Calvary Conversations

"It's not just a job, it's an adventure," the Navy assured us in the 1980s. We certainly believe them, but many people feel the same way about their non-maritime career: It's not just a job. It's a sometimes-crazy, sometimes-frustrating, sometimes-amazing adventure.  As educators, we approach our work as an adventure. Some days it's a job. Most of the time we face and embrace the challenges o...

All generations face struggles as they transition from childhood to adulthood. However, Generation Z (9-24-year-olds) are struggling with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts at rates significantly higher than previous generations. Calvary Conversations host Shaun LePage invited Dr. Luther Smith, Calvary University Chair and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, to discuss this disturbi...

All generations face struggles as they transition from childhood to adulthood. However, Generation Z (9-24-year-olds) are struggling with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts at rates significantly higher than previous generations.  Calvary Conversations host Shaun LePage invited Dr. Luther Smith, Calvary University Chair and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling, to discuss this di...

How do you feel when someone shares their faith with you? How do you feel when you share your faith with someone else? What makes it a positive experience vs. a negative experience? How does Generation Z (ages 13-18) answer these questions? The Calvary Conversations hosts—Joshua Paxton, Tim Hange and Shaun LePage— discuss a 2021 Barna Group study with Dean of Students, Joshua Johnson, that “offers...

How do you feel when someone shares their faith with you? How do you feel when you share your faith with someone else? What makes it a positive experience vs. a negative experience? How does Generation Z (ages 13-18) answer these questions? The Calvary Conversations hosts—Joshua Paxton, Mike Dodds, Tim Hange and Shaun LePage—discuss a 2021 Barna Group study that “offers research on how (GenZ) defi...

In a recent survey, the Barna Group reported , “Largely, among both practicing Christians and churchgoing U.S. adults, data show that attending church prompts positive feelings. Over four in five practicing Christians (82%) and roughly two-thirds of churchgoers (67%)—U.S. adults who have been to church in the past six months—say they leave worship services feeling encouraged at least ‘most of the...

In 2021, "the American Bible Society collected and analyzed the State of the Bible data, collaborating with Barna to highlight the connections between the Bible and the broader story of faith in America." In May of 2021, they released their findings, highlighting five key findings.  Join your Calvary Conversations hosts for a discussion of this article, of the various trends in Americans' Bib...

Barriers, conflicts and even crises are common in ministry. The church is people, and people are sinful. So, where do pastors and ministry leaders turn when a problem arises and threatens the health of the church? Dr. Mike Dodds invited Dr. Dave Deets of The Institute of Biblical Leadership (IBL) to have a conversation about the work IBL has been doing for many years—assisting leaders who desire t...

According to a 2021 Barna poll, almost 4 out of every 10 pastors are thinking about quitting! This Calvary Conversation with four veteran ministers is about common reasons for discouragement in ministry, as well as practical solutions for facing the normal and natural challenges of serving the One who was “despised and rejected.”

How does the Incarnation of Christ provide encouragement and hope to every generation of believers who seek to be faithful to Christ? How does the Incarnation impact the direction of our lives today, and how can we truly put Christ at the center of our Christmas celebrations? Join us for this conversation with the four hosts of Calvary Conversations.

How can a pro-lifer have a productive conversation with a pro-choicer?  It won't always be easy, but it may not be as impossible as you may think. It's a matter of perspective. How do you view the other person? As a pro-life advocate, it can be easy to think only of the issue -- and it's a very important issue. But, we should also think of the person who holds the view as a person created in...

Change. Most people don’t like it – but everyone faces it.  Some changes are necessary for a church or organization to survive – but some are very superficial. So how can ministry leaders determine what and why and when and how to make appropriate changes?  Join today’s conversation between Dr. Mike Dodds, a Calvary University Ministry Studies Professor, and Dr. Richard Bargas, Executive...

Something you already know: Christian leaders face many challenges. In this second conversation, Calvary's Timothy Hange and Dr. Scott Edgar discuss how Christian leaders and professionals can discover and pursue their unique pathway to professional and personal success. For over twenty-five years, Dr. Edgar, founder of Pathways to Success Executive Coaching, has served in pastoral ministry, inter...

When we engage in summer short-term missions trips we often have the best of intentions. However, sometimes the things we don't know that we don't know can get in the way. Join Joshua Paxton and Dr. Mark Hedinger for a discussion on cultural preparation for summer missions trips. Learn more about Calvary University at calvary.edu, and the Burnham Center for Global Engagement on the campus of Calva...

How can we have productive conversations with people who struggle with gender dysphoria? Do we debate? Try to convince them we’re right and they’re wrong? Do we just ignore them? Calvary University’s Shaun LePage invited Pamela Cubas of Calvary’s Biblical Counseling Department to discuss a more biblical approach: Conversation. Relationship. Love.

What if thousands—or even millions—of Christians in a city or region could work together? Pray together? Share God's word together? This is the dream of The Sending Project. Calvary’s Joshua Paxton invited Karen Blankenship, Program Director of The Sending Project, to discuss the lofty goal of “building citywide awareness, community, and collaboration among the Church for the purpose of mission—fo...

Gender Dysphoria is a much-discussed issue. What is less common is to explore the biblical roots of it.  Calvary's Shaun LePage invited Pamela Cubas, adjunct professor in Calvary's Biblical Counseling Department, to discuss gender identity issues in this edition of Calvary Conversations. Cubas has dedicated much of her study and work to counseling youth going through issues such as grief, dep...

Is God sovereign over language?  Several years ago, Calvary University expanded its course offerings from the basic Composition courses in the General Education Department to include literature courses, then creative writing courses, and now a Warrior’s Choice Interdisciplinary degree in English Literature & Creative writing. Why? Dr. Mike Dodds invited Calvary's Thomas Crank, English Dep...

Something you already know: Christian leaders face many challenges. Calvary's Timothy Hange invited Dr. Scott Edgar, founder of Pathways to Success Executive Coaching, to discuss how Christian leaders and professionals can discover and pursue their unique pathway to professional and personal success. For over twenty-five years, Dr. Edgar has served in pastoral ministry, international missions, non...

How should local churches be involved in missions? Calvary's Joshua Paxton invited Dr. David Wilson, Director of Church Relations for Avant Ministries, to discuss the critical ideas of "sending churches" and specific things churches can be doing to mobilize their people and send them out. But not everyone is called to go, so another critical idea is how churches can do more than just care "about"...

How to get good at having conversations about God? Learn the art of asking good questions. No one is better at it than Pastor Neil Tomba. In this clip from his conversation with Calvary's Shaun LePage, Pastor Tomba shares one of the secrets to asking good questions.  Click here to listen to the full conversation between Shaun and Neil:  https://anchor.fm/calvary-conversations/episodes/Sh...

Christians believe the Bible is without error. It is our authority for understanding reality.  Chris Basel, Calvary University STEM Department Chair, points out that many people see science in the same way. "People look at science as the ultimate authority, and science has done a lot of good things" listing the polio vaccine, airplanes, computers and so forth. "God has given us this ability t...

In a highly politicized and polarized culture, listening well may be one of the most important skills Christians can develop. Calvary's Shaun LePage invited Pastor Neil Tomba, author of The Listening Road: One Man's Ride Across America to Start Conversations about God , to discuss the fine (and perhaps dying) art of listening well.  Tomba, the Senior Pastor of Northwest Bible Church in Dallas...

One third of all humanity is still in the dark with no chance to hear the name of Jesus any time soon. What if we could unite churches, organizations and individuals around the world for the purpose of reaching every unreached people group on earth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? The Alliance for the Unreached is attempting to do exactly that.  Calvary's Joshua Paxton welcomes Dr. Marvin New...

"Strangers in the Land of the Hippo" only begins to tell the story.  Calvary University Press will soon be releasing this book by Norm Baker, detailing his family's sixteen years as missionaries in Mali, West Africa, learning the culture and language and navigating the challenges and disappointments of ministry.  Baker also served for many years as a professor at Calvary University, gain...