Is discipleship mainly about trying harder—or is it something God does in us?

In this short, focused segment on the Thinking Christian Podcast, Roger Ross explains why the Holy Spirit is the prime mover in the entire work of Christian discipleship. If spiritual growth becomes merely human effort, Roger argues, we’ve missed the point of how God actually transforms people.

Using growth as a concrete example, Roger describes how the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to what God wants to teach us—often through ordinary means like books, worship, relationships, and even painful experiences. God can use any moment as a formative “teaching point,” and mature disciples learn to recognize when something they’re hearing or experiencing is a clear prompt: “That was for me. I need to pay attention.”

This episode will encourage you to rethink spiritual formation—not as self-powered improvement, but as Spirit-led transformation that can happen through every circumstance of life.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the Holy Spirit—not discipline alone—is the engine of discipleship

• How God uses ordinary and difficult experiences to produce spiritual growth

• What it means to be spiritually attentive to God’s “this is for you” moments

• How to avoid turning discipleship into self-help Christianity

You can purchase Kinda Christian: From Curious to Serious about Jesus here.

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/

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What happens when God confronts the “two lives” we’re living—and calls us out of the background and into honest testimony?

In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Nick Sash (a longtime friend and the host of the Foundational Fathers Podcast) to talk about Nick’s new book, Unmuted: From Silence to Testimony, and the story behind it. Nick shares how years of hiding, silence, and “keep your emotions in check” masculinity gave way to a defining moment: God’s ultimatum to stop living divided and start living surrendered.

Nick explains why so many Christians feel safest staying unseen and unheard—and why that “quiet” approach eventually harms us and the people we love. Together, James and Nick explore what it means to live an ordinary faith—not sugarcoated, not performative, not built on hype—just daily obedience rooted in God’s Word.

They also discuss the importance of preparation and humility, the role of Scripture in discipleship, and how the church can form believers who don’t just hear the Word—but actually do it.

In this episode, we cover:

• Nick’s testimony: from divided living to surrendered discipleship

• Why many men learn silence—and how God reshapes that story

• The message of Unmuted: moving from hiding to honest witness

• “Ordinary faith” vs. relevance-driven Christianity

• Why Scripture must shape the church more than trends or “bells and whistles”

• The Foundational Fathers Podcast vision (including taking the show on the road)

• What it looks like to share your story faithfully—one conversation at a time

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. “Whether we’re helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments, Trinity has the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org/

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

How do Christian parents raise kids with wisdom in a culture shaped by pornography, confusion about gender, and broken ideas about relationships—without living in “hair-on-fire” panic?

In this episode of the Thinking Christian Podcast, James Spencer sits down with Lori Krieg, co-author (with Matt Krieg) of Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World (IVP) and Director of Parent Programs & Discipleship at the Center for Faith, Sexuality and Gender. Lori explains why so many Christian families become reactionary—only talking about sexuality when a crisis hits—and what it looks like to build a foundation from ages 0–12.

You’ll hear practical, parent-tested guidance on shaping kids to see people as image-bearers rather than consumers, navigating technology and porn culture, and teaching body safety in age-appropriate ways. The conversation also explores the often-missed biblical connection between marriage and singleness, and why the church must recover a bigger vision of the Christian life: mission before marriage.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why parents don’t have to wait until the teen years to talk about sexuality

• How technology fragments relationships—and what it’s doing to kids’ formation

• A Christian framework for porn prevention: moving from “rules” to mindset

• What “sexual brokenness” includes (more than the headlines)

• Teaching kids body safety and boundaries without shame or fear

• Why discipleship—not stereotypes—should shape how we think about gender

• Helping kids see their purpose as advancing God’s kingdom, not “marry and settle down”

You can purchase Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount)

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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Before angels sing over Bethlehem in Luke 2, two other voices break into song—Mary and Zechariah. In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer continues the “Thinking Christian about Christmas” series by walking through Luke 1:39–79, where Mary visits Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaps in the womb, and two rich, Scripture-saturated songs frame what God is doing in the birth of Christ.

James explores how the Magnificat and Zechariah’s prophecy function as “nexus passages,” pulling together themes from across the Old Testament—God’s mercy to those who fear Him, His concern for the humble and marginalized, the reversal of the proud and powerful, and the fulfillment of His covenant promises to Abraham and Israel. He shows how John’s role as forerunner and Jesus’ role as saving light are already anticipated before Jesus is even born, and why Luke wants us to see Christmas as a moment of both fulfillment and ongoing expectation.

If you’ve ever rushed past Luke 1 to “get to the Christmas story,” this episode will slow you down, help you hear the songs before the manger, and deepen your grasp of what—and whom—we’re really celebrating at Christmas.

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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What kind of hope can actually sustain racial justice work over decades—not just months? In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer is joined by anthropologist and author Dr. Christine Jeske to talk about her new book, Racial Justice for the Long Haul: How White Christian Advocates Persevere and Why.

Christine explains how anthropological research actually works—long interviews, deep listening, and time spent in “ordinary” spaces—and how she used it to study white Christians commended by leaders of color as faithful, long-term advocates. From there, the conversation dives into:

• Delusional vs. resilient hope – why optimism that avoids suffering inevitably collapses, and how Christians can cultivate a cruciform hope forged in hardship.

• Incremental change without complacency – how to celebrate small wins without pretending the deeper injustices are solved.

• Privilege as undeserved gifts – not just a slogan, but a way of naming what we’ve received and how grace calls us to respond, not just feel guilty.

• Habitus and formation – how our environments, narratives, and “moving walkways” of culture quietly shape us toward either withdrawal or engagement.

• Perseverance in practice – from Sisyphus and his “muscles” to Beverly Daniel Tatum’s moving walkway, to concrete next steps for listeners who feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin.

If you’re a Christian who feels the weight of racial injustice but wrestles with burnout, defensiveness, or simply not knowing what to do next, this conversation offers a theologically rich, practical vision for persevering in hope—without denial, without despair, and with your eyes fixed on Christ.

You can purchase Racial Justice for the Long Haul at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount)

You can also read more from Christine Jeske at christinejeske.com.

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🔗 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.

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As technology offers us endless ways to be “present” without actually being there, what does it mean for Christians to imitate the incarnation of Christ? In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer explores the often-overlooked ethical and theological dimensions of the incarnation—not just that “the Word became flesh,” but how Jesus chose to be with us and for us.

Using The Matrix as a modern parable, James contrasts Christ’s self-giving descent with Cypher’s decision to abandon reality and his friends for the comfort of illusion—what James calls “dis-incarnation.” From there, he turns to Philippians 2 to show how Jesus refused to use equality with God for His own advantage, instead embodying a way of life marked by presence, sacrifice, and service.

James then examines how dominant ideas like liberalism and transhumanism can subtly train us to embody the world in self-determined, self-serving ways, even when they seem to promise freedom or enhancement. He argues that true Christian embodiment isn’t about maximizing personal options or overcoming our biology through technology, but about conforming our lives to the incarnate Christ—using our gifts, bodies, and opportunities not for our own advantage, but for the good of others. This episode will help you rethink Christmas, technology, and your everyday presence in light of the One who became flesh for us.

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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Every two years, Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research release The State of Theology—a massive survey that reveals what Americans (including evangelicals) actually believe about God, the Bible, Jesus, and culture. The 2025 report is out, and some of the numbers are… surprising.

In this episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer is joined by longtime friend and theologian Dr. Ashish Varmafor a wide-ranging conversation about what the data shows—and what it doesn’t show—about the theological landscape among evangelicals today. Rather than panicking over headline-grabbing statistics, James and Ashish analyze the deeper trends beneath the numbers.

Together they explore:

• Why young evangelicals differ sharply from older generations on questions like the Bible’s literal truth and whether science conflicts with Scripture.

• Why nearly all evangelicals still say the Bible is their highest authority, even when their answers elsewhere seem to contradict that claim.

• How access to information, cultural context, and community shape belief—for better or worse.

• The surprising power of church attendance and affiliation in reinforcing core doctrines (and where that influence seems to break down).

• Why political theology may be quietly distorting how Christians answer moral questions—especially younger believers.

• Which troubling survey results actually matter—and which ones may simply reflect fuzzy categories or ambiguous wording.

• How churches should respond: not with panic or doctrinal hammering, but with thoughtful discipleship, richer community life, and deeper formation.

James and Ashish also dive into the complexities of interpreting theological surveys at all—how beliefs are shaped by cultural habitus, how people understand (or misunderstand) terms like myth, literal, or love, and why surveys often reveal more about our formation than our formal theology.

If you’re curious about what evangelicals really believe—and what the church can do about it—this episode offers a hopeful, nuanced, and deeply thoughtful guide through the data.

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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In a season filled with noise, outrage, and “cancel culture,” is there still room for real joy? In this Christmas episode of Thinking Christian, Dr. James Spencer invites you to slow down, listen, and remember. He begins with a personal memory of reading the Christmas story in church as a teenager, then simply does the same for you—reading Luke 2 so you can hear the story of Jesus’s birth without distraction.

After the reading, James reflects on Mary, the shepherds, and the wonder of that first Christmas night, drawing out how God’s timing, kindness, and presence bring deep reassurance in uncertain times. Joined by co-host Richard Beaty, the conversation widens to consider Advent, joy in a culture obsessed with negativity, and why imitating Christ—not chasing trends or grievances—is the path to lasting joy.

Together they explore: how to find joy in the “mundane” moments of everyday life, why our highs and lows feel so extreme at the holidays, how our desires are shaped by what (and whom) we imitate, and why moving from Christmas into the book of Acts helps us live as witnesses in this in-between age. If you’re weary, restless, or just need to hear the Christmas story read over you and be reminded that joy still has the last word, this episode is for you.

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🔗 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.

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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Thinking Christian so you never miss an insightful conversation!

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