The Natasha Crain Podcast

Latest Episodes:

23. Who Are You to Judge?...and Other Claims That Christians Are Arrogant Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

Jesus wants us to be humble, but we can misunderstand the nature of that humility and start to believe the world’s claims that we’re being arrogant about things that we’re not being arrogant about. In this episode, I walk you through how to respond to charges of moral arrogance ("Who are you to judge?"), epistemic arrogance ("Who are you to be so confident that you know what’s true better than others?"), and biblical arrogance (“Who are you to think your biblical interpretation is better than mine…or anyone else's?”).
Mentioned in the episode:
Unshaken Conference: https://unshakenconference.com/
Unshaken Faith Podcast with Alisa Childers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unshaken-faith/id1657921515
My apologetics books: https://natashacrain.com/books/
My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/

22. What's Wrong with Bethel Church and the NAR Movement? with Holly Pivec Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets today. Some churches associated with those teachings have even become household names—you’ve probably heard of the widely influential Bethel Church, for example. But are NAR teachings consistent with the historic Christian faith? That's the question my guest today, Holly Pivec, seeks to answer in her new book, Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church, which she co-authored with Biola professor Douglas Geivett.
Holly is a blogger, author, and speaker, as well as a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom. She has a master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University. She has coauthored three books about the New Apostolic Reformation and writes a popular blog, which you can read at hollypivec.com.
Connect with Holly: www.hollypivec.com
Order Counterfeit Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Counterfeit-Kingdom-Revelation-Prophets-Practices/dp/1087757495
My books:

Faithfully Different: https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291/
Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Jesus/dp/080107553X
Talking with Your Kids about God: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Conversations/dp/0801075521
Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Kids-Gods-Side/dp/0736965084

Connect with me:

Website and Blog: https://www.natashacrain.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NatashaCrainAuthor

21. How Secular Wisdom Fails with Alisa Childers Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

In today’s secular culture, there is a lot of popular-level wisdom that passes as self-evident truth we should all just accept--statements like live your truth; you are enough; authenticity is everything; God just wants you to be happy; you shouldn’t judge. These are claims about reality that sound good…but are they really good when we define good by the standard of God’s Word?

In today’s show, I’m welcoming back my friend Alisa Childers to talk about the lies we hear in culture and how secular wisdom so often fails. That’s the subject of her brand new book, Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed.

Connect with Alisa at https://alisachilders.com/.
Grab her new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Your-Truth-Other-Lies/dp/1496455665
My books:

Faithfully Different: https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291/
Talking with Your Kids about Jesus: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Jesus/dp/080107553X
Talking with Your Kids about God: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Conversations/dp/0801075521
Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Kids-Gods-Side/dp/0736965084

Connect with me on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/

20. What Is a Biblical Worldview? with Dr. George Barna Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

If you have followed my content for any amount of time in the last year, you have heard me talk repeatedly about the jarring statistics related to the shrinking percent of Americans who have a biblical worldview. I’ve written and talked about a lot of different studies and numbers, but two of the most pertinent data points are these: 65% of Americans self identify as Christians, but research on people’s actual beliefs and behavior shows that only about 6% have a biblical worldview. This huge gap has numerous implications for the church today.

But how exactly do researchers define a biblical worldview? How do they get to that 6% estimate? In this episode, I get into all the details with Dr. George Barna, who is the Director of Research for Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
2017 Worldview study conducted by the Barna Group and Summit Ministries: https://www.barna.com/research/competing-worldviews-influence-todays-christians/
Research on "syncretism" as top worldview in America:
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2021/04/13/vast-majority-of-americans-stitch-together-patchwork-worldview-of-conflicting-beliefs-making-syncretism-top-worldview-among-u-s-adults/
Newest research data on the worldview of pastors:
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CRC_AWVIRelease_07_Digital.pdf
Sign up for research updates from the Cultural Research Center:
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/culturalresearchcenter/latest-research/

19. The Homelessness Crisis from a Biblical Perspective with Bryan Crain Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

There is a crisis of homelessness happening across the country, and many Christians wonder what can and should be done. This is an important question because not all attempts at helping the homeless are equally beneficial nor are they equally consistent with a biblical worldview. Bryan Crain, Chief Operating Officer of the Orange County Rescue Mission, joins me to discuss what helping the homeless looks like from a biblical worldview perspective, how that compares to secular homeless program models (such as "housing first"), and takes a variety of questions about homelessness submitted by my podcast listeners online. (Bryan also happens to be my husband!) If you've ever wondered how to help the homeless you pass by on the streets, this is an episode not to miss.
MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM): https://www.rescuemission.org/
Video from OCRM graduation (includes several stories of graduates): https://www.rescuemission.org/video/2021-fall-graduation-orange-county-rescue-mission/
Directory of Gospel Rescue Missions nationwide: https://www.citygatenetwork.org/agrm/Locate_a_Mission.asp
Donate to OCRM: https://www.rescuemission.org/give-now/

Recommended books:

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
Toxic Charity by Robert Lupton

18. How Mainstream Media Gaslights Christians Aug 03, 2022

Show notes

Not only is mainstream media no longer trying to be objective, but they’re also openly advocating for specific viewpoints. And not only are they openly advocating for specific viewpoints, but they’re also strategically manipulating public thought. In this episode, I break down five implicit messages that mainstream media trumpets to push culture toward a uniformity of thought that's nearly always at odds with a Christian worldview.
Mentioned in this episode:
My newest book, Faithfully Different: https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291
My article, "Are Christians the New Extremists? Yes, and That's Okay" (also available in podcast form): https://natashacrain.com/are-christians-the-new-extremists-yes-and-thats-okay/
AP Stylebook for covering transgender issues: https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent#transgender
The Alliance Defending Freedom: https://adflegal.org/
Abigail Shrier's must-read book, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters https://www.amazon.com/Irreversible-Damage-Transgender-Seducing-Daughters/dp/168451228X/
Fact-Checking 6 Claims about Life After Roe v. Wade: https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/07/28/fact-checking-6-claims-about-life-after-roe-v-wade
My last podcast on "Why Christians Must Care about Politics": https://natashacrain.com/why-christians-must-care-about-politics/

17. Why Christians Must Care About Politics Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

There are few things more controversial than whether Christians should be involved with politics, and if so, to what degree and how that involvement should happen. In this episode, I break down two basic premises for thinking well about this subject:
1. Christians have the right, politically speaking, to advocate for our views in the public square.
2. Christians have the calling, spiritually speaking, to advocate for the good of others.
I then respond to seven problematic ideas on the topic found in Pastor Andy Stanley's new book, "Not In It to Win It." (To be clear, these are problems I believe there are with what he wrote, not problems he is presenting.)

16. How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God with Frank Turek May 02, 2022

Show notes

My guest today is the best-selling author and nationally known speaker Dr. Frank Turek. Frank has a fascinating new book out called Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God. Hollywood Heroes shows how our culture's favorite movie heroes are patterned after the ultimate hero—Jesus of Nazareth— and how the stories we see played out on the big screen parallel the real-world fight between good and evil. This is a unique and powerful book for starting faith conversations with people you may otherwise have trouble engaging with...especially teens! In this episode, we walk through examples from the book, show how they can be used to initiate conversations, and discuss the importance of Christians engaging with culture.
Mentioned in the show:

Frank's website: CrossExamined.org
Frank's radio broadcast with Pastor Jack Hibbs on California bill AB-2223: https://crossexamined.org/jack-hibbs-vs-infanticide/
For more on AB-2223, see this brief article from Focus on the Family: https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/california-legislation-would-decriminalize-killing-newborns/
Hollywood Heroes information and purchase links: https://hollywoodheroesbook.com/
Information on and application for Cross Examined Instructor Academy: https://crossexamined.org/what-is-cia/
Follow Frank and CrossExamined on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CrossExamined.org), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/drfrankturek/), and YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/CrossExamined).

Evaluating Popular Progressive Christian Ideas with Alisa Childers Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

Author, speaker, and podcaster Alisa Childers joins me to discuss a series of popular ideas found in progressive Christian writings, using the recent bestselling book If God is Love, Don't Be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz as a case study. We explain why each idea is in conflict with a biblical worldview for those who accept the inspiration and authority of the Bible as God's Word.
Mentioned in this episode:
My newly released book, Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture
My Facebook read along group for Faithfully Different
Alisa's book, Another Gospel
Connect with Alisa online:
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Website
Connect with me online:
Facebook
Instagram
Website

Yes, Saturday Night Live is Promoting Abortion in a Clown Outfit Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

This weekend, Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong played a character called Goober the Clown who had an abortion when she was 23 and now talks to people about how normal abortion is in between clown jokes.
Every single one of us should be asking how on earth we, as a culture, have arrived at such a moment.
Here's my answer.
Mentioned in the episode:

Faithfully Different launch team details and application link: https://natashacrain.com/join-the-book-launch-team-for-faithfully-different/
Form to redeem offer for the pre-order bonus of a FREE audiobook for Faithfully Different: https://natashacrain.com/faithfully-different/
Blog post on which this episode is based: https://natashacrain.com/how-culture-got-to-the-point-where-saturday-night-live-is-promoting-abortion-in-a-clown-outfit/
Saturday Night Live skit video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exSZQICbSb8
Carl Trueman's book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Triumph-Modern-Self-Individualism/dp/1433556332

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