada to start the Gospel Care Collective and Redemption Counseling. He has received specialized training in working with foster/adopt families and trauma, serves on the board of ABBA Canada (provides financial assistance for adoptive families in Canada), and co-founded Together for Adoption. He and his wife Shawnda have been married for 16 years and have 5 children (4 through adoption).

Matt gets Joe Carter on the line to talk about his walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays. 11-year-old Matt wishes that was the case. Instead, Matt talks with another Joe Carter about an article he wrote for The Gospel Coalition entitled, Christians Are Not Immune to Conspiracy Theories. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: JOE CARTER Joe is an editor for The Gospel Coalition, a communications specialist for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, and an adjunct professor of journalism at Patrick Henry College. He also serves as an executive pastor at the McLean Bible Church Arlington campus in Arlington, Virginia. He is the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible and co-author of How to Argue like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator.