What truly defines a successful church: numbers or faithfulness?

In this episode of the Unashamed Truth Podcast, Grant Castleberry challenges the modern obsession with church growth and calls believers back to biblical discipleship. Drawing from Scripture and the example of the early church, Grant argues that Jesus is far more concerned with the maturity of His people than the size of the crowd.

You’ll hear a clear critique of shallow, seeker-driven models, a warning against manufactured growth, and an introduction to the “Power Sweep” discipleship framework that prioritizes Christlike character, doctrinal depth, and spiritual formation.

If you care about healthy churches, serious discipleship, and lasting gospel fruit, this episode is for you.

Subscribe and join the call for church depth, not church growth.

In this episode of the Unashamed Truth Podcast, Grant Castleberry is joined by cultural commentator and podcast host Will Spencer for a timely and necessary conversation on the resurgence of anti-Semitism, particularly within segments of the political right.

Will shares his remarkable testimony, from growing up in a Jewish home, to years immersed in New Age spirituality, to his conversion to Christ in 2020. Drawing on history, theology, and cultural analysis, he helps define what anti-Semitism actually is, distinguishing between ethnic hatred and what he calls “worldview anti-Semitism”—the belief that Jews are uniquely responsible for the moral, cultural, and economic decay of the West.

Together, Grant and Will discuss:
• The historical roots of modern anti-Semitic conspiracy theories
• Holocaust denial and why it persists
• The influence of online subcultures and radicalized media ecosystems
• How resentment, bitterness, and scapegoating take hold among young men
• The Israel–Gaza conflict and how Christians should think biblically and soberly about Israel
• Romans 9–11, evangelism to Jewish people, and the dangers of abandoning Christian charity and truth

This episode is both a warning and a pastoral exhortation. Christians are called to reject lies, resist bitterness, love truth, and remain anchored in Scripture—especially when cultural confusion and spiritual deception are on the rise.

Books Mentioned in the Episode:
"Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity"
by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke
A scholarly examination of neo-Nazi ideology, occult Nazism, and modern anti-Semitic movements.

"KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps"
by Nikolaus Wachsmann
A definitive historical account of the Nazi camp system, based on extensive archival research.

"Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland"
by Christopher R. Browning
A sobering study of how ordinary people became participants in mass murder.

Articles by Will Spencer:
"The Dangerous Secret Your Young Men Are Keeping: Neo-Nazi Thought Has Entered the Church"

"Why are young Christian men trying to rehabilitate Adolf Hitler?"

In this episode, Grant reflects on several key themes shaping Christian life and doctrine today. He shares about completing his PhD on Martyn Lloyd-Jones and the preacher’s lasting influence on evangelicalism. He then turns to Luke 2, unfolding the humility of Christ’s birth and the wonder of the incarnation—God’s Son entering the world in poverty and weakness for our salvation.

Grant also addresses Kirk Cameron’s recent embrace of annihilationism (conditionalism), a view that denies the reality of eternal conscious punishment. With biblical clarity, he walks through the passages that uphold eternal judgment, emphasizing the seriousness of sin, the holiness of God, and the urgent need for faithful evangelism.

If you’re seeking steady, biblical conviction in an age of confusion, this conversation will anchor your heart in truth.