Many apologetics resources focus on making a positive case for Christianity—but real conversations often start with an accusation.

Christians are hypocrites. Christianity is anti-LGBTQ. The Bible supports slavery. The church is abusive. God is cruel.

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter interviews Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson and Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about their book The Reconstruction Project: Recovering Truth and Rebuilding Faith. They explain why they wrote this book as a work of negative apologetics—not to win arguments, but to remove roadblocks that keep people from even considering Christianity as true and good.

Together, they discuss how apologetics has shifted over the last decade: objections are often less about whether Christianity is true and more about whether it is morally good. They also talk candidly about the places the church has failed, why honesty matters when addressing historical and moral objections, and why every apologetic conversation should ultimately point back to Jesus and the gospel.

This episode is especially for Christians who want to engage hard questions with clarity, humility, and confidence—and for anyone who feels stuck between honest objections and the desire to rebuild faith on solid ground.

In this episode, you’ll explore

• Why apologetics conversations often begin with an accusation rather than a question

• What “negative apologetics” is and why it matters for deconstruction conversations

• Why many objections today focus on whether Christianity is good, not just true

• How naturalism undermines meaning, free will, and rationality

• How the problem of evil connects to objective moral claims and a moral lawgiver

• How Jesus dignifies women (Mary, the Samaritan woman, resurrection witnesses)

• Why honesty about church failures is essential to credible apologetics

• How to use the book chapter-by-chapter as a practical reference tool

Episode Timestamps

01:08 Introducing Dr. Andrew Ike Shepardson and Dr. Melissa Cain Travis + the book

02:34 Why they wrote The Reconstruction Project (negative apologetics)

09:42 Is Christianity good?

11:45 Diving into the book

14:29 The hardest chapters to write (abuse, abortion, crusades)

22:29 Naturalism and meaning: why “create your own meaning” falls short

31:10 The problem of evil, free will, and moral objectivity

42:16 Christianity and women: how Jesus dignifies women

47:59 Companion resources and how to use this book practically

51:18 Where to find the authors and their work

Resources Mentioned

• The Reconstruction Project: Recovering Truth and Rebuilding Faith — Dr. Andrew Ike Shepardson & Dr. Melissa Cain Travis

https://www.amazon.com/Reconstruction-Project-Recovering-Truth-Rebuilding/dp/1430088389

Examples of positive apologetics books

• Reasonable Faith William Lane Craig

https://www.amazon.com/Reasonable-Faith-Christian-Truth-Apologetics/dp/1433501155

• On Guard — William Lane Craig

https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Defending-Faith-Reason-Precision/dp/1434764885

• Christian Apologetics — Douglas Groothuis

https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Apologetics-Comprehensive-Biblical-Faith/dp/0830839356

• Knowledge of God in the World and the Word — Andrew Ike Shpardson & Douglas Groothuis https://www.amazon.com/Knowledge-God-World-Word-Introduction/dp/0310113075

About the Guests

Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson is Chief of Christian Integration and Discovery at Valor Christian High School and leads the Master’s program in Christian Apologetics at Colorado Christian University.

Dr. Melissa Cain Travis serves as Assistant Professor of Apologetics at Houston Christian University. She is a Fellow at the Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture and writes for Shadowlands Dispatch, a Substack magazine dedicated to cultural apologetics.

Connect with the Authors

• Dr. Andrew “Ike” Shepardson: ikeshepherdson.com

• Dr. Melissa Cain Travis: melissacanetravis.com

• Substack: Music of the Spheres (Melissa Cain Travis)

• Shadowlands Dispatch (Substack publication)

• Discovery Institute Center for Science and Culture (Melissa Cain Travis, Fellow)

About the Host

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices and theological beliefs shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.

Where to Find Dr. Tanya Paynter

Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

Follow The Christian Clinician on Social Media

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

Welcome to a mid-season recap of The Christian Clinician.

In this mid-season recap of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter steps back to look at the bigger picture of Season 3 and why this season has been centered on biblical practices and physiology—how prayer, gratitude, and forgiveness shape the nervous system, retrain the brain, and help deactivate chronic fight-or-flight responses.

So far this season, we’ve covered three practices: prayer, gratitude, and forgiveness. In each series, the goal has been twofold: to deepen our relationship with God and to understand how these practices shape physiology over time—helping retrain the brain, reduce stress reactivity, and create steadier emotional regulation.

This episode is also a mid-season reset. If you’re new to the podcast, this is the best place to start. If you’ve been listening for a while, it’s a chance to revisit these practices with fresh perspective and remember why this season matters.

Dr. Paynter also previews what’s coming next: two author interviews and an opportunity to catch up on episodes you may have missed while the season continues forward.

In this episode, you’ll explore

• The big picture purpose of Season 3 and why it focuses on physiology

• The three practices covered so far: prayer, gratitude, and forgiveness

• Why spiritual practices impact stress physiology, brain patterns, and fight-or-flight

• How deepening relationship with God supports emotional regulation over time

• What’s coming next in the season (author interviews and continued practice focus)

Episode Timestamps (Mid-season recap episodes under ~20 minutes → 5–7 timestamps; here are 7)

00:00 Welcome and what The Christian Clinician is about

00:29 Why this mid-season recap matters

01:11 Prayer, gratitude, forgiveness: what we’ve covered so far

02:05 Why biblical practices shape physiology and the nervous system

05:10 The goal: deeper relationship with God and reduced fight-or-flight

08:40 Catch up suggestions for new and returning listeners

11:05 What’s coming next: author interviews and the next stretch of the season

Resources Mentioned

• Season 3 resources and downloads: https://www.psalmmedical.com/ccseason3-signup

• Podcast webpage (episode list): https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

About the Host

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices like prayer, gratitude, and forgiveness shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.

Where to Find Dr. Tanya Paynter

Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

Follow The Christian Clinician on Social Media

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

Many Christians know what “wilderness” feels like, even if we never use that word. Seasons where God feels absent and where we find ourselves near the end of our strength.

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter sits down with Dr. Noel Forlini Burt to discuss her upcoming book, God in the Desert: How God Uses Painful Seasons to Heal Us Spiritually and Emotionally. Together, they explore the biblical wilderness as more than a place of hardship—it is also a place of formation, confession, surrender, and encounter with God.

This conversation addresses the parts of Scripture that can feel confusing or even jarring in painful seasons: a God who leads Israel into the wilderness, a God who is both self-revealing and self-concealing, a God whose holiness confronts our desire for control. Dr. Forlini Burt also speaks to spiritual formation through the Old Testament and why wilderness experiences often bring complexity and “gray” into faith that we wish were simple.

As we leave our study on forgiveness, we explore how the desert may feel like desolation, but it can also be the place where God is making us whole.

This episode is especially for you if you are in a painful season, wrestling with God’s character, struggling with feeling far from Him, or trying to understand what God might be forming in you through the wilderness.

In this episode, you’ll explore

• Why the wilderness is just a negative place, but often a place of encounter with God

• “In the struggle is the formation”: why hardship often becomes the means of growth

• How wilderness experiences confront our control and expose the “false self”

• Why the Old Testament helps us read painful seasons with more clarity and honesty

• Why surrender can be frightening—and also freeing

• How Scripture portrays God’s holiness and mystery in hard seasons

Episode Timestamps

00:00 A jarring picture of God in the wilderness

01:28 Introducing God in the Desert (release date + focus)

01:58 Why Dr. Burt wrote this book

07:42 The Hagar chapter and reading Scripture with adult honesty

12:46 Wilderness as encounter and formation, not only hardship

23:12 Discernment: testing mystics and everything against Scripture

30:01 Letting go of control and surrender in the desert

35:11 Where to find Dr. Noel Forlini Burt and her work

Resources Mentioned

• God in the Desert: How God Uses Painful Seasons to Heal Us Spiritually and Emotionally — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt (releases April 14, 2026)

• Hope in the Wilderness: Spiritual Reflections for When God Feels Far Away — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt

• Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story — Dr. Noel Forlini Burt

• Hearing God — Dallas Willard (referenced in conversation)

• Themes referenced: Exodus 13; Deuteronomy 8; wilderness formation

About the Guest

Dr. Noel Forlini Burt teaches on biblical studies and spiritual formation. She is the author of Hope in the Wilderness: Spiritual Reflections for When God Feels Far Away and Encounters in the Dark: Identity Formation in the Jacob Story. She is also certified as a spiritual director through Truett Seminary and the Upper Room Academy for Spiritual Formation.

Connect with Dr. Noel Forlini Burt

• Instagram: @noelforliniburt

• Facebook: Noel Forlini Burt

• Book and author pages: https://www.amazon.com/God-Desert-Spiritual-Wilderness-Testament/dp/1514010305

About the Host

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices and spiritual priorities shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.

Where to Find Dr. Tanya Paynter

Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

Follow The Christian Clinician on Social Media

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

To Be Written

Forgiveness is not about pretending an offense didn’t matter or even about reconciliation. Instead, it is a releasing of anger and the need for vengeance. This will be a repeated practice, something we often have to choose again and again as memories resurface and emotions return.

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter shares practical ways to begin practicing forgiveness, combining Scripture, stress physiology, and evidence-based forgiveness research. She explains why the brain stores emotional meaning alongside painful events, why offenses replay, and how repeated forgiveness can retrain the nervous system so the memory no longer triggers a threat response.

This episode also addresses church hurt and spiritual betrayal, the identity layer that can keep people stuck (“I was the one who was wronged”), and the important distinction between forgiveness and becoming a doormat. Boundaries and justice matter but bitterness and vengeance do us no favors. Not only do they separate us from relationship with God and with others but they can keep the body locked in a chronic stress cycle.

If you’ve wanted to forgive but don’t know how, or you feel stuck in anger that keeps resurfacing, this episode gives you a clear starting path.

• What forgiveness is (and what it is not)

• Why forgiveness is a repeated practice—not a one-and-done event (Matthew 18)

• How emotional memories are stored and why offenses replay (consolidation and reconsolidation)

• Why unresolved offenses keep the nervous system stuck in a threat loop

• Church hurt and spiritual betrayal: why it can feel so hard to separate the wound from God

• The identity trap: when “being wronged” becomes part of who you are

• A structured forgiveness model (REACH) as a starting framework

• A Christian practice of forgiveness

• Repeating forgiveness in real time when memories resurface

• Moving toward peace and reduced reactivity over time

00:00 Why forgiveness can feel impossible

01:58 What forgiveness is not

02:41 Forgiveness as a repeated practice (Matthew 18)

03:27 Romans 12: forgiveness as worship and renewal of the mind

05:25 Why offenses replay: emotional consolidation and reconsolidation

07:45 Church hurt and spiritual betrayal

11:19 When offense becomes identity (and why therapy may be needed)

14:20 REACH model (Worthington) + Christian practice steps

18:01 Practical steps: name it, pray, release, repeat

24:21 Physiologic changes over time: reduced threat response

25:24 Forgiveness and the cross (Ephesians 4)

• REACH Forgiveness Model — Dr. Everett Worthington

https://www.evworthington-forgiveness.com/reach-forgiveness-of-others

• Matthew 18:21–22

• Romans 12

• Mark 11:25

• Ephesians 4:31–32

• Season 3 resources: https://www.psalmmedical.com/ccseason3-signup

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she helps Christians understand how spiritual practices like forgiveness, gratitude, and prayer shape stress physiology, emotional resilience, and long-term health.

Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

Can forgiveness really change your health? What if it meant going from multiple medications to none?

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter sits down with Kathy Afzali to share her forgiveness testimony. Kathy describes years of unresolved pain, chronic stress, and a season of physical sickness that left her barely functioning. She knew unforgiveness was part of what was making her sick, but she didn’t know how to forgive—and she didn’t want to.

Then something happened that made the assignment unavoidable. Kathy made a list of more than fifty people she believed she needed to forgive. Within a week, she was asked to teach a forgiveness class to men in a recovery program. That moment began a long process. It didn’t happen overnight. It took about three years for Kathy to say she had fully forgiven everyone on her list.

Over time, her health changed in measurable ways. She eventually came off three medications, including one prescribed for insomnia, and describes a steadier mental and physical wellbeing that she did not have before.

This conversation also makes an important distinction: forgiveness is not being a doormat. It does not remove boundaries, eliminate consequences, or prevent the pursuit of appropriate justice. But it does change what bitterness, vengeance, and ongoing anger continue to do inside your body and in your relationship with God.

If you want to forgive but don’t know how—or you’re tired of carrying anger that keeps resurfacing—this episode gives a clear, honest picture of what forgiveness can look like in real life.

In this episode, you’ll explore:

• How unforgiveness and chronic stress can show up physically, including sleep disruption and medication dependence

• What it looked like to make a real forgiveness list and begin working through it

• Why forgiveness often takes time and must be practiced repeatedly

• How teaching forgiveness became part of Kathy’s healing process

You’ll also be guided through:

• How unforgiveness and chronic stress can show up physically (including sleep and medication dependence)

• Reasons why forgiveness is commanded by Jesus outside of moral command

• The difference between forgiveness and being a doormat: boundaries, justice, and checking your motives

• Why many Christians want to forgive but don’t know how—and what helped Kathy begin

00:00 Introducing Kathy Afzali

02:25 Unforgiveness leading to unresolved pain, stress, and chronic illness

07:07 Kathy's "list of enemies"

08:12 God's sense of humor

09:27 The class, the men’s stories, and the turning point

11:13 Forgiveness as a three-year process and coming off medications

20:20 Forgiveness in your walk with God

30:46 Forgiveness is not being a doormat: boundaries, justice, and motives

35:16 Where to find Kathy

Book Mentioned by Kathy - Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall

You Can Handle the Truth episode with Dr. Tanya Paynter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NITtT6Lh6ZM

Kathy Afzali is a former Broadway performer and former Maryland state legislator who served until her retirement from politics in 2018. She now focuses on ministry through her podcast, You Can Handle the Truth, and currently serves on the board of directors of the Frederick Rescue Mission in Maryland. She is married, has two daughters, and is hoping to become a grandmother soon.

Connect with Kathi Afzali:

• You Can Handle the Truth — https://www.youtube.com/@YCHT_Podcast 
• Frederick Rescue Mission — https://therescuemission.org/ 

Dr. Tanya Paynter is a naturopathic physician, migraine specialist, and Christian apologist. Through The Christian Clinician, she helps Christians understand how their relationship with God shapes stress physiology, emotional health, and whole-body healing—integrating clinical insight with biblical truth.

She is the founder of the Christian Women’s Health Fellowship, where she helps women move from chronic stress and exhaustion toward greater stability, clarity, and energy through faith-informed care.

A small, daily moment that makes her smile: the way her pre-teen son rolls over and gives her a hug when she wakes him up for school each morning.

Website: https://www.psalmmedical.com

Podcast: https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechristianclinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician

Forgiveness is one of the hardest commands Jesus gives.

Many of us believe we’ve forgiven someone… until their name comes up, the memory resurfaces, and suddenly the anger, tension, or anxiety returns as if the event just happened yesterday.

Why does that happen?

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter explores what unforgiveness actually does to the body. Drawing on neuroscience, stress physiology, and Scripture, she explains how unresolved anger can keep the nervous system trapped in a threat response—raising cortisol, increasing inflammation, disrupting sleep, and gradually contributing to long-term health problems.

But forgiveness isn’t just about emotional peace. Jesus commands forgiveness not only because it is morally right, but because it is profoundly protective for our bodies.

You’ll also hear Dr. Paynter share a personal story about wrestling through forgiveness after a painful injustice in her own family—and why trusting God with justice was the turning point.

This episode begins a new series on forgiveness that will include both powerful testimonies of healing and practical steps for learning how to forgive when it feels impossible.

• Why unforgiveness keeps the nervous system stuck in a stress response

• How rumination and emotional memories repeatedly trigger the fight-or-flight system

• The role of the amygdala, cortisol, and memory reconsolidation in replaying past offenses

• Why anger can feel empowering—but ultimately harms long-term health

• The biblical call to release vengeance and trust God with justice

• Why forgiveness is both a spiritual command and a physiological healing practice

Matthew 18:21–22

Romans 12

Hebrews 10:30

Proverbs 20:22

Mark 11:25

Colossians 3:13

Matthew 11:28

Episode: Prayer and Physical Healing with Dr. Ingrid Faro

Upcoming Episodes in the Forgiveness Series

• Kathy Afzali – testimony of physical healing through forgiveness

• Practical steps to begin the process of forgiveness

00:00 – Why unforgiveness keeps coming back years later

01:14 – Why Jesus commands forgiveness

02:19 – A personal story of injustice and anger

03:39 – Letting God handle justice and vengeance

06:10 – The spiritual cost of refusing to forgive

08:25 – How the brain stores emotional memories

12:54 – Why rumination keeps the stress loop alive

15:35 – The health consequences of chronic anger

18:10 – Forgiveness as nervous system retraining

20:00 – The healing power of releasing control to God

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring how Christian faith and human physiology intersect. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she is especially interested in how spiritual practices such as forgiveness, gratitude, and prayer influence stress regulation, emotional resilience, and long-term health. Through thoughtful teaching and clinical insight, she helps listeners understand how the body reflects the design of its Creator.

Official Website

www.psalmmedical.com

Podcast Page

https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

Many Christians love the New Testament but struggle with the Old Testament.

In this book review episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter sits down with Old Testament scholar Dr. Ian Vaillancourt to discuss his new book, Unfolding Redemption: The Heart of the Gospel in the Story of the Old Testament History.

For many Christians, the Old Testament can feel distant, confusing, or even disconnected from the God revealed in the New Testament. Tanya shares that for years, she struggled to see the same God in both Testaments — until reading this book.

Together, they explore how the Old Testament is not spiritual “spinach” to endure, but the unfolding story of redemption that prepares the way for Christ. From Genesis to Chronicles, the conversation traces themes of covenant, blessing and curse, exile and restoration, kingship, grace, and the promise of a better King.

This episode will deepen your understanding of:

• How the entire Old Testament points to Jesus
• Why the “vengeful God” caricature misses the covenant context
• How the structure of the Hebrew Bible strengthens the redemptive storyline
• Why bodily resurrection and the new earth matter for Christian hope
• How the Gospel reframes judgment, discipline, and grace

If you’ve ever struggled to love the Old Testament, this conversation may change how you read your Bible.

• Why Jesus says the Old Testament testifies about Him
• How Genesis 3:15 introduces the first promise of redemption
• What the Pentateuch reveals about covenant, blessing, and restoration
• Why Israel’s repeated cycles of sin and repentance point to our need for a better King
• How the Hebrew ordering of the Old Testament highlights hope
• Why resurrection bodies and a renewed earth reshape our view of eternity
• How God celebrates even small steps of faith in His people

• Unfolding Redemption: The Heart of the Gospel in the Story of the Old Testament History — https://www.amazon.com/Unfolding-Redemption-Gospel-Testament-History/dp/1514011549

• The Dawning of Redemption

• Scripture referenced in the conversation: Genesis 3:15; Romans 5:12–21; Psalms 110 and 118

00:00 – Why the Old Testament used to feel like “spinach”

01:33 – Why Christians should care about the Old Testament

05:06 – Preaching the whole Bible, not just the New Testament

08:18 – Creation, fall, redemption, consummation

11:55 – Covenant, genealogy, and the promise of redemption

15:35 – Blessings, curses, and restoration

19:57 – The Hebrew order of the Old Testament

24:12 – Why Chronicles ends with hope

27:44 – Resurrection bodies and the new earth

36:13 – Kingship, covenant headship, and Jesus as the better King

39:40 – Grace, growth, and how God sees His people

Dr. Ian Vaillancourt is Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at Heritage Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario. He is the author of Treasuring the Psalms, The Dawning of Redemption, The Multifaceted Savior of Psalms 110 and 118 (winner of the 2020 R.B.Y. Scott Award) and Unfolding Redemption: The Heart of the Gospel in the Story of the Old Testament History.

Book: Unfolding Redemption

https://www.amazon.com/Unfolding-Redemption-Gospel-Testament-History/dp/1514011549

Book: The Dawning of Redemption

https://www.amazon.com/Dawning-Redemption-Story-Pentateuch-Gospel/dp/1433581221

Book: Treasuring the Psalms

https://www.amazon.com/Treasuring-Psalms-Songs-Shape-Church/dp/1514005107/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DYTKB7YXKFKV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qmmK9as2ANmFKqXMJ8gA_GoQNKdB9GsE_6FuAWAoX6qk3ATybCERwr2wh65lR9SMRvywa16HWGuvV20Xz4XTrOYRg0VrOJAYXATQLElxvABmWki4olA31CwP3tIXRswcHoRL246mrrmLmErwJ6073w.rk1Vhpl1qczQNa_cswkUc9PUwazH35UkPPQg0tCJX_U&dib_tag=se&keywords=treasuring+the+psalms&qid=1771911158&s=books&sprefix=treasuring+the+psal%2Cstripbooks%2C255&sr=1-1

Book: The Multifaceted Savior of Psalms 110 and 118

https://www.amazon.com/Multifaceted-Saviour-Psalms-110-118/dp/1910928631/ref=books_amazonstores_desktop_mfs_aufs_ap_sc_dsk_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=Nphr5&content-id=amzn1.sym.6d92b4c0-97d6-4063-b66e-20890dfbd616&pf_rd_p=6d92b4c0-97d6-4063-b66e-20890dfbd616&pf_rd_r=144-6551991-0871700&pd_rd_wg=kOWJf&pd_rd_r=63931cec-c5f5-44df-8000-50fa49d1a56e

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she is especially interested in how theological clarity shapes emotional stability and embodied hope. Through conversations with scholars and clinicians alike, Tanya helps listeners see how Scripture speaks not only to the soul, but to the whole person.

The first time the Old Testament truly “clicked” for her was while reading Unfolding Redemption — after years of struggling to see the same God in both Testaments.

Learn more about Dr. Paynter’s clinical work and writing at

www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at

https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheChristianClinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianclinician/

Gratitude can calm anxiety — but it needs to be rooted in trust, not used as a means to control.

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter explores how to practice gratitude in a way that actually reshapes your nervous system and deepens your relationship with God. This is not manifestation thinking or pretending life is easy. And it’s not using thankfulness as a tool to avoid suffering.

Instead, you’ll learn how biblical gratitude builds long-term resilience, renews your mind, and creates real physiological shifts — even when your circumstances don’t change.

If you’ve ever struggled to feel thankful during hard seasons…

If you’ve wondered whether gratitude is just spiritual bypassing…

If you want practical ways to calm anxiety without denying suffering…

This episode will give you both theological clarity and simple, grounded steps to begin.

You’ll explore:

• The difference between biblical gratitude and “manifestation” thinking

• Why transactional gratitude undermines trust in God

• How gratitude affects your brain and nervous system

• Simple ways to begin practicing gratitude when you don’t feel thankful

• How gratitude builds long-term resilience instead of short-term emotional relief

This episode is part of Season 3’s focus on how spiritual practices shape our stress physiology — and why placing Christ at the center is foundational to lasting health.

Free one-page Gratitude Practice Guide: https://www.psalmmedical.com/ccseason3-signup

Season 2 episode on pain and suffering ("Why Does God Allow Pain and Suffering?"): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-christian-clinician/id1712917317?i=1000728211693

00:00 Gratitude, Anxiety, and Why This Isn’t Manifestation

01:58 Biblical Gratitude vs. New Age “Law of Attraction” Thinking

04:09 Giving Thanks in Suffering (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

08:30 Why Transactional Gratitude Destroys Trust

07:22 How to Begin Practicing Biblical Gratitude, Even in Hard Circumstances

10:34 Gratitude Journaling and Tracking Answered Prayers

13:19 The “Gratitude Sandwich” Prayer Method

18:23 Why Gratitude Is Not a Way to Avoid Suffering

Dr. Tanya Paynter is a licensed naturopathic physician and Christian apologist, and the host of The Christian Clinician. She helps Christian women struggling with anxiety, fatigue, and overwhelm understand how spiritual priorities shape stress physiology — and why placing Christ at the center is foundational to lasting health.

She is deeply grateful for the podcast ministry God has entrusted to her — a space to explore how spiritual priorities shape anxiety, hormones, and whole-body health — helping women see how their relationship with Him directly impacts emotional and physical well-being.

Website: www.psalmmedical.com

Podcast page: https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechristianclinician

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechristianclinician

If this episode encouraged you, consider sharing it with a friend who feels overwhelmed or anxious. Gratitude grows stronger when we practice it together.

Perimenopause can feel like a loss of identity—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But what if this season isn't about losing who you are but about who you are becoming? Inviting Christ into this transition can bring an unlooked for level of peace and healing.

In this episode of The Christian Clinician, Dr. Tanya Paynter speaks with nutritionist and health coach Lindsay Spivey about her journey through chronic illness, perimenopause, depression, and anxiety, and how her conversion to Christianity eased her healing and gave her life a greater meaning and purpose. Together, they explore how suffering, forgiveness, humility, and gratitude can reshape not only our spiritual lives, but our nervous systems and emotional resilience.

Lindsay shares how decades of chronic health struggles led her through secular healing practices, only to discover that true peace and restoration came through Christ. This conversation addresses anxiety, trauma, hormonal transition, purpose, and the role of community in healing. It also highlights how gratitude and forgiveness reduce stress reactivity and help women move from depletion toward renewed clarity and strength.

This episode is especially for women navigating perimenopause, identity shifts, emotional exhaustion, or questions about purpose in seasons of suffering.

• Symptoms of perimenopause such as anxiety, identity loss, and emotional overwhelm
• Why forgiveness can be a missing piece in long-term healing
• Why suffering does not eliminate purpose
• How gratitude anchors women during hormonal transition

• Navigating chronic illness and autoimmune conditions
• Lindsay's story of converting to Christianity after years in "secular spirituality"
• Reframing menopause as identity transition, not identity loss
• Building resilience through faith-centered practices

00:00 – Weakness, community, and interdependence

02:16 – Chronic illness, autoimmune disease, and nervous system healing

05:01 – From secular spirituality to Christian conversion

10:47 – Forgiveness, trauma, and true healing

15:03 – Suffering, justice, and trusting God

18:12 – Gratitude, joy, and rediscovering purpose

23:55 – Humility, strengths, weaknesses, and community

28:59 – Resources for women in perimenopause

• Menopause with Lindsay: menopausewithlindsay.com
• Podcast: Reclaim the Pause
• Free physical, mental, and spiritual resource at link below

Season 3 resources available at:

https://www.psalmmedical.com/ccseason3-signup

Dr. Tanya Paynter is the host of The Christian Clinician, a podcast exploring the intersection of Christian faith, physiology, and whole-person health. As a licensed naturopathic physician, she focuses on how spiritual practices such as gratitude, forgiveness, and trust shape emotional regulation, stress response, and long-term healing. Through thoughtful conversations and clinical insight, Tanya helps listeners move toward a more integrated and grounded faith.

Learn more at www.psalmmedical.com

Visit the podcast webpage at https://www.psalmmedical.com/cc-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thechristianclinician

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