The Deep Thoughts Podcast with Matt Shantz

Simply put, we live in an anti-aging world. Aging is seen as something to fight against, slow the signs of, and even live in total denial about. On the other hand, Christianity has always held an alternate vision that embraces aging, and the character and wisdom that come with it.

Jen Wilkin joins Matt Shantz for a conversation about aging wisely in an anti-aging world. She is an author and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas who has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. An advocate for Bible literacy, her passion is to see others become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God.

She is the co-host of the fantastic Knowing Faith podcast and the author of a number of books and bible studies, including Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds and Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World.

One day Aaron sat down with a notebook and started writing down the names of people he knew who had deconstructed their faith. He filled two pages. 

Can you relate to this gradual drift from the church, drift from core doctrines, and drift from Christianity itself — either from personal experience or observation?

Is real, resilient faith, rooted in truth possible at a time so full of cultural pressures and alternative values?

In this episode Matt Shantz sits down with Aaron Graham who exposes subtle lies reshaping Christianity from within and shares how to build a faith that can withstand a culture of confusion without losing conviction or compassion. The conversation is based on his new book, Unshakable Faith: How To Stand Firm in a Culture of Lies.

Aaron is the founder & lead pastor of The District Church, a multicultural congregation in Washington, D.C. For over 15 years, he has pastored in the heart of capital of the United States, discipling a generation to follow Jesus. He earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and has been featured by ABC News, Time, & The Washington Post for his insights on reaching young adults in our increasingly secular age.

What is the path to the good life? What does it look like to be a disciple of Jesus? New Testament scholar, Jonathan Pennington, has written extensively on the Gospel of Matthew and we explore it’s emphasis on discipleship as well as Jesus’ vision for human flourishing outlined in the Sermon on the Mount in this conversation. And golf.

Jonathan Pennington is a Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky & also one of the Teaching Pastors at Sojourn East. He regularly speaks and teaches in churches all over the US and has come up to beautiful British Columbia, Canada numerous times. He also hosts The Human Flourishing Podcast. 

His books include, Reading the Gospels Wisely: A Narrative & Theological Introduction; Come & See: The Journey of Knowing God Through Scripture; Becoming a Disciple of the King: A Theology of Matthew; The Sermon on the Mount & Human Flourishing; his personal favourite, Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life, and many more.

This is a special crossover episode from Expositor’s Collective, where Matt was interviewed by Mike Neglia on preaching the gospel and raising up preachers. Together they discuss the ethics of quoting voices outside our theological tradition (8:30), the sermon critique that pushed Matt toward greater gospel clarity (11:15), the surprising benefits of handwritten notes (30:30), and why preaching is often far more exhausting than most people realize (56:45). Matt also offers a behind-the-scenes look at how Central Community Church identifies, trains, coaches, and releases new Bible teachers through initiatives like their Preaching Lab, creating a culture where developing communicators is part of the church's DNA (33:20). Whether you're preparing this Sunday's sermon, mentoring emerging preachers, or simply trying to grow in the craft and calling of Bible teaching, this conversation is filled with wisdom, humility, and practical encouragement for the long work of ministry.

Over the last few decades a phenomenon has been taking place on Tuesday nights at Texas A&M University; thousands of students fill the basketball arena to worship Jesus and receive Bible teaching. Brian McCormack serves as the Executive Director and together with his wife Emilie they steward this incredible ministry with faith, vision, and humility. 

Breakaway's purpose is any and every student taking their first or next step with Jesus.

In this episode they discuss: What an Aggie is (and how to pronounce it) (7:00); how redemptive it is that Brian preaches on the Reed Arena basketball court every Tuesday night (10:00); the movement that is Breakaway (11:15); how the faith questions of young people have changed over the years (14:30); how to reach the rising generation (20:00); what we’ve been praying for is happening (26:00); what it means for those of us in the church to embrace the moment with faith (31:00); sympathizing with those who find church hard (39:00); and the McCormack’s best stuff on raising kids in our moment (45:00).

 Also, Matt and Brian new best friends? TBD.

ABOUT

Brian McCormack is the Executive Director of Breakaway. He is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher who uses words to tell people about Jesus. He’s also the unofficial president of the Emilie McCormack fan club. Together they have 5 kids and lead the movement that is Breakaway on the college campus of Texas A&M. Both are worth a follow on Instagram so you can catch a glimpse on the ground floor of what the Lord is doing in and through this rising generation in our moment.

We all long for a life worth living. So when we receive news of a frightening diagnosis, suffer heartbreaking loss in our family life, or get trapped in a cycle of our own sin, we might wonder about God. Where is He when we need Him most?

In this episode Ray explains that Jesus can be hard to find in the comfortable lives we prefer. Instead, He meets us at rock bottom―where He is waiting for us with open arms. If you’re facing hardship or heartbreak, here is some good news — the Man of Sorrows is there to meet you where you need Him most.

Matt and Ray talk about “Good News at Rock Bottom” as well as Ray's “Jesus Revolution” days in California in the 70’s and their sense that renewal is coming again; his book The Death of Porn and why porn is a justice issue; and how gospel culture is the necessary and beautiful expression of gospel doctrine in our lives and churches.

ABOUT

Ray Ortlund is the president of Renewal Ministries, the pastor to pastors at Immanuel Church in Nashville, and a canon theologian with the Anglican Church in North America.

He is a contributor to the ESV Study Bible (the study Bible Matt recommends most!) and the author of several books, including:

Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost

The Death of Porn: Men of Integrity Building a World of Nobility

You’re Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Christians (co-authored with fellow Deep Thoughts guest Sam Allberry)

To The Tenth Generation: God’s Heart for Your Family, Far into the Future (co-authored with his wife Jani)

The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ 

Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel

To celebrate 100 episodes worth of deep thoughts, Matt is joined by original producer of the podcast, Jordan Esau, for a trip down memory lane as they talk about the humble beginnings of the podcast, some favourite episodes and guests, and more.Then Matt tackles some of the deepest listener-submitted questions to close things out.A trip down memory lane (1:00)Where did Old Testament believers go when they died? (20:40)What are your views on the old earth and young earth creationist perspectives? (24:00)Since Samson killed himself and was favoured by God, is suicide a pardonable sin? (36:10)How important and healthy do you think it is for a church’s small groups to be intergenerational? (44:05)

A big thank you to Jordan Esau for joining Matt for this episode and for his instrumental help in starting the podcast, to Andy Boldt and Landon Johnston for their fantastic work on the episodes since, Heath Robertson for the graphic design, Emily Shantz for the cult following you amassed, and all the fantastic guests over the years who are the reason that the podcast hits such gospel depths. Most of all, thank you to everyone who listens, engages with the podcast, and passes episodes along to others in your life. I truly hope it helps you in fostering deep faith.

Disclaimer: This podcast addresses a question about suicidal ideation, which may be distressing for some listeners. The information communicated is about the Bible and pastoral in nature and is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek support from a qualified medical or mental health professional or contact Talk Suicide Canada: 1.833.456.4566

For many of us, despite having the best intentions, we struggle to reach out effectively with the gospel. Jeff Medders joins Matt to talk about fostering a genuine evangelistic culture in our lives and churches.

ABOUT

Jeff Medders is the Director of Theology and Content for Send Network and the General Editor for New Churches. He is also pursuing his Ph.D. at Southern Seminary in biblical spirituality under the supervision of Dr. Donald S. Whitney. Jeff is a writer, a preacher, a podcaster, and an unashamed coffee snob. He is a native Houstonian and the author of several books including Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians; Gospel Formed: Living a Grace-Addicted, Truth-Filled, Jesus-Exalting Life; Humble Calvinism: And If I Know the Five Points, But Have Not Love; Risen King: 40 Devotions for Easter; and the main topic of the podcast conversation, The Soul-Winning Church: Six Keys to Fostering a Genuine Evangelistic Culture.

In August of 2011, Cameron Horner had a diving accident that resulted in a spinal injury and immediate paralysis. His story is one of faith and perseverance.  

In this episode, we talk about a theology of suffering and the topics of disability and the church and disability and eschatology.

Resources referenced in the episode:

Ten Dimensions of Belonging (Erik Carter)

My Body Is Not A Prayer Request: Disability Justice In The Church (Amy Kenny)

ABOUTBecause of the work that God did before, during, and after Cameron's injury, a ministry began as churches, schools, and other groups began asking him to come share his journey of faith and perseverance. Cameron has a unique take on suffering and desires for the church to grow in their understanding of how to relate to the pain that we all experience in life.Cameron also has a heart for helping churches with the topic of disability. He has experienced the good and the not so good when it comes to church tolerance, accessibility, messaging, etc., and is a resource for churches and other organizations as they desire to better understand how to minister to the disabled community.Cameron was recently married to Annie, who “sort of” met at the Exiles in Babylon Conference Matt was attending as well in 2023.You can watch Cameron’s appearance at the Exiles In Babylon Conference and on The 700 Club. You can find him at cameronhornerministries.org and on Instagram.

Today in the west, many consider the church to be dead or dying. Christianity is seen as outdated, bigoted and responsible for many of society’s problems. This leaves many believers embarrassed about their faith and many outsiders wary of Christians and their movement. But what if the Christian message is not the enemy of our modern Western values, but the very thing that makes sense of them?

Matt talks with Glen Scrivener, author of The Air We Breathe: How We All Came To Believe In Freedom, Kindness, Progress, & Equality.

Those are distinctively Christian ideas. Christianity didn’t just turn the ancient world upside down, but continues to underpin the way our society thinks about life, worth, and meaning

In other words, Christianity has impacted our culture so profoundly that we don’t notice it’s in the very air we breathe. 

ABOUT

Glen Scrivener is an evangelist who is passionate about people meeting Christ and equipping Christians to share their faith. He’s often found speaking at Churches and Universities, in the studio producing online media or in his office, writing books and other evangelistic material. He is an ordained Church Of England minister, author, speaker and filmmaker, and director of the charity Speak Life. In addition to The Air We Breathe, Glen has also written How To See Life; How To Speak Life; and Long Story Short: The Bible in 12 Phrases