Winsome Conviction

Arthur C. Brooks (PhD) joins the podcast to talk about our culture of contempt and how it is contributing to the polarization in America today. What is contempt? How is it different from anger? And how does contempt affect us and our relationships? Do the social sciences and the Bible provide insight on the pitfalls of contempt and how to steer clear from danger? Tim and Arthur discuss these quest...

Tim and Rick continue going back through the archive of episodes on the podcast and highlight ideas, practices and moments with guests that stand out. In this episode, they discuss Shane Hurley's grassroots approach to helping people talk about race (Episode 13, Mar 1, 2021); Russell Moore on issues polarizing the generations in the Church (Episode 38, Feb 14, 2022); Theon Hill on what to do...

To celebrate the 50th episode, Tim and Rick reflect on previous episodes on the podcast and highlight ideas, practices and moments with guests that have left a lasting impression. On this episode, they discuss the argument culture; David French on the dangers of like-mindedness (Episode 5, Nov. 16, 2020); Julia Wood on navigating the complexities of movements and theories (Episode 16-17, beginning...

Tim and Isaac Adams resume the conversation on race and discuss practical insights and advice for the Church when we talk about race. They draw from a fictional shooting in Isaac's book, Talking About Race, to explore ideas and practices for developing biblical conviction and faithful engagement with racial tensions and problems. The conversation also touches on systemic or structural racism,...

It's hard to talk about race, so we're looking to Isaac Adams for help. Isaac Adams is the lead pastor of Ironside City Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and he recently wrote a book on race for Christians. Tim speaks with Isaac about the origins of the book, the significance of narrative, the wisdom in listening and the importance of mutual engagement, and why God's Word should be the...

Tim and Rick have been discussing the practice of hospitable orthodoxy with Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. In this episode, Dr. Prior shares how reading the Great Books have helped her to cultivate a posture of hospitable orthodoxy to those with whom she disagrees. They also dig into the connection between empathy and reading broadly and how reading helps us with the virtues. This is part 3 of a 3-part...

Tim and Rick resume the conversation on "hospitable orthodoxy" with Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. In this episode, they consider examples of people who demonstrate this idea in action and provide us with examples of truth and love working in harmony. They also draw out principles of communicating for when we enter into disagreement. This is part 2 of a 3-part conversation with Dr. Karen Swall...

It can be hard to love someone with whom you disagree, especially when those disagreements involve faith convictions and ideas central to identity. We don't want to abandon truth in our aims to love, but we can also miss the mark by failing to love while holding fast to the truth. Dr. Karen Swallow Prior joins Tim and Rick to discuss issues surrounding love and willingness with disagreement,...

Tim and Rick continue to reflect on lessons they are learning on having healthy communication during moments of passionate disagreement. They consider CS Lewis' notion of "a hallway of faith" as a helpful image for thinking through matters and manners when we disagree, the value of being curious over the desire to be victorious, and the necessity to prepare oneself prior to and outs...

We are two years in with the Winsome Conviction Project, so it's a good time to stop and reflect on lessons we're learning. Tim and Rick share what they are learning on having healthy communication during moments of passionate disagreement. They draw out insights that help prevent disagreement from devolving into a toe-to-toe conflict that harms the relationship. This is part 1 of a 2-pa...

When disasters strike, people tend to put aside their differences and commit to work together to resolve the problem. These moments of crisis are instructive - they reveal our willingness to make "loose connections" with people we otherwise find disagreeable. Tim and Rick discuss times when they have seen parties across lines come together, draw out features that make "loose connect...

We've been talking with Gregg Ten Elshof (PhD) on our need for shame. In this episode, Tim, Rick, and Gregg pick up on notions of honor in order to cultivate a healthy understanding of shame. They discuss the social practice of conferring honor; Gregg unpacks what he means by "white shame"; and they discuss the vital role of the honorable person in helping those who suffer shame bef...

Tim and Rick resume the discussion with Gregg Ten Elshof (PhD) on the topic of shame. In part 2, they pick up on the ways communities influence personal feelings of shame. They discuss the errors we make when addressing acts of "shaming" and the difficulties of knowing how to respond in love when "shaming" takes place. This is part 2 of a 3-part discussion with Gregg Ten Elshof...

Is shame good or bad? In one sense, it is bad. In another sense, according to Gregg Ten Elshof (PhD), author of the recent book For Shame: Rediscovering the Virtues of a Maligned Emotion, a certain kind of shame can be good. Healthy shame provides social benefit and helps to foster virtues such as decency and self-respect. Gregg joins Tim and Rick to talk about shame and contemporary issues surrou...

Dr. Russell Moore (PhD) joins the podcast to speak with Tim and Rick on issues and scandals in our cultural moment that erode trust in Christian leaders and instill cynicism toward the Church and the claims of the Christian faith. Trends toward image maintenance, conspiracy theorizing, and loyalty to the group over loyalty to the truth also undermine faithful witness to the world about the good ne...

Rick and Tim resume the conversation on themes in Tim's newest book, Eyes To See: Recognizing God's Common Grace in an Unsettled World. They look at language, James' words to Christians on how to communicate, the power of gentle words, the danger of negative spirals, and how God's gift of common grace is given throughout creation - to those who profess Jesus as Lord and to thos...

Tim's newest book, Eyes To See: Recognizing God's Common Grace in an Unsettled World, is out. Rick and Tim take up the book's theme of common grace and consider how it impacts topics and issues around winsome conviction. What is common grace? How should we think about divine and human action in this gift? They explore how we can develop eyes to see common grace and skills from commu...

Dr. Theon Hill (PhD) joins Tim and Rick to discuss radical rhetoric: What is it? How is it a form of civic engagement? And when should we use it? They also consider whether the Old Testament prophets were radical rhetoricians, the tensions between the prophetic voice and the winsome voice, how radical rhetoric as a form of engagement is similar to and different from conventional rhetorical approac...

Dr. Theon Hill (PhD) joins Tim and Rick to discuss radical rhetoric: What is it? How is it a form of civic engagement? And when should we use it? They also consider whether the Old Testament prophets were radical rhetoricians, the tensions between the prophetic voice and the winsome voice, how radical rhetoric as a form of engagement is similar to and different from conventional rhetorical approac...

Tim and Rick resume the conversation with Quentin Schultze (PhD) on listening. Manner matters in communication, and they discuss how the habit of giving thanks affects how we communicate with others. They also discuss "spirit preceding technique" and Quentin's "Ouch Principle" to help de-escalate conversations that get hot. This is Part 2 of a 2-part conversation on grace-...

Why is listening so difficult? In today's argument culture, listening is especially difficult, and it often seems as if we have an incapacity to listen. Moreover, embodying qualities of good listening, such as empathy and humility in order to understand another's perspective, are seen as weak or ignorant of the dangers at hand in the conflicts we face. In this episode, Tim and Rick take...

Tim and Rick continue the discussion with Cas Monaco (PhD) on sharing the gospel in modern times. In Part 2 of this discussion, Dr. Monaco shares findings from a 2016 survey on the climate of evangelism in America. Of particular interest, she shares three disheartening findings from this survey on people's perceptions of Christians as being inauthentic, offensive, and unsafe. They then discus...

Tim and Rick speak with Cas Monaco (PhD) on sharing the gospel in modern times. Dr. Monaco's research identifies several behavioral changes Christians can make to help others listen to the gospel and make evangelism winsome. In Part 1 of this discussion, Dr. Monaco shares stories of how the landscape for sharing the gospel has changed; the old approaches aren't working as well as they us...

What assumptions do we pass along to young Christians about what the Christian life is like? And how might we pass along the faith to young Christians in ways that help them foster a faith that endures? Tim and Rick resume the discussion with John Marriott (PhD) on the topic of Christian deconversion. They discuss what parents, pastors, and Christian educators can do to help young Christians throu...

In advance of the upcoming conference, Digital Hope: Reclaiming the Online Public Square, on October 2, 2021 at Biola University, Tim is joined by Dr. Joy Qualls (Associate Dean of Communication Studies at Biola University) to discuss the pains and pressures of online incivility and whether we can be civil in online discourse. Tim and Joy highlights challenges of online discourse and discuss some...