The Disrupters: Faith Changing Culture

What if the problem in some churches isn’t a lack of gifted leaders, but our failure to recognize them?  In this episode of The Disrupters , psychologist, author, and retired professor Susan Harris Howell joins Caleb Campbell for a conversation about power, gender, and the assumptions that quietly shape life in the Church. Drawing from her book Buried Talents , Susan explores how culture influence...

American exceptionalism isn’t a patriotic value; it’s a theological problem. In this episode of The Disrupters , Jonathan Walton, executive director of the Center for Beauty and Resistance, joins Caleb Campbell for a challenging conversation about stewarding power, nationalism, and the idols hiding in plain sight. Together, they explore why American exceptionalism remains so compelling, how the Am...

When American Christians pray for revival, is our narrow imagination blinding us to how God is answering those prayers? In this episode of The Disrupters , Caleb Campbell sits down with Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, pastor, author, and president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, to disrupt how we define revival, church health, and spiritual renewal. Drawing from a variety of passages acro...

Sensitivity Warning: This episode includes discussion of war, violence, genocide, and human suffering. Some of these topics are explored in personal and vivid detail and may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. As we mark three years since October 7, 2023, it is more important than ever for Christians to remember that following Jesus means mourning with those who mourn...

When faced with the injustice caused by sin and the powers of the world, the Church must respond with unity, compassion, and focused, righteous anger.  In this episode of The Disrupters , Caleb Campbell sits down with pastor, organizer, and activist Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra to explore how Christians can humbly, lovingly, and fearlessly promote justice for the vulnerable within the political sys...

The Church’s power lies in loving broken people unconditionally, not in breaking people with conditional love. In this episode of The Disrupters , Caleb Campbell welcomes writer, advocate, and co-founder of Deconstruction Doulas , Margaret Bronson, for a conversation about power, spiritual authority, and abuse in church spaces. Margaret shares about her journey out of a highly controlling religiou...

How did the church become more interested in holding power than sharing the Good News?  Welcome to the seventh season of The Disrupters ! In this first episode, host Caleb Campbell sits down with Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism and Church Renewal at Fuller Theological Seminary, award-winning author, and renowned voice on faith and justice. Together, they explore...

What should Christians do with power, and what if we’ve misunderstood it all along? Welcome to season 7 of The Disrupters from InterVarsity Press, hosted by Caleb Campbell. Every episode promises honest conversations that push the church to rethink the ways it chases influence, security, justice, and above all—power. Joining Caleb Campbell this season are leading voices like Soong-Chan Rah, Mae El...

You need to slow down. So many leaders are driven by the fear of falling behind, convinced that impact requires urgency. And in the frantic pace of the modern world, we forget that God never told us to sprint ahead; he invited us to walk alongside him. In the final episode of Season 6 of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin sits down with author, speaker, filmmaker, and VeggieTales creator P...

Leaders are expected to meet increasingly high standards, but many are silently suffering under the pressure of constantly needing to perform. But God never called us to perform—He called us to be relational people. In this episode of The Disrupters , host Nicole Martin is joined by Sheila Wise Rowe and Dr. Nicholas Rowe, co-authors of Healing Leadership Trauma , spiritual formation mentors, and l...

In a culture that promises life will go "up and to the right," we're conditioned to believe that success follows a predictable trajectory of increasing achievement and personal fulfillment. But for Christians who desire to lead more faithfully, our expectations for life and leadership must come from what God says about us, about our calling, and about his kingdom. In this episode of Th...

In a culture obsessed with numerical growth and expansion, Christian leaders often measure success by the size of their congregation, budget, or influence. But for believers who desire to lead with integrity and purpose, we must reframe our leadership goals with a different question in mind: "What are we measuring, and why?" In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin wel...

In a culture that celebrates the pursuit of “more,” we’re taught that success is measured by the accumulation of wealth. But for Christians who desire to lead their families, churches, or organizations well, we must commit to a different teaching: “You cannot serve both God and money.” In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin welcomes Bob Doll, CEO and Chief Investment Officer...

To whom have you given your loyalty? Who is loyal to you? A hallmark of modern leadership is the demand for unquestioning loyalty—loyalty to the boss, loyalty to the organization, loyalty to the vision.  But when loyalty is demanded instead of inspired, it can quietly become a weapon of control that quashes dissent, silences the vulnerable, and enables abuse.  And misplaced loyalties can create ha...

What if your desire to “get it right” is the very thing preventing you from doing what God wants to do through you? We often cling to perfection because we fear loss. However, transformation and leading through change always demand it. In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin welcomes Tod Bolsinger, leadership expert, professor, and author of the new Practicing Change Series ,...

What if the influence you’re chasing is costing you a more valuable, eternal reward? In a culture obsessed with instant likes, applause, and relevance, many leaders are settling for temporary honor instead of eagerly seeking God’s praise.  In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin sits down with Christine Caine—speaker, author, activist, and founder of A21, Propel Women, and Eq...

Have you ever caught yourself craving applause more than God’s praise? In a culture that thrives on followers, likes, and platforms, it’s dangerously easy to let our egos take the lead.  But what if leadership was never meant to be about who sees you, but about how you radically serve others? What if true authority isn’t marked by the applause you receive from people, but by the joy you receive fr...

True power isn’t about control—it’s about surrender. When the world demands dominance, Jesus calls us to be servants, people who are a witness to God’s power by the way we live in “with-ness” with others. In this first episode of the sixth season of The Disrupters podcast, Hosanna Wong joins host Nicole Martin to tackle one of the most common leadership idols: Power. Wong is an international speak...

The world is undergoing a crisis of leadership. Traditional models of leadership are no longer serving institutions and their constituents well. Leaders need new, innovative paradigms to counter the status quo and to serve their organizations. In season six of The Disrupters , host Nicole Massie Martin, IVP author and chief operating officer at Christianity Today, reveals healthy leadership disrup...

Today is the day after the U.S. presidential election. As the results are being announced, we come together to pause and reflect on the truth about our calling to love God and love people in the neighborhoods, towns, and cities in which we live. In these three bonus episodes of the fifth season of The Disrupters , host Miranda Zapor Cruz asks the question, "What does it mean to disrupt ourselv...

Today is the day of the U.S. presidential election. While we wait for the results to be counted, we come together to pause and reflect on the truth about our ultimate hope in the return of our eternal king, Jesus Christ. In these three bonus episodes of the fifth season of The Disrupters , host Miranda Zapor Cruz asks the question, "What does it mean to disrupt ourselves—and the noise?" du...

Today is the day before the U.S. presidential election. Before we vote, we come together to pause and reflect on the truth about who we are and whose we are in Jesus Christ. In these three bonus episodes of the fifth season of The Disrupters , host Miranda Zapor Cruz asks the question, "What does it mean to disrupt ourselves—and the noise?" during an election season? Join Miranda as she of...

For some, engaging in politics looks like watching particular cable news or social media networks and then amplifying whatever voices align with their own particular values or biases. But perhaps the key to healthy political engagement isn’t about spending time watching C-SPAN, but instead is about focusing on the people we are becoming. In this last episode of season 5 of The Disrupters , Kaitlyn...

When surrounded by all the needs in the world, people can become overwhelmed and paralyzed to even begin to engage politically if at all. But instead of thinking about every issue to engage in, perhaps the way forward is to find areas of deep focus and personal interest. In this fascinating dive into the convergence of personal faith and public life, host Kaitlyn Schiess welcomes Kathryn Freeman,...

The impact of empire has far-reaching implications for the church, the nation, and the world. Even Christians who would claim that the kingdom of heaven is the only true ultimate rule and reign can find themselves complicit in supporting and furthering the empires of our current age. Former presidential candidate Mark Charles wanted to show a different way forward, using the political process to s...