The Deep Thoughts Podcast with Matt Shantz

Matt lies on the proverbial counseling couch while Jason walks us through the turbulent waters many are feeling during the pandemic with the gospel-centred approach to counseling that he utilizes. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply. *Incredibly, no deep thinker...

Matt calls Brett McCracken in L.A. to congratulate him on the Dodgers & Laker's championships and has a conversation about his new book, The Wisdom Pyramid : Feeding Your Soul In A Post-Truth World. They also chat about good and bad Christian art and Brett provides some music and film recommendations. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of...

Matt sits down with Norm Funk for a conversation that’s not about horticulture per se, but about planting and replanting churches. Norm planted Westside Church and is a replanter of the soon-to-be Midtown Church in Vancouver. Season 4 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts so listeners can explore aspects of the Christian faith a little more deeply....

In this bonus episode, Matt responds to a request on the  Deep Thoughts Instagram  page for an episode on when it’s okay to disobey the government. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their dee...

In the season finale, Matt gets Graham Watt on the line to talk about faith deconstruction & reconstruction. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of thoughts. ABOUT: GRAHAM WAT...

Matt gets Aimee Byrd on the line to talk about her new book, ‘Recovering From Biblical Manhood & Womanhood’. We discuss some ‘fences' that have been built in the church that are extra-biblical and at worst harm women and at best hinder their flourishing in the faith and church. Aimee’s book seeks to serve as a corrective and help the church rediscover her purpose. *Incredibly, no deep thi...

Matt sits down with Marie Baars for a candid conversation about infertility, adoption, foster care, and faith. We also uncover why her voice sounds like Jill’s. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of t...

Matt sits down with Jason Kovacs, co-founder of Together for Adoption and board member of ABBA Canada, to talk about foster care and adoption. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life today by engaging some deep thinkers on some of their deepest of th...

Matt gets Joe Carter on the line to talk about his walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays. 11-year-old Matt wishes that was the case. Instead, Matt talks with another Joe Carter about an article he wrote for  The Gospel Coalition  entitled, Christians Are Not Immune to Conspiracy Theories. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this p...

Matt gets Drew Dyck on the line to talk about his recent book,  ‘Your Future Self Will Thank You: Secrets to Self-Control from the Bible and Brain Science ’. It may well be the most exciting conversation you’ve ever heard on the most neglected Fruit of Spirit. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast inf...

Matt gets Micah Fries on the line to talk about his recent book,  ‘Leveling The Church’ about equipping the whole church for ministry. It’s the Chilliwack-Chattanooga conversation you didn’t know you needed. *Incredibly, no deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast…that we’re aware of. Season 3 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast informs the listener on many issues of faith and life to...

Dr. Nancy Pearcey is the author of many books — including one of Matt's favourites —  Total Truth. He gets her on the line to talk about her latest book, Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality.  She is the definition of a deep thinker who is full of deep thoughts. This is going to be great. Season 2 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages some...

Anxiety and depression are more common than ever. It’s more than likely that you or someone you love experiences depression. And yet, the church hasn’t always done a good job of supporting those with depression. In fact, sometimes the church has contributed to the pain, either by ill-timed advice or just plain bad theology. Matt’s guest opens up about his depression and clears up a number of...

Valentine’s Day doesn’t get much more romantic than this: Matt is sitting down with Emily for a candid conversation about being a pastor’s wife (swoon). Being a pastor’s wife may have the worst 'bad pay-high expectation' ratio out there. Emily gives us a window into the weird and (occasionally) wonderful world of the pastor’s wife life. Season 2 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages some deep think...

You ever see a self-professing Christian angrily criticize someone on social media who holds a different view? It has become commonplace and it’s just not helpful. How do we get back to our roots? How do we live as a compelling Christian witness with faith so irresistible that the world can’t resist? Matt gets Scott Sauls on the line to talk about this very thing. He’s the pastor of Christ Presbyt...

We are one generation removed from the days of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, who helped terminally ill patients end their lives through physician-assisted suicide. Today, euthanasia or  ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ (MAiD) is legal in a handful of western countries, Canada being one of them. So Matt sat down for a conversation with his mom, a long-time palliative care nurse and coordinator, t...

There isn’t much that concerns people about the Christian faith as much as hell, judgment, and holy war. So Matt gets Josh Ryan Butler on the line to talk about those very things. He’s the author of  The Skeletons in God’s Closet: The Mercy of Hell, the Surprise of Judgement, the Hope of Holy War and pastors at Redemption Church in Tempe, Arizona. Season 2 of  The Deep Thoughts Podc...

Matt gets Dan Strange on the line in London to talk about his great book, ‘Plugged In’ that seeks to help you connect your faith to what you watch, read, and play.  His object is to teach Christians how to think and speak about culture in a way that plugs into a bigger and better reality—the story of King Jesus, and his cosmic plan for the world. Plus, Matt tries to find out what kind of dark supe...

Matt gets Preston Sprinkle on the line for a theological yet highly practical conversation about LGBT+, Jesus, and the Church. The rapid-fire Q&A at the end of the interview alone is worth the price of admission. Season 2 of The Deep Thoughts Podcast engages some deep thinkers on a number of topics that are gripping many of our current cultural conversations. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee th...

Emily takes over as host and they discuss the season that was and the season that’s coming in the new year. Thanks for listening! *Disclaimer: No deep thoughts included in this episode.

We wrap up Season 1 with an episode about church, acknowledging two things at once: It can be difficult and it is important. Season 1 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast  focuses on a handful of faith doubts common to many. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee that this podcast will include deep thoughts. No deep thinkers were harmed in the making of this podcast.

We get Dr. Paul Chamberlain on the line to talk about whether or not science refutes too much about God and the Bible. Plus, Emily assesses Matt’s health and fitness. Season 1 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast  focuses on a handful of faith doubts common to many. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee that this podcast will include deep thoughts. Incredibly, No deep thinkers were harmed in the...

With so much injustice throughout church history, what are we to make of Jesus, Christianity, and the Church? Plus, Matt and Emily work on ending segments properly. Season 1 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast  focuses on a handful of faith doubts common to many. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee that this podcast will include deep thoughts. Incredibly, No deep thinkers were harmed in the ma...

With so many religions and myths out there, how do we know Christianity is for real? Isn’t Christianity just another fairytale? For this episode, Matt is joined by Chris Battle. Chris is the Lake Errock Campus Pastor at Central Community Church. Season 1 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast  focuses on a handful of faith doubts common to many. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee that this podca...

Many find Jesus compelling but the hypocrisy of Christians often leads them to not only reject the church, but Jesus too. Plus, Matt and Emily try to think of each other’s greatest hypocritical behavior and find it surprisingly hard. Season 1 of  The Deep Thoughts Podcast  focuses on a handful of faith doubts common to many. *Disclaimer: We in no way guarantee that this podcast will incl...