Trent joins me to explore the meaning of the word “saved” in the Bible, and the Protestant tendency to narrow the focus of that idea. We discuss how Scripture uses salvation language to talk about justification, sanctification, and glorificatio...

Roni joins me to explore the world's sexual ethic through the lens of Sabrina Carpenter's recent shift to more a sexualized aesthetic and music. We talk through the definitions of innocent, naive and coy, and wrestle with the morality of Sabrin...

It's time to look back at 2024 and rank our favorite movies! Michael Kern joins me for the first time to share and consider the best (and the worst) of the past year.

It's a Valentine's Day special! Roni is back to talk about singleness and the Christian life. We discuss the challenges, misconceptions, and the unique opportunities singleness offers to grow in faith, serve others, and live fully for God.

Indy makes her debut to discuss some of the ways Biblical themes and the person of Jesus appear in our favorite movies!

Sarah joins Sammie and I to reflect on her spiritual journey, from encountering Jesus in a legalistic church to discovering the true love of God after leaving. She shares her experience with the leadership and values of that church, and we disc...

Tim and Kate join me to discuss Jonathan Haidt's new book The Anxious Generation! This book is about how social media and smart phones have been causing a wave of anxiety and depression among Gen Z since the early 2010s.Buy the book her...

Trent joins me to talk about whether or not Christians should regularly read the Old Testament, and how understanding the Covenants can be a helpful tool for following the narrative happening across its pages.

Sammie and I just celebrated our three-year anniversary AND we're moving into a new house! We talk about the joys and pains of moving and each share three things we've learned over the last three years of married life.

Roni is BACK to discuss one of her favorite topics! Beauty is a deceptively simple word that we use all the time for a lot of different things. On this episode we start by defining beauty, how beauty is different from attractiveness, w...

Tim and Kate join me to discuss the entertainment and media we consume as Christians. We start by discussing entertainment in general, and how Christians should decide whether or not to engage with books, movies, music and video games. Then we ...

Roni Shasamni joins me for a conversation about how open non-Christians are to Jesus, the Bible, spirituality, and even things like Christian music, mega-churches, and celebrity pastors. We also talk about how non-Christians perceive Christians...

As I start a new season of the podcast, I'm excited to have my wife with me to share her story of being part of an unhealthy church, getting pushed out of that church, and how she overcame the shame and loneliness that followed. This is the fir...

My wife Sammie joins me to talk about the future about the podcast!

Brian joins the podcast, along with my wife Sam, to discuss Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert's book When Helping Hurts. We talk about how to determine the kind of help a person really needs, community development in other socia...

For the final episode of this series, I had a conversation with Taylor reflecting on everything I've learned from the previous interviews, and hearing why she decided to get confirmed as a Catholic. We also continue our discussion of Catholic b...

Father Francis shares about the history and practices of The Benedictine Order, the purpose of the sacraments and how they lead a Christian along the path of holiness, and what kind of authority the Church carries in the lives of believers.

Macklen shares his journey to confirmation as a Catholic, and what he found compelling about their doctrines and teachings. We discuss the true Catholic beliefs about the sacraments, veneration of the saints, confession, and penance, and the ro...

The first conversation in our 4-part series exploring Catholic doctrine with Luis Lopez, who was raised nominally Catholic, found a relationship with God through Protestantism, and eventually returned to his Catholic roots after exploring the t...

Leif joins Faith Backstage to discuss various transitions between churches throughout his life, why he and his wife decided to move from San Diego to Los Angeles with the pastor she worked for, how to establish a healthy life groups culture, an...

Dennis Onen, a pastor and filmmaker from Kampala, Uganda joins me for the 50th episode of the podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at the AFRU Media Summit. Dennis and I discuss the emerging filmmaking industry in Uganda, why he's pass...

Join me and co-host Roni Shasamni as we speak with Lesley Sears (LMFT) about the relationship between faith and mental health. We explore why it’s easy to get stuck in a state of victimhood, and how pastors and leaders can differentiate between...

Bill joins Faith Backstage to discuss his role as Minister of Music and Worship, from the process of song selection to pastoring a congregation through worship. We also talk about how a song's authorship effects whether or not it will be used a...

J.W. Buck is a church planter, filmmaker, teacher, and faith-based entrepreneur. With undergraduate degrees in biblical studies and ministry, J.W. has his PhD in intercultural studies, with a focus on the problem of racial violence. He is a cof...

Tony joins Faith Backstage to talk about different metrics for measuring a church's success, why people choose to attend a particular church, what keeps them coming back, and how to determine the unique vision that God is calling your church to...