What is education for? How does the Christian worldview shape our approach to it? If you ask this week’s guest, she’ll tell you that it’s for the flourishing of children, parents, and communities. Lynn Swaner is the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). She joins us to talk about a Christian ethic of education and discipleship, the unique landscape of schools today, as well as the exciting innovations happening in Christian education across the country. We discuss what it looks like to approach education Christianly (whether you’re in a Christian school context or not) and to live out Jesus’ call toward love and discipleship as parents, students, and teachers—all for the advance of God’s kingdom and the flourishing of culture.     Association of Christian Schools International  Colson Educators  “How Do You Do It All?” Blog Post By Lynn Swaner June 30, 2022  Mystery and Manners by Flannery O’Connor    Future Ready by Lynn Swaner, Jon Eckert, Erik Ellefsen, and Matthew H. Lee  Culture Map by Erin Meyer  A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson  Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietze   American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin  Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts     Today, Christians face mounting pressure to conform to harmful secular ideologies about race, sexuality, human identity, and more. In response, the Colson Center seeks to equip believers with a Christian worldview on all these things, so they can know, live, and speak the truth in love. As we reach the end of the year, would you consider donating to support the ongoing work of the Colson Center? You can make your donation at colsoncenter.org/swyearend.  How do we remain faithful to Christ when our faith clashes with this cultural moment, or when we have to choose between conscience and career? We need courage, and courage must be cultivated. Join us at CCNC 2024 to find answers and tools to cultivate courageous faith for the specific challenges you face in this cultural moment. Speakers include Dr. Al Mohler, Father Calvin Robinson, Riley Gaines, Katy Faust, and more. For full speaker lineup and registration, go to colsonconference.org.    The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women  Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/   

From a young age, Kellie Fiedorek was driven by a passion to seek justice and uphold the dignity of every human life. Today, she serves as senior counsel and director of Government Affairs at Alliance Defending Freedom. In this episode, she shares her journey into the legal profession, her work with ADF, and her involvement in the 303 Creative v. Elenis Supreme Court Case. Kellie also underscores the vital importance of the fight for freedom of speech and freedom of religion, emphasizing that this cause transcends political or religious affiliations. Tune in to be inspired by Kellie’s story of following the Lord's leading, being faithful with what’s in front of her, and trusting God to equip her for the work He has called her to do.    Alliance Defending Freedom   Blackstone Legal Foundation  S4 04: Staying Faithful Under Public Pressure With Lorie Smith Strong Women Podcast  The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer  Subscribe to the Strong Women monthly journal    Christians are called to speak the truth in love, love God and our neighbors, and care for the victims of bad ideas in this cultural moment. At the Colson Center, everything we do is to help Christians live out that calling. To support this ongoing work in the coming year, partner with us by giving a year-end gift at colsoncenter.org/swyearend.   Registration for our 2024 Colson Center National Conference – Courageous Faith – is now open! From May 30 – June 2, we’ll gather in Arlington, Texas at the brand-new Loews Hotel & Resort. We at the Colson Center believe every Christian can live like one. But we also know that, when the world around us is changing rapidly, it’s hard to know how to live as a Christian in this time and place. The Colson Center National Conference is a gathering of people who want to face today’s unique challenges with informed and courageous faith. This year’s gifted speakers include Sean McDowell, Neil Shenvi, Kathy Koch and more. They will help us tackle the complex worldview challenges of today with biblical insight and practical application. To register, go to colsonconference.org today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women   Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/   

Kathy Gibbens, a logic teacher, shares her journey of teaching logic and the importance of clear thinking. They discuss fallacies, like equivocation, and the role of definitions. They also recommend the book 'The Watchmaker's Daughter' and talk about the power of prayer and learning lessons in faith.

Abortion has been packaged and falsely marketed as a form of healthcare necessary for women’s empowerment, while pro-life advocacy has been mislabeled as anti-woman. Dr. Christina Francis knows this reasoning is backwards, and she uses her voice to fight for the wellbeing of women and babies. Today, she does that as an OB-GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). Dr. Francis works hard to inform women about the realities of chemical abortion as well as the lifesaving option of abortion pill reversal. This week, she talks about her journey of becoming a passionate pro-life advocate, the harms of chemical abortion, the progress of her lawsuit against the FDA, and how Christians can be thoroughly pro-life.    Alliance Defending Freedom  American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists  March for Life  Live Action  The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture by Scott Klusendorf  The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession by Dr. Fahr Curlin and Chris Tollefson    Secular culture has widely embraced the destructive ideas produced by Critical Theory. But these ideas have caused great cultural divisions and a loss of faith. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer’s latest book, Critical Dilemma, is a much-needed resource to help Christians understand Critical Theory in all its forms and respond with discernment, truth, and love. You can claim your copy today at colsoncenter.org/swcriticaldilemma .  Registration for our 2024 Colson Center National Conference – Courageous Faith – is now open! From May 30 – June 2, we’ll gather in Arlington, Texas at the brand-new Loews Hotel & Resort. We at the Colson Center believe every Christian can live like one. But we also know that, when the world around us is changing rapidly, it’s hard to know how to live as a Christian in this time and place. The Colson Center National Conference is a gathering of people who want to face today’s unique challenges with informed and courageous faith. This year’s gifted speakers include Sean McDowell, Neil Shenvi, Kathy Koch and more. They will help us tackle the complex worldview challenges of today with biblical insight and practical application. To register at our lowest price, go to colsonconference.org today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ 

Many of us struggle with body image. Our bodies matter and we are called to care for them—but how do we do that without obsessing? What does it look like to steward our bodies? This week, Lainey Greer joins us to answer these questions. Lainey uses her unique background of exercise science and Ph.D. work in systematic theology, with an emphasis on human embodiment, to equip Christians with a biblical view of the body that applies to everyday life. We talk about the big picture of stewarding our health and what that looks like practically.     Lainey’s website: https://laineygreer.com/  Forsaken Body Podcast  Be Well: Learning to Steward Your Health by Dr. Lainey Greer  Lainey’s curriculum – Understand Healthy  Our Bodies Tell God's Story: Discovering the Divine Plan for Love, Sex, and Gender by Christopher West  Purdue study on obesity among religious  Providence by John Piper  The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges    Secular culture has widely embraced the destructive ideas produced by Critical Theory. But these ideas have caused great cultural divisions and a loss of faith. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer’s latest book, Critical Dilemma, is a much-needed resource to help Christians understand Critical Theory in all its forms and respond with discernment, truth, and love. You can claim your copy today at colsoncenter.org/swcriticaldilemma .  Registration for our 2024 Colson Center National Conference – Courageous Faith – is now open! From May 30 – June 2, we’ll gather in Arlington, Texas at the brand-new Loews Hotel & Resort. We at the Colson Center believe every Christian can live like one. But we also know that, when the world around us is changing rapidly, it’s hard to know how to live as a Christian in this time and place. The Colson Center National Conference is a gathering of people who want to face today’s unique challenges with informed and courageous faith. This year’s gifted speakers include Sean McDowell, Neil Shenvi, Kathy Koch and more. They will help us tackle the complex worldview challenges of today with biblical insight and practical application. To register at our lowest price, go to colsonconference.org today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/   

In part 2 of our conversation with Georgette Forney, she shares how God directed her pro-life advocacy toward end-of-life-care. She has taken time to research and write a Christian curriculum on end-of-life care, to help Christians think biblically about aging and death and care for those nearing the end of life. Georgette’s commitment to honoring and dignifying aging image bearers goes well beyond simply educating and informing others. You’ll hear how she has joyfully devoted her time to caring for aging church members and loved ones. She also shares practical advice on how to care for, connect with, and create meaningful memories with loved ones in the end-of-life stage.     Anglicans for Life  Embrace the Journey 8 week DVD adult education series  Heaven by Randy Alcorn  Julie by Catherine Marshall  Christy by Catherine Marshall  Light in My Darkest Night by Catherine Marshall (out of print)  Other Catherine Marshall books    Secular culture has widely embraced the destructive ideas produced by Critical Theory. But these ideas have caused great cultural divisions and a loss of faith. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer’s latest book, Critical Dilemma, is a much-needed resource to help Christians understand Critical Theory in all its forms and respond with discernment, truth, and love. You can claim your copy today at colsoncenter.org/swcriticaldilemma .  Registration for our 2024 Colson Center National Conference – Courageous Faith – is now open! From May 30 – June 2, we’ll gather in Arlington, Texas at the brand-new Loews Hotel & Resort. We at the Colson Center believe every Christian can live like one. But we also know that, when the world around us is changing rapidly, it’s hard to know how to live as a Christian in this time and place. The Colson Center National Conference is a gathering of people who want to face today’s unique challenges with informed and courageous faith. This year’s gifted speakers include Sean McDowell, Neil Shenvi, Kathy Koch and more. They will help us tackle the complex worldview challenges of today with biblical insight and practical application. To register at our lowest price, go to colsonconference.org today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/   

Georgette Forney is the director of Anglicans for Life and co-founder of the Silent No More Awareness campaign. At age 16, Georgette had an abortion. Even after becoming a Christian, she struggled to believe that God could forgive her. She joins us this week to share how God helped her bring her abortion into the light, receive His forgiveness, and walk free from guilt and shame. Although she describes herself as an unlikely activist, Georgette has obeyed God’s call to advocate for the preborn. By sharing her story, she helps women and men experience forgiveness, healing, and hope in Christ after abortion.     Anglicans for Life  Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochran  I’ll Hold You in Heaven by Jack Hayford  Tilly by Frank Peretti  Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing by Ryan T. Anderson, Alexandra Desanctis  Strong Women Podcast S3 26: Contending for Life in a Post-Roe America, One Year in With Alexandra DeSanctis  Silent No More Awareness Campaign  Secular culture has widely embraced the destructive ideas produced by Critical Theory. But these ideas have caused great cultural divisions and a loss of faith. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer’s latest book, Critical Dilemma, is a much-needed resource to help Christians understand Critical Theory in all its forms and respond with discernment, truth, and love. You can claim your copy today at colsoncenter.org/swcriticaldilemma .  Registration for our 2024 Colson Center National Conference – Courageous Faith – is now open! From May 30 – June 2, we’ll gather in Arlington, Texas at the brand-new Loews Hotel & Resort. We at the Colson Center believe every Christian can live like one. But we also know that, when the world around us is changing rapidly, it’s hard to know how to live as a Christian in this time and place. The Colson Center National Conference is a gathering of people who want to face today’s unique challenges with informed and courageous faith. This year’s gifted speakers include Sean McDowell, Neil Shenvi, Kathy Koch and more. They will help us tackle the complex worldview challenges of today with biblical insight and practical application. To register at our lowest price, go to colsonconference.org today.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women   Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/   

How do we trust the Lord in the face of devastating loss? This week, I’ve invited my friend Dana St. John to share her experience of walking with the Lord through the unexpected loss of her husband at age 44. Through Dana’s grief, doubt, and wrestling with faith, God brought her into a deeper relationship with Him. She also shares how Christians can grieve well and prepare for loss.     The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer  Trusting God Even When Life Hurts Jerry Bridges   A Land of Sheltered Promise by Jane Kirkpatrick  The Reading Promise, My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Osma    Gender has become a confusing and heated topic of conversation in our culture today, but the Christian worldview offers clarity, and a vision of gender that’s true, good, and beautiful. At the next Lighthouse Voices event on October 3, Dr. Abigail Favale will join us to talk about the Christian view of gender that’s rooted in the Word of God and examine how this view compares and clashes with secular views of gender. You can join us in-person at the Focus on the Family Bookstore in Holland, Michigan, or from home via livestream. Grab your spot today at  colsoncenter.org/lighthousevoices.  Do you want to confidently share the Christian worldview with people of differing beliefs? Request a copy of Greg Koukl’s latest book, Street Smarts, and be equipped to hold fruitful conversations across worldview lines without fear. We'll send you a copy as a thank-you for your gift to the Colson Center this month at colsoncenter.org/swstreetsmarts.   The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ 

Virginia Prodan joins us for a second time to share the incredible story of how God saved her. She tells us about her participation in God’s work in communist Romania, the way He strengthened her through persecution, and what we can learn from her story of being faithful when faced with challenges and opposition to our faith.    Virginia Prodan Ministries  Signed copy of Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan  Saving My Assassin by Virginia Prodan  Strong Women Podcast Episode 56. Victim or Victor? with Virginia Prodan  Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan Podcast on Apple Podcasts  Courageous Leadership with Virginia Prodan Podcast on Spotify    Gender has become a confusing and heated topic of conversation in our culture today, but the Christian worldview offers clarity, and a vision of gender that’s true, good, and beautiful. At the next Lighthouse Voices event on October 3, Dr. Abigail Favale will join us to talk about the Christian view of gender that’s rooted in the Word of God and examine how this view compares and clashes with secular views of gender. You can join us in-person at the Focus on the Family Bookstore in Holland, Michigan, or from home via livestream. Grab your spot today at colsoncenter.org/lighthousevoices. Do you want to confidently share the Christian worldview with people of differing beliefs? Request a copy of Greg Koukl’s latest book, Street Smarts, and be equipped to hold fruitful conversations across worldview lines without fear. We'll send you a copy as a thank-you for your gift to the Colson Center this month at colsoncenter.org/swstreetsmarts.  The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them.  Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ 

Crystal Downing joins us this week to talk about the 20th-century Christian author, Dorothy Sayers. Crystal is Co-Director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, where scholars research, write about, and preserve the memorabilia of a handful of British writers—including a few members of the Inklings. Though Dorothy Sayers wasn’t an Inkling herself, she was friends with many of them and was a major spiritual influence on C.S. Lewis. Dorothy was not afraid to challenge people, including both Christians and the nonreligious. Crystal’s book Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L. Sayers is a wonderful introduction to this interesting woman.    The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College  Crystal’s books Writing Performances: The Stages of Dorothy L. Sayers by Crystal Downing  How Postmodernism Serves (My) Faith by Crystal Downing  Changing Signs of Truth by Crystal Downing   Salvation from Cinema: The Medium Is the Message by Crystal Downing  Subversive: Christ, Culture, and the Shocking Dorothy L Sayers by Crystal Downing  The Wages of Cinema: Looking Through the Lens of Dorothy L. Sayers by Crystal Downing (coming soon)  Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers   Lord Peter Wimsey detective books by Dorothy L. Sayers  Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot  The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri  The Zeal of Thy House play by Dorothy Sayers  The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte  Mill on the Floss by George Elliot  Silas Marner by George Elliot  Middlemarch by George Elliot  The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy Sayers    Do you want to confidently share the Christian worldview with people of differing beliefs? Request a copy of Greg Koukl’s latest book, Street Smarts, and be equipped to hold fruitful conversations across worldview lines without fear. We'll send you a copy as a thank-you for your gift to the Colson Center this month at colsoncenter.org/swstreetsmarts.     The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/   Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly book list: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women    Join Strong Women on Social Media:   https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC  https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/  https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/