Winsome Conviction

Tim and Rick continue the discussion with Cas Monaco (PhD) on sharing the gospel in modern times. In Part 2 of this discussion, Dr. Monaco shares findings from a 2016 survey on the climate of evangelism in America. Of particular interest, she shares three disheartening findings from this survey on people's perceptions of Christians as being inauthentic, offensive, and unsafe. They then discuss the importance of understanding the landscape in which we share the good news and identify behavioral changes Christians can make to help others listen to the gospel and make evangelism winsome. This is Part 2 of a 2-part conversation on modern evangelism with Dr. Cas Monaco.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-31-sharing-the-good-news-part-2

Tim and Rick speak with Cas Monaco (PhD) on sharing the gospel in modern times. Dr. Monaco's research identifies several behavioral changes Christians can make to help others listen to the gospel and make evangelism winsome. In Part 1 of this discussion, Dr. Monaco shares stories of how the landscape for sharing the gospel has changed; the old approaches aren't working as well as they used to. Yet, people continue to search for meaning and actively seek the sacred, transcendence, and Ultimate Reality in this secular landscape. Jesus' words, "Look and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting," are true today for those who engage the field effectively. This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation on modern evangelism with Dr. Cas Monaco.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-30-sharing-the-good-news-part-1

What assumptions do we pass along to young Christians about what the Christian life is like? And how might we pass along the faith to young Christians in ways that help them foster a faith that endures? Tim and Rick resume the discussion with John Marriott (PhD) on the topic of Christian deconversion. They discuss what parents, pastors, and Christian educators can do to help young Christians through doubt, handle differing convictions, and gaining perspective on difficulty, pain, and suffering. They explore the fourth stage of development from Dr. Marriott's book, The Anatomy of Deconversion. This is part 2 of a 2-part series on Christian deconversion with John Marriott.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-28-losing-my-christian-convictions-part-2

In advance of the upcoming conference, Digital Hope: Reclaiming the Online Public Square, on October 2, 2021 at Biola University, Tim is joined by Dr. Joy Qualls (Associate Dean of Communication Studies at Biola University) to discuss the pains and pressures of online incivility and whether we can be civil in online discourse. Tim and Joy highlights challenges of online discourse and discuss some strategies for online engagement, and they provide a taste of topics and issues that will be covered by speakers at the conference. The Digital Hope conference is free and will be livestreamed. For more details visit winsomeconviction.com and click on the Events tab. 

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-28-digital-hope-civility-online

Stories of Christians abandoning their faith have us thinking about the relationship between deconversion and convictions. So, when we heard about John Marriott's book, The Anatomy of Deconversion, it got our attention. Today on the podcast, John joins Tim and Rick to talk about Christians losing their convictions. They dig into surveys, statistics, and stories involving people who leave the Christian faith and consider some dynamics that may have undermined the durability of their convictions. John unpacks three kinds reasons people tend to leave the faith and four stages of faith development. This is part 1 of a 2-parts series on Christian deconversion with John Marriott. 

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-27-losing-my-christian-convictions-part-1

Tim and Rick resume the discussion with Simon Greer, social entrepreneur and founder of Bridging the Gap, on his more recent project with students at Oberlin College and Spring Arbor University. Simon unpacks the skills and practices he has found beneficial in helping students find common ground. They also discuss the relationship between technique and skill and matters of the heart and motivation when seeking to find common ground, and they discuss the power of an immersive experience to foster respect with “the other” while retaining differences. This is part 2 of a 2-part discussion with Simon Greer.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-26-reports-from-the-front-simon-greer-part-2

Simon Greer is a social entrepreneur with an interesting story. One of his more recent efforts in social change involves helping students at Oberlin, a more progressive college, and students at Spring Arbor, a more conservative university, find common ground. In this first part of the discussion with Tim and Rick, Simon shares the personal and vocation origins that provide the backdrop for this project with university students and how he began to organize these efforts. In part 2, Simon will share skills and practices he has found beneficial in working with people at Oberlin and Spring Arbor. This is part 1 of a 2-part discussion with Simon Greer.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-25-reports-from-the-front-simon-greer-part-1

We've been talking about conflict and what causes conflict. In this episode, Tim and Rick resume the discussion on conflict and discuss the influence of phatic communication, the place of humor, and the need to do soul work when one is not in the throes of conflict in order to engage conflict in healthy ways when it arises. This is part 2 of a 2-part discussion on conflict.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-24-conflict-triggers-part-2

Conflict - it's part of being human, but we usually don't handle it well. Arguments and disagreements are more likely to break down and divide rather than strengthen and fortify our relationships and communities. As indicated in the New Testament letters, the early Church saw quarreling as the great existential threat to the health and influence of the Church. How should we address conflict and quarreling today? One of the more helpful practices with conflict is to identify the triggers. Tim and Rick consider conflict from communication and biblical perspectives and discuss two triggers that tend to cause conflict: "climates" and "first and second order realities." This is part 1 of a 2-part discussion on triggers that cause conflict.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-23-conflict-triggers-part-1

In part 1 of this segment on Reports from The Front, Sean McDowell (PhD) shared insight from his conversation with pastor/author Colby Martin on the differences between evangelical Christianity and progressive Christianity and how to keep the conversation civil and engaging. In this episode, Tim and Rick speak with Sean about a conversation he had with Jon Steingard, former frontman for the Christian band Hawk Nelson, who deconverted from Christianity. Sean shares the backstory on his conversation with Jon, and then they discuss how to jump into the hard conversations, the value of framing, pushing back and knowing when to let things go. This is part 2 of a 2-part conversation with Sean on keeping it conversational when we disagree.

Show notes and a full transcript are available at: https://www.biola.edu/blogs/winsome-conviction/2021/episode-22-reports-from-the-front-sean-mcdowell-part-2