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What happens when “biblical parenting” becomes more about control than compassion? In this episode, I talk with Kelsey McGinnis and Marissa Burt, authors of The Myth of Good Christian Parenting, about the rise of evangelical parenting culture, from James Dobson and Bill Gothard to today’s influencer economy, and how these ideas have shaped generations of families. Together, we explore how fear and hierarchy took root in the church’s imagination, why so many parents feel trapped by formulas and shame, and what it might look like to recover freedom, grace, and mutuality in our homes. This is a conversation about rethinking authority, rediscovering gentleness, and learning to see our children as people to love, not projects to manage.

Marissa Franks Burt (MTh, Columbia International University) is a novelist, editor, teacher, and cohost of the At Home with the Lectionary podcast. She lives in a small town in Washington’s Snoqualmie Valley with her husband, six children, and heaps of books.

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis (PhD, University of Iowa) is a musicologist, educator, and correspondent for Christianity Today, writing on worship practices and Christian subculture. She is an adjunct professor at Grand View University in Des Moines and previously worked at the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.

Marissa & Kelsey's Book:

The Myth of Good Christian Parenting

Kelsey's Recommendations:

Celebrities for Jesus

Monsters

Marissa's Recommendations:

The Justice of Jesus

The Thursday Murder Club

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Tim Stevens returns to the podcast to discuss the hardest assignment in ministry: his three years at Willow Creek. He also talks about how to spot talent, firing well, how to recapture momentum, and...

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Romans 6:13 (NCV) reads, “Do not offer the parts of your body to serve sin, as things to be used in doing evil…Offer the parts of your body to God to be used in doing good.”

When temptation strikes, immediately initiate the Uproot and Replant strategy.  Go nuclear on the immoral. Yank lust like a dentist yanks a rotten tooth—pull it out by the roots. Lay claim to scriptures like this one: “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

Meditate on Christ. Running toward him is the easiest way to run from sin. We keep wrong thoughts out by keeping the right thoughts in. Ponder heaven. Memorize verses. Write psalms. Listen to Christian worship music. In running toward God, you are running from sin, and the run is so much more enjoyable.

Read more Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.

My three-year-old niece is beginning to understand that she can trust Jesus in any situation. This became evident one night as she prayed before bedtime during a thunderstorm. She pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and said: “Dear Jesus, I know You’re here with us. I know You love us. And I know that the storm will stop when You tell it to stop.”

I suspect she had recently heard the story of Jesus and the disciples as they crossed the Sea of Galilee. It’s the one where Jesus fell asleep in the back of the boat just before a squall nearly capsized the vessel. The disciples woke Him and said, “Don’t you care if we drown?” Jesus didn’t speak to them, but instead addressed the natural world: “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39).

Immediately, the water stopped splashing into the boat. The howling wind subsided. There in the silence, Jesus looked at His followers and said, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40). I imagine their wide eyes staring back at Him, as water coursed down their faces and dripped from their beards.

What if we could live today with the awe the disciples felt in that moment? What if we could view every concern with a fresh awareness of Jesus’ authority and power? Maybe then our childlike faith would chase away our fear. Maybe then we would believe that each storm we face is at His mercy.

What if God really looks like Jesus? Not partly loving and partly wrathful, but fully revealed in the crucified Christ. In this conversation, Greg Boyd helps us reimagine everything - our picture of God, how we read Scripture, and how we live in the world. We talk about what it means to see the cross as the center of revelation, how to wrestle with violence in the Bible, and how the way of Jesus invites us into nonviolence, humility, and love for our enemies. Greg also reflects on what it means to be kingdom people within an empire, to follow the Lamb instead of the sword, and to build communities that look more like Jesus.

Greg Boyd is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Woodland Hills Church, Maplewood MN. Former professor of theology at Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) and Northern Seminary (Chicago, iL). Author or co-author of 22 books and numerous articles. He and his wife Shelley have been married for 44 years. They have three adult children, six grandchildren, and an adorable though highly eccentric dog. His hobby is drumming in a rock band.

Greg's Book:

God Looks Like Jesus

Subscribe to Our Substack: Shifting Culture

Connect with Joshua: [email protected]

Go to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.

Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube

Consider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below

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In this episode, you’ll hear a talk from Dave all about time management. You’ll learn exactly how to stay focused on your top priorities instead of constantly running around putting out fires.

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Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.

Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Don’t think for a second that lust has no consequences. And don’t think for a second that the consequences won’t lead to scandal. A secret sin never remains secret. Lust will take you further than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you ever intended to pay. Envision the worst possible outcome of infidelity and be assured, Satan is plotting to deliver it.

Even after you have turned away from lust, the filth lingers in your system. And long after the sin is forgiven, the soot of the sin lingers. And long after alcoholism is forgiven, the thirst lingers. Long after the embezzlement is forgiven, employment opportunities are rare. Long after the affair is over, the embarrassment hovers. Even the psalmist wrote: “Even my bones are not healthy because of my sin” (Psalm 38:3 NCV).

Read more Tame Your Thoughts: Three Tools to Renew Your Mind and Transform Your Life

For more inspirational messages please visit Max Lucado.