The Unbound Podcast with Dr. Tony Evans

Dr. Lynn Cohick is a New Testament scholar who helps people uncover the world behind the Bible, bringing familiar passages to life in fresh and surprising ways.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans and Dr. Lynn talk about what happens when faith becomes personal—especially when life hurts, Scripture feels familiar and easy answers are not enough.

Dr. Cohick opens up about losing her sister at a young age and the question that grief forced her to face: Does God really love me when I am hurting this deeply?

She shares why pain is not always answered with more information, how the body of Christ can become a lifeline in difficult seasons and why sometimes the most powerful thing someone can do is simply stay, pray and love well.

Then the conversation turns to the New Testament itself.

What did Martha really face when Jesus arrived at her home? Why was the Samaritan woman’s influence so remarkable? What do we miss about women in the early church when we read Scripture through modern assumptions?

Dr. Cohick helps uncover the cultural and historical details behind these stories, showing how context can deepen our understanding of Jesus, the early church and God’s Word.

Dr. Evans and Dr. Cohick also explore unity in the body of Christ, biblical leadership, suffering, purpose and why knowing the world of the Bible can help us live out our faith today.

If you have ever wanted to understand Scripture more deeply or trust God more fully in the middle of real life, this conversation is for you.

Learn more about Dr. Lynn Cohick:

Website: https://www.lynncohick.com/

Let HER Lead: https://letherlead.com/

Visual Museum of Women in Christianity: https://www.visualmuseum.gallery/

The Letter to the Ephesians (Eerdmans, 2020): https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802868428/the-letter-to-the-ephesians/

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Ikki Soma is a pastor, preacher and Dallas Theological Seminary graduate who has served in multi-ethnic ministry and as a chaplain in collegiate and professional sports.

What happens when you don’t fit neatly into the categories people expect?

Ikki Soma knows that tension personally. Born in Japan, raised in the United States and shaped by relationships across cultures, he has spent much of his life learning what it means to belong without losing who God made him to be.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with Ikki for an honest, hopeful conversation about identity, belonging and why the church should be a place where our differences don’t have to divide us.

Together, they discuss the racial, political, cultural and generational lines that can leave people feeling separated from one another—even inside the body of Christ. Ikki shares what he has learned from years of ministry in multi-ethnic churches, while Dr. Evans unpacks why biblical unity is not about everyone becoming the same. It is about different people coming together under the same Lord.

Their conversation gets practical too. What do you do when Christians disagree politically? How do churches make room for different cultures and generations? What happens when personal preferences become more important than kingdom priorities? And how can believers hold on to their God-given identity while making their identity in Christ primary?

Through stories from sports, marriage, ministry and everyday church life, Dr. Evans and Ikki show that unity is not just a nice idea. It is part of our witness to the world.

In a culture that keeps telling us to choose sides, Jesus offers something better: a place to belong, a mission worth sharing and a family bigger than the divisions around us.

Learn more about Pastor Ikki Soma:

Instagram: @ikkisoma

https://www.cottagegrovedsm.com/

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

James “JB” Brown is an award-winning sports broadcaster, longtime host of The NFL Today and a respected voice whose career has spanned decades at the highest levels of sports television.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast , Dr. Tony Evans sits down with his longtime friend for a personal conversation about faith, family, preparation and what it means to represent Christ in the public eye.

Brown reflects on the foundation laid by his parents, the lessons he learned playing basketball at DeMatha Catholic High School and Harvard, and the disappointment of being cut by the Atlanta Hawks. What felt like a painful setback became a defining lesson: opportunities matter, but preparation determines what you do with them.

He shares how that commitment to excellence eventually opened the door to broadcasting and why he has carried a “free agent mentality” throughout his career, refusing to take any opportunity for granted.

Brown also opens up about his journey to faith and the responsibility he feels to live as a Christian broadcaster, allowing his relationship with Christ to shape not only what he says but how he works, prepares and treats others. He and Dr. Evans discuss what it looks like to bring biblical convictions into the workplace with wisdom, excellence and integrity.

Their conversation becomes especially personal as Brown reflects on his late brother Everett’s battle with addiction, his transformation through God’s Word and the freedom he found in Christ near the end of his life.

Through stories from the basketball court, the broadcast booth and his own family, Brown offers a powerful reminder that God can use both success and disappointment to prepare us for His purposes.

When faith comes first, every platform becomes an opportunity to represent the One who gave it to you.

Learn More about James “JB” Brown:

https://www.jbjamesbrown.com/

Instagram: @jbsportscaster

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Chrystal Evans Hurst is an author, speaker and founder of The Sister Circle, where she encourages women to grow in faith, embrace their identity and live with greater intention.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with his oldest daughter for an honest, personal and often humorous conversation about family, identity, disappointment and learning how to keep moving when life does not turn out the way you expected.

Chrystal opens up about growing up in the Evans household, becoming a single mother at nineteen and navigating seasons when she wondered who she was and what God was doing with her life. She shares how those experiences shaped her understanding of purpose and why the unexpected parts of our stories do not have to be wasted.

Together, Chrystal and Dr. Evans talk about what happens when you spend so much time caring for everyone else that you begin to lose sight of yourself. They explore the importance of Christian community, why sometimes you need to “borrow” hope from someone else and how God can use even regret, pain and hidden seasons for His purposes.

Chrystal also shares a simple but challenging idea for anyone who feels worn down by the demands of everyday life: fight for joy. Sometimes that means making room for the things that remind you you’re alive. Sometimes it means opening the gifts God has already placed in front of you. And sometimes it means trusting that He is still at work even when you cannot yet see what He is building.

The conversation closes with a deeply personal challenge about vulnerability and relationships. In a world that encourages us to look polished, stay guarded and keep the hard parts hidden, Chrystal reminds us that meaningful relationships require the courage to be known—to let people see our failures, our hurts and our hearts.

If you have ever looked at your life and thought, “this wasn’t supposed to happen,” this conversation is a reminder that your story is not over. Even when life has not gone according to plan, God is still at work shaping your story and leading you into what comes next.

Learn more about Chrystal Evans Hurst:

https://chrystalevanshurst.com/

Follow Chrystal on Instagram:

@ChrystalHurst

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Tony Dungy is a Super Bowl-winning NFL coach, longtime broadcaster and committed follower of Christ whose faith has shaped the way he leads, serves and lives.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with his longtime friend for a candid conversation about faith, family, leadership and what it means to follow Christ when the pressure is high and the stakes are even higher.

Coach Dungy reflects on the influence of his parents, including his father’s challenge to never let others define him and to always ask how he could make a difficult situation better. He also shares how Christian teammates early in his NFL career strengthened his faith and how a message from Dr. Evans helped shape a conviction he has carried throughout his life: Be a Christian all the time.

Together, Dr. Evans and Coach Dungy look back on his journey from NFL player to head coach, his commitment to lead through encouragement rather than intimidation and his determination to pursue excellence without allowing football to become the most important thing in his life. He also reflects on winning the Super Bowl and using that moment to point millions of people to Christ.

The conversation turns deeply personal as Coach Dungy shares how his faith sustained him through professional disappointment, public criticism and the devastating loss of his son James. Through those experiences, he explains how Scripture deepened his trust in God and gave his family hope even in their darkest season.

Through triumph, disappointment and loss, Coach Dungy’s message is clear: Pursue excellence, but never confuse earthly success with what matters most.

Because the prizes of this world will fade, but a life lived for Christ has eternal significance.

Follow Tony Dungy on X:

https://x.com/TonyDungy

Find more from Tony Dungy at All Pro Dad:

https://allprodad.com/author/tonydungy/

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Dr. Alec Ryrie is a professor of the history of Christianity at Durham University and a leading scholar of the Protestant Reformation.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with Dr. Ryrie in France for a fascinating conversation about the Reformation, the spread of Scripture and what happens when deeply held beliefs begin to reshape everyday life.

Together, they look beyond the famous names and theological debates to explore how the Reformation affected ordinary men and women who suddenly found themselves facing questions of faith, conscience and even survival. As Scripture became more widely available in the language of the people, believers were forced to wrestle with where their ultimate authority belonged and what they were willing to risk for the truth.

Dr. Ryrie explains how those convictions affected families, communities and entire nations, often bringing both spiritual renewal and painful division. He also shares the remarkable story of Anne Askew, a young English woman whose commitment to Scripture ultimately cost her life but whose courage helped preserve the Protestant cause during a critical moment in history.

Throughout the conversation, Dr. Evans and Dr. Ryrie explore the tension between truth and unity, the cost of following one’s conscience and why the questions raised during the Reformation still matter today.

Because the Reformation is more than a chapter in church history.

It is a reminder that what we believe about God and His Word shapes how we live, what we value and where we are willing to stand.

Learn more about Dr. Alec Ryrie’s new book The World’s Reformation:

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300279047/the-worlds-reformation/

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Dr. Drew Dickens is a theologian, author and speaker who explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, spiritual formation and what it means to be human.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with Dr. Dickens for a timely conversation about AI, faith and the responsibility Christians have to use rapidly advancing technology with wisdom and discernment.

Together, they unpack what artificial intelligence actually is, why it is more than just another technological tool and how easily something designed to assist us can begin to influence, shape and even disciple us. Dr. Dickens explains why AI can be useful without being neutral, especially when people begin turning to it for spiritual guidance, emotional support or answers that belong within a relationship with God and biblical community.

The conversation also explores what AI cannot replace: the work of the Holy Spirit, the authority of Scripture, the value of human relationships and the difficult but necessary process of wrestling with God’s Word for ourselves. Dr. Evans and Dr. Dickens discuss practical ways pastors, churches, families and individual believers can establish healthy boundaries while still using technology to advance kingdom purposes.

They also take on some of the bigger questions surrounding AI. What does it mean to be made in the image of God when technology can imitate more and more human abilities? Can AI become an idol? How should Christians think about its role in discipleship, ministry and even the future?

This is not a conversation about fearing technology or blindly embracing it. It is about remembering who is in control, knowing where the boundaries belong and learning how to use a powerful tool without allowing that tool to take a place only God should occupy.

Because the question is not simply what AI can do.

It is whether we will have the wisdom to know what it should do.

Website: https://drewdickens.com/

Substack: https://drewdickens.substack.com/

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast

Davy Liu is a former Disney animator, artist and storyteller who has devoted his creative gifts to helping the next generation encounter biblical truth.

In this episode of The Unbound Podcast, Dr. Tony Evans sits down with Davy for a conversation about creativity, calling and what it means to use the gifts God has given you for His kingdom purpose.

Davy shares the journey that took him from struggling in school as a boy in Taiwan to discovering his artistic ability after moving to America. That gift eventually opened the door to Disney, where he worked on films including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. But as his career grew, so did a deeper question: Was success enough if his creativity was not ultimately serving God?

That conviction led Davy to leave Hollywood and pursue a vision of creating excellent, engaging stories that introduce children to the truth of Scripture. Through Kendu Films, he has spent decades developing stories designed to reach children through imagination and storytelling.

Davy also opens up about divorce, financial loss, disappointment and a season of deep personal struggle. He shares how God used Scripture and a community of faithful men to remind him that obedience is worth the cost, even when the outcome takes years to see.

Together, Dr. Evans and Davy explore why creativity matters, why excellence belongs in kingdom work and how God can use even difficult seasons to prepare us for a greater purpose.

Because the gift God gave you was never meant only to make a living.

It was meant to help you live out His purpose.

Learn more about Kendu Films:

https://kendufilms.com/

Follow Davy Liu on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/davy814/?hl=en

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The Unbound Podcast is a weekly space for conversations that don’t rush to conclusions. Each episode explores what it means to live free from what binds us—pressure, fear, reputation and the need to have it all figured out—through thoughtful dialogue and lived experience.

Senior Producer & Creative Director: Heather Hair

Technical Director, Audio & Lead Editor: Lee Sherman

#TonyEvans #TonyEvansPodcast #UnboundPodcast