All Things

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Online All The Time: Applying Christian Wisdom to our Digital Connection with Samuel James Sep 14, 2023

Show notes

In 1997 only about 1 in 5 American adults had been on the internet in the last three months. Today, over 85% are online every single day and 30% say they’re almost constantly online. On average we check our phone every 12 minutes and a large portion of us check ours right when we wake up.

This is a massive shift for humanity over the span of just one generation. Implications are sweeping with everything from increased loneliness despite connectivity, increased depression and self-harm amongst teens, and increased rage and division amongst all of us. Our digital connectivity is shaping our hearts, minds, souls, relationships, and lives.

As Christians, though, we have access to the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God to help us apply wisdom to our time online. Listen in to this helpful conversation with Samuel James, tech-realist and author of Digital Liturgies. Samuel doesn’t offer any quick, pat answers, but he does help us think deeply about our online engagement.

Episode sponsor:

Crossway: www.crossway.org/plus

Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James: https://www.crossway.org/books/digital-liturgies-tpb/

Samuel James:

Digital Liturgies: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age by Samuel James: https://www.crossway.org/books/digital-liturgies-tpb/

On Substack: https://www.digitalliturgies.net/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/samueld_james

Resources on this episode:

Most data cited is directly from Digital Liturgies.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171773181/social-media-teens-mental-health

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/14/the-lost-art-of-concentration-being-distracted-in-a-digital-world#

Suffering is the Source of Joy: A Conversation with Joni Eareckson Tada Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

"No one is immune to suffering. It’s a part of life on this side of heaven, and yet we do all we can to avoid it, numb it, or end it. We in the West have a poor theology and practice of suffering.

On this first episode of the fall 2023 season of All Things, we are joined by Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni is a well-known author, speaker, and advocate who became a quadriplegic over fifty-six years ago as the result of a tragic diving accident when she was just seventeen. She is CEO of Joni and Friends, a global ministry that serves the practical and spiritual needs of people with disabilities. She is also an artist and the author of numerous bestselling books.

Joni reminds us that joy comes through suffering. Her personal stories and practical advice teach us to persevere through pain, fixing our eyes on our Savior, the Man of Sorrows who knows what it is to suffer. This episode is packed with scriptural truth and will minister to all who are weary. Listen, be encouraged, and share with someone you know.

Episode sponsor:

Crossway: crossway.org/plus

Impossible Christianity: Why Following Jesus Does Not Mean You Have to Change the World, Be an Expert in Everything, Accept Spiritual Failure, and Feel Miserable Pretty Much All the Time by Kevin DeYoung: https://www.crossway.org/books/impossible-christianity-hcj/

Joni Eareckson Tada:

Joni & Friends - Sharing Hope Through Hardship: https://joniandfriends.org/

Songs of Suffering: 25 Hymns and Devotions for Weary Souls by Joni Eareckson Tada: https://www.crossway.org/books/songs-of-suffering-hconly/

Resources from this episode:

Cultural Counterfeits by Jen Oshman (information on assisted suicide and abortion were drawn from chapter 4): https://www.crossway.org/books/cultural-counterfeits-tpb/

https://www.pewresearch.org/interactives/in-their-own-words-how-americans-explain-why-bad-things-happen/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/397286/poor-life-ratings-reach-record-high.aspx#:~:text=Since reaching a record high,estimated 14 million American adults.

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-use-disorder-aud-united-states-age-groups-and-demographic-characteristics

https://drugabusestatistics.org/

https://wng.org/roundups/states-remove-protections-from-assisted-suicide-1690922301

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/reflections-on-50th-anniversary-of-my-diving-accident/

Let's Go Barbie! A Christian Conversation & Critique of the Barbie Movie Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

Thanks for listening to this Bonus Episode of All Things! Jen is joined by Dr. Christina Crenshaw to discuss the blockbuster Barbie movie, which hit theaters just last weekend. If you’ve already seen it and you’re eager to process it with some girlfriends through a theological lens, this is the conversation for you! Or, if you haven’t seen it, but you’re curious what all the hype is about, we can fill you in. We’re talking feminism, masculinity (or emasculation), motherhood, gender roles and norms, Biblical imagery, Creator and creation, visions of the good life, visits to the gynecologist, and more.

Leave us a comment and tell us what you thought of the movie! We know the opinions out there are limitless!

https://www.drchristinacrenshaw.com/

https://www.jenoshman.com/

Episode 124: With Laura Wifler: People with Disabilities: Seeing What’s Different, Seeing What’s the Same Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

The conversation surrounding disabilities and people with disabilities is evolving and confusing in the West. On the one hand, we see record numbers of abortions due to parents being afraid or unwilling to bring a child with disabilities into the world. For example 67% of children who *may* have down syndrome are aborted in the United States. On the other hand, conversations about inclusion and access are at an all time high. Do we as a culture value and want to include people with disabilities or are we more eager to end their lives and exclude them from our narratives?

This is a complex conversation and I’m so glad my friend and author Laura Wifler joined me for it. Laura is known for her role at Risen Motherhood, which she founded along with her sister-in-law Emily Jensen, as well as their book and podcast by the same name. Most recently, though, Laura wrote a children’s book called “Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God’s Image in Every Person.”

As a culture, and even as Christian churches and individual followers of Jesus, it seems we are wrestling with whether we are an inclusive or exclusive people. Do we embrace difference or reject it? Do we truly value people with disabilities or do we see serving them as a good deed to accomplish?

Laura helps us to think through all of this, as well as God’s sovereignty, his goodness in the way he makes each person, what it’s like to receive a disability diagnosis as a parent, how to genuinely care for families that include members with disabilities, how to take life one day at a time, what’s waiting for us in heaven, and more. We even discuss whether we should be saying “person with special needs” or “person with disabilities.”

This is a rich conversation including personal stories colliding with cultural trends. I hope you’ll listen and share it with others.

Resources:

Like Me: A Story About Disability and Discovering God’s Image in Every Person by Laura Wifler: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780736985758/like-me

Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments by Laura Wifler and Emily Jensen: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780736976220/risen-motherhood-hardback

You can keep in touch with Laura here: https://laurawifler.com/

Heaven by Randy Alcorn: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780842379427/heaven-hardback

Episode 123: With Dan Darling: When Division is Incentivized May 25, 2023

Show notes

One major reason unity in our nation, families, and churches is so fragile is because division and cynicism have been incentivized. We all stand to gain a lot when we retreat to our own corners and tribes.

It’s easier to sit in an echo chamber and be told you are right than to wrestle with different perspectives.

Less gracious, more extreme opinions get more clicks, followers, and campaign donations.

It costs us nothing to think ill of the other side, create caricatures, and retreat—but it costs us a lot to move toward one another.

Division pays, but unity requires sacrifice.

On this episode of All Things I’m talking with Daniel Darling, a cultural commentator, author, pastor, and professor, who regularly appears in mainstream media to talk about current events and trends through a Christian lens (you know that’s my fave).

Dan and I talk about:

- Why we bother engaging in culture anyway—especially when it can be costly personally and professionally.

- Why 2020 was such a watershed moment for division amongst Americans.

- How some issues are worth dividing over, but most are not.

- How it’s costly, but so worth it, to fight for unity.

- How Christians will indeed be judged by the outside by how well we love one another on the inside.

- How you and I can determine to be people who fight cynicism and move toward unity.

- How God’s best days are not behind him. He is at work here and now.

- We are called to go (Great Commission) and we are called to love (Great Commandment) and with God’s help, every Christian really can do both!

In a world of cynicism and division, be a hopeful stayer. This conversation is so helpful and encouraging!

Resources mentioned in the episode:

How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics in a Divided Age, by Jonathan Leeman: https://amzn.to/3otDdC1

Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? by Tim Keller: https://amzn.to/3BUb7mA

Agents of Grace: How to Bridge Divides and Love as Jesus Loved, by Daniel Darling: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780310366324/agents-of-grace-paperback

A Way with Words: Using Our Online Conversations for Good, by Daniel Darling: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781535995368/a-way-with-words-paperback

The Dignity Revolution: Reclaiming God's Rich Vision for Humanity, by Daniel Darling: https://amzn.to/3oBDh2u

Keep in touch with Dan Darling at https://danieldarling.com/

With Jamie Finn: Jesus’s Heart is Not Just for the Children: A Deeper Approach to Foster Care May 18, 2023

Show notes

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month and there is so much missing in our national and church conversations when it comes to foster care. I’m loving this chance to increase my own awareness and yours on this episode of All Things. Jamie Finn, who wrote Foster the Family, and runs an organization by the same name, joins me today to talk about all the parties involved in foster care.

Jamie says her perspective and understanding of foster care has changed so much in the past 10 years, during which her family has welcomed home 30 foster children. Her heart used to break only for the children, she says, but her eyes have been opened wide to the burdens and plights of the moms and dads who find themselves having to hand their children over to CPS. Jamie’s heart now breaks for everyone involved and she seeks to do the good, hard, messy gospel work of coming alongside the child’s entire biological family. She preaches us a good word over and over on this episode, so I hope you’ll listen!

This episode is not just for foster parents. It’s for anyone who wants to live a life of meaning and sacrifice and follow Jesus in carrying the cross he has for you. While it’s certainly informative about the breadth of foster care, it will encourage your soul wherever God has you. Have a listen and share with your friends. We all need this truth!

Recommended resources:

Jamie Finn’s ministry: https://www.fosterthefamily.org/

Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent by Jamie Finn: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781540901866/foster-the-family-paperback

Jamie Finn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fosterthefamilyblog/

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781601422217/radical-paperback?affiliate=jenoshman

Episode 121: With Chelsea Sobolik: Seeing Every Kind of Woman on Mother’s Day May 11, 2023

Show notes

Mother’s Day is this weekend in the United States and for most of us that means celebration mingled with some kind of grief. Many women are childless for a variety of reasons: infertility, miscarriage, child loss, they made an adoption plan, they chose abortion, they never married, and more. The reasons are varied and complex and the weight of that is felt especially on Mother’s Day.

Motherhood is a beautiful and worthwhile gift. We celebrate it and praise the Lord for it! At the same time, we acknowledge that our society and our churches often fall woefully short when it comes to conversations and beliefs about motherhood and children.

Chelsea Patterson Sobolik joins us on All Things today to discuss all of this, as well as the intrinsic worth of women no matter their story regarding children. Chelsea is uniquely situated for this conversation because of her own story, plus her years of writing about and advocating for both women and children. She is herself an adoptee and an adoptive mom, at the age of nineteen she learned she could never have biological children, and she works daily on behalf of vulnerable women and children. Her perspective is both deep and wide when it comes to womanhood, motherhood, children, and the worth and dignity of every human life.

This episode will benefit you if:

- You ever wondered what a woman’s role or worth is if she has no children.

- You or someone you love experiences childlessness for any reason.

- You are a friend or ministry leader to women who suffer grief on Mother’s Day and you don’t know what to say.

- You suffer for any reason and you’re looking for hope.

- You struggle to reconcile your losses with a loving God.

- You need a hopeful vision for your future.

Recommended Resources:

Longing For Motherhood: Holding On to Hope in the Midst of Childlessness by Chelsea Patterson Sobolik: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780802416124/longing-for-motherhood-paperback?affiliate=jenoshman

Waiting In Hope: 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertility by Kelley Ramsey and Jenn Hesse: https://amzn.to/42meyxS

Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More by Jen Oshman: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781433576324/cultural-counterfeits-paperback

Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780736976220/risen-motherhood-hardback

Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God by Gloria Furman: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781433552274/missional-motherhood-paperback

Follow Chelsea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseasobolik/

Episode 120: With Curtis Yee: How Not to be a White Tourist this AAPI Month May 04, 2023

Show notes

Obviously one 30-minute podcast episode to commemorate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is not sufficient—but I’m hoping you’ll tune in to at least get the month going. On this episode I am joined by my friend and journalist Curtis Yee. Curtis regularly contributes to Christianity Today and Sojourners, as well as other outlets, covering a breadth of topics including Asian American culture, church, and mental health. This conversation is a great introduction to all of that!

Curtis and I talk about:

- The origination of the term Asian American

- The history, distinctiveness, and function of the Asian American church

- What it’s like to move between Asian American church and contexts and the broader American context—burdens, joys, unique experiences.

- How journalism and media affect how we all understand Asian Americans (This is the white tourism part of our convo—so interesting! Don’t be a white tourist this month.)

- The challenges of investigating mental health in Asian American contexts and churches.

Pursue further reading and resources this month! Checkout Curtis Yee’s articles below, as well as a few books and ideas he recommends.

Keep up with Curtis Yee, Journalist here: https://curtisfyee.carrd.co/

Articles by Curtis Yee at Christianity Today:

Asian American Theologian: Our ‘Culture’ Is Not to Blame: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/april-web-only/asian-american-theology-trauma-mental-health-daniel-lee.html

At Gracepoint Ministries, ‘Whole-Life Discipleship’ Took Its Toll: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/gracepoint-berkland-asian-american-church-discipleship.html

Cru Divided Over Emphasis on Race: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/june/cru-divided-over-emphasis-on-race.html

Other recommended resources:

The Making of Asian America: A History, by Erika Lee: https://amzn.to/3TJfXLi

Off the Pulpit - A podcast hosted by three Korean American pastors, often about the AA church, but also about the American church in general: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/off-the-pulpit/id1530814844

The Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC) seeks to encourage, equip, and empower Asian American Christians and friends of our community to follow Christ holistically. We are committed to amplifying the voices, issues, and histories of Asian Americans in the church and society at large. While the Asian American community is extremely diverse and we cannot speak for every individual and perspective, we aim to spotlight and celebrate the Asian American Christian community as inclusively as possible: https://www.asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com/

Stay True: A Memoir, by Hua Hsu: https://amzn.to/3TP9hLR

Crying in H-Mart: A Memoir, by Michelle Zauner: https://amzn.to/3z5olLR

Episode 119: With Dr. Derwin Gray: How God’s Plan for a Multiethnic Family Can Heal our Racial Divide Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

Not a week goes by that the US isn’t rattled by a racially-charged news story. Just last week we reeled and lamented the shooting of young Ralph Yarl, a black teen boy who went to the wrong address in Kansas City to pick up his young brothers.

It’s tempting to think such headlines have nothing to do with us, or that we as individuals have nothing to offer our national strife. Christians especially might want to shrink back from the conversation, not wanting to become too political. The racial distance and even division we see in our Christian communities testifies that ethnic unity is not a high priority for us as a whole.

Dr. Derwin Gray, a pastor of a multiethnic church in North Carolina and author of How to Heal Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and the First Christians Knew, About Racial Reconciliation, says pastors and seminaries have failed to disciple our generation of Christ followers when it comes to God’s Word and our diversity.

Dr. Gray says, “In western christianity we've turned the gospel into 'Jesus died for your sins and you can go to heaven when you die.’ The gospel is more than simply saving individuals. It's saving individuals who are of different ethnicities to bring them into a family… What we've done in America is we've made a package of ‘here's how you can go to heaven when you die’ versus ‘how do we become the redeemed new people of God for all time.’”

On this episode of All Things we’re diving into both the Bible and culture when it comes to ethnic unity and disunity. Dr. Gray refuses to be siloed into one political camp or the other. Rather, his insight and comments are nuanced and laser-focused on the Kingdom of Jesus.

We talk about:

- Derwin Gray’s fascinating life story: how he played football at BYU and then the NFL, how he came to Jesus, his rigorous theological pursuits, and how he—a chronic stutterer—came to establish multiethnic megachurch with his wife in Charlotte, North Carolina.

- How our vertical reconciliation to God requires our horizontal reconciliation to all people.

- How the Bible is saturated with God’s plan for a multiethnic family.

- How there are indeed demonic powers at work in the world, seeking to keep us divided.

- The cost and joy of pursuing multiethnic ministry.

- Identity in Christ alone, especially when you preach against the cultural grain.

- How to respond to the shooting of Ralph Yarl—you might be surprised by the multifaceted response Dr. Gray gives here. Like I said, he refuses to be siloed and I really appreciate that!

- The benefits of detoxing from media and social media and feasting instead on God’s Word.

- How the church of Jesus is over 2,000 years old and political parties are new and temporary. Let’s be rooted in what will last forever!

Recommended Resources:

How to Heal Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and the First Christians Knew, about Racial Reconciliation by Dr. Derwin L. Gray: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781496458803/how-to-heal-our-racial-divide-hardback

https://www.derwinlgray.com/

Episode 118: With Christina Crenshaw: When Bio Males go into Spaces Hard-Won by Females, Girls Lose Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Christina Crenshaw has a long history of writing, speaking, and working to protect women. What began as work in the anti-trafficking sphere, has evolved into speaking out in defense of women and girls and female spaces. Dr. Crenshaw has endured a lot of online heat and hate for her solid stance that females deserve their own spaces, but her reasoning, strength, and views are based not only on a Biblical worldview, but also biology and plenty of data. On this episode of All Things she offers us so much common sense, wisdom, experience, and commitment to a worldview and practice that protects everyone. I so value her balanced perspective, grace, and nuance. You will hear both grace and truth in this conversation!

If you are concerned about gender identity and spaces, please listen in. Dr. Crenshaw and I talk about:

-The history of feminism —the good and bad of all four waves.

-The impact (good and bad) of critical theory.

-Cancel culture and personally enduring online threats.

-How we need not/should not look for a fight, but engage wisely when these issues impact us, our families, or our communities personally.

-Acknowledging that our fight is not against flesh and blood and it’s not personal—we must engage prayer, God’s Word, and God’s strength.

-The risk and harm girls endure when biological males are allowed into their bathrooms, prisons, shelters, and sports.

-The shifting tide and trends in the UK and how that may be on the horizon for the US.

-Reasons for hope and practical ideas for moving forward.

Recommended Resources:

Dr. Christina Crenshaw on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.christinacrenshaw/

Dr. Christina Crenshaw on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrenshawPhD

What God Has to Say about Our Bodies by Sam Allberry: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781433570155/what-god-has-to-say-about-our-bodies-paperback

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel by Christopher Yuan: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9780735290914/holy-sexuality-and-the-gospel-paperback

God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Gender Identity? By Andrew T Walker: https://us.10ofthose.com/product/9781784986940/god-and-the-transgender-debate-2nd-edition-paperback?affiliate=jenoshman

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters by Abigail Shrier: https://amzn.to/3nJ0wqI

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