Our Church Speaks

Ben and Dan continue their survey of church history, this time picking up the story with the early martyrs and their incredible witness for Jesus Christ amid a hostile pagan empire. | More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com. Please rate, review, and share our podcast - it means a lot to us!

Ben and Dan begin the story of the church by discussing the historical context of Jesus' life and ministry and underscoring why it is important to understand the resurrection of Jesus as an historical event. | More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com. Please rate, review, and share our podcast - it means a lot to us! 

Ben and Dan launch a summer series where they survey the history of the church, starting with Jesus and charting the church's story up to the 21st century. In this episode, they lay the groundwork for studying church history, including a 20 minute summary of the incredible 2,000 year narrative. | More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com. Please...

Ben welcomes author and spiritual director Lori G. Melton. Melton invites her readers into a year-long spiritual journey designed to strengthen and deepen their faith as they learn from a spiritual giant in her debut book, Journey with a Giant: Choose Your Guide, Pursue Your Purpose, and Grow in Your Walk with God (WaterBrook; 11/11/25). You can learn more about Lori Melton and her book at https:/...

In this final episode of season 4, Ben and Dan tackle several additional questions submitted by listeners. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, please consider rating our podcast and leaving a review.

Ben and Dan tackle more questions submitted by the audience, including "What do you think about prayers to the saints?" and "Who is your patron saint?" // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, please consider rating our podcast and leaving a review.

Ben and Dan take your questions about church history, the saints, the Our Church Speaks project, and more. "What is a Saint?" and "How are saints canonized?" are a couple questions discussed in this episode. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this cont...

In this special episode of the Our Church Speaks podcast, Ben welcomes Kristen Barredo, Executive Director of the ARDF (the Anglican Relief & Development Fund) to discuss the current humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the needs of the church in this war-torn region. Learn more about the ARDF at www.ardf.org and donate to their relief efforts. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the...

Ben and Dan discuss the life of Justin Martyr, an aspiring Greek philosopher who became a defender of Christian beliefs in the early church. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Please consider rating our podcast and lea...

Ben and Dan continue the story of Sadhu Sundar Singh, the remarkable Indian evangelist who traveled to many regions in Tibet, Nepal, India, and Pakistan sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audi...

Ben and Dan discuss the remarkable life of Indian Saint Sadhu Sundar Singh. In part 1 of our conversation, we talk about his early life and his journey to faith as he is brought to point of despair as a teenager and miraculously saved by Jesus. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would...

Ben and Dan chat between Ash Wednesday services about Lent, it's history, and why Christians should consider participating in this ancient practice of fasting, pentitence, and worship. // More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience...

Ben has had a few health struggles in the past month (including temporarily losing his voice), so we're posting another bonus episode featuring Ben as a guest on the Church History for Chumps podcast (originally released November, 2024). In this episode we tackle misconceptions about the Council of Nicaea and what it accomplished and how to correct popular misinformation with verifi...

Ben and Dan chat about the African desert father and martyr, Moses the Ethiopian and his inspiring story of redemption. More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Please consider rating our podcast and leaving a review. You can s...

In this episode, hosts Ben and Dan discuss the significance of the 8th century deacon and scholar, Alcuin of York and his articulation of the faith to the powers of his day.   More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Pleas...

The Rev. Dr. Mika Edmondson joins us on the podcast for a discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. Mika Edmondson is the pastor of Koinonia Church in Nashville, TN. He earned a PhD in systematic theology from Calvin Seminary and wrote The Power of Unearned Suffering, a book about Martin Luther King Jr.’s theology of suffering. You can learn more about Dr. Edmondson at https:/...

Ben invites the Rev. Dr. Mika Edmondson onto the podcast for our discussion of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. Mika Edmondson is the pastor of Koinonia Church in Nashville, TN. He earned a PhD in systematic theology from Calvin Seminary and wrote The Power of Unearned Suffering, a book about Martin Luther King Jr.’s theology of suffering. In this episode, we discuss MLK's life and th...

In this bonus episode of Our Church Speaks, we're sharing an episode from the podcast Church History for Chumps and their interview of Ben Lansing. In this episode, Ben shares some of his background and the vision behind why he started Our Church Speaks. Be sure to subscribe to the Church History for Chumps podcast and follow them on Instagram @churchhistory4chumps More about the Our Church Speaks...

In this final episode of season 3 of the Our Church Speaks podcast, Ben and Dan discuss the life and work of Benedict and Scholastica, founders of the monastic Benedictine order. Along the way, they reflect on the importance of a rule of life and the necessity of submission to a way of life deeper than our individual, spiritual preferences. Season 4 of the Our Church Speaks episode will return in...

Ben and Dan tell the remarkable story of the Indian writer, activist, and Bible translator Pandita Mary Ramabai. Cover art by Ben Lansing . More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Please consider rating our podcast, leaving a rev...

Ben and Dan tell the story of Olga, a merciless pagan queen of the Dark Ages who was transformed by the profound mercy of Jesus Christ, and her grandson, Vladimir, who was forever changed by Olga's faith.  Cover art by Ben Lansing. More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much...

Ben and Dan reflect on the life and times of John Bunyan, a 17th century Puritan Baptist preacher and author of the seminal work of English literature, The Pilgrim's Progress. Cover art by Ben Lansing. More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a...

Dan and Ben discuss the life and work of Macrina the Younger, an early church mother who inherited the apostle's teaching and defended the faith through her prayer and service. More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Please co...

Ben and Dan recount the remarkable stories of Olaudah Equiano, William Wilberforce, and the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, including the influence of the first Great Awakening on this remarkable evangelical social reform movement. Cover art by Ben Lansing . More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this pod...

Ben and Dan tell the story of Esther John, a 20th century Pakistani Christian convert, evangelist, and martyr. Cover art by Ben Lansing. More about the Our Church Speaks book and the Our Church Speaks project at ourchurchspeaks.com If you've benefited from this podcast, your support would do so much to help promote this content to a wider audience. Please consider rating our podcast and leaving a...