Listening In

Robert Jeffress is pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas and the author of nearly 30 books including 18 Minutes With Jesus: Straight Talk from the Savior about the Things That Matter Most. During the 2016 presidential election, Jeffress endorsed and appeared at rallies for Donald Trump. He later served on his Evangelical Advisory Board and White House Faith Initiative. In this conversation, Jeffress talks about faith and witness in these politically divisive times.

Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Bart Barber is a small-town pastor, church historian, and the newest president of the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC is the largest protestant denomination in the country with about 14-million members. Barber steps into leadership during a tumultuous time but he is hopeful for the future of the Evangelical Church and it's mission worldwide.

Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Michael Kruger is a New Testament scholar and seminary president. He believes the church needs strong pastors who are also gentle shepherds--prized for their character over their giftedness. In this conversation with Warren Smith, Kruger warns against the lure of celebrity status that has led many pastors to ruin. His newest book is: Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church

Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Adbu Murray spent years investigating the major world religions and worldviews. He eventually discovered that the historic Christian faith is the only one that answers the questions of the mind and the longings of the heart. In his latest book: More Than A White Man’s Religion: Why The Gospel Has Never Been Merely White, Male-Centered, or Just Another Religion, Abdu explains how only the gospel can change hearts and heal the divisions in our world.

In this interview with Warren Smith, Adbu Murray also reflects on the last days of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries--where he served as North American Director and general counsel.

Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Listening In comes to you from WORLD News Group, and this program is just one of the many podcasts and publications available. To find out more about our complete family of products visit WNG.org.

Tune in next week to hear my conversation with Robert Jeffress. Robert Jeffress has been one of most vigorous defenders of Donald Trump in the world of evangelicalism. I’ll ask him about his relationship with former President Trump, and we’ll also talk about his new book, 18 Minutes With Jesus, a book about The Sermon on the Mount.

The producer for today’s program is Paul Butler. Johnny Franklin is our technical producer. Production assistance from Lillian Hamman. I’m your host, Warren Smith. And you’ve been Listening In.

Jazz has been called the only distinctively American art form. Theologian and musician William Edgar notes that jubilation and beauty of jazz bears witness to a joyful reality of the Christian experience: That while sin leads to death, the Gospel leads to life. Dr. William Edgar is professor of apologetics and coordinator of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. His latest book is A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel.

Listening In is made possible in part by support from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Max Lucado is one of the best-selling Christian authors of all time. His books have sold a hundred-million copies in 56 languages. He's been called “America’s pastor” by Christianity Today, and he's served as the pastor of San Antonio’s Oak Hills Church since 1988. In this conversation with Warren Smith he talks about his new book: Help is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

Listening In is made possible in part by support from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life’s most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org. 

In this special Listening In episode,  we remember Ron Sider, who died last week at the age of 82.  

Ron Sider’s 1977 book “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger” elevated him to a national and international stage.  Its challenging call for Christians to both declare a biblical gospel and demonstrate compassionate care for the poor as part of the gospel message resonated with a generation of young evangelicals.  Sider went on to form Evangelicals for Social Action, which championed social causes, and he continued to write, authoring more than 30 books.

Prolifers have prayed and advocated for an end to Roe v. Wade for decades. Now that abortion is no longer legal in all 50 states, pregnancy resource centers have a big job ahead, meeting the needs of mothers in crisis. In this conversation with host Warren Smith, CareNet president Roland Warren talks about how centers in its network are responding and how the church has an opportunity to be rethink its stance as pro-abundant life.

Jefrey Breshears is one of the most quietly influential thinkers in evangelicalism today. He's a former history and theology professor, and today he runs the Aeropagus Forum, a study center that combines apologetics with history and contemporary cultural issues. In this conversation with host Warren Smith, Jefrey Breshears talks about the origins of America's culture war and what Christians can do in response.