Recording artist Jessa Anderson and Noah talk about the tension in the

Christian music industry between making good music with good theology,

how all of life’s struggles can’t be fixed in a 3 and half minute song

with a pretty bow at the end of it, and the lure of writing in a way

that will get you on the radio.  They talk about the depression and

anxiety ministry leaders face and how our churches and Christian music

need to give more exposure to these darker sides of our faith walk.  If

you are a music fan of any kind, are a ministry leader, or want to know

how to better support your ministry leaders, this is a great episode for

you.

Youth pastor David Singleton and I talk about the different narratives of the white and black cultures and how this relates to the Church. We discuss the Baltimore riots, racial segregation in churches, the differences between suburban and urban youth ministry, and steps we can take to be the Church Jesus intended.  David has been the youth pastor at Crossroads Church in Lansing, MI for the past year and prior to this did urban youth ministry in Philadelphia, PA / Camden, NJ as well as Watts and Compton (Los Angeles), California.  David is also a spoken word artist and performs his poem "Dad Was Locked Up."

In this episode, I interview Pastor Chris Lockemy from Epic Church in

Baltimore, MD.  Chris planted his church in 2005 and gives an on the

ground "Behind the Curtain" look at the Baltimore riots from the

perspective of a white church planting pastor who has a heart for the

city.  We talk transparently about the challenges we face in the church

to be a part of God's work of racial reconciliation, but now essential

it is we get off the sidelines and be a part of that work.

The band Churchill's hit single "Change" was #17 on the 2012 Billboard Alternative Songs chart and the Change EP reached #9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Churchill has toured with Pink, The Fray, and many more.  Band co-found Mike Morter and I discuss fame, being a celebrity, being around celebrities,

touring, pressure, always being asked "What's next?," how Jesus and our

identity in Christ can get muddled in all that, and the insecurities

that go with the ups and downs of the industry.

Ted Kluck is the author of 15 books, including Why We're

Not Emergent and Why We Love the Church with Kevin DeYoung,

autobiographies of Robert Griffin III, Jeremy Lin and Jim Kelly, and most

recently The Dropbox and Household Gods. We discuss

infertility, the underbelly of Christian publishing, Christian celebrityism and the tension between gossip (especially online) and following the biblical mandate to correct false teachers.

In the inaugural AtACrossroads.net Behind the Curtain Ministry Podcast, we interview Ken Wytsma about spiritual fatigue, social justice fatigue, self-glory in pastors and authors, as well as how churchgoers can best care for their pastors.  Ken is the founding pastor in Bend, OR, the author of Pursuing Justice and The Grand Paradox and is the founder of The Justice Conference.