Winsome Conviction

On today’s episode, Tim speaks with psychologists Liz Hall (Ph. D.) and Erin Smith (Ph. D.) on how emotions shape perspectives on science, including new scientific technologies. Hall and Smith point to research that indicates emotions are some of the main features causing problems in dialogues between science and religious beliefs and values, and gaining understanding around emotions might help to...

Tim Milosch (Ph. D.) joins today’s episode for another edition of Report From The Front, conversations with people who are doing it right, to speak with Tim and Rick about his work with Braver Angels , a non-profit dedicated to political depolarization. They discuss the function and benefits of parliamentary procedure - What is it? How to practice it? They discuss how roles like “the chair” and ha...

How do friends who hold differing views of religion and faith maintain a friendship? How do friends handle central and fundamental disagreements about God and faith? On today’s episode, Tim speaks with two such friends - Andrew Reid, professor at Brigham Young University, and Greg Johnson, founder of Standing Together, a bridge-building ministry focused on LDS/Evangelical dialogues. Over the cours...

Undergraduate students have a thirst for interfaith conversations. So this past spring professors and students from Brigham Young University traveled to Southern California to engage in meaningful conversations and build relationships with professors and students from Biola University. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Andy Reid, associate professor of religious understanding and church history...

On today’s episode, political commentator, author, and attorney Denise Gitsham speaks with Tim about some major themes in her book, Politics for People Who Hate Politics . Through a series of personal anecdotes and stories, they discuss some of the challenges to being winsome and loving in our current political climate, especially when you’re being steamrolled by the opposition. They discuss the f...

On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Michael Wear, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life and author of the book, The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life , on features of Christian faithfulness and civic engagement. Michael talks about his role as a faith advisor in the White House during the Obama administration, and they discuss...

Stephen Lloyd-Moffett, professor of Religious Studies at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, is also a campus moderator for the Veritas Forum, a non-profit organization that seeks to help students on college campuses explore truth in dialogue across religious beliefs. On today's episode, Tim, Rick and Stephen consider: What makes for a good moderator when disagreem...

On today’s episode, Stephen Lloyd-Moffett, professor of Religious Studies at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, speaks with Tim and Rick about the deeply human tendency to search for meaning in religious experience. Stephen shares a story from his younger years that would set him off on a vocational path of religious scholarship. The three then spend time discussing wh...

Today’s episode is a collaborative effort with the Think Biblically podcast, where Scott and Tim speak with Rev. Chris Brooks on the meaning of Dr. King’s legacy and some of its implications for institutions, churches, and individuals today.  Show notes and a full transcript are available .

Preston Sprinkle (Ph. D.), good friend of Biola University and The Winsome Conviction Project, knows that being a public figure comes with a cost. Preston joins today’s episode to reflect with Tim and Rick on the times he has been critiqued and what it is like to be called out as heretic. They discuss the importance of accurately representing someone’s views when offering a critique, the kinds of...

Although trends show declines in church attendance, Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin (Ph. D. Cambridge University) believes we are living in an evangelistically pregnant time. Rebecca is back on the podcast to speak with Tim about this cultural moment and the need to learn from Jesus - his manner of living and his teaching, including the parable of the sower, to help cultivate a consistent, Christian ethic....

Dr. Preston Sprinkle (Ph. D.) joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick on the work he's doing to help foster civil, thoughtful, and faithful disagreements on contentious issues. Preston unpacks some of the motivations with his wildly popular Theology in the Raw podcast, and they also discuss the Theology in the Raw conference - an annual conference where people of differing views come...

Special guest Tim Milosch (Ph. D.) joins today’s podcast to speak with Tim and Rick on the multifaceted phenomenon of Christian Nationalism. They cover questions including: What is Christian Nationalism? Why has it been important and garnered so much attention? Who are the kinds of people who identify with this cultural phenomenon? What are some of the confusions around Christian Nationalism? And...

We like to do segments that highlight people who are doing civility right, and it’s pretty special when we see Biola students who are doing it right. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with one of his students, Markus, who is also a film major at Biola. Markus wrote and directed a short film, “ Halfway ,” that addresses the animosity and reconciliation between two families, Israeli and Palestinian. Ti...

On today’s episode, Rachel Gilson speaks with Tim about sexuality, same-sex attraction, and living faithfully as a follower of Jesus. The conversation dips into Rachel’s journey in coming to faith, being attracted to the same-sex and yet choosing to follow the Bible’s teaching on sexuality, considerations of sexuality for discipleship, and what the Church is doing well and not doing well with tran...

We regularly host episodes speaking with people who are doing civility right. These “Reports From The Front” provide insights and illustrations from people who are practicing civility and conviction in the day to day. On this episode, Tim and Mark Muha, Vice President for Student Development at Biola University, reflect on a recent learning experience they went through that involved engaging their...

Dr. Rebecca McLaughlin (Ph. D. Cambridge University) joins today's episode to speak with Tim on how to engage challenging questions and challenging people. Through the course of the conversation they consider such questions as: How can persuasion be an act of love? When can challenging a person’s belief be a sign of respect? What are the telltale signs that someone is listening to you? And wh...

Chris McKinney, co-author of the book Neighborhoods Reimagined , is back on the podcast to speak with Tim and Mike on the surprising relevance of the beatitudes for being better neighbors. They also talk about a litmus test for gauging individualism, the challenges of “having time,” and Chris shares stories on the role of food in bringing people together, including a food event they creatively cal...

Recent surveys say less than half of Americans trust their neighbors. What might be some of the reasons for this erosion of trust? On today’s episode, Chris McKinney, co-author of the book Neighborhoods Reimagined , speaks with Tim and Mike on some of factors contributing to healthy and unhealthy neighborly relations, and they discuss the surprising relevance of the beatitudes. Chris also shares s...

The presidential election is about to happen, so Tim and Rick take time on this episode to reflect on our cultural moment. They share ideas for having perspective, provide tips for speaking with people who are affiliated with another political party, and emphasize the need for the Church to preserve her integrity regardless of the candidate who becomes president elect. Show notes and a full transc...

Do people even want to engage in civil discourse? How does myside bias keep us from engaging others? On today’s episode, Mike and Tim discuss these questions and more as they discuss some of the motivations in writing End the Stalemate: Move Past Cancel Culture to Meaningful Conversations , a recently published book that Tim co-authored with Sean McDowell. Show notes and a full transcript are avai...

Mike Ahn (Ph. D.), Dean of Spiritual Development at Biola University, is also a new co-director with the Winsome Conviction Project, and we wanted to give you a chance you learn a bit about Mike on this episode. Tim and Mike play two truths and a lie; Mike talks about the role of spiritual formation for helping to foster civility; and they dig into some of the projects on campus Mike is leading th...

Why are we experiencing so much polarization in culture? A common answer is social media. But what is some of the reasoning on how social media contributes to polarization? Today on the episode, Tim and Rick speak with Michael Whitenton (Ph. D.) about three types of polarization that social media incites - ideological, perceived, and affective. Michael also talks about the books and resources he u...

Radio host and pastor Bob Lepine is back on the podcast to speak with Tim and Rick about notable changes in our cultural communication since late 1970’s, including changes in our cultural tone. They discuss the loss of common ground, the dangers of one-sided winsomeness, how to engage fellow Christians with whom we disagree, and a significant communication pattern with Jesus and the Apostle Paul i...

What are our expectations for rules of engagement in building a healthy democracy? What shared commitments can we make in our civic aspirations? At the heart of answers to these questions is the issue of pluralism, which was one of the founding creeds of the United States for helping to live peaceably and with civility despite deeply engrained differences. John Inazu, professor of law and religion...