Current research is revealing the connection between the amount of time people spend online and our present mental health crisis. But what can we really do about it when smartphones have become virtually indispensable?

In this episode, Scott and Shawn consider how Jesus would think about life in a digital age and uncover some important insights from the Bible’s Grand Story concerning the danger and impact of doing life online. And in light of God’s ultimate purpose for us, they discuss some ways we may need to change our digital habits.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Anxious Generation, by Jonathan Haidt
• “Teens Used to Be Happier: What Changed?” by Jean Twenge 
• Can Online Church Replace Meeting In Person? (related podcast episode)

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Anxiety is often associated with worry. But there is another side to anxiety that is not restricted to the level of our conscious thinking — and it isn’t solved by simply thinking it away or having “more faith”.

In this episode, Scott and Shawn take a look at anxiety through the lens of science and the Bible to understand its relationship to the human body — and, they consider how Jesus and other biblical characters dealt with the very real, physical aspects of anxiety.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “If Anxiety is in my Brain, why is my Heart Pounding?”, an article by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America
• “Protect your brain from stress”, by Harvard Health Publishing
• Our episode about The Grand Story of the Bible

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Jesus had a lot of different things he could have been anxious about, but he did not seem to live in constant worry. And, he didn’t focus his energy on trying to control his circumstances. How could this be?

In this podcast episode, Scott and Shawn consider what shaped Jesus’ thinking about anxiety and how thinking like Jesus can help Christians deal with worry and anxiety today.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Talk to God About Your Anxiety”, by Jon Bloom
• The Ready Answers Conference website

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Our culture tends to consider good self-esteem as the foundation for having good mental health. But is self-esteem really the right place to ground our mental wellness?

Scott and Shawn uncover how Jesus’ thinking runs against the grain of much of today’s conventional “self-help” wisdom — most notably, in what Jesus saw as the ultimate foundation or starting point for good mental health.

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Mental health and mental illness are among the greatest concerns to our society today. But with so many competing voices in our culture offering diagnosis or cures, how can Christians wade into a sometimes confusing, but highly personal and important subject?

Scott and Shawn begin a series of discussions on learning to think like Jesus about mental health by setting the stage for how we want to approach the subject with the mind of Christ, and also offer encouragement and comfort for those who are presently struggling through mental health challenges.

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How is Hell fair? Is belief in Hell toxic? Is Hell actually biblical? Should we believe in Hell as eternal torment or a place of annihilation?

In this encore episode from the podcast archives, Scott and Shawn help answer these questions as they walk through God’s Word to help you understand the concept of eternal punishment in the context of the glory of God.

📖 Episode Resources: 

• John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist 
• Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in our Holiness 
• J. I. Packer, Knowing God 
• R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God 
• Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness 
• Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle, Erasing Hell: What God Said About Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up

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Scott and Shawn tackle the question of why God allowed evil by showing you how to give a quick response to this challenge, by explaining the pitfalls of a common response that is often given for the problem of evil, and by giving an in‑depth response to the problem of evil that will help you consider God’s ultimate purpose and destiny for his Creation. Tune in to learn more in this encore episode from our podcast archives.

📖 Resources mentioned in this episode:

• “Why Did God Allow the Fall?”, James N Anderson
• “If God is Sovereign, Why is His World Full of Suffering?”, John Piper
• “Confronting the Problem of Evil”, Joe Rigney

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What are God’s goals for you in your search for a spouse? Can you date someone who isn’t a Christian? How can Christians even begin to date in a godly way when Jesus didn’t even talk about dating?

In this episode, Scott and Shawn take a look at dating through the mind of Jesus in order to help Christians align themselves with God’s goals and purposes before they start dating.

📖 Episode Resources: 

• The Sacred Search, by Gary Thomas 

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Self-care is seen as a necessary part of life, but how can young Christians learn to reconcile a culture that prizes “self-care” while following a Saviour who calls them to “lose their life” for the sake of his kingdom? What constitutes “good self-care” practices vs. “bad self-care” practices?

In this episode, Scott and Shawn use the “think like Jesus framework” to consider how Jesus would think about self-care, and they discover some vital truths that can help you keep your “self-care” from becoming “self-ish care”.

📖 Episode Resources: 

• Data referenced in this episode
  • The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt
  • Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug use and Health
  • American College Health Association
• Resources on digital addiction
  • Is Digital Addiction a Real Thing?
  • What’s the Root Cause of Digital Addiction?
  • How Do You Escape the Snare of Digital Addiction?
  • Why Are Smartphones So Addictive?

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Many see masculinity as hopelessly “toxic”. Others want to double down on historic “real man” stereotypes. Amidst all the noise and confusion, how are both Christian men and women to think about what makes a man a “real man”?

In this episode, Scott and Shawn return to the ‘think like Jesus’ framework found in Scripture in order to discern how Jesus thought about the essence of true manhood.

📖 Episode Resources: 

• The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, by Nancy R. Pearcey 

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