In December 2021, Rob Port of the “Plain Talk” podcast invited Devlyn Brooks, a Lutheran pastor and fellow journalist, and I on his show to talk about religion. An avowed non-believer, Rob wanted to hear our thoughts about the reported declines in religious adherents, and Pastor Brooks and I gave it our best shot. That show ended up being the most popular of the year among “Plain Talk” listeners. It also renewed my thoughts about possibly starting a podcast myself.

When I launched “Matters of Soul Importance” in January 2024, Pastor Brooks was my first guest, sharing whether Jesus and journalism can co-exist. That episode prompted a desire to get our original trio back together, around Christmas time again, to dive into who Jesus is to each of us. I’m pleased it worked to have this discourse regarding this important, albeit controversial, figure from three different perspectives.

SHOW NOTES:

• Plain Talk, Episode #273 (Dec. 2021): Is America’s Religious Decline Good or Bad? https://open.spotify.com/episode/5KO0mX0VTHxU1J1VaCuo3j

• Roxane’s “Living Faith” Forum column that followed: https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/salonen-does-faith-mean-loss-of-freedom

• Pastor Brooks’ website: Findingfaithin.com

• Churches United for the Homeless website: https://www.churches-united.org/