Impact Nations Podcast

Send us Fan Mail What if the people the church is most afraid of are actually our own brothers and sisters in Christ? Last week, Tim and Steve Stewart laid the biblical foundation: more than 90 Scriptures on how God’s people are to treat the stranger, the alien and the sojourner. This week Steve turns from what the Bible says to how far the American church has drifted from it. He calls it a wake-u...

Send us Fan Mail What if the Bible has considerably more to say about immigration than most Christians realize? Tim and Steve Stewart explore what Scripture says about immigrants, refugees, and the strangers among us. Tim and Steve Stewart open a new topic in the justice series: what the Bible says about immigrants, refugees, aliens, and strangers. Steve notes that these English words all translat...

Send us Fan Mail What if Christians have misunderstood the very nature of God's justice? What if we've confused justice with punishment, righteousness with retaliation, and the way of Jesus with the ways of the world? Author, activist, and peacemaker Shane Claiborne joins Tim Stewart for a thought-provoking conversation about what it means to follow Jesus in a world marked by violence, d...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most “blessed” king in Israel’s history was quietly rebuilding the very system God had rescued his people from? Picking up from Episode 6, Tim and Steve Stewart turn the lens of totalism onto King Solomon. Totalism is a social, political, and economic system that covers everything and tells us “this is just the way it is.” Steve traces the problems from the very start...

Send us Fan Mail What if staying silent isn’t neutral, but the very thing the powerful are counting on? Tim and Steve Stewart continue the justice series by moving from the Old Testament prophets and Jesus into our own time, asking what it means for Christ followers to live and speak prophetically today. Steve begins with the Good Samaritan: the great dividing line in that story wasn’t belief but...

Send us Fan Mail What if the prayer many of us say every Sunday is one of the most political things Jesus ever taught? Tim and Steve Stewart continue the justice series by asking whether Jesus was political, not as in Democrat or Republican, but whether his words and actions reshaped the social and economic world around him. Steve reads the Lord's Prayer that way: "your kingdom come&quot...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most dangerous song in the Bible was sung by a pregnant teenager — and Christianity has spent centuries trying to make it safe? Continuing straight from the Old Testament prophetic tradition, Tim and Steve turn to Jesus himself, tracing how thoroughly his life was shaped by his actual world: a Jewish minority under Roman occupation, a Galilee of tenant farmers losing l...

Send us Fan Mail What if the real test of a prophetic word isn't how bold it sounds, but whether you can hear the tears underneath it? Picking up where Episode 2 left off, Tim and Steve move from the prophetic tradition into what the prophets actually said about social justice — walking through Jeremiah 22, Psalm 72, Deuteronomy 10, Isaiah 57, and Zechariah 7 to the same claim: caring for the...

Send us Fan Mail What if spotting a false prophet has less to do with predicting the future and everything to do with what they refuse to say? Episode 2 of the Justice & Peace series continues with Tim and Steve Stewart, digging into the Old Testament prophetic tradition as the foundation for everything this season will cover. Steve opens with Amos 5:24 — "let justice roll on like a river...

Send us Fan Mail The gap between the world's rich and poor is wider today than at any point in recorded history — in any nation, at any time. So what does that have to do with the gospel? Season 13 of the Impact Nations Podcast launches with a new format and a new sense of urgency. Tim Stewart is joined each week this season by his father, Steve Stewart, Founder and President of Impact Nation...

Send us Fan Mail What if heaven isn’t somewhere far away—but a dimension of reality surrounding us right now? To close out the Summer Series, Tim Stewart welcomes back Brian Zahnd for a fascinating conversation about heaven, pilgrimage, wonder, the false self, and his new book, Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things. Brian explains why heaven has become an embarr...

Send us Fan Mail What if the truest picture of power we'll ever see isn't a throne or an army, but a baby who can't lift his own head—or a man nailed to a cross who refuses to fight back? In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes Kenneth Tanner, pastor of Holy Redeemer in Rochester Hills, Michigan, theologian, and author of the new book Vulnerable God: How Jesus Upend...

Send us Fan Mail Jesus spoke truth to power, confronted injustice, and stood with people pushed to the margins. But does that make the church political—and if so, how can it engage public life without becoming captive to a political party? In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart is joined by Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. “Jay” Augustine, Senior Pastor of Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta. Dr. August...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when sharing Jesus becomes a project to manage rather than a relationship built on love? In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes back Mercy Aiken , a peace advocate, author, and pilgrimage leader serving with Peace Catalyst International in Jordan. Mercy shares what she is hearing from people from Gaza who have come to Jordan for medical care. She als...

Send us Fan Mail What if Christ is already present in the people we overlook—and what if sin has not separated us from the God who is holding us together? In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart sits down with his dear friend Dr. Bradley Jersak, Principal of St. Stephen’s University, Director of the SSU School of Theology & Culture, author of more than twenty books—including A More Chr...

Send us Fan Mail Leadership can begin with a sincere desire to serve—and quietly turn into the belief that everything depends on you. In this episode of the Impact Nations Podcast, Tim Stewart welcomes author, speaker, leadership coach, and Ezer Collective founder Jo Saxton for an honest conversation about calling, character, burnout, identity, and the hidden costs of leading others. Jo challenges...

Send us Fan Mail Rescuing someone from danger can save a life. But what does it take for that person to become truly free? In this compelling conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes Danielle Strickland—author, speaker, justice advocate, and founder of movements working for freedom, healing, and human flourishing—to explore why rescue is only the beginning of liberation. Danielle explains why getting pe...

Send us Fan Mail What if God's calling isn't something we discover in one dramatic moment, but something we live out every day? In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Susan Maros —professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, author, and leadership scholar—to unpack some of the most common misconceptions about calling, purpose, and vocation. Together they expl...

Send us Fan Mail Following Jesus has always been more than identifying as a Christian—it means embracing the way of Christ. In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart sits down with Dr. Obery Hendricks —New Testament scholar, professor, and acclaimed author—to explore what it looks like to move beyond cultural Christianity and recover the radical vision of the Gospel. Together they discus...

Send us Fan Mail Few teachings of Jesus challenge us more than His call to love our enemies. In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart welcomes Father John Dear —Catholic priest, internationally recognized peace activist, author, and founder of the Beatitudes Center for the Nonviolent Jesus. Together they explore what happens when we read the Gospels through the lens of peace. The conver...

Send us Fan Mail Immigration affects millions of people around the world, but for followers of Jesus, it is also a deeply biblical conversation. In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart welcomes Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra —pastor, professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, author, and one of the leading Christian voices on immigration and faith-rooted community organizing. Together, the...

Send us Fan Mail Life often presents us with tensions that cannot be neatly resolved. We experience joy and grief, certainty and mystery, hope and disappointment—all at the same time. In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart welcomes artist, author, and storyteller Scott Erickson for a rich conversation about learning to find beauty within those tensions. Together, they explore how pray...

Send us Fan Mail Suffering raises difficult questions about God, faith, and what it means to follow Jesus in a broken world. In this episode of Summer Series 2026 , Tim Stewart welcomes theologian and author Dr. Kelly Kapic for an honest conversation about grief, pain, lament, and unanswered prayers. Drawing from years of academic research and personal experience caring for his wife through chroni...

Send us Fan Mail Why does work feel different than it used to? In this opening episode of Summer Series 2026, Tim Stewart welcomes Jonathan Lewis, President of McKee Wallwork and author of The Rebuilders: Daily Foundations for the Leaders We Need . Jonathan shares insights from extensive workforce research and explains why so many people today are struggling with purpose, hope, and meaning. Togeth...

Send us Fan Mail As the world feels increasingly unstable, how do followers of Jesus respond with wisdom, faith, and hope? In this special conversation, Tim Stewart sits down with Impact Nations Director of Programs, Bill Verbakel, to talk honestly about the realities of global ministry during uncertain times. In this episode: • Navigating travel during war, persecution, and health crises • Respon...