Gospelbound

Jen Wilkin and J. T. English have given you an invitation—they want you to know and love God well. Sounds good, right? It’s hard to imagine any of us turning down that offer. There’s just one catch. You need to become a theologian. But you can do it. You were built for it! That’s their theme in a new book, You Are a Theologian , published by B&H. They’re bringing theology to the masses, something...

Jesus was and is a genius. Have you ever thought of him that way? We know him as a friend, Lord, healer, and teacher. Of course, Son of God, true God from True God. But genius ? Einstein was a genius. Hawking was a genius. Men of science. Men of modernity. Men who created our world. Jesus? He’s a religious figure. And we don’t associate religion with genius. Even when we confess with Hebrews 1:3 t...

He calls abortion the “spiritual battle of our lives.” And he firmly believes that abortion will end when men make it so. Roe v. Wade has been overturned, but this former football star says the fight for life has only reached halftime. He is Benjamin Watson, author of The New Fight for Life: Roe, Race, and a Pro-Life Commitment to Justice , published by Tyndale Momentum. You may already know quite...

It’s been dubbed the Gender Revolution. And if you’re listening from anywhere in the West, you see it everywhere. Gender identity has been disconnected from biology. What you feel about your body matters more than what you can see and touch . Even children, encouraged to believe they were born into the wrong-gendered body, now expect and even demand support from parents and other authorities as th...

“The gospel is not just the diving board off which we jump into Christianity—it’s the swimming pool in which we swim.” That’s a line from J. D. Greear’s new book, Essential Christianity: The Heart of the Gospel in Ten Words , published by The Good Book Company. Greear is pastor at The Summit Church in North Carolina and the author of many books. He served as the 62nd president of the Southern Bapt...

Sometimes advice isn’t just bad. It’s delusional. That’s what Jean Twenge writes in her new book, Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future . She makes this comment about “the most optimistic and self-confident generation in history.” My generation. The Millennials. Here’s the advice we heard over and over grow...

“For as much as I'll miss, [Tim Keller] gave so much more—by God's grace—that no one or nothing can ever take away from us.” – Collin Hansen Melissa Kruger hosts a special edition of Gospelbound where Collin Hansen reflects on the life and ministry of Tim Keller. Hansen talks about the first time he met Keller, his experience writing a book on Keller's spiritual formation, discovering how importan...

For 20 years, I’ve felt like Molly Worthen and I have lived parallel lives. We graduated college the same year. We wrote for some of the same publications, on some of the same subjects. But I chose to head into church ministry, while she settled into the academy and earned her PhD from Yale. Molly is associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You may have re...

The Gospel Coalition’s Foundation Documents include a “ theological vision for ministry ,” originally drafted by Tim Keller. I had never heard of theological vision before I read this statement in 2007. Soon I learned that the concept originated by Richard Lints in his book The Fabric of Theology . Theological vision is the space between your doctrinal beliefs and your ministry programs. Theologic...

Bill Edgar began his career as professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1989 and retired last year in 2022. But his Westminster roots run even deeper than his 33-year tenure. Edgar’s great-great-grandfather, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in New York City, helped endow Princeton Seminary in 1811. In 1929, Westminster was founded in response to Princeton’s liberal drif...

“When it comes to theologians that contemporary church leaders should be reading, I don’t know of a more important one than Herman Bavinck.”  So says Timothy Keller in his endorsement of James Eglinton’s 2020 book Bavinck: A Critical Biography . Keller first read Bavinck some 50 years ago in class with Roger Nicole at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. But not much of Bavinck’s voluminous work h...

In their booklet “ Gospel-Centered Ministry ,” TGC cofounders Don Carson and Tim Keller describe how the redemptive story of Scripture, or biblical theology, culminates in Jesus Christ and his gospel. And from Christ, that gospel then guides us in how we live every aspect of our lives. I’ve never seen a book do this work more effectively than Christopher Watkin’s Biblical Critical Theory: How the...

In his forthcoming book, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation,   Collin Hansen aims to add to our understanding of evangelical history in the second half of the 20th century into the early 21st century. Keller’s life spans and intersects with many of the most significant people, events, and trends within Christianity during the last 75 years. The same can be said of John Piper,...

In this unique episode of Gospelbound, pastor Jim Davis from Orlando Grace Church invites Collin Hansen into the interview spotlight to go behind the scenes of writing Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. Jim Davis says, "Five hundred years from now, maybe two pastors or theologians will be remembered. I believe that Tim Keller will be one of them." Keller's influence comes fr...

In this special edition episode of Gospelbound, Collin Hansen is joined by Melissa Kruger as they look back on the big stories and trends of 2022, discuss how God has moved in and through their ministries, and share books that have stuck with them. They also take some time to thank you, their listeners, for encouraging them in the work of Gospelbound and Let's Talk . We discuss: Timothy Keller: Hi...

Jen Pollock Michel offers eight habits for reimagining productivity, resisting hurry, and practicing peace in her latest book, In Good Time . She invites us to seek wisdom that is more concerned with ethical practice than Type-A respectability. She helps us recognize that we detest waiting because we have to believe that God is acting when we are not. On this 100th episode of the Gospelbound podca...

“We would rather have a leader who will beat up our enemies than one who will tenderly care for the sheep,” Michael Kruger writes in his new book, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church , published by Zondervan.  Spiritual abuse is a relatively new and amorphous concept. Kruger defines it this way: Spiritual abuse is when a spiritual leader—such as a pastor, elder,...

In his new book, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith , Trevin Wax writes, “The thrill of orthodoxy lies in its challenge. We are called to become not merely nice neighbors who are kind and polite, but holy people who look more and more like Jesus.” Trevin Wax joined Collin Hansen on this episode of Gospelbound to discuss why heresy hunters turn out to be heretic...

Thomas Jefferson, whose lofty writings on freedom when compared to his practice of slaveholding are part of the real “wall of separation” in American politics and religion. These contradictions make him the subject of many biographies, including the most recent from Thomas Kidd: Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh . Dr. Kidd is research professor of church history at Midwestern Bapti...

In the digital age, it feels like life moves too far, too fast. That’s why we need wise guides such as Jay K. Kim, author of Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age . Jay writes, “This is where we are in the digital age, existing in an untenable state of unceasing connection to the curated lives of others—all of their highlights, none of their low-light...

His latest book, Where the Light Fell: A Memoir , is the culmination of more than 50 years for Philip Yancey as a Christian writer. In it, you’ll see a clear display of his two life themes—suffering and grace—which characterize all his books. Where the Light Fell is remarkably honest as Yancey draws inspiration from God’s Word. He writes, “I know of no more real or honest book than the Bible, whic...

In the new book, Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church , Hannah Nation and co-editor, Simon Liu, offer a perspective of what we can learn from Chinese pastors who are facing persecution. Nation says, “We descendants of Christendom fear cultural marginalization, but let us remember that those on the margins often preach the gospel more boldly, fearlessly, and humbly...

There is almost nothing so beautiful as forgiveness—but, must we choose between forgiveness and justice? Does forgiveness merely empower abusers? Enter Tim Keller in his latest book, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? The bestselling author and co-founder of The Gospel Coalition doesn’t neglect the cost of forgiveness. He writes, “Forgiveness is always a form of voluntary suffering that brings a...

In  Jesus through the Eyes of Women: How the First Female Disciples Help Us Know and Love the Lord , published by The Gospel Coalition, Rebecca McLaughlin explores the life-changing accounts of women who met the Lord. By entering the stories of the named and unnamed women in the Gospels, this book gives readers a unique lens to see Jesus as these women did and marvel at how he loved them in return...

In 2009, around 25 percent of American high school students said they had “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” By 2021, it was up to 44 percent, the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded. For girls, the number was even higher: 57 percent. What could account for such a dramatic change between 2009 and today? If you looked at a group of teenagers then and now, the main differen...