The Disrupters: Faith Changing Culture

What if the problem in some churches isn’t a lack of gifted leaders, but our failure to recognize them? 

In this episode of The Disrupters, psychologist, author, and retired professor Susan Harris Howell joins Caleb Campbell for a conversation about power, gender, and the assumptions that quietly shape life in the Church. Drawing from her book Buried Talents, Susan explores how culture influences the ways we think about leadership, calling, authority, and whose voices are heard.

Together, they examine why Jesus consistently made space for women's participation, and how churches can unknowingly reinforce the patterns of the world by burying God-given gifts beneath assumptions about gender. Susan argues that gifts and callings don't come in "pink and blue," explores the link between power and abuse, and challenges listeners to consider what the Church loses when some voices are consistently overlooked. At the same time, she offers a hopeful vision of churches where women and men are empowered to steward all that God has entrusted to them.

If you've ever wondered how culture shapes the church, wrestled with questions of leadership and belonging, or longed to see healthier uses of power in Christian community, this conversation will challenge you to notice what you've stopped seeing and imagine what the Church might become.

Ready to disrupt for the good of the Church? Tune in now.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Why abuse thrives when power is hoarded by a few
• How churches unintentionally copy harmful cultural patterns
• The difference between wanting power over others and claiming agency for oneself
• Practical advice for people who feel silenced in their own congregations

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Susan Harris Howell
• Read Susan Harris Howell’s book, Buried Talents
• Check out Susan Harris Howell’s Substack
• Join Christians for Biblical Equality (CBE)
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅ Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅ Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

American exceptionalism isn’t a patriotic value; it’s a theological problem.

In this episode of The Disrupters, Jonathan Walton, executive director of the Center for Beauty and Resistance, joins Caleb Campbell for a challenging conversation about stewarding power, nationalism, and the idols hiding in plain sight.

Together, they explore why American exceptionalism remains so compelling, how the American Dream can become a counterfeit version of “life to the full,” and why Christians are often tempted to pursue power through dominance, control, and self-preservation rather than sacrificial love.

Drawing from Scripture, history, and years of walking alongside people learning to steward the power God has entrusted to them, Walton argues that the way of Jesus stands in stark contrast to the logic of empire. He invites listeners to reexamine assumptions about nation, identity, success, and faithfulness, asking what happens when allegiance to God's kingdom comes into conflict with the stories our culture tells us about greatness.

The American Dream offers a counterfeit kingdom. Jesus offers the real thing. The difference changes everything about how we understand power.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The power, privilege, and stewardship of a Christian life
• The dangers and illusions of American exceptionalism
• Jesus’s disruptive approach to power and empire
• How confession, humility, and justice reshape the way we use power

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Jonathan Walton
• Support the work of A Rocha USA and the Center for Beauty and Resistance here
• Check out Jonathan Walton’s Substack
• Read Beauty and Resistance and Twelve Lies That Hold America Captive by Jonathan Walton
• Get more information on the NYU Faith, Innovation and Social Impact Course. Applications are due on November 15. NYU, the Christian Community Development Association, Innofaith and the Center for Beauty and Resistance are collaborating for this unique opportunity!
• Read The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅ Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅ Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

When American Christians pray for revival, is our narrow imagination blinding us to how God is answering those prayers?

In this episode of The Disrupters, Caleb Campbell sits down with Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero, pastor, author, and president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, to disrupt how we define revival, church health, and spiritual renewal.

Drawing from a variety of passages across the Old and New Testaments, as well as evidence from the global church, Gabriel argues that revival is about more than attendance, influence, or numerical growth. True spiritual awakening is holistic: it welcomes the stranger, uplifts the vulnerable, strengthens communities, and reflects the multicultural kingdom of God. From Pentecost and immigration to church growth and community flourishing, Gabriel paints a bigger, more complete vision of revival than many American Christians have been taught to expect.

If we measure revival only by what happens inside our churches, we may miss what God is doing all around us. Tune in now to discover why the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger are the most important witnesses to whether revival is truly taking place.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Revival as a holistic, community-centered movement
• The dangers of the cult of personality and American celebrity church culture
• How biblical revival always includes the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the stranger
• Immigration, ethnicity, and the Spirit’s radically inclusive work

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Gabriel Salguero
• Learn more about the National Latino Evangelical Coalition
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅ Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅ Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Sensitivity Warning: This episode includes discussion of war, violence, genocide, and human suffering. Some of these topics are explored in personal and vivid detail and may be difficult for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

As we mark three years since October 7, 2023, it is more important than ever for Christians to remember that following Jesus means mourning with those who mourn and paying the high price for peace.

In this episode of The Disrupters, Caleb Campbell sits down with the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, to grapple with Christian complicity in global violence, the privilege of looking away, and the high cost of following the Prince of Peace.

Together, Caleb and Mae challenge the binary thinking that reduces complex conflicts to heroes and villains, which dehumanizes people made in the image of God. Mae shares heart-wrenching stories about the daily reality of families living in fear of the next missile strike. She challenges listeners to consider how their money, politics, and silence contribute to cycles of destruction, and what a gospel of good news actually looks like for those in the rubble.

Mae offers practical guidance in this episode: how to faithfully witness suffering, how to pray through feeling overwhelmed, how to engage with peacemaking long-term, and how to radically love your enemies. 

Join Mae, Caleb, and The Disrupters in refusing to look away from suffering.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• American complicity and Christian responsibility in global injustice
• The privilege of looking away and the biblical mandate not to
• The intersection of power, justice, fear, and the way of Jesus
• Stories of courage, peacemaking, and paying the high cost for peace

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Mae Elise Cannon
• Read Mae Cannon’s book, Beyond Hashtag Activism
• Learn more about Churches for Middle East Peace
• Check out Mae Elise Cannon’s Substack for her latest writings
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

When faced with the injustice caused by sin and the powers of the world, the Church must respond with unity, compassion, and focused, righteous anger. 

In this episode of The Disrupters, Caleb Campbell sits down with pastor, organizer, and activist Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra to explore how Christians can humbly, lovingly, and fearlessly promote justice for the vulnerable within the political systems of the world.

Alexia shows how the world’s obsession with “power over” keeps us trapped in cycles of domination and fear, while the way of Jesus offers an alternative “power with” that elevates the vulnerable for the good of all people. Drawing on decades of experience organizing for immigrants and the economically disadvantaged, Alexia shares practical wisdom for anyone longing to put prophetic anger to use—not as impotent rage, but as fuel for change.

They reflect on the dangers of individualism, the collective call to steward democracy, and why “loving our neighbors” means standing with the widow, the orphan, the immigrant, and the poor. Alexia offers stories, practical tips for advocacy, and a hopeful reminder that governments come and go, but the Church endures as a sign of God’s reconciling love on Earth.

If you want to learn how to support change for good in your own community, this episode is for you.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The difference between power over and power with
• How faith changes our understanding and stewardship of power
• How individual Christians can practice faith-rooted organizing
• Walking in hope and humility amid division, rage, and systemic injustice

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Alexia Salvatierra
• Read Alexia’s book, Faith Rooted Organizing
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

As an Amazon Affiliate, this channel earns commissions from qualifying purchases when you use the links above.

The Church’s power lies in loving broken people unconditionally, not in breaking people with conditional love.

In this episode of The Disrupters, Caleb Campbell welcomes writer, advocate, and co-founder of Deconstruction Doulas, Margaret Bronson, for a conversation about power, spiritual authority, and abuse in church spaces. Margaret shares about her journey out of a highly controlling religious environment, through the systems and structures of the modern American church, and now to her work as a “doula” for people navigating religious trauma. Together, they explore the deep wounds caused by unhealthy theology and conditional belonging, and what it takes to love the spiritually wounded.

Referencing Martin Luther, George Washington in Hamilton, and Babe the Pig, Margaret exposes how systems of coercion and tough love have replaced the vulnerable way of Jesus, and challenges the Church’s assumptions about where saving power resides. She invites us to rethink grace, to trust the Holy Spirit with those we love, and to practice radical hospitality for those carrying pain and fear.

This episode offers hope to survivors of spiritual abuse who are rebuilding their faith and gives Christians practical steps for fostering true belonging and safety in every part of church life. 

Tune in and discover how churches can become green pastures where everyone, especially the wounded and the downtrodden, can find rest, security, and peace.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The difference between oppressive and healing power in the church
• Creating church spaces of safety, vulnerability, and genuine welcome
• The harm of conditional belonging and coercive “tough love” leadership

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Margaret Bronson and Deconstruction Doulas
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

How did the church become more interested in holding power than sharing the Good News? 

Welcome to the seventh season of The Disrupters! In this first episode, host Caleb Campbell sits down with Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, Robert Boyd Munger Professor of Evangelism and Church Renewal at Fuller Theological Seminary, award-winning author, and renowned voice on faith and justice. Together, they explore how American Evangelicalism has been shaped not by a truth-pursued mindset, but by a truth-possessed one that values control and exclusion over humble evangelism.

Soong-Chan challenges us to rethink how we evangelize, moving beyond intellectual arguments and needless boundary-drawing toward a vision of embodied gospel presence. He reflects on the dangers of exceptionalism, the deep roots of power and narrative in American church life, and the need for prophetic lament as a corrective spiritual practice.

This conversation sets off an entire season that will unsettle your perspective of power and invite you to examine the stories and habits shaping your own faith. Whether you’re seeking a church that lives what it preaches, or you’re wrestling with the ways Christianity has missed the mark, this episode calls us back to the kind of power Jesus modeled, one that serves, invites, and chases after truth.

Listen now and rediscover what it means to follow Jesus and share the Gospel with true power.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• The problem with “truth-possessed” evangelism
• Incarnational apologetics vs. winning arguments
• Prophetic lament as spiritual resistance
• The weaknesses of revival-based evangelism

Links from the episode:

• Discover more about Dr. Soong-Chan Rah and his books
• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 for 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece, Helen Lee, and Travis Albritton

✅Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

What should Christians do with power, and what if we’ve misunderstood it all along?

Welcome to season 7 of The Disrupters from InterVarsity Press, hosted by Caleb Campbell. Every episode promises honest conversations that push the church to rethink the ways it chases influence, security, justice, and above all—power.

Joining Caleb Campbell this season are leading voices like Soong-Chan Rah, Mae Elise Cannon, Alexia Salvatierra, Jonathan Walton, Amy Williams, Malcolm Foley, Margaret Bronson, and others. Together, they pull the curtain back on the ways power shapes our views of politics, race, gender, healing, nationalism, wealth, peacemaking, and justice.

At the center of this season is the radical person of Jesus. He rejected domination. He chose the cross, not the sword. His kingdom values humility, service, generosity, and love. In a world chasing power, what would it look like for Christians to surrender it?

If you’re searching for conversations that challenge the status quo and help you develop a more faithful perspective of power, this season is for you.

Season 7 of The Disrupters launches next week, September 16. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on the IVP YouTube channel.

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about The Disrupters
• Learn more about Caleb Campbell
• Read Caleb Campbell's book, Disarming Leviathan
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅ Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPDISRUPT40 to get 40% off and free US shipping on any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅ Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅ Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅ Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅ Social Media Manager: Makayla Payne

✅ Assistant Producer: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅ Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅ Theme Song: "Sneakerhead" by Ghost Beatz

You need to slow down.

So many leaders are driven by the fear of falling behind, convinced that impact requires urgency. And in the frantic pace of the modern world, we forget that God never told us to sprint ahead; he invited us to walk alongside him.

In the final episode of Season 6 of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin sits down with author, speaker, filmmaker, and VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer. In their conversation, Phil shares about the rapid rise and rapid fall of Big Idea Productions. He opens up about how speed became his idol and how slowing down has allowed God to redeem his failures. Now, as co-host of The Holy Post podcast and a storyteller for the next generation, Phil reflects on what it means to follow Jesus without being consumed by a relentless need to hurry.

Throughout their conversation, Phil warns listeners about the pressures of staying ahead and the toxic pace of modern ministry. From identity to insecurity, performance to obedience, this episode is a powerful reminder that you don’t need to impress God. You just need to patiently walk with him.

When we crucify speed, we find the joy, peace, and purpose only God’s pace can provide.

Tune in now to learn how slowing down might be the most faithful thing you can do as a leader.

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Crucifying speed in a culture addicted to hurry
• Redefining our failure and success through God’s eyes
• Obedience always outweighs outcomes

Links from the episode:

• Discover more about Phil Vischer
• Learn more about Nicole Martin
• Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble

✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

Leaders are expected to meet increasingly high standards, but many are silently suffering under the pressure of constantly needing to perform. But God never called us to perform—He called us to be relational people.

In this episode of The Disrupters, host Nicole Martin is joined by Sheila Wise Rowe and Dr. Nicholas Rowe, co-authors of Healing Leadership Trauma, spiritual formation mentors, and longtime leaders in ministry and education. Sheila Wise Rowe is an award-winning author and counselor who has spent over 30 years walking alongside abuse and trauma survivors. Dr. Nicholas Rowe is the Hansen Associate Professor of Leadership at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, with decades of experience in leadership, reconciliation, and formation. Together, they offer not only practical wisdom but a deep well of spiritual insight.

Through honest reflection, they unpack how unhealed trauma fuels performance-based leadership and how many Christian leaders carry the past, present, and future like a crushing weight. They discuss how early wounds, fear of failure, and pressure to succeed can disconnect leaders from their core identity in Jesus. But when you crucify performance, what rises is something far more powerful: character rooted in truth, leadership grounded in rest, and a witness that’s not built on performance, but presence.

Tune in now to discover how surrendering performance can allow you to lead as a “human being,” not a “human doing.”

This episode highlights the following themes:

• Crucifying performance and recovering authenticity
• Healing leadership trauma across past, present, and future
• Leading others by being rooted in your identity in Christ

Links from the episode:

• Learn more about Sheila Wise Rowe and Dr. Nicholas Rowe
• Check out their book: Healing Leadership Trauma
• Learn more about Nicole Martin
• Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It
• Read the transcript here

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.

✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton

✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee

✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts

✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble

✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo

✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard

✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.