The Christian Chronicle Podcast

The way Christians think about and use sex is changing. For example, a recent study by Barna Group and Pure Desire Ministries shows that Christian porn use is almost equal to porn use by the general public. And an increasing number of Christians believe that it is OK to look at porn. At the same time, fewer and fewer congregations are addressing the issue from the pulpit, in recovery groups or in...

The way Christians think about and use sex is changing. For example, a recent study by Barna Group and Pure Desire Ministries shows that Christian porn use is almost equal to porn use by the general public. And an increasing number of Christians believe that it is OK to look at porn. At the same time, fewer and fewer congregations are addressing the issue from the pulpit, in recovery groups or in...

Christian Chronicle Podcast partner Freed-Hardeman University sponsored this special episode on a crisis that is emerging under our noses: screen addiction . In this conversation, Freed-Hardeman University president David Shannon shares some of the latest research on how (much more) young people are using devices and how dramatic increases in "screen time" over the last few years correla...

The new film, Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin (Angel Studios) is drawing Christian audiences around the world, but does it get the depiction of its title character right? Dr. Myles Werntz (professor of theology at Abilene Christian University ) says it does not...and that Christians should view the movie with caution. In this interview, Werntz talks about the critical review he published about t...

Dr. Bill Pink , a Church of Christ lifer (and outstanding song leader) is president of 10,000-student Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. In this episode, he talks about how he practices Christianity while being a faithful public steward of a secular, tax-funded university where all faiths (and no faiths) have a place. Dr. Pink: Talks about the trends that are shaping higher education...

Since it opened almost 119 years ago, Abilene Christian University (ACU) has been educating, forming, and training Christian evangelists who spread the news of Jesus Christ around the world. This year, however, the university is launching something that has the potential to change the world and save lives in a surprising new way. ACU is building and preparing to fire up an experimental nuclear rea...

This Christmas special features a message of "good news of great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10) by Brother Jerrard Davis ( Spencer Church of Christ, Spencer, Oklahoma ) and vocal arrangements by Praise & Harmony .

This Christmas special features a message of "good news of great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10) by Jonathan Storment ( Pleasant Valley Church of Christ, Little Rock, Arkansas ) and vocal arrangements by Praise & Harmony .

This Christmas special features a message of "good news of great joy for all the people" (Luke 2:10) by Lads to Leaders luminary Benjamin Adams ( College Avenue Church of Christ, DeFuniak Springs, Florida ) and vocal arrangments from Praise & Harmony .

In Episode 104 (Part One of this double feature), Jerri Anne Blankenship and Mindy Lancaster ( Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ , West Monroe, Louisiana ) tell the story of how God rescued them from darkness and the downward spiral that happened after their father went to prison for the murder of their mother. In this episode, Jerri Anne and Mindy describe how they accepted an invitation to tell...

When Jerri Anne Blankenship and Mindy Lancaster ( Whites Ferry Road Church of Christ , West Monroe, Louisiana ) were young teenagers, their father received a life sentence in prison for murdering their mother. The trauma of this event sentenced Jerri Anne and Mindy to their own kind of prison, as they struggled for years in bitterness, confusion, darkness and oppression. But in a turn of events th...

Catechism is a word that Church of Christ folks may often associate with Catholicism, but its practice - which comes from the Greek catechesis (Greek for "instruction") - is happening all the time in Church of Christ congregations. Author Dr. Brad East (associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University ) not only makes a case that catechism is part of every congregation&apo...

This is a long one, but the stories (and the voices who tell them) are important. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989 and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, The Christian Chronicle has been especially active reporting how Church of Christ congregations started and grew in Ukraine. Over the last 30 years, many friendships formed and many stories (both good news and hard news) have come...

John Dobbs ( Forsythe Church of Christ , Monroe, Louisiana) suffered the sudden and tragic loss of his 18-year old son, John Robert, in 2008. After that terrible event, John had to learn to live with his grief--and go on being a follower of Jesus Christ and a minister to his church. From his experience of living with grief, John wrote two books to help fellow Christians who are also suffering thro...

It's our 100th episode! To help us celebrate (and get in the mood for a holiday season worthy of its name), Keith Lancaster and Anthony Lancaster of Acappella Ministries are here to talk about the state of a cappella worship among Church of Christ congregations and what they are doing to restore and revive "the best part of our heritage." That includes traveling the world to teach C...

Most Christians in the United States know the saying that Sunday morning is the most segregated time in the country on any given week. Though they often think of segregation as segregation by culture, language, skin color or tax bracket, perhaps the most accepted , encouraged and practiced form of segregation is segregation by age . During the 20th century, changes in developmental theory led cong...

Former Christian Chronicle intern (2021) Makyra Williamson (Tigard, Oregon) is a twentysomething-year old Christian professional who is open to marriage someday. In this episode, she talks about being single in the church in the U.S. in the 21st century. She also talks about dating, how to set her up on a date and how not to set her up on a date. And she reflects on how to be complete and full as...

Coach Garth Pleasant ( Horton Road Church of Christ, Jackson, Michigan ) is one of the winningest college basketball coaches of all time (720 wins, 19 national tournament appearances and four national championships at Rochester Christian University, Rochester Hills, Michigan , over 38 years). In all that time, Coach Pleasant and his teams never played a single home game ... because they didn'...

Note: We had some issues with the audio and recording on this one. We apologize for the "glitches." Recorded immediately before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Christian Chronicle editorial board member Trindi Mitchell opens up about what Kamala Harris'  run for president means to her (and many others). Mitchell expands on the theme on why representation matters, not only in na...

In this episode recorded before a live audience at the Church of Christ in Falls Church , Virginia , The Christian Chronicle's Erik Tryggestad interviews C.W. Goodyear , author of President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier (Simon & Schuster). Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, served in office for only 200 days before he died from an assassin's bullet (he was only th...

From the Norton Colloquium at the 101st Harding University Lectureship , The Christian Chronicle's editor-in-chief Bobby Ross Jr. leads a panel of preachers as they discuss how (and whether) to talk about politics in the local church. Dr. Jeremie Beller is The Christian Chronicle's opinions editor. He serves as dean of the College of Bible at Oklahoma Christian University and minister wi...

Liza Corso is a two-time Team U.S.A. Paralympic medalist in the women's 1500m (Silver, Tokyo, 2020 and Bronze, Paris, 2024). She is also a senior psychology and nutrition major at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. In this episode, Liza talks about what it is like run at a world-class level while seeing through her vision impairment. She also talks about how her faith and her runnin...

From the Norton Colloquium at Harding University's 101st lectureship , members of The Christian Chronicle news team bring stories of what God is doing around, and through, God's people...in some of the hardest and scariest circumstances. Audrey Jackson , Bobby Ross Jr. , Sawmi Sektak and Erik Tryggestad give eyewitness reports of what they've seen as they cover the news among Christ...

From the Norton Colloquium at Harding University's 101st Lectureship , Heritage 21 Foundation 's Stan Granberg , 21st Century Christian 's Carl Royster and The Christian Chronicle 's Erik Tryggestad discuss what current trends portend for the future of Churches of Christ. They also reveal plans for the Church Research Council , a new joint venture of The Christian Chronicle , H...

Almost half of the world's migrants claim Christianity according to new research from Pew Research Center . In this episode, we hear from two Christian immigrants, Eduardo and Odalis Vasquez , Church of Christ members who are part of the 7.7 million people who fled Venezuela over the last few years. The Vasquezes talk about why and how they left their home behind and what it is like to try to...