Upstream

Between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and the modern social justice movement, the definition of "justice" changed. But critical social theories are based on important truths, even if they mix them with lies. Shane welcomes Drs. Neil Shenvi and Pat Sawyer to identify those truths and lies using their new book, Critical Dilemma.

We're in the mist of the most significant religious shift in American history. Millions are abandoning organized Christianity, but there is little clarity about why they're leaving, or how to stem the exodus. Shane welcomes Michael Graham, co-author of The Great Dechurching, to offer data-driven answers and surprising hope.

Atheists like to tell a story in which religion declined because of scientific evidence and arguments. But what if unbelief became a plausible option because of the way modern people work, live, and relate to the world, and the way these changes make us feel? Shane welcomes Dr. Joseph Minich to discuss his book, Bulwarks of Unbelief.

Homosexuality, "spirituality," feminism, transgenderism, and more; an alternative creed is making inroads into Christianity and false claims on young lives. Shane welcomes Dr. Rosaria Butterfield, someone who once believed and lived those lies, to explain how God set her free and can do the same for anyone.

Christians often think of technology as morally neutral, but a closer examination shows that assumptions about the world and humanity are built into inventions like the internet. These "liturgies," or repeated patterns of formative behavior, shape us mentally and spiritually in ways that contradict God's design for us. Shane welcomes Samuel James to discuss his new book, Digital Liturgies: Recovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age.

A dandelion, a song, a mother's love, even the reality of evil; God has used all of these to pierce the godless worldviews of real men and women. In this Upstream re-air, Shane welcomes Dr. Os Guinness to tell their stories using his book, Signals of Transcendence.

We're witnessing an unprecedented epidemic of teenage girls who want to change their gender and think transition will make them happy. What's really going on, and how can Christians respond? Shane welcomes Dr. Katie McCoy to answer these hard questions using her new book, To Be a Woman.

When we hear pastors or theologians refer to "creation," we assume they're talking about the beginning of the world. But what if the whole story of Scripture is about the purpose, function, and glorious destiny of God's handiwork—including us? Shane welcomes Dr. Edward Klink to discuss his book, The Beginning and End of All Things: A Biblical Theology of Creation and New Creation.

When God created humans in His image, He gave us a mandate: to imitate His work by bringing beauty, order, art, and culture into the world. This has implications for our relationship with time, space, matter, language, each other, and God. To explain, Shane welcomes Brian Brown, co-editor of an eye-opening new book called Why We Create.

Christians easily fall into the habit of treating culture as something "out there," distinct from us and potentially corrupting or dangerous. But what if we are a part of that culture, and what if conflict isn't the only or best way to understand our role in shaping culture? Shane welcomes Dr. Justin Bailey to discuss his latest book, Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology and Culture.