Thinking Christian: Clear Theology for a Confusing World

In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer engages with Dr. Greg Quiggle and Dr. Jerry Root to discuss an upcoming study tour focused on the English Reformation and the works of C.S. Lewis. The conversation delves into the complexities of the English Reformation, exploring its political and theological dimensions, and how these historical events resonate with contemporary issues. The discussion also highlights C.S. Lewis's contributions to Christian thought and the importance of dialogue in understanding faith. The episode concludes with a reflection on the distinction between reality and truth, emphasizing the need for accurate thinking in a world filled with diverse perspectives. Find out more about the tour with Drs. Root and Quiggle here.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel 🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com. 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! Takeaways: The English Reformation was influenced by both political and theological factors. Henry VIII's marital decisions significantly impacted the formation of the Church of England. C.S. Lewis aimed to present a Christianity centered in Christ, transcending denominational boundaries. Dialogue and engagement are crucial for understanding differing theological perspectives. The concept of Christendom made it difficult to accept multiple theological views within a single political unit. Lewis's work emphasizes the importance of truth and reality in understanding faith. The Enlightenment shifted the church's political power, leading to a more moral and spiritual role. Wesley's social activism changed the perception of Christianity in the British Isles. The distinction between reality and truth is essential for robust thinking and dialogue. Understanding the historical context of the Reformation helps illuminate contemporary faith discussions. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer welcomes Georgette Beck—author of Junk to Jewels: A Journey from Brokenness and Despair to Beauty and Delight and founder of the Bella Healing Hearts Foundation. Georgette shares her path from low self-worth, early marriage, and divorce to God’s steady restoration as a single mom and, later, in a blended family. We talk generational patterns (genograms), lament that turns to praise, the “limbo” years, and how community, counseling, Scripture, and small groups became lifelines. Georgette explains why her nonprofit focuses on single parents, practical aid, and scholarships, and why her call to the church is simple: connect, open your home, and show up for the one.  Fiind out more about Georgette and her ministry at https://www.georgettebeck.com. Purchase her book at www.amazon.com. 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

James talks with Debbie D’Souza (co-writer/co-director) about the new film The Dragon’s Prophecy—why the project accelerated after Oct 7th, how Revelation 12’s “dragon” frames Israel’s story, what recent archaeology (City of David’s Pilgrimage Road, Pool of Siloam, Tel Dan, etc.) says about the Bible’s historicity, and why the filmmakers went on location near Gaza and at the Nova site.  To get tickets to The Dragon's Prophecy, visit: www.thedragonsprophecyfilm.com. You can also find information about the upcoming opportunities to stream the movie at home on the site.  Subscribe to our YouTube channel 🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com. 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer sits down with Dr. Peter Y. Hong—federal prison chaplain and author of The Reconciliation of Humanity in Christ—to explore how a prison chapel became his living parable for our “shrinking” world. Peter describes ministry in a pluralistic, constrained space where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Native American practitioners, and others share one room—and why respect, service, and patience often open gospel doors better than aggressive tactics. From the fall of the Berlin Wall to today’s digital interconnection, he distinguishes false globalization (forced unity without Christ) from true globalization (Eph 1:10—all things united in Christ). We talk nationalism, fundamentalism, and why the church should expect collaboration + conflict, yet persist with mercy, empathy, and hopeful witness.  Buy the book: The Reconciliation of Humanity in Christ at amazon.com  🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer talks with Jonathan P. Walton—author of Beauty and Resistance and 12 Lies That Hold America Captive—about moving beyond “thinking Christian” to living as a Christian. Jonathan shares how grief, burnout, and hard family seasons pushed him from activism-on-adrenaline to formation and faithfulness: Sabbath as the minimum, annual “Dope Day” planning with his wife, building guardrails for generosity and time, embracing insignificance over platform, and choosing obedience even when it means visible losses. We unpack a practical pathway from pity → sympathy → empathy → compassion → incarnation, learning to mourn with others (and even empathize with “enemies”), plus simple, local practices that build communal good. A grounded, hopeful invitation to become the kind of person who can do the kinds of things Jesus commands. Buy the book: Beauty and Resistance at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount) 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer talks with Peter Greer—CEO/President of HOPE International and author of How Leaders Lose Their Way (and How to Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen to You)—about why organizations drift when leaders first drift personally, and how to course-correct. Peter unpacks the danger of identity in achievement, the difference between mission vs. methods, and why the stat that only 1 in 3 leaders finish well should sober us. We get practical: constellation mentoring (real accountability that sticks), building structures that make good choices easy, adopting intentional downward mobility (foot-washing leadership), writing/reading your own eulogy, and slowing the “need for speed” so you can actually see warning lights. A hopeful, concrete path to long-term faithfulness—at home and at work. Buy the book: How Leaders Lose Their Way at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount) 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer welcomes Dr. Mikel Del Rosario—theology professor at Moody Bible Institute, host of The Apologetics Guy podcast, and author of Did Jesus Really Say He Was God?—to explore Jesus’ divine self-understanding through both words and deeds. Rather than looking only for the exact phrase “I am God,” Mikel shows how Jesus acted and spoke as God in ways his opponents clearly grasped. We walk through Mark 2 (forgiving sins) and Mark 14 (Son of Man at God’s right hand; Daniel 7 + Psalm 110) to see why the charge of blasphemy makes historical sense—and how the resurrection vindicates those claims. We also hit multiple attestation, implicit vs. explicit claims, and why this matters for preaching, discipleship, and everyday conversations about Jesus. Explore the book: Did Jesus Really Say He Was God? at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount) Find ouf more about Dr. Rosario at www.theapologeticsguy.com. 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer welcomes Eun Strawser—author of You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone and co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Ali o—to rethink church leadership through the lens of Ephesians 4–5. Instead of celebrity or solitary leaders, Nkei makes the case for polycentric/shared leadership that distributes authority, equips the saints, and embodies mutual submission. We unpack how different kinds of authority (positional, spiritual, relational) operate in churches, and why power must be examined (not ignored). We also touch on co-vocational models, local-context leadership (Hawai‘i), accountability frameworks, and why the true metric of health is a discipled people who imitate Jesus for the good of their neighbors. Buy the book: You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount) 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

James and Nate unpack a recent Gallup poll on Americans’ views of capitalism—down from 60% (2021) to 54% (2025)favorable—and why that headline can mislead. Beneath it: strong support for free enterprise and small business, persistent dislike of big business, and sharp differences across age, gender, and party. Rather than picking teams (“capitalism vs. socialism”), they ask the more Christian question: where are we placing our hope? Drawing on 1 Samuel, the exile, and Daniel, they argue systems are provisional, reform is often wise, but obedience to Christ is the constant—“fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The church’s political and economic posture should flow downstream from discipleship, not the other way around. Subscribe to our YouTube channel 🔗 Download a free resource "Making Everyday Decisions So That God Gets the Glory" from Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com. 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Dr. James Spencer welcomes Ryan Skoog—author of Lead with Prayer and president of Venture—for a wide-ranging conversation on prayer, discipleship, and the explosive growth of the global church. Ryan shares powerful stories from persecuted and unreached regions where God’s kingdom is breaking out through church-planting movements, miraculous healings, and courageous local believers. Together, James and Ryan explore why persecution forges unity, how oral cultures disciple through obedience and memorization, and what Western Christians can learn from the prayer lives of global leaders. Ryan also unpacks insights from interviewing over 100 leaders worldwide, showing how prayer is not an afterthought but the engine of fruitful leadership. Learn how friendship with Jesus, crafting a day with God, and investing in prayer can transform your life and ministry. For Lead with Prayer resources visit https://www.leadwithprayer.com.  Purchase Lead with Prayer on amazon.com. Subscribe to Our YouTube Channel! 🔗 Learn more about Useful to God: www.usefultogod.com 📢 Stay Connected & Keep Growing! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation! For more resources to help you grow in faith and deepen your walk with Christ, visit Useful to God—where you'll find books, courses, podcasts, and more to equip you for faithful Christian living. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.