According to Jim Davis and Michael Graham, approximately 15% of American adults used to attend church at least once a month, but now they attend less than once a year. At first it might seem like this shift in religious participation supports the argument that traditional religion will wither away as society advances. To the contrary, a more detailed analysis of the research suggests that while the Church is no doubt facing serious challenges, there is also a significant degree of spiritual openness on the part of the “dechurched.”

In this episode, Michael Graham offers wise and timely advice regarding how Christians can engage those who have stopped attending church. If we were to embody some of the principles he proposes — with diligence and prayer — we might witness a dramatic shift in the opposite direction.

Michael Graham is the program director of the Keller Center for Apologetics and the co-author of “The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Where Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?”

The Great Dechurching by Jim Davis and Michael Graham

Dechurching.com online resource

As In Heaven Gospel Coalition Podcast

Sign up for the Resound Project newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound Project on Instagram and LinkedIn.

You don’t have to be a political scientist to recognize that American democracy is in crisis. It’s easy to see that we are living in a time of significant social upheaval. The problem is that many of the potential solutions we put forward to address the issues do not go deep enough. Most people, including many American Christians, often make the mistake of thinking that we can resolve our issues through political solutions. But James Davison Hunter believes it is naive to narrowly focus our energies on politics, because the root cause of our difficulties is not political or economic, but rather cultural.

In this episode, leading sociologist James Davison Hunter discusses his most recent book, “Democracy and Solidarity,” which tells the story of how we arrived at our present cultural moment and how we should respond in an appropriate way, especially as Christians. James provides insightful commentary regarding our post-Christian and increasingly post-liberal society, the destructive emergence of a new common culture of nihilism (which even Christians are tempted to embrace), and the call for the Church to rediscover its true identity and enact a vision of the Kingdom of God with courage, conviction, and imagination.

James Davison Hunter is Labrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and the founder and director of the university’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Hunter is the author of several books and the originator of the term “culture war.” He is the foremost expert on culture and how culture changes.

Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis by James Davison Hunter

Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by James Davison Hunter

To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter

Restore our Mission to the City, a 2018 sermon by Jason Harris

Christlike, a 2022 sermon by Jason Harris

Sign up for the Resound Project newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound Project on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Two of the most opinionated and emotionally charged cultural arenas are higher education and politics. Campuses of higher education are ripe with fresh minds and strong opinions, but lately they have also been characterized by division, isolation, and loneliness. The strong polarization of the political sphere extends not only to colleges and universities but also to the American church.

In this episode, historian and former university president Nathan Hatch reflects on the state of higher education in America and the political captivity that threatens the Christian church. Though there are significant issues plaguing our most important cultural institutions, Nathan suggests that these divisive times provide Christians with a remarkable opportunity to rise above ideological cults and make a positive difference.

Nathan Hatch is the former provost of Notre Dame University, the president emeritus of Wake Forest University, and the author of the award-winning book “The Democratization of American Christianity.” An active leader in American higher education and in local and community affairs, he has served on the board of the American Council on Education and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014.

The Democratization of American Christianity by Nathan Hatch

The Political Captivity of the Faithful by Nathan Hatch

Win, Lose, or Draw, It’s Going to Be Ok, a sermon delivered by Jason Harris on September 27, 2020

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

When we consider the ways scripture can sometimes be mishandled, misinterpreted, and misapplied, it’s understandable why some people may feel put off by the Christian faith. If one is not careful, misreadings of the Bible can often result in an ethic that fosters chauvinism, sexism, or other dehumanizing ideologies — gender-related or otherwise. So how should we address these erroneous views? 

In this episode, author and speaker Rebecca McLaughlin explains why distancing ourselves from the Christian faith on account of harmful misinterpretations is not the solution; instead, we should seek God’s heart on the hot button topics of our day by stepping closer to the full storyline of the Bible. When we begin with the character of Jesus and his teachings, a very different ethic is uncovered — one that champions the dignity of men and women alike, celebrates the beauty of God’s design for human sexuality, and offers hope to a broken world.

Rebecca McLaughlin grew up in the UK and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Cambridge and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. She is the author of several books including Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion and Jesus Through the Eyes of Women.

Friendship — The Lost Art a sermon series by Jason Harris

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin

Jesus Through the Eyes of Women by Rebecca McLaughlin

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

If you feel dissatisfied or disappointed with the state of your romantic relationship—or lack thereof—or if you’re confused by the conflicting messages from our culture and from the Church regarding sex and sexuality, this episode is for you. Sam Allberry is a pastor, apologist, and speaker, and the author of a number of books including "Is God Anti-Gay?," "Why Bother with Church?," "7 Myths about Singleness" and "What God Has To Say About Our Bodies." In this episode, Sam shares his own personal story of wrestling with the Bible’s instruction on sexuality, and why he believes Jesus is still worth following. We discuss why it’s imperative for the Church to be a place of compassion, clarity, and courage, practical ways to love and care for friends with differing views on sexuality, and how the credibility of a Biblical ethic of sexuality is determined by the way in which the Church values and supports those who are single. 

The Greatest Sermon Ever Told: Love, Lust, and the Christian Life, a sermon by Jason Harris

Books by Sam Allberry:

• Is God Anti-Gay?
• Why Bother with Church?
• 7 Myths about Singleness
• What God Has To Say About Our Bodies 

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In addition to preaching, teaching, and providing pastoral care, pastors and Christian leaders today are increasingly expected to make pronouncements on the latest events in the news cycle while providing ongoing social and political commentary. But playing the role of a pundit is dangerous territory for a pastor. So what role should Christian leaders and the local church play in the public square? In the first episode of our second season we speak with Michael Wear about what the Christian tradition has to offer to public life and the opportunity Christians have to bring a sense of well being and joy to our political culture.

Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation's capital with the mission to contend for the credibility of Christian resources in public life, for the public good. For well over a decade, he has served as a trusted resource and advisor for a range of civic leaders on matters of faith and public life, including as a White House and presidential campaign staffer.

Michael is the author of "Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America" and "The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life" which will be released on January 23, 2024.

The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life 

Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Given the combustible relationship between the two, conventional wisdom suggests that you should never mix religion and politics. But that is an overly simplistic response. If you want to better understand the dynamic relationship between religion and politics—from the standpoint of Christianity as well as the Constitution—there is no one better to ask than Michael McConnell. 

Michael is a professor of constitutional law and the Director of the Constitutional Law Center at Stanford Law School as well as a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and a former Circuit Judge for the US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. In addition to being a committed Christian, Michael is an expert on the First Amendment. 

In this wide-ranging interview, we discuss religious freedom, the separation of church and state, the politicization of the church, the Capitol riot on January 6th, critical race theory, and the inspiring role that people of religious conviction have played in American history. Michael offers timely advice for how to mix religion and politics in all the right ways.

Agreeing to Disagree: How the Establishment Clause Protects Religious Diversity and Freedom of Conscience

The President Who Would Not Be King: Executive Power Under the Constitution

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

In this episode, we continue the conversation with Princeton professor Eric Gregory about what we can learn from Augustine as we consider our fraught social life and divisive political culture. In true Augustinian fashion, we discuss how Christians should resist the false choices that are often presented to us, for example, between either idolizing America or condemning it, between either fleeing from the secular world of politics or embracing it in a kind of power grab, between either committing oneself to one’s nation or considering oneself a citizen of the world. Eric concludes the episode by offering some practical suggestions for how Christians can take inspiration from the past while creatively addressing problems in the present.

Eric Gregory is Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship. In addition to being an expert on Augustine, Eric teaches courses on religion, ethics, and politics.

Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship by Eric Gregory

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

There’s no question that we are living in a time of cultural upheaval, but it is nothing compared to the fall of Rome in 410 AD. Rome was considered the “eternal city” not only by pagans, but also by Christians who were equally distraught by its collapse. Civilization as they knew it had been shattered. And yet, despite the uncertainty and panic swirling around him, Augustine maintained his sense of balance and began writing The City of God just three years after the sack of Rome. When he completed the book 15 years later, Augustine gifted the church with an instant classic that would prove to be one of the most influential works in all of Western literature.

In this episode, we speak with Princeton professor Eric Gregory about his personal faith commitments as a Christian, his concerns about the state of the broader Church in America, and his sense of why Augustine is such an important person for us to know and to read as we grapple with the tumultuous times of our own cultural moment.

Eric Gregory is Professor of Religion at Princeton University and the author of Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship. A graduate of Harvard College, he earned a Master of Philosophy and Diploma in Theology from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and his doctorate in Religious Studies from Yale University. In addition to being an expert on Augustine, Eric teaches courses on religion, ethics, and politics.

Politics and the Order of Love: An Augustinian Ethic of Democratic Citizenship by Eric Gregory

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Though interest in critical theory may have once been limited to academics, it has become a lightning rod issue among the general public in recent years. Given the complexity of the debate, how exactly should Christians assess critical theory from the standpoint of Scripture? In response to that question, I spoke with Christopher Watkin, whose most recent book is entitled, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture.

Christopher Watkin received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cambridge University and currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in French Studies at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Chris Watkin specializes in contemporary French thought, with a special focus on the complex relationship between atheism and theism and its crucial implications for many aspects of thought and life.

In this episode, we introduce critical theory in its broadest sense and discuss how any critical theory should be assessed from the standpoint of the Bible without succumbing to the common pitfalls of either naïveté or reductionism. Instead, Chris Watkin suggests that Christians must adopt the framework the Apostle Paul introduces in 1 Corinthians 1. There Paul supplies us with a model for how the wisdom of God, negatively, opposes and challenges every human culture, and yet at the same time, positively, fulfills the aspirations of every human culture by pointing to a greater fullness and richness that can only be found in the cross of Christ.

Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture

Sign up for the Resound newsletter.

Find more resources on our website.

Follow Resound on Instagram and LinkedIn.