In a “can’t we all just agree to disagree?” age, how do Christians know which doctrines are worth dividing over—and which ones faithful believers can disagree about in good conscience?

The New Testament repeatedly warns that false teachers will arise from within the church, twisting the gospel and drawing people away. But that raises a crucial question: what exactly counts as “the gospel,” and what beliefs are essential to salvation?

In today’s episode, I’m joined by David Geisler, who carries on the work of his father, Dr. Norman Geisler, to help Christians sort the difference between essential and non-essential doctrines—with clarity, charity, and conviction.

We also dig into the 2025 State of Theology research (Lifeway Research commissioned by Ligonier Ministries) and the results are sobering: many professing Christians are confused about core, gospel-defining doctrines like God’s nature, the Trinity, the resurrection, and human sin.

Together, we walk through 15 core essentials—doctrines that directly relate to salvation—and talk about why some truths may be logically necessary even if a new believer can’t articulate them yet. We also discuss why compromise may be one of the biggest threats to the church right now.

If you’ve ever felt confused by the endless “lists” online, or you’ve heard progressive Christianity flatten everything into the same category, this conversation will help you think clearly and biblically about what must be protected and how to pursue unity without surrendering truth.

Resources mentioned: Conviction Without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith by Norman Geisler & Ron Rhodes.

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To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”:  www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth":  www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

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Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

When Jeff and Cat Leopard learned their daughter Adelyne had Trisomy 18, they were told she was “incompatible with life,” pressured to terminate, and given a countdown on a calendar. Instead, as Christians who believe every human being is made in the image of God, they chose life, and then fought for the medical care that would honor their daughter’s dignity. What followed was heartbreak, advocacy, hospital corridors, hard conversations… and an unexpected, stubborn hope.

You’ll hear the Leopards’ full journey from the cold, clinical appointment that offered only abortion or “comfort care,” to the physicians who finally said, “We’re going to do everything we can.” We also talk candidly about what Trisomy 18 is, how the “incompatible with life” label is often used, and why Christians must think clearly about personhood, human value, and the worldview assumptions driving modern bioethics. Jeff also shares how he teaches students to spot the cracks in naturalism, and why pro-life conviction isn’t just a political position—it’s a worldview lived out in real suffering, real love, and real courage.

Follow Adelyn's progress on Facebook: facebook.com/adelynleopardstrong

Leopard's Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/GZPSEYY9XJBN?ref_=wl_share

Leopard's Venmo to donate: @adelynleopardstrong

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This video is sponsored by:

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to https://www.goodranchers.com/discount/ALISA for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

SUMMIT

Give your kids a stronger foundation to embrace a biblical worldview.

Go to www.summit.org for more information

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SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Save up to 25% with promo code 'ALISA' & get up to four FREE gifts this Christmas season: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/

Use my code: ALISA

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To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”:  www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth":  www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

In this jam-packed (and super practical) conversation, I sits down with Elizabeth Urbanowicz, founder of Foundation Worldview, to tackle “the talk” for kids ages 4–10—without the awkwardness, the shame, or the purity-culture baggage.

Elizabeth models exact, age-appropriate language for:

Bodies + biology (male/female, privacy, and protection)

Sex + marriage (framed as a covenant promise, not a dirty secret)

Reproduction (simple, clear, and biblical)

Pornography (the “Stop, Run, Tell” plan every child needs)

Gender confusion + transgender claims (truth with compassion)

Homosexuality (God’s design, sin’s distortion, and the hope of the gospel)

Masturbation (when and how to address it)

We also discuss the modesty conversation, responding to the painful message many girls heard in church: “Cover up or men will lust.” Instead, we reframe modesty as redirecting attention back to God...without making the body feel inherently shameful.

If you’ve been hesitant because you don’t want to “mess it up,” this episode will put tools in your hand and confidence in your words.

Resources mentioned: Helping Your Kids Know God’s Good Design: 40 Questions and Answers on Sexuality and Gender by Elizabeth Urbanowicz.

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This video is sponsored by:

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good. 

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

FOUNDATION WORLDVIEW

Foundation Worldview creates curriculum series that will empower your child to think

Biblically in a deceptive world. 

Go to www.foundationworldview.com for more information! 

Use my code: ALISA

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to https://www.goodranchers.com/discount/ALISA for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

If someone told you the Gospels were “anonymous legends written decades later,” would you know how to answer without panic-googling?

In this episode, Historian Adam Claason joins me for a deep (but very accessible) conversation on gospel reliability. We discuss who actually wrote Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...and does it matter?

We tackle the viral claim that “the Gospels never name their authors” (true)… and why that doesn’t mean the church just made the names up. Adam breaks down how ancient historians evaluated sources, why eyewitness testimony carried weight in the Greco-Roman world, what Luke is doing in his opening lines, and how the “late legendary development” theory doesn’t fit the evidence nearly as well as people assume.

If you’ve ever wondered:

Were the Gospels written by eyewitnesses—or by strangers pretending to be them?

Were they written too late to be historically trustworthy?

Why early Christians were so unified on authorship (and why we don’t find competing names)

What “eyewitness primacy” is, and why it changed the conversation, this one will equip you to think clearly, respond confidently, and trust that Christianity isn’t built on “cleverly devised tales,” but on testimony grounded in real history.

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This video is sponsored by:

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good. 

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

RANGE LEATHER

American-Made Craftsmanship from Wyoming

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Use my code: ALISA

SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Save up to 25% with promo code 'ALISA' & get up to four FREE gifts this Christmas season: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Does your social feed feel like a theological and cultural food fight lately? Let's face it. It’s chaotic out there — and today we talk about basically all of it.

I’m joined by my friend Melissa Dougherty for one of our big-picture, no-stone-unturned conversations about what’s blowing up online, what Christians are getting wrong, and how to stay grounded in truth when the noise gets loud.

We cover everything from furry fandom (and what parents NEED to know), to conspiracy spirals, propaganda tactics, anti-intellectualism in the church, Bethel controversies, the rise of the woke right, immigration, and why critical thinking is not the enemy of faith.

We also end on a high note with Melissa’s beautiful new Easter allegory for kids, The Day That Made the Way.

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This video is sponsored by:

SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Save up to 25% with promo code 'ALISA' & get up to four FREE gifts this Christmas season: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/

Use my code: ALISA

A'DEL NATURAL COSMETICS

Elevate your skincare routine with A'del's toxin-free cosmetics. 

Experience the difference in quality and purity. 

Go to www.adelnaturalcosmetics.com for more information. 

Use my code: ALISA 

ALLIANCE FAMILY SERVICES

Alliance Family Services is a Gospel-centered organization that relentlessly advocates for

preborn children, women, and families by providing exceptional reproductive healthcare, 

Biblical discipleship, and social support.

Go to www.alliancefamilyservices.org for more information

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To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

When long-buried questions finally surface, faith can feel like it’s hanging by a thread. In this episode, Alisa sits down with Allen Hainline and Devin Squeri to walk gently and honestly through a real crisis of belief. Devon shares how decades of suppressed doubts, scientific objections, and persuasive online voices nearly led him to abandon Christianity, and what happened when he decided to truly investigate instead of walk away. Together they offer compassionate guidance for anyone wrestling with doubt, expose common internet myths, and show how patient discipleship and solid answers can rebuild confidence in the gospel. If you or someone you love is struggling, this conversation points to hope, clarity, and real help through resources like Devin's book, The Doubt Project, and talkaboutdoubts.com.

The Doubt Project - https://a.co/d/07Gx3nO

https://talkaboutdoubts.com

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This video is sponsored by:

FOUNDATION WORLDVIEW

Foundation Worldview creates curriculum series that will empower your child to think

Biblically in a deceptive world. 

Go to www.foundationworldview.com for more information! 

Use my code: ALISA

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to https://go.goodranchers.com/alisa for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good.  

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”:  www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth":  www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Was that biblical repentance...or something else?

In this episode, I take a hard look at the recent controversy surrounding Bethel Church and the public response from its leaders, including Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson, following the exposure of false prophecy and abuse connected to Shawn Bolz. Many Christians celebrated what they called repentance. Others weren’t so sure.

Instead of reacting emotionally or choosing sides online, we’re going to Scripture. What does the Bible actually say repentance looks like? How do we tell the difference between godly sorrow and regret over being exposed? And does public confession automatically mean restoration to leadership?

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This video is sponsored by:

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good.  

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

FOUNDATION WORLDVIEW

Foundation Worldview creates curriculum series that will empower your child to think

Biblically in a deceptive world. 

Go to www.foundationworldview.com for more information! 

Use my code: ALISA

SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Save up to 25% with promo code 'ALISA' & get up to four FREE gifts this Christmas season: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”:  www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth":  www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Today I’m joined by John Stonestreet from the Colson Center for a conversation about what’s happening to the West—and why so much of our cultural confusion suddenly seems to “make sense” once you understand the deeper worldview battle underneath it.

We talk about why civilizations are built around shared principles, and what happens when a society tries to keep the “fruit” of those principles—human rights, equality, dignity, freedom—while severing the roots that made them possible. John explains why the chaos and strange alliances we’ve seen in recent years aren’t random, but often share a common goal: undermining Western civilization itself.

John offers practical guidance for living faithfully in a hostile culture: refusing to repeat what isn’t true, being willing to have hard conversations, trusting God with outcomes, and asking four questions in your own sphere of influence: What’s good to protect? What’s evil to oppose? What’s broken to restore? What’s missing to contribute?

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This video is sponsored by:

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to https://go.goodranchers.com/alisa for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

SUMMIT

Give your kids a stronger foundation to embrace a biblical worldview.

Go to www.summit.org for more information

Use my code: ALISA26

FOUNDATION WORLDVIEW

Foundation Worldview creates curriculum series that will empower your child to think

Biblically in a deceptive world. 

Go to www.foundationworldview.com for more information! 

Use my code: ALISA

SEVEN WEEKS COFFEE

Taste the Coffee that is Saving Lives.

Save up to 25% with promo code 'ALISA' & get up to four FREE gifts this Christmas season: http://www.sevenweekscoffee.com/

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”: www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth": www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

For Alisa's Merch: https://alisachilders.creator-spring.com

To see what gear Alisa uses to record her podcast, go to:

https://kit.co/alisachilders

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Today’s conversation is a candid and at times sobering look inside the contemporary Christian music industry—where calling, platform, pressure, and spiritual warfare often collide. My guest is Michael O’Brien, beloved solo artist from the ’90s and former lead singer of NewSong. Michael opens up about the grueling pace of life on the road, the hidden sins that nearly cost him his marriage, and how the Lord used conviction, repentance, counseling, and a renewed love for Scripture to rebuild what was breaking.

We also talk honestly about the “machine” that can form around Christian celebrity, how easy it is for sin to stay buried in public ministry, and why true reform in the Christian music world won’t come through branding—but through humility, servant leadership, and gospel purity. Along the way, we discuss the current cultural moment, the renewed interest in church and Christianity, and why discernment is more important than ever—especially for brand-new believers who are hungry, hopeful, and vulnerable to bad theology.

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This video is sponsored by:

SUMMIT

Give your kids a stronger foundation to embrace a biblical worldview.

Go to www.summit.org for more information

Use my code: ALISA26

BRAVE BOOKS

Entertainment that Engages the Imagination for Good.  

Go to www.bravebooks.com/childers for more information

Use my code: CHILDERS

GOOD RANCHERS

American Meat Delivered

Go to https://go.goodranchers.com/alisa for more information.

Use my code: ALISA

--------------------------------------------------------------------

To Purchase the new CD, “Beauty from the Ash”, go to www.alisachilders.com/music

There you can get the CD, backing tracks, string charts, rhythm charts and stems.

Support us on Patreon:  www.patreon.com/alisachilders

To order “Another Gospel”:  www.alisachilders.com/another-gospel/

To order “Live Your Truth":  www.alisachilders.com/live-your-truth-and-other-lies/

To order “The Deconstruction of Christianity”: https://alisachilders.com/the-deconstruction-of-christianity/

For Alisa's Merch: https://alisachilders.creator-spring.com

To see what gear Alisa uses to record her podcast, go to:

https://kit.co/alisachilders

Potential Sponsors: https://alisachilders.com/sponsor-request-form/

Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

This is the first episode of the New Year, and I'm starting with a deep dive into how progressive Christianity approaches the Bible.

In this episode, Natasha Crain and I walk through Better Ways to Read the Bible by progressive Christian pastor Zach Lambert, using it as a case study to examine common progressive claims about Scripture. Lambert argues that the Bible is often read through “harmful lenses” and should instead be read through new “healing” ones. While we agree that the Bible has been misused in real and damaging ways, we explain why his proposed solutions create more confusion than clarity.

We discuss the critical difference between:

• The nature of Scripture (inspiration, inerrancy, authority)
• The interpretation of Scripture (how we determine meaning)
• 
  

Along the way, we address:

• Why “literalism” is often misrepresented in progressive theology
• How progressive Christianity reframes hell, sin, and judgment
• Moralism vs. legalism—and what Scripture actually teaches about grace
• Liberation theology, critical theory, and power-based readings of the Bible
• The misuse of “fruit” language to justify affirming what Scripture calls sin
• Why progressive Christians still identify as Christian—and why sincerity is not the same as truth
• 
  

This conversation is not about motives or tone. It’s about theology, presuppositions, and whether the progressive framework is consistent with the historic Christian faith.

We’re starting the year by going back to first principles: what the Bible is, how it should be read, and why those questions matter.