It is comfortable and easy to remain naive and sheltered from the realities of the American criminal justice system. Hearing the stories of those who’ve been wrongfully held and convicted is heartbreaking. Reading the statistics is shocking. In our democratic republic, we must do better. You and I and all citizens have conferred the responsibility to carry out justice to our elected officials, so it’s on us to hold them to an honest standard.

Listen to this episode of All Things to gain a clear understanding of some of our system’s grossest injustices and how you can begin to think, speak, and act for positive change.

"The United States is the world’s largest jailer…accounting for approximately 19% of the world’s prisoners, but only 4.25% of the world’s population… We need an examination of the machinery, not merely the product, of the criminal justice system." - Matt Martens, lawyer and author of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal.

"The important point for the Christian in a democratic system is that, because government officials exercise power that we played a role in giving them, our duty to love carries with it a moral obligation to supervise the exercise of governmental power we conferred…You and I have a political relationship, and thus a moral proximity, to the situation.” - Matt Martens

Many thanks to this season’s sponsor, Crossway! https://www.crossway.org/

Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal by Matt Martens: https://www.crossway.org/books/reforming-criminal-justice-hcj/

Keep up with Matt Martens: https://matthew-martens.com/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/martensmatt1

Do you find yourself grumbling about life, circumstances, work, stress? Are you quick to complain?

Do you have an established routine of giving thanks? Do you know to whom you give thanks and why that matters? What about giving thanks in the midst of a dark trial?

It’s Thanksgiving week and Dustin Crowe and Jen Oshman are diving deep into all of this. We hope you catch this episode before Thanksgiving, but if you don’t, it’ll encourage and equip you anytime of the year!

Stopping a habit of grumbling and cultivating a habit of giving thanks is always a good idea. Not to mention it improves sleep quality, blood pressure, and overall well-being! Who doesn’t want all that? So listen in!

We give thanks to our episode sponsors:

Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/

You're Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches, by Ray Ortlund, Sam Allberry - https://www.crossway.org/books/youre-not-crazy-tpb/

Dwell Differently - https://dwelldifferently.com/

Keep up with author and pastor Dustin Crowe -

On X/Twitter and Instagram - @indycrowe

www.indycrowe.com

The Grumbler's Guide to Giving Thanks: Reclaiming the Gifts of a Lost Spiritual Discipline, by Dustin Crowe - https://amzn.to/47A5Y0L

Data mentioned on this episode: https://coachfoundation.com/blog/gratitude-statistics/#:~:text

“Debates about women’s roles in the church are back in the headlines, but a lot of them leave out a large and important group of American Christians: the Black church.” - Khristi Lauren Adams, author, minister, dean, and advocate.

When we read these first lines of a recent Christianity Today article by Khristi Adams, we knew we wanted to hear more. Why do so many of our conversations about the church or the Evangelical church sideline the wisdom and experience of the Black church?

Khristi Adams graciously joins us this week to talk about church mothers, gender roles, and the wide open arms of the Black church. We barely scratch the surface, but it’s a helpful start to a lengthier conversation that would benefit all Christ followers.

Special Thanks to our Sponsor: Crossway - https://www.crossway.org/

Sunday Matters: 52 Devotionals to Prepare Your Heart for Church by Paul David Tripp - https://www.crossway.org/books/sunday...

Khristi Lauren Adams: https://khristilaurenadams.com/

Pre-Order: Womanish Theology: Discovering God through the Lens of Black Girlhood - https://amzn.to/3QEccFY

Parable of the Brown Girl: The Sacred Lives of Girls of Color - https://amzn.to/3Qzjvif

Unbossed: How Black Girls Are Leading the Way - https://amzn.to/3FWxOIF

Black Girls Unbossed: Young World Changers Leading the Way (for readers ages 9-12) - https://amzn.to/47p34Ma

Resources mentioned in or related to this episode:

The Black Church - from Henry Lewis Gates Jr. - https://www.pbs.org/show/black-church/

Speech given by Jelly Roll when he won best new artist at the CMAs - https://twitter.com/KhristiLauren/sta...

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, by Jemar Tisby - https://amzn.to/479QwZs

Should white parents adopt children of color? Today more than 40% of adoptions are transracial, so it’s a conversation we need to have.

November is National Adoption Month, so we’re talking about adoption, ethnicity, adoptee and birth mom voices, and more on this episode with Dr. Brittany Salmon. As an adoptive mom herself, she offers a ton of wisdom and encouragement to adoptive parents. Adoption and cross-cultural adoption can be both hard and beautiful. There are opportunities here, though, for the adoptive family who is ready to commit more than love.

Thanks to our Episode Sponsors!

Crossway: https://www.crossway.org/

Dwell Differently: https://dwelldifferently.com/

Keep up with Brittany Salmon: http://brittanynsalmon.com/

It Takes More than Love: A Christian Guide to Navigating the Complexities of Cross-Cultural Adoption - https://amzn.to/3MvYDY7

Resources to get involved with Vulnerable Families and Children:

CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocate® (CASA) and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children’s best interests.

https://nationalcasagal.org/

SAFE Families - Safe Families for Children seeks to keep children safe and families together. Safe Families for Children is rooted in faith, fueled by radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion, to build a network of caring and compassionate volunteers to support families facing social isolation.

https://safe-families.org/

Embrace Grace - Embrace Grace exists to help inspire and equip the church to love and encourage single and pregnant young women and their families. Women experiencing unexpected pregnancies receive practical, spiritual, and emotional support through our global support groups.

https://embracegrace.com/our-story

Brave Love - A pro-adoption movement dedicated to changing the perception of adoption by acknowledging birth moms for their brave decision.

https://www.bravelove.org/

Project 127 - Helping churches and families in Colorado serve children through faith-based family preservation, kinship care, foster care & adoption since 2004.

https://www.project127.org/

Resources for Foster and Adoptive Parents:

Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care, by Tori Hope Petersen - https://amzn.to/3MvlUcB

Foster the Family: Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help for the Christian Foster Parent, by Jamie Finn - https://amzn.to/47j0HdQ

The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment, by Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls - https://amzn.to/47jyfIF

The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family, by by Karyn Purvis, David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine - https://amzn.to/3QMpmBX

Cam Lee Small - https://therapyredeemed.wordpress.com/

Books from the adopted perspective. Not Christian, but helpful:

Adopting Hope: Stories and Real Life Advice from Birthparents, Adoptive Parents, and Adoptees, by Lorri Antosz Benson - https://amzn.to/3QMUnWA

Surviving the White Gaze: A Memoir, by Rebecca Carroll - https://amzn.to/3QtWY6f

All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir, by Nicole Chung - https://amzn.to/3QqGMmr

Research mentioned on the episode:

https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/private/pdf/264526/MEPA-Graphical-Factsheet.pdf

https://time.com/the-realities-of-raising-a-kid-of-a-different-race/

https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-changing-face-of-adoption-in-the-united-states

https://adoptionnetwork.com/adoption-myths-facts/domestic-us-statistics/

A new survey of churches across the US reveals that only 17% of women’s ministry leaders are in paid staff positions at their churches. Put another way, 83% of women’s ministry leaders serve totally as volunteers. Additionally, only 5% of women’s ministry leaders conduct their planning with the involvement of the wider church staff.

Women’s ministry can be a great joy, but it can also be a heavy burden. Women’s ministry leaders often face variables that are unseen by other church members and leaders. Navigating inequities in pay and involvement in overall church vision and strategy can be isolating.

On this episode of All Things Jen Oshman asks Jen Wilkin tons of women’s ministry questions:

Why it’s beneficial.

Why and how to integrate it within the broader church staff and vision.

Why it’s important that women are paid for their work (Serving is good too! But pay does matter.).

What makes a substantive women’s ministry.

How women who lead as volunteers can begin a conversation about wages with their leadership.

If women should go to seminary if they aren’t guaranteed paid work.

How women who serve in healthy churches can encourage their sisters who don’t.

A gospel-centered perspective on growing women’s ministry, even when it feels tough. .

We cover a lot of ground! If you are a woman in ministry, a woman in church, or a man in ministry, this episode is for you.

Many thanks to our episode sponsor:

Crossway: crossway.org

Behold and Believe: A Bible Study on the "I Am" Statements of Jesus, by Courtney Doctor, Joanna Kimbrel - https://www.crossway.org/books/behold-and-believe-tpb/

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, by Jen Wilkin - https://www.crossway.org/books/women-of-the-word-tpb-2/

Word-Filled Women's Ministry: Loving and Serving the Church, edited by Gloria Furman, Kathleen Nielson - https://www.crossway.org/books/word-filled-womens-ministry-tpb/

To learn more about Jen Wilkin’s work: https://www.jenwilkin.net/

Resources mentioned on the epsidoe:

Honor Thy Church Mothers—with Wages: Christianity Today article by Jen Wilkin - https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/october/wilkin-women-ministry-leaders-church-staff-wages-lifeway.html

The State of Ministry to Women by LIfeway Research - https://research.lifeway.com/state-of-ministry-to-women/

Resources for growth for women in ministry:

Lifeway Women Academy: Online Courses for Women, by Women - https://www.lifeway.com/en/special-emphasis/lifeway-women-academy

Women’s Ministry Leadership cohort with The Gospel Coalition - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/tgcwomen/#cohorts

Simeon’s Trust Online Courses - https://simeontrust.org/online-courses/

Bible Equipping Cohorts - https://bibleequipping.org/cohorts

While the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a victory for life, we have so much more work to do. Most Americans are pro-choice and lack a vision for what a truly pro-life society could look like. Pro-life advocates must get better at articulating our position and moving our mission forward with energy and passion.

This episode includes both data and answers to practical questions for our current historical moment when it comes to abortion in the United States.

Be sure to pursue more information and equipping from Scott Klusendorf at the Life Training Institute: https://prolifetraining.com/

Many thanks to our episode sponsor:

Crossway: crossway.org

The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture, Second Edition, by Scott Klusendorf: https://www.crossway.org/books/the-case-for-life-tpb-2/

Cultural Counterfeits: Confronting 5 Empty Promises of Our Age and How We Were Made for So Much More, by Jen Oshman: https://www.crossway.org/books/cultural-counterfeits-tpb/

Keep up with Scott Klusendorf: https://prolifetraining.com/about-speaker/scott-klusendorf/

Resources mentioned in this episode:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/01/11/what-the-data-says-about-abortion-in-the-u-s-2/

https://time.com/6270530/abortion-rates-post-roe/

https://www.axios.com/2023/06/24/abortion-dobbs-roe-wade-supreme-court

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/10000-abortions-prevented-in-first-two-months-after-roe-v-wade-overturned-report/

https://usafacts.org/articles/which-states-ban-the-abortion-pill/

Episode 56 of All Things: At-Home Abortions via Telemedicine are Legal in the US—Here's Why That’s Dangerous: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things/id1449943664?i=1000519419295

On this bonus episode of All Things we are taking time to listen to the experience of our Palestinian brother in Christ, Pastor Marwan Aboul-Zelof. He shares openly with us what it’s like to be a Palestinian Christian in the Middle East at this time in history.

Pastor Aboul-Zelof was born in the Middle East and has family roots throughout the region. Due to war in his birth country, his family moved to the US when he was a child. While in university, Marwan's desire grew to return to the Middle East for the sake of the gospel. He served as a pastoral intern and church planting resident with Redeemer Church of Dubai and moved to Beirut, Lebanon in 2016 to plant City Bible Church.

Marwan is married to Marci and they have two young boys. He loves to spend time with his family, is a self-proclaimed foodie and coffee connoisseur, and loves walking around and exploring Beirut.

Resources:

As a Palestinian Christian raised in an Israel-loving church, how I see this latest conflict, written in 2021 by Marwan Aboul-Zelof: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/as-a-palestinian-christian-how-i-see-this-latest-conflict.html

Furnace of the Lord: In Support of the Arabs, written by Elisabeth Elliot in 1978: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1978/october-6/furnace-of-lord-in-support-of-arabs.html?share=U3AEfB+KYIW0bhlHn+xFtb3dyK0/S2j5&utm_medium=widgetsocial

Amid Israel-Hamas War, Local Christians Seek Righteous Anger and Gospel Hope, by Jayson Casper, October 11, 2023: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/october/israel-hamas-gaza-war-palestinian-evangelical-messianic-jew.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=article

Marwan Aboul-Zelof on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/theUrbanArab

City Bible Church, Beirut Lebanon: https://www.cbcbeirut.com/

Marwan Aboul-Zelof on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/theUrbanArab

City Bible Church, Beirut Lebanon: https://www.cbcbeirut.com/

Almost half of all Christians and pastors associate “unity” with “agreement.”

Almost half of all Christians say they experience unity in their friendships, but only about one-third say they experience unity with their church family. The data bears out what many feel: our local church families are not deeply unified. In fact, we find agreement, harmony, and alliance elsewhere.

How can we, as followers of Jesus—who gave his own life that we might be reconciled to the Father—be truly and deeply reconciled to and united with other believers?

On this episode we’re chatting with Capitol Hill Baptist Church pastor and 9Marks author Jamie Dunlop to talk about loving the ones who drive us crazy—something we all need to be ready to do with voting season on its way.

Many thanks to our episode sponsor:

Crossway: www.crossway.org/plus

Love the Ones Who Drive You Crazy: Eight Truths for Pursuing Unity in Your Church, by Jamie Dunlop: https://www.crossway.org/books/love-the-ones-who-drive-you-crazy-tpb/

Jamie Dunlop: https://www.crossway.org/authors/jamie-dunlop/

Resources in this episode:

https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-christians-unity/#

Love the Ones Who Drive You Crazy: Eight Truths for Pursuing Unity in Your Church, by Jamie Dunlop: https://www.crossway.org/books/love-the-ones-who-drive-you-crazy-tpb/

Muslims make up about 1% of our population here in the United States. But what do most of us Americans really know about Islam in general and what do we know about our Muslim neighbors in particular?

A.S. Ibrahim, professor of Islamic studies and director of the Center for the Christian Understanding of Islam at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says most Muslims immigrate to the United States in search of a better life—more freedom, more opportunities, a higher standard of living. As Christians, though, are we prepared to engage our Muslim neighbors and offer true hope?

In this episode of All Things, Dr. Ibrahim helps us unpack some misconceptions we may have about Muslims and some they may have about us. His goal is that you and I and every Christian listener would see Muslims as Jesus sees them. Dr. Ibrahim wants us to make the most of every opportunity to befriend our Muslim neighbors and offer them true Hope. The yoke of Islam is heavy, but the burden of Christ is light.

Many thanks to our episode sponsors:

Crossway: www.crossway.org/plus

Dwell Differently: https://dwelldifferently.com/

Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, by Rosaria Butterfield: https://www.crossway.org/books/five-lies-of-our-anti-christian-age-hcj/

Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel, by A. S. Ibrahim: https://www.crossway.org/books/reaching-your-muslim-neighbor-with-the-gospel-tpb/

Keep up with A. S. Ibrahim:

A.S. Ibrahim: https://www.crossway.org/books/reaching-your-muslim-neighbor-with-the-gospel-tpb/

Religions articles by A. S. Ibrahim at World News Group: https://wng.org/authors/a-s-ibrahim

Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel, by A. S. Ibrahim: https://www.crossway.org/books/reaching-your-muslim-neighbor-with-the-gospel-tpb/

Resources in this episode:

Crossway Podcast: What Your Muslim Neighbor Misunderstands about Christianity (A. S. Ibrahim) https://www.crossway.org/articles/podcast-what-your-muslim-neighbor-misunderstands-about-christianity-ayman-ibrahim/

When Muslims Leave the Faith in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-muslims-leave-the-faith-11596755143

New estimates show U.S. Muslim population continues to grow at Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/03/new-estimates-show-u-s-muslim-population-continues-to-grow/

The share of Americans who leave Islam is offset by those who become Muslim at Pew Research: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/01/26/the-share-of-americans-who-leave-islam-is-offset-by-those-who-become-muslim/

How many Muslims are there in the United States? At Gordon Conwell: https://www.gordonconwell.edu/blog/how-many-muslims-are-there-in-the-united-states/

Reaching Your Muslim Neighbor with the Gospel, by A. S. Ibrahim: https://www.crossway.org/books/reaching-your-muslim-neighbor-with-the-gospel-tpb/

Research and common sense say most of us are suspicious of our authorities. The American way is to be ruggedly individual and totally autonomous. As a people, we don’t like anyone meddling in our own goals and dreams and how we plan to reach them. Making matters worse, examples of terrible authority abound. Daily news headlines reveal bad authorities in our government, police forces, schools, and even churches. Should we do away with authority altogether?

Author Jonathan Leeman says that authority, done biblically, is not only good, but essential to human flourishing. Hey says Jesus is our ultimate model.

On this episode Jen Oshman and Jonathan Leeman discuss the difference between power and authority, how to identify good authority, how to help our kids flourish under good authority, and how to cultivate Christlike authority. The answer to abusive authority is not to do way with it altogether but to understand how God created authority and bestows it for our good.

Special thanks to our sponsor:

Crossway - crossway.org/plus

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing by Jonathan Leeman: https://www.crossway.org/books/authority-tpb/

Keep up with Jonathan Leeman:

https://www.9marks.org/about/jonathan-leeman/

https://twitter.com/JonathanLeeman

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing by Jonathan Leeman: https://www.crossway.org/books/authority-tpb/

Resources for this episode:

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/americans-views-of-government-decades-of-distrust-enduring-support-for-its-role/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/403124/majority-continues-say-government-powerful.aspx

https://www.benefitnews.com/news/25-of-workers-dont-trust-their-employers