Faith & Clarity - Biblical Perspectives and Biblical Wisdom on News & Cultural Issues

Matt Jacobson joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss being a biblical spouse, the pornography epidemic, how to have freedom from sexual temptation, and the power we have amid spiritual warfare through our identity in Christ.  Show notes:  Matt Jacobson begins by talking about his testimony, biblical marriage, and the severity of the sin of fornication in the Bible (1:32). Jacobson says that the way Chri...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Dr. Denison’s most pivotal book, The Coming Tsunami, one year later, the history of American ideals, AI ethics, Paul’s example of peaceful cultural engagement, and hope.    Show notes:    Dr. Denison begins by giving the elevator pitch of The Coming Tsunami, discussing the history of how America’s ideals and why the culture opposes Christianity (1:58). T...

Dr. Jeff Myers, the president of Summit Ministries, joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss apologetics for Gen Z through Summit’s summer camps. They also consider the idea of worldviews, explain the philosophical nature of truth, and talk about his book, The Truth Changes Everything.    Show notes:    Dr. Jeff Myers begins by sharing his testimony and how he became president of Summit Ministries, which...

Dr. Jim Denison sits down with Dr. Mark Turman to discuss the brevity of life, sudden deaths of loved ones, human suffering and God’s sovereignty, and to pastorally unpack Psalm 23.   Show notes:  Dr. Mark Turman and Dr. Jim Denison begin by discussing why the brevity of life is on their minds, both with personal stories of sudden deaths (1:29). They consider the tension between being frightened o...

Lou Phillips, Director of Church Relations for the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender, joins Dr. Turman to discuss his work in Christian sexual ethics apologetics, how churches make an idol of marriage and sex, the way to reach out to LGBTQ+ people, and why the culture finds its identity in sexuality.    Show notes:    Lou Phillips starts by sharing his testimony, why he works in teaching Chr...

Dr. Ryan Denison joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss church history and heretics, the book he coauthored on the Sermon on the Mount, The Path to Purpose , and the meaning behind Jesus’ preaching.    Show notes:    Dr. Ryan Denison discusses his love of church history, how heretics are formed, and the book he partnered with his dad Dr. Jim Denison to write, The Path to Purpose (2:07). They discuss the...

Calev Myers, a prominent Israeli lawyer, discusses with Dr. Mark Turman his civil rights advocacy, efforts to support justice in Israel, and the origin and solution to the current civil unrest against the Israeli government.    Show notes:    Calev Myers begins by talking about his career and the founding story of the Jerusalem Institute for Justice, which focuses on Hamas’ abuse of Palestinians w...

Tara-Leigh Cobble and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Cobble’s testimony, the importance of biblical literacy, reading Scripture in the community, and their deep love for Israel.    Show notes:    Tara-Leigh Cobble begins by sharing her testimony, how she fell in love with the Bible, and how The Bible Recap grew to become one of the most listened to podcasts (2:37). She then shares why reading the Bible i...

Mary Jo Sharp joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss Gen Z’s unique needs, why we need apologetics, and Dark Room, the free high-budget video series aimed to help Gen Z navigate the hardest questions.    Show notes:    Mary Jo Sharp shares her testimony of becoming a Christian after atheism and why she ended up studying apologetics (1:36). Sharp then discusses “Dark Room,” a video series and curriculum...

Alex Kondratev, Steph Thurling, Dr. Mark Turman, and Dr. Jim Denison discuss women in leadership, especially in ministry, the discrimination women often face in churches, the SBC removing Saddleback for having a female pastor, complementarianism, and egalitarianism.     Show notes:    Dr. Mark Turman and Dr. Jim Denison begin the discussion by talking about the theological and historical backgroun...

Erin Kerry joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss how functional and traditional medicine can complement each other, why self-care done right can be biblical, the importance of seeing ourselves as body, mind, and soul, and why nutrition is important to mental health.   Show notes:    Erin Kerry talks about her life story, including her struggle with serious mental illness and how she developed a passion...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman sit down to discuss the mission of Denison Forum, the origin story of the ministry that now reaches millions of people, how he writes The Daily Article, and the different brands of Denison Ministries.    Show notes:    To begin, Dr. Jim Dension gives the elevator pitch for Denison Forum and how James Davison Hunter’s idea of “manifesting faithful presence” clari...

Jon Erwin, director of Jesus Revolution , joins Dr. Mark Turman and Mark Legg to talk about the inspiration for Jesus Revolution , the true story behind the movie, how the Holy Spirit moved on set, and his hope for a new Jesus movement among Gen Z.   Show notes:   Acclaimed director Jon Erwin shares his heart behind moviemaking, how he got started with humble beginnings in Alabama, and why he love...

Dr. Katie Frugé, Dr. Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss why new technology shapes the culture war, the positives and negatives of social media, why algorithms require more regulation, and how parents should navigate social media.    Show notes:    Dr. Katie Frugé talks about her background in seminary and her multi-faceted job as the Director of the Center for Cultural Engagement at the BGCT (1:33...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the state of moral and legal authority in America, why God is our ultimate spiritual and moral authority, different ways of knowing God’s truth by interpreting the Bible, where Baptists and Catholics disagree, and how Christians should view authority.    Show notes:    Dr. Jim Denison begins by discussing how Americans view authority and why we regard th...

Phil Boone, Director of Generosity for the He Gets Us campaign, discusses their research of America’s modern culture and their strategy to showcase Jesus’ humanity, love, and story to get spiritual explorers interested in Jesus and connect seekers to local churches to become deeply rooted disciples.  Show notes:  Phil Boone begins by talking about how He Gets Us started, why he became passionate a...

Jackson McNeece and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the bioethics of euthanasia, why our culture has begun to accept physician-assisted suicide, and what the Bible says about “pulling the plug” on people on life support.    Show notes:    Jackson McNeece begins by explaining biomedical ethics, giving the state of the modern debate and culture’s view on euthanasia, and how Christians should react (2:52). ...

Erick Goss and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the importance of discipling young children and teens, why he founded Minno, a Christian streaming service for kids, challenging how churches neglect children’s programming, and ideas for how Christians should handle screen time with their kids.   Show notes:    Erick Goss begins by sharing his testimony, his time in Naval Academy, his struggle against legali...

David French sits down with Dr. Mark Turman to discuss how Christians should view power, the rise of radicalization and alienation, how to read the news well, and how to be informed without being alarmist.     Show notes:    David French and Dr. Mark Turman begin by discussing the nature of power, why the “will to power” leads to all kinds of sin, whether Christians should pursue influence, and Mi...

Bruce Miller, Dr. Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss Bruce Miller’s book, The Seven Big Questions , our doubts and questions about faith, life’s purpose, and apologetics.    Show notes:    Bruce discusses why he wrote The Seven Big Questions , and it’s important to ask the deepest questions of life (2:02). They discuss the way the Bible asks dark, honest questions in Ecclesiastes (7:52). Miller ta...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the “Respect for Marriage Act,” the tension between politics, state’s rights, and the church, religious liberty updates, and whether Christians should try to legislate morality.    Show notes:    First, they discuss the recently passed, so-called, “Respect For Marriage Act,” and its connection to Obergefell, Congress, and the Supreme Court (6:46). They t...

In this bonus episode, Jack Countryman joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss the miracle of peace, how to give over your anxiety to Jesus, Christian publishing, and to give his Christmas blessings to the Denison Forum Podcast audience.    Resources and further reading:   Jack Countryman’s Amazon author page The Miracle of Peace: You Can Find Peace in Every Challenge You Face - Jack Countryman   About t...

Joshua S. Porter (stage name Josh Dies) joins Mark Legg to discuss deconstruction, offensive Christian art, orthodoxy, objective truth and relativism, and how Jesus’ ministry was like a rebellion.  Show notes:  Josh Porter begins by defining deconstruction, and why we can’t neglect the emotional, personal side of the issue (1:20). They talk about why Death to Deconstruction feels dark and provocat...

Craig Denison and Dr. Mark Turman share how to cultivate a personal relationship with God through daily devotionals, prayer, and worship, how the First15 devotional was created, and how to hear God’s voice in your life.  Show notes:  Craig Denison opens by talking about being Dr. Denison’s son, how he made his faith his own, and his early career as a musician and worship leader (3:22). Then they t...

Philip Yancey, Dr. Mark Turman, and Gerald Griffin discuss the good and bad of the local church, the dangers of fundamentalism, Yancey’s personal life story, and the power of memoirs.    Show notes:    Dr. Mark Turman begins by introducing Philip Yancey, thanking him for his personal impact (0:10). They talk about what prompted Yancey’s memoir, Where the Light Fell , and they talk about parallels...