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

Dr. John Mark Caton, Paul Cobb, and Dr. Mark Turman discuss church safety, how to run a safety team with laypeople and specialists, and why church security is a hospitality ministry.     Show notes:    Paul Cobb begins by addressing how we so often don’t think about safety at churches, and they explain what church safety should look like (2:23). They go over some stories of crime and medical emerg...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the roots of morality, whether America was founded as a Christian nation, how to lovingly disagree with family, and why the Bible is our ultimate source of truth.    Show notes:    Dr. Mark Turman and Dr. Jim Denison discuss how culture flows from a people’s morality, and why morality is like a natural law (1:28). They talk about why everyone can’t escap...

Janet Denison talks with Dr. Mark Turman about her Advent devotional series, The Songs Tell the Story , why she wrote it, and shares her favorite hymn and how to make Christmas about Jesus.    Show notes:    Janet Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Janet Denison’s book, The Songs Tell the Story (along with the kid’s version), a Christmas devotional that explores the meaning and origin of our favo...

Mark Sayers, Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss the great shift the world is going through, the lingering effects of Covid, how the “gray zone” affects ministry, and how to remain a “non-anxious presence.”   Show notes:    Mark Sayers talks about his faith journey and how he started writing (2:14). The three Marks talk about the significance of our culture’s ongoing shift, and the anxiety that com...

Patrick Miller joins to talk about why Christians should value truth over their tribe, how to talk about politics with family and friends, why Jesus was “political,” and how to avoid fear in our post-truth culture.    Show notes:     Patrick Miller begins by discussing his podcast, Truth Over Tribe, why it was started, and how it’s become so successful (1:47). Then, he talks about writing the book...

Curtis Chang joins Dr. Mark Turman to discuss our failing trust in institutions and how to redeem them, the role of Christians in politics and the workplace, election integrity, and how to combat anxiety.    Show notes:    Curtis Chang begins by talking about his ministry Redeeming Babel , which trains Christians to engage redemptively in different kinds of communities (2:19). Chang talks about th...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss how God sees America, our culture’s individualism, midterm politics, whether God is judging America, and whether people can be moral without God.    Show notes:    Dr. Mark Turman and Dr. Jim Denison discuss the Bible’s understanding of the nations, as well as the difference between individualism and collectivism (1:36). They talk about the unity of the...

Josh Miller, Dr. Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss partisanship bias, Christian hypocrisy, dealing with anger and anxiety, and how to maintain peace during political uncertainty.    Show notes:    Mark Turman begins by asking about the top five issues for the 2022 midterms, and they discuss how the different politicized news sources will cover the topics (1:45). They turn to discuss the role fear...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Halloween, the rise of the occult, what happens when we die, spiritual warfare, Satan and demon possession, and how to rely on God to fight against temptation.  Show notes:  Dr. Jim Denison begins by giving the background of Halloween and why we should celebrate heroes of the faith (2:15). They move on to practical advice for parenting and why we must be...

Dr. John Mark Caton and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Dr. Caton’s personal experience with the tragic suicide of his older brother, lingering survivor’s guilt, the importance of community, and how to talk to people contemplating suicide.    Show notes:    Dr. John Mark Caton and Dr. Mark Turman begin this difficult discussion by talking about Caton’s tragic story and the suicide of his older brother (3:...

Barnabas Piper joins Dr. Mark Turman and Mark Legg to discuss being a pastor’s kid, talking to teens and Gen Z about doubts, the importance of humor, and depending on Christ in all things.    Show notes:   Barnabas Piper begins by reflecting on his own life’s story and how the Lord refreshed the idea of the church to him (2:32). They discuss the hypocrisy of some Christian leaders and how to move...

Jeff and Terra Mattson join Dr. Mark Turman to discuss the suicide epidemic, how to talk to children and teens about self-harm, suicide, and emotions, and how to navigate parenting through depression and anxiety.    Show notes:    Jeff and Terra Mattson begin by framing the suicide epidemic and mental health crisis (4:02). They discuss how to start early in parenting by putting language to differe...

Michael McDonald, director of strategic relations at BibleProject, Dr. Mark Turman, and Mark Legg discuss how BibleProject approaches interpreting the Bible, communicating to the modern generation, how to face deconstruction, and why art communicates the Bible’s message so well.    Show notes:    Michael McDonald begins by sharing what BibleProject is and its heart to show how the Bible is a unifi...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Dr. Denison’s unique role and calling, apologetics and theology, “Loving your neighbor,” how to manifest our faithfulness well, and how Christians must avoid dualism.     Show notes:    Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Dr. Denison’s various roles he’s taken on (including his job at Dairy Queen) and God’s calling on his life (2:00). They reflec...

In tandem with the release of Denison Forum’s latest book,  What Are My Spiritual Gifts? , Dr. Ryan Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss spiritual gifts, how they are powered by the Holy Spirit, how we can know our spiritual gifts, the difference between talents and gifts, and how the Lord uses them. Show notes Dr. Ryan Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Dr. Ryan Denison’s new book, What Are My Sp...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss the difference between cultural missionaries and cultural warriors, how to engage with woke businesses, whether our souls are “sent to earth,” and how to make sense of the Uvalde massacre.    Show notes:    Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss how we define the difference between cultural missionaries and cultural warriors and why we should exempl...

Radio show host, pastor, and writer Chris Brooks joins Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman to discuss urban ministry, discipleship and evangelism, and how the Bible defines the church.  Show notes:  Chris Brooks begins by giving his background and how he got into the world of pastoring and urban apologetics (6:13). They discuss the importance of evangelism and social justice—the advancement of sal...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman reflect on the most meaningful mentor figures in their life, Dr. Denisons talking about Dr. John Newport, while Dr. Turman talks about the first church he ever pastored.   Show notes:    Dr. Denison and Dr. Turman briefly discuss certain mysteries of the Christian faith (2:41). Then, they turn to talk about mentors in their lives, Dr. Denison reflecting on Dr. J...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman continue the “summer favorites” series. In this episode, they each discuss the most impactful time they met someone and their recent trips to Israel.    Show notes: Dr. Denison and Dr. Turman talk about Jim's most recent experience in Israel and what he learned on this trip (1:03). Then, they talk about their most impactful meetings with heroes of the faith...

Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman continue their summer favorites series by discussing their favorite vacation spots, favorite books, and the way Dr. Jim Denison reads.   Show notes: Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman begin by reflecting on their favorite vacation spots (1:43). They then discuss their favorite books, how Mere Christianity impacted Dr. Denison, and about C.S. Lewis’ life (5:00)....

In their "summer favorites" series, Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman discuss their favorite summer movies, summer eats, and summer vacations before delving into more spiritual matters and sharing their preferred Bible translations, favorite Bible verses, and their favorite Bible characters—not named Jesus. Favorite summer movies (2:08) Favorite summer food and vacations (5:16) Favorite...

Summary: Pastor Bruce Miller is the author of Leading a Church in a Time of Sexual Questioning . He joins Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman for a robust and honest discussion on how Christians can relate to those in the LGBTQ+ community without sacrificing truth or love. Show notes:  Why is June 28 important to the LGBTQ+ movement in America? (2:56) What led Bruce Miller to write Leading a Churc...

NOTE:  This episode was recorded the day before the Supreme Court overturned  Roe v. Wade . Dr. Mark Turman discusses protecting the sanctity of life with Holly and Aaron Snell, the executive directors of Hope Women's Center in McKinney, Texas. They are joined by Lisa Freeman, the executive director of Thrive, a crisis pregnancy center in the Dallas area. Specifically, they talk about: The cal...

We're taking a short summer break. We'll be back in a couple of weeks with a "summer favorites" series. These will be episodes about Dr. Jim Denison and Dr. Mark Turman's favorite things, including movies, life Bible verses, and more. 

Aaron Pierce and Dr. Mark Turman discuss Steiger International’s ministry to the “global youth culture,” how our audience can help in Ukraine, how Christians have heroically served in Ukraine, and how we can evangelize in the modern world.     Show notes: Aaron begins by relating how Steiger International was founded about forty years ago in Amsterdam and how music became a part of the movement (1...