The RELEVANT Podcast

The week, we’re joined by one of the funniest comedians going right now — Derrick Stroup, who has a fantastic new special on Netflix. He tells us how he got his start in comedy and why keeping things clean is an intentional choice. In RELEVANT Buzz, we dive into a new Gallup study that reveals 50% more young men say religion is very important to them than did just a few years ago. There’s a lot to...

This week, we sit down with former Hillsong-ers Aodhan King and Benjamin William Hastings, who just announced a joint worship album dropping next month. They tell us about it — and also tell the unhinged story of how they met 15 years ago. (Lesson: Need pants? You might meet a new friend.) In RELEVANT Buzz, this week Lecrae became the first Christian rapper on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts (apologi...

This week, Cameron, Derek, Emily and Marty cover a ton: American Idol's Songs of Faith Night, which was way more Jesus-heavy this year than last, British Christian rapper DC3 making MOBO Awards history, and the story of Forrest Frank's new indie band having to ditch their name days before releasing their debut album. In RELEVANT Recommends, we talk to Madison Ryann Ward — an amazing, soulf...

Cameron, Jesse, Derek and Emily are all back together for a packed episode. In RELEVANT Recommends, we highlight Indie Tribe's new album, Who Do You Say I Am? and caught up with the guys at SXSW to talk about the making of the project and what it says about who they are as a group. In RELEVANT Buzz: Alabama's basketball team has been quietly building a faith culture all season that's w...

Worship leader Pat Barrett — known for "Good Good Father" and "Build My Life" — joins Cameron, Jesse and Emily to talk about his new live album 'Break Open,' why he sat on the title track for nearly a decade, and his late-in-life obsession with surfing (including an upcoming trip to Kelly Slater's Surf Ranch). He also gets honest about how his thinking on songwriting vs...

Ryan Gosling joins the RELEVANT Podcast to talk about his new sci-fi film Project Hail Mary — what made him fall in love with this story and why this one might be a "core memory" film for a generation.  Before that, Emily reports from SXSW to break down the week's biggest faith-and-culture stories: a Christian animated short film made by two Pixar animators and 200 volunteers (includin...

Colony House is back with a new album, and they sat down with Emily to reflect on 10 years of making music and what they want the next decade to look like.  In RELEVANT Buzz: Papa Roach lead singer Jacoby Shaddix shares his powerful faith journey — from foxhole prayer, to sobriety and a faith that sounds like the real thing. We also bring a story flying under the radar: nearly a million Christians...

Zachary Levi — Chuck, Shazam, and now host of the new docu-drama David: King of Israel — joins us to talk about why the story of David is the one he keeps coming back to. It's a story of someone who's broken, who makes terrible decisions, and who somehow still gets called a man after God's own heart. Levi explains what sets this show apart from all the other David content out there rig...

This week, Elevation Worship's Chris Brown tells us why the band took an extra year off from releasing music — and what their new album ‘ So Be It’ sounds like on the other side of that pause. We also hear from Portland Trail Blazers chaplain Mike Tatlock, who talked to us during NBA All-Star Weekend to share what he's seeing behind the scenes: more players showing up to chapel, more genui...

This week, Zach Williams from indie-folk band The Lone Bellow joins the show to talk about their new album — including the wild story of how their van was broken into, all their recordings were stolen, and their fans raised enough money to help them start over. In RELEVANT Buzz, we show you the ongoing worship outpouring happening at Southeastern University in Florida, where students have been in...

This week, actor Milo Ventimiglia — known for 'This Is Us,' 'Gilmore Girls' and 'Heroes' — tells us why he chose to star in a new Christian movie, playing real-life worship artist Tim Timmons, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer over 20 years ago and is still defying the odds today.  In RELEVANT Buzz, the crew recaps the Super Bowl — including the incredible story of Sea...

This week, legendary Christian rapper Trip Lee tells us about his unexpected move into worship music with his new album. Before that, the crew swaps stories from last week's historic winter storm—Emily survived three days without power in freezing temps and Jesse narrowly avoided going to a fun Orlando Magic game with Cameron. In RELEVANT Buzz, we break down Jelly Roll's powerful Grammy ac...

This week, we talk to ‘Mercy’ star Chris Pratt about how faith shapes his life and career. He opens up about navigating public narratives, using his platform with purpose and why he believes being open about faith matters more than ever. In RELEVANT Buzz, the crew dives into Jelly Roll’s moving moment on 'Star Search,' why Gen Z is intentionally disconnecting from their phones and whether...

This week, we sit down with Chelsea Smith to talk about dating wisely, building a resilient marriage and navigating seasons when love feels harder than usual. She shares practical advice for singles, couples and anyone wondering if what they’re experiencing is normal. In RELEVANT Buzz, we unpack the rise of political independents among Gen Z and millennials, Brandon Lake’s  Good Morning America  m...

In this episode of The RELEVANT Podcast, we break down a surprisingly faith-heavy week in pop culture. In RELEVANT Buzz, Khloé Kardashian opens up in depth about her faith and prayer life, Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin shares why he’s returning to faith after growing up as a pastor’s kid. Then we discuss news at the other end of the spectrum: Bestselling Christian author Philip Yancey step...

This week, we tackle the biggest faith questions young adults are asking right now (according to the recent Passion Conference) — from evidence for God’s existence and the tension between free will and predestination, to suffering, salvation and thoughts on hell. It’s an honest conversation about doubt, belief and why curiosity might be essential to spiritual growth. From there, Emily sits down wi...

We wrap up 2025 and kick off 2026 by catching up on everything from post-holiday chaos to the optimism that comes with starting a new year. Along the way, we touch on Justin Bieber’s recent reflections on faith, how people in 1998 predicted 2025, and surprising new archeological evidence that Noah's Ark was real.  From there, the episode takes a turn into full chaos as Jesse introduces his own...

In our Christmas episode, Cameron Strang, Jesse Carey, Derek Minor and Emily Brown dive into a packed RELEVANT Buzz, including NFL players putting faith into action in unexpected ways, a Christian animated film debuting near the top of the box office, Timothée Chalamet unexpectedly singing Kirk Franklin and a spontaneous worship moment from Justin Bieber that caught the internet’s attention. The c...

In the final episode of the RELEVANT Podcast Impact Conversations series, we sit down with two influential voices using their platforms to point toward something deeper. First, New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson shares how his faith was shaped long before the NFL spotlight. From a season-ending injury at Ohio State that led him to Jesus to helping spark faith gatherings ac...

Rian Johnson’s new Knives Out film, 'Wake Up Dead Man,' is sparking conversations few mainstream movies ever touch — faith, forgiveness, power and what it actually means to follow Jesus in a polarized world. In this episode, we talk with the filmmaker about growing up in the Church, walking away from faith and why Christ’s teachings — especially “love your enemy” — still shape the stories...

This week, Andy Mineo joins us for a hilarious and surprisingly vulnerable conversation about reinvention, perfectionism, leaving Reach Records, making his first album in four years and why he almost drove himself crazy trying to get it right. Plus, the cast dives into: – Brandon Lake dominating Billboard’s year-end charts – The ER vs The Pitt IP controversy – Ticketmaster’s takedown – TreVeyon He...

Two former Bachelor stars. Two very different, but impactful, post-show paths. One episode about what it really looks like to use your platform well. In this new installment of The RELEVANT Podcast: Impact Conversations, Emily Brown and Cameron Strang sit down with Madi Prewett Troutt and Ben Higgins to talk about life after reality TV, spiritual growth, calling, purpose, and how to steward influe...

Chris Llewellyn from Irish folk worship band Rend Collective joins us to talk about the band’s new album 'Christmas in Belfast,' the surprising Irish traditions behind it and what it’s like navigating life between Ireland and Nashville. We also break down the biggest stories in faith and culture, including NF’s record-setting Billboard debut, the wild rise of AI-generated music, and Patrio...

On this episode of our  Impact Conversations series, we sit down with Tara-Leigh Cobble, creator of The Bible Recap  — one of the most influential Bible-reading podcasts in the world. Tara-Leigh shares how  The Bible Recap  started, how she built a global Bible-reading community and what she’s learned about Scripture, calling and obedience along the way. If you’re trying to understand the Bible or...

This week on The RELEVANT Podcast, we dive into the strange new digital reality Christians are wrestling with — from AI artists topping the Christian charts to foreign troll farms shaping what we see online, even in faith spaces. Throughout the show, we keep asking one big question: can we trust anything online anymore? Plus, we talk Kristen Bell’s surprise appearance on a Fox News Bible podcast (...