Pop psychology promises greater self-understanding, but therapy culture can turn normal sadness, conflict, suffering, and personal responsibility into problems that require medical labels and solutions. Dr. Matthew Loftus, physician, writer, and author of Resisting Therapy Culture, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how therapeutic language has expanded beyond its proper uses and reshaped how Christians understand themselves, relationships, and the church. Matthew explains why labels such as trauma, narcissism, and toxic behavior can become distorted when applied too broadly, while also emphasizing that legitimate therapy can help people experiencing serious mental illness or specific problems. He argues that resisting therapy culture does not mean rejecting therapy but recovering Christian agency, recognizing the proper purpose of the church, and refusing to treat every difficult human experience as a diagnosis.

Resources Mentioned:

• Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond by Matthew Loftus — https://amzn.to/4hPWSWb [affiliate] 
• Matthew’s family mission’s website - https://matthewandmaggie.org/
• X/Twitter — @Matthew_Loftus

Guest Bio:

Dr. Matthew Loftus is a physician and writer who practices family medicine at a mission hospital in Kenya. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Christianity Today, First Things, and Mere Orthodoxy. He received the Trinity Forum’s 2025 Michael J. Gerson Prize for Excellence in Writing on Faith in Public Life and is the author of Resisting Therapy Culture: The Dangers of Pop Psychology and How the Church Can Respond.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Purity culture taught many people to fear their own bodies, desires, and capacity for pleasure. Kelly Edmiston, pastor and author, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how purity culture created a damaging divide between the body and spiritual life. Kelly distinguishes Christian chastity from sexual repression, explains why desire can reveal what is forming us, and argues that embodied faith takes seriously both the goodness of pleasure and the moral significance of sexuality. Drawing from creation, Song of Songs, and the broader story of the Bible, Kelly offers a vision for moving beyond purity culture toward a Christian sexuality shaped by covenant, community, consent, and spiritual formation.

Resources Mentioned:

• Shame-Free Sex Talks: Guiding Kids to Live Out Their Faith, Love Their Bodies, and Understand the Goodness of Sex - https://amzn.to/3S6Tn37 [Affiliate] 
• www.drkellyedmiston.com
• Kelly Edmiston Substack

Guest Bio:

Kelly Edmiston is a pastor, author, and spiritual director with a doctorate in spiritual formation and roughly two decades of vocational ministry experience. Her work explores sexuality, embodiment, desire, and spiritual formation, including helping couples pursue sexual flourishing. She also preaches and creates resources designed to help Christians develop a more integrated understanding of their bodies and spiritual lives.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Many Christians know the Bible but effectively skip 2,000 years of church history, leaving them disconnected from generations of believers who wrestled with many of the same questions facing the church today. Dr. Amy Brown Hughes, historical theologian and scholar of early Christianity, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why church history should become part of how Christians understand theology and faith. Amy explains how historical theology connects Christians to the “great cloud of witnesses,” challenges the myth of a unified early church, and gives believers practice engaging people whose convictions differ from their own. She also argues that Christian theology should leave room for growth, humility, and even admitting when deeply held beliefs need to change.

Resources Mention:

• OnScript Podcast - https://onscript.study/
• Christian Women in the Patristic World: Their Influence, Authority, and Legacy in the Second through Fifth Centuries by Lynn H. Cohick and Amy Brown Hughes - https://amzn.to/3TOne0I [Affiliate]

Guest Bio:

Dr. Amy Brown Hughes is a historical theologian specializing in early Christianity, particularly the third and fourth centuries. An Associate Professor of Theology at Gordon College, she earned her Ph.D. in historical theology with an emphasis in early Christianity from Wheaton College. She co-authored Christian Women in the Patristic World with Lynn H. Cohick, co-hosts the OnScript Podcast, and works to make historical and academic theology accessible beyond the academy.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Many Christians assume that leaving evangelicalism means abandoning faith altogether, but that false choice keeps many people stuck. Beau Stringer, writer and minister, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how Christians can navigate deconstruction while remaining deeply committed to Jesus. Beau shares his journey from Southern Baptist pastor to serving on staff at one of the largest Methodist churches in the world, explains common misconceptions about mainline churches, and explores why doubt, curiosity, Scripture, and community can become catalysts for stronger Christian faith rather than reasons to abandon it. He argues that reconstruction begins by centering Jesus, embracing honest questions, and finding a church community that nurtures both spiritual formation and intellectual integrity.

Resources Mentioned:

• www.BeauStringer.com

Guest Bio:

Beau Stringer is a writer, speaker, and church leader serving at Church of the Resurrection in Kansas. After spending more than a decade as a Southern Baptist pastor, Beau now helps evangelicals navigate deconstruction, discover the wider Christian tradition, and explore life within mainline churches through his writing on Becoming Mainline.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Many believers confuse peacemaking with either avoiding conflict or winning arguments. Mark DeYmaz, pastor, author, and longtime advocate for multiethnic ministry, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how the Prayer of St. Francis offers a practical roadmap for becoming genuine peacemakers. Mark explains why following Jesus means removing “peace-disturbing factors” from people’s lives, why today's culture has lost the ability to think with nuance, and how Christians can respond to polarization with wisdom, humility, and courageous love. Rather than reacting to every controversy, he argues that spiritual formation shapes believers to become people who embody the Gospel through both faithful words and faithful actions.

Resources Mentioned:

• Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace: Becoming More Like Jesus Through the Prayer of St. Francis by Mark DeYmaz (affiliate)
• “7 Guiding Principles for Advancing Peace” by Mark DeYmaz

Guest Bio:

Mark DeYmaz is a pastor, author, speaker, and longtime leader in the multiethnic church movement. He founded Mosaic Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, has spent more than four decades in ministry, and has written extensively on reconciliation, church unity, leadership, and spiritual formation. His latest book is Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

When church abuse happens, some of the greatest failures comes after the harm itself. On this episode of Christianity Without Compromise, originally recorded live, Amy Fritz, host of the Untangled Faith Podcast, Johnna Harris, co-host of the Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast, and Chantal McKinney, author of Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls, are on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why churches so often fail abuse survivors and what must change. The conversation examines how institutions can become more committed to protecting their reputation than caring for wounded people, why forgiveness should never replace accountability, and how spiritual abuse thrives in cultures that silence survivors. The panel also explores practical steps toward healthier churches through transparency, restorative justice, compassionate listening, and communities that prioritize people over institutional preservation.

Resources Mentioned:

• Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast
• Untangled Faith Podcast
• Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls by Chantal McKinney (affiliate)
• Water and Light movement
• Diane Langberg: Narcissism and the System It Breeds

Guest Bios:

• Amy Fritz hosts the Untangled Faith Podcast, helping Christians separate authentic faith from harmful church experiences. 
• Johnna Harris co-hosts the Bodies Behind the Bus Podcast, which documents stories of abuse within evangelical institutions and examines the theological systems that enable harm. 
• Chantal McKinney is the author of Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls, a church planting coach and consultant, and founder of the Water and Light network, which provides support and healing resources for people harmed by the church. 
• Jake Doberenz is the host of Christianity Without Compromise podcast, writer of the weekly newsletter Smashing Idols, and founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media. 

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

The culture wars promise victory, but leave Christians more divided and the church less faithful. Makoto Fujimura, artist, author, and founder of I Am Culture Care, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why Christians need a better vision for engaging culture than winning ideological battles. Mako traces the origins of the culture wars, explains how the metaphor of an ecosystem reshapes Christian engagement, and argues that every believer is called to cultivate beauty, goodness, and human flourishing. Drawing from decades as an artist, he challenges listeners to see creativity, community, and presence as essential expressions of the Gospel rather than optional additions to the Christian life.

Important Links

• Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life (Second Edition) by Makoto Fujimura [Affiliate] 
• Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura [Affiliate]
• IAmCultureCare

Guest Bio

Mako Fujimura is an internationally recognized contemporary artist, author, and founder of I Am Culture Care. His work explores the intersection of art, faith, culture, and theology, encouraging Christians to cultivate beauty and human flourishing rather than participate in destructive cultural polarization. He is the author of several books, including Art and Faith and the newly expanded second edition of Culture Care.

Women in the Bible may seem like side characters, but the problem may be the way Scripture has been taught rather than the text itself. Jessica L.M. Jenkins, Bible teacher, author, speaker, and host of the Women of the Bible in Context podcast, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how church language, cultural assumptions, and incomplete teaching have obscured women’s presence throughout the Bible. Jessica explains why terms like “the disciples” often erase female followers of Jesus, explores how passages like Proverbs 31 have been misunderstood, and shows how understanding historical context reveals a richer picture of women in Scripture and the broader story of the Gospel. She also challenges pastors and church leaders to intentionally amplify women’s voices and experiences through preaching, teaching, and everyday ministry.

Important Links

• Jessica’s website - https://wewhothirst.com
• Jessica’s podcast - Women of the Bible in Context

Guest Bio

Jessica L.M. Jenkins is a Bible teacher, author, speaker, and host of the podcast Women of the Bible in Context. With master's degrees in biblical languages and Israel studies, she specializes in historical context, biblical interpretation, and helping readers recover overlooked voices in Scripture. She also consults with authors and illustrators to create historically accurate depictions of the biblical world.

Many Christians assume the best way to defend the Christian faith is by proving Christianity with arguments, but that approach can actually distort the faith it pretends to protect. In this solo episode of Christianity Without Compromise, Jake Doberenz shares how a lifelong passion for Christian apologetics eventually gave way to a deeper understanding of faith as allegiance, spiritual formation, and becoming like Jesus. He explores how modern apologetics can unintentionally reduce the Gospel to information, encourage a culture war mindset, and shape Christians into people who win arguments without displaying the fruit of the Spirit. Drawing from Scripture, the early church, and his own journey, Jake argues that the most compelling defense of the Christian faith has always been transformed lives that embody the love of Christ.

Important Links

• Apologetics without Apology: Speaking of God in a World Troubled by Religion by Elaine Graham [affiliate]

Host Bio

Jake Doberenz is the founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media and host of Christianity Without Compromise. He holds multiple degrees in Bible and communication studies and is passionate about Christians finding Jesus outside of the Culture Wars.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

When church leaders protect institutions instead of wounded people, many Christians want to know what happens to faith after betrayal, abuse, and spiritual disillusionment. Chantal McKinney, author of Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss surviving sexual harassment inside a progressive Christian denomination and the devastating institutional response that followed. Chantal explains why abuse, retaliation, lack of transparency, and patriarchal church systems continue pushing women away from church communities while exposing the myth that progressive theology automatically creates safe spaces. She also shares why healing after church trauma requires reclaiming faith in Jesus beyond institutional control and how Christians can begin building healthier, more transparent, Christ-centered communities rooted in justice, healing, and accountability.

Important Links

• Chantal McKinney Official Website
• "Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls" by Chantal McKinney (affiliate) 
• Community Circles resources
• Water and Light movement

Guest Bio

Chantal McKinney is an Episcopal priest, speaker, and author of Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls. Her work focuses on church reform, healing from church trauma, spiritual formation, and helping Christians reclaim faith in Jesus beyond institutional harm and abuse.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.