S.J. Dahlstrom is one of the most award-winning and critically-acclaimed authors of youth fiction. He is the creator of the "Wilder Good" series of nine books that follow the adventures of a 12-year old boy growing up in the American West. Dahlstrom is a four-time winner of the Wrangler Western Heritage Award, five-time winner of the Will Rogers Medallion, four-time finalist for the Lamplighter Award, and two-time finalist and one-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. He's also a lifelong member of Churches of Christ and the son of a Church of Christ preacher.

In this episode, Dahlstrom talks about the crucial role the church and its men play in forming and training boys for Christian manhood.

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Rochester Christian University, founded in 1959 as North Central Christian Junior College, has deep roots and strong ties to Churches of Christ. Like other colleges and universities in this tradition, Rochester Christian built itself around its school of ministry and theology so that its graduates would become leaders and ministers in churches around the world.

In June 2024, Rochester Christian made history as the first university associated with Churches of Christ to appoint two women, Dr. Naomi Walters and Dr. Beth Bowers, to lead its graduate and undergraduate ministry and theology programs.

In this episode, Dr. Walters and Dr. Bowers survey the landscape of congregational ministry now and the horizon of what it may become in the future. And they cast their vision for educating, forming and training ministers for the congregations of tomorrow.

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In front of a live audience at Sycamore View Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee, we interview Josh Ross, author of Coreology: Six Principles for Navigating an Election Season Without Losing Our Witness.

So many things that Christians hear, read and talk about these days have to do with how they get along with political opponents or how they use their political power. In this conversation, however, we focus on how the church of Christ protects and upholds its unique witness in times of political strife. How does the church hold onto its story, maintain its credibility and integrity, rise above the discord and noise and proclaim good news that is truly good?

Link to Josh Ross's book, Coreology: Six Principles for Navigating an Election Season Without Losing Our Witness

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These days, politics in the United States seems to be a dividing force even among Christians. Over the last few years, how many Christians changed congregations or cut off relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ over politics? How many Christians feel, and sometimes give into, the temptation to attack other Christians because they identify with a different political figure or party?

In this episode, two Church of Christ members who are leaders in opposing political parties come to the table to share their thoughts on how Christians can run counter to the current political culture and rise above its negativity. How might Christians disagree (even strongly) on policy without judging and waging war on each other?

Shay Cathey is a member of Central Pointe Church of Christ in Dallas and vice chair of the Texas Democratic Party. She is a delegate to the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Michele Woodhouse is a member of Biltmore Church of Christ in Asheville, N.C., and Republican Party chair of North Carolina's 11th Congressional District. She was a delegate to the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

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After years of decline, Hermitage Church of Christ maintain its facility at a cost of $3,000 per week while its ministry languished. So the congregation sold its building and became New Garden Church. In this episode we explore how becoming a guest in its own community changed how New Garden Church discerns God at work in Hermitage and how it ministers with its neighbors. What lessons could other congregations, struggling with similar low membership and high operating costs, learn from New Garden Church?

This episode also features a conversation with The Christian Chronicle's editor-in-chief, Bobby Ross Jr., who talks about how and why The Christian Chronicle chooses to cover stories of congregations that leave behind traditional practices (and sometimes drop the "Church of Christ" name altogether). Ross also touches on the Chronicle's recent decision to publish a profile on Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's controversial superintendent of public instruction.

Link to Bobby Ross Jr.'s Christian Chronicle story on Hermitage Church of Christ becoming New Garden Church

Link to Bobby Ross Jr.'s Christian Chronicle story on Oklahoma public schools superintendent Ryan Walters

Link to Bobby Ross Jr.'s editorial on how and why The Christian Chronicle covers stories like New Garden Church and Ryan Walters

Link to New Garden Church

Link to Heritage 21 Foundation (referenced in the New Garden Church segment)

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Bestselling author (Ghosted: An American Story) and Church of Christ daughter Nancy French opens up about her new memoir and allegations of childhood sexual abuse by a minister. She talks about how sexual abuse happens in Christian churches and organizations and why they sometimes protect perpetrators and not their victims. And, in Christianity, where forgiveness of sins and redemption are central, how might congregations hold abusers accountable while also holding fast to the gospel?

Link to Ghosted: An American Story, by Nancy French (Zondervan)

Link to The Christian Chronicle's review of Ghosted: An American Story

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In our first-ever show before a live audience, we're pleased to present C. Leonard Allen, author of 16 books that explore Christian life, most of all Christian life together in the church.

In his latest book, a memoir titled The Bookroom: Remembrance and Forgiveness, Allen retraces the story of his lifelong search for answers to the questions that he first learned to ask as a boy in his father's bookroom. Growing up in the Church of Christ, Allen couldn't help but wonder if the claims he heard from that tradition were reliable and true.

In this interview (including questions from a live audience at Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in Brentwood, Tennessee), he highlights the twists and turns and lessons learned from decades of looking for answers to the questions he asked as a boy.

Link to C. Leonard Allen's book, The Bookroom: Remembrance and Forgiveness

Many thanks to the Harpeth Hills Church of Christ and its members for hosting and participating in this show.

Many, many thanks to Mark Fulford for recording and producing this episode.

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Less than a week after an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, three preachers talk about how and what they preach when political violence is on the rise.

Featuring:

• Jerrard Davis, minister, Spencer Church of Christ, Spencer, Oklahoma
• David Duncan, preaching minister, Memorial Church of Christ, Houston, Texas
• Robin Gough, preaching minister, Fairfax Church of Christ, Fairfax, Virginia

Read The Christian Chronicle's coverage of how Church of Christ congregations and members are responding to political violence at christianchronicle.org.

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The attack on former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 happened less than 24 hours before Church of Christ congregations began gathering for Sunday worship. The Christian Chronicle news team wanted to know if congregations prayed special prayers, elders and preachers spoke of the event from pulpits, and if the assassination attempt and what it means became the topic of conversation in Bible classes and lobbies.

And how might Church of Christ folks interpret the event in the days, weeks, and months to come? What might they do? 

Christian Chronicle staff members in this episode:

• Bobby Ross, Jr., editor-in-chief
• Cheryl Mann Bacon, contributing editor
• Dr. Jeremie Beller, opinions editor
• Calvin Cockrell, media editor
• Nic Fraraccio, summer news intern

Link to The Christian Chronicle's front page headline report on how Church of Christ congregations and members are responding to the assassination attempt (by Bobby Ross, Jr.)

Link to editorial on finding our way as Christians and making sense of a violent world (by Erik Tryggestad)

Link to editorial on how Christians might answer the question: "What do we do now?" (by Cheryl Mann Bacon)

For more on this story as well as many other news stories and reports, visit christianchronicle.org.

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Segment One: Audrey Jackson reports from the Church of Christ in Nazareth, Israel (with Maurice Jadon and Sandro Jadon)

The Christian Chronicle's Audrey Jackson reports in from Nazareth, Israel, where she is a guest of the Church of Christ there. Arab Israeli Christians of Palestinian heritage, Maurice Jadon and Sandro Jadon, give their own accounts on the life of Christians and the church in Israel now.

Link to Audrey Jackson's full report from Israel (from The Christian Chronicle online edition June 30, 2024)

Link to Episode 42 interview with Sandro Jadon, Arab Israeli Christian of Palestinian heritage who is a member of Nazareth Church of Christ

Segment Two: Too many aging Church of Christ ministers are too poor to retire (Cheryl Mann Bacon reports)

The Christian Chronicle's Cheryl Mann Bacon answers questions about her deep-dive report on how many Church of Christ ministers cannot afford to retire. She explores some of the assumptions and causes of what turns out to be a crisis for aging ministers and their families.

Link to Cheryl Mann Bacon's full report on the retirement crisis among Church of Christ ministers (from The Christian Chronicle online edition June 24, 2024)

Link to Cheryl Mann Bacon's interview with Jordan Coss, which provides resources and a to-do list for congregations and ministers planning and preparing for retirement

Link to Episode 21, featuring an interview with Jordan Coss, who completed his doctoral dissertation on retirement trends among Church of Christ ministers

Segment Three: 4,000 college campuses in the U.S. and only 150 Church of Christ campus ministries (Chris Buxton and Casey Coston, Campus for Christ)

This segment starts with a challenge that one Church of Christ leader made in 1971 to evangelize college campuses. More than 50 years later, Church of Christ campus ministries exist on fewer than four percent of all college campuses in the United States. Chris Buxton and Casey Coston talk about how to change that.

Link to Campus for Christ, an organization that exists to support growing campus ministries across the United States

Link to ulife, a coaching and consulting service that helps congregations plant and grow campus ministries