CrossCurrent Podcasts

How Do We Prepare Our Kids’ Faith for Secular College? Start Here.

Few things strike fear in the heart of Christian parents like sending a child to a secular university and wondering, “Will their faith survive?” Recent research shows nearly two-thirds of young adults raised in the church disengage from faith or Christian community after leaving home—a heartbreaking statistic for families who have labored in love and prayer for nearly two decades.

In this episode, Catherine sits down with Dr. Steven Hall, a respected professor at Lee University with decades of experience in pastoral ministry, counseling, and spiritual formation. Dr. Hall brings not only academic insight but a father’s hard-won wisdom—his own daughter lost her faith at a secular arts high school, plunging his family into a prodigal journey that every Christian parent fears.

Key Insights and Takeaways:

• It Can Happen to Any Family: Dr. Hall shares with powerful honesty how, despite prayerful and intentional parenting—including homeschooling and Christian education—his daughter’s faith was overturned in just two weeks at a new school. “We put her in the school, and two weeks later, they stole her,” he recalls, highlighting how the environment and sense of belonging can reshape beliefs almost overnight.

• The Power of Allies: Both Dr. Hall and Catherine underscore the vital importance of allies: teachers, mentors, counselors, and Christian communities who support and reinforce the faith and values parents instill. “You need an ally in your parenting. Pray for those allies…steward those relationships well,” Dr. Hall urges.

• Formation Over Information: As children grow, the need to belong and to form identity intensifies—especially in the teen and college years. Dr. Hall explains, “If you have an environment where your child believes they can belong and retain their faith, you are preparing good ‘soul soil’ for lasting fruit.”

• Consistent Adequacy—Not Perfection: Parents often carry guilt over prodigal seasons, but Dr. Hall and Catherine offer hope: even God, the perfect parent, had children who chose rebellion. “You don’t have to be exceptional—just consistently adequate,” Dr. Hall reassures, stressing faithfulness over perfection.

• Practical Soul-Forming Rhythms: Sabbath, prayer, fasting, and engaging in faith routines as a family are crucial. “We’re not just training for faith, we’re shaping a way of life,” says Dr. Hall.

• There Is Good News: Encouraging research from Barna now shows a rise in personal commitment to Jesus and Bible reading among Gen Z and Millennials. The hunger for authentic, lived faith is growing—and parents can help nurture that by living and modeling genuine discipleship.

Anecdotes & Notable Quotes:

• “If you want to protect your child from the negative influences of the world, when they're about seven, put them in a barrel and feed them through the knothole. At fourteen, plug the knothole. There's no foolproof method!”—Dr. Hall (quoting Mark Twain)

• “God is not looking for extraordinary, perfect parents. He’s looking for consistency. Trust the creature to the Creator.”

About the Guest:
Dr. Steven Hall is Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Lee University, with a doctorate in Spiritual Formation and decades serving as a Church of God minister, clinical pastoral counselor, and founder of Ministry Oasis—a resource dedicated to the soul health of ministry families.

Are you praying for allies to join you in shepherding your child’s soul? Who are the people and communities partnering with you for the spiritual health of your

On October 28, 1917, just days after the Bolsheviks seized power, the great Council of the Russian Orthodox Church voted to restore the patriarchate, which had been abolished by Peter the Great two centuries earlier. The Council chose Tikhon (Bellavin), the son of a humble village parish priest, to be head of Russia's largest religious confession. At the time, the majority of Orthodox Christians were devoutly religious. Tikhon's vision of the Church, which he began putting into practice during his years as the Orthodox bishop of North America (1898-1907), was that of an organic body which welcomed the participation of all believers. The Bolsheviks had other ideas. They aimed to create a revolution that would be carried out by the state on behalf of the people. And they sought to eradicate religion as "superstition" and not only to disestablish the Church, but to destroy it altogether. Although the alternate Russia which Tikhon represented would be crushed by the superior force of the Bolsheviks, he helped navigate the Church through immense challenges so that, in the end, the Orthodox Church outlived the Soviet experiment. The People's Patriarch tells the story of the clash of visions for the new Russia in 1917 through the lens of the humble man chosen to lead the Church, whose life exemplifies the transformations within the Orthodox Church in late Imperial Russia and its fate during the Revolution. The People's Patriarch is the first critical biography of one of the twentieth century's most important Orthodox Christian leaders, based on an exhaustive use of previously untapped primary sources, including Tikhon's letters and encyclicals, previously classified documents from the top Bolshevik leadership and Soviet secret police, and materials from a dozen archives in five countries.

Scott M. Kenworthy is Professor in the History Department at Miami University (Ohio), where he also teaches for the Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, and Religious Studies programs.

Roland Clark is a Professor of Modern European History at the University of Liverpool.

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Abdu Murray explains the threat Artificial Intelligence poses to our cultural idea of what it means to be human. Hear his insights into the positive uses of AI, and his warnings against dangerous uses of AI such as chatbots. He’ll help you navigate the cultural noise and root yourself and your family in the truth that humans are defined by being made in the image of God.

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Most accounts of Christian leadership in the first two centuries focus on the diversity of leadership structures and the various cultural influences that impacted it. The First Pastors: Early Christianity’s Vision for Ministry (Gorgias Press, 2026) demonstrates that within these structures and contexts early Christians shared a clear set of theological convictions about pastoral leadership. Through literary and theological analysis of relevant passages in the Apostolic Fathers and New Testament, The First Pastors demonstrates four shared convictions about pastoral ministry: (1) the necessity of a particular kind of virtue for pastoral leaders, (2) the authority of pastoral leaders, (3) the essentials of pastoral work, and (4) the reality of pastoral suffering. These shared convictions emerge from the variety of communities represented by these texts and are so well attested to that they suggest a much greater degree of unity than is presently assumed in the field. Moreover, even with the various dating issues surrounding the Apostolic Fathers and New Testament, the agreement between these sets of texts show second-century Christians carrying forward the convictions of the first century. Finally, they present an interesting example of the coexistence and interaction between unity and diversity in early Christianity: theological unity persisted in diverse communities with varying practices and contexts.

Gorgias Press has generously offered a coupon code for listeners of this podcast. The coupon is valid until the end of 2026 on orders from the publisher’s website here. Use code LAUNCH40%

Leland Brown serves as a pastor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and is an adjunct professor at Phoenix Seminary. He studied patristics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and received his PhD with a focus on first- and second-century Christianity. He also serves as an editor for the London Lyceum. His research seeks to exposit how pastoral leadership has been understood and practiced in the history of the church.

Jonathon Lookadoo is Associate Professor at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea. While his interests range widely over the world of early Christianity, he is the author of books on the Epistle of Barnabas, Ignatius of Antioch, and the Shepherd of Hermas, including The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Cascade, 2023).

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The Supreme Court Rules Colorado's law governing conversion therapy violates free speech. In Spain the real-life example of how assisted suicide harms the vulnerable. John and Maria talk Easter and the connection between the miracles and morality of Christ. And Jaden Ivey loses his spot on an NBA roster because of his outspoken faith.

Segment 1 – News Headlines

• Chiles Decision

• Politico article

• Supreme Court Opinion

• How the State Failed Noelia

We welcome Richard Battle to today's program.  Why is Easter Sunday the most significant event in human history, without exaggeration?  Without Christ dying on the cross for the sins of all humanity, there would be no HOPE for humanity!  Consider John 3:17

 "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

#Constitution #resurrection #Easter #Hope

If you know someone who questions the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it may be that they don’t have all the facts. In this fascinating message, former atheist Lee Strobel shares his story of coming to faith after years of study, and then examines extra-biblical evidence that proves three key points: Jesus was truly dead on the cross, the tomb was really empty, and hundreds of people interacted with Jesus after Resurrection Sunday!  

Receive a copy of The Case for Easter: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Resurrection and an audio download of "Fact Check: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?" for your donation of any amount!

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