Winsome Conviction

Over the past decade, there have been rallying cries among supporters of youth sport “to fix” youth sports. One reason youth sports is not working so well is the apparent and increasing incivility at games and sporting events. Today’s guest thinks Christian parents can do better. Ed Uszynksi (Ph.D.) recently co-authored a book, Away Game: A Christian Parent’s Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, and it’s is sure to be a helpful resource for Christian parents who seek to demonstrate good sportsmanship and civility in today’s youth sports culture. Ed speaks with Tim and Mike on some of the key shifts that have occurred in youth sports in the last 50 years, the adult problem with youth sports, and the need to confront the truths and lies when being a supporter of youth sports.   

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

The biblical call to “love your neighbor” is one of Christianity’s most profound and challenging practices, especially in today’s argument culture. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with professors Katherine Douglass (Ph.D.) and Brittany Tausen (Ph.D.) on their forthcoming book, Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community (released on January 15, 2026), in which they wed insights from social psychology and practical theology to empower loving one’s neighbor. Drawing from evidence-based research, they discuss how to foster meaningful connections, and they share what they are doing with students to transform relationships with neighbors in Seattle, WA. 

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

The Christian faith should shape and enliven our ordinary, day-to-day activities. But it can be difficult to drum up things to do that are public, practical, and powerful. Tim speaks with J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of recently released, Everyday Revolutionary, on a theology of place. They look to the book of Acts and the ministry of Jesus to draw out some everyday activities Christians can take up to reclaim loving one’s neighbor in our current cultural moment.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

How do we transcend the culture war and transform the world with the good news of Jesus Christ? J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of recently released, Everyday Revolutionary, is on today’s episode to speak with Tim about this question. They draw from the biblical example of Daniel as a model for how we might think about Christian influence in our current cultural moment. J.D. spends time unpacking a call to “live quietly but testify loudly” and what this might look like when it comes to social issues, and they also discuss how the Church might engage culture with a faithful witness that is neither combative nor compromised.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

In the abortion debates, what does a win look like? On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Julia Hejduk (Ph.D.) on abortion and civility. They consider “the sacred core” of pro-choice and pro-life groups, the importance of having a telos, some important communication strategies for addressing conflict, and they also draw from resources in Christianity to consider what might be a worthy goal in these longstanding, contentious debates.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Are there some topics and issues where we just can’t have a winsome conversation? For many listeners, abortion is likely high on the list. It often seems impossible to find common ground between being pro-choice and being pro-life. Today on the podcast, Tim is joined by Dr. Julia Hejduk (Ph.D.), a professor of Classics at Baylor University. Julia speaks with Tim about the work she has been doing and the friendships that have come about as she seeks to be a bridge-builder on this contentious, moral issue. They discuss a unique event that took place at Santa Clara University in 2018: A Conversation Between Enemies in the Abortion War, the curiosity to know why some women choose abortion, and the Julia's story of her friendship with a woman who holds ideological differences.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Last year, five months after the terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7th, Simon Greer, a Jewish leader and social entrepreneur, assembled a diverse team of scholars and activists - pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and atheist, to study the Israel-Palestine conflict from the ground up. The group spent 10 days traveling through the region to hear from local leaders what has spurred this centuries old conflict. The goal was not to resolve the conflict, but to glean principles that would help with our own conflicts back in America. On today’s episode, Tim, Simon, and Saad Soliman, reflect on their trip and discuss what they learned about how to engage diverse views.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Simon Greer, a Jewish leader, social entrepreneur, and founder of Bridging the Gap, and Saad Soliman, a Muslim entrepreneur and justice reform advocate, could be enemies. A generation ago, members of their families were trying to kill each other in the Six-Day war. Simon’s uncles fought for Israel in 1967, while Saad’s uncles died fighting for Egypt in that same war. And yet, after meeting at a justice event for formerly incarcerated individuals, Simon and Saad made a choice to work together to build bridges among religious and cultural divisions surrounding the Middle East conflicts. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Simon and Saad about the work of bridge-building, perspective-taking, and how to work together to build enough shared humanity to live together and thrive while honoring differences.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

On today’s episode, Tim speaks with psychologists Liz Hall (Ph.D.) and Erin Smith (Ph.D.) on the virtue of intellectual humility and the importance of this virtue for addressing biases and in helping with our consumption of social media. Through the course of the discussion, they address the following questions: What is intellectual humility? Do Christians have a responsibility to be intellectually humble? And drawing from resources in the Christian faith, how might we practice this important virtue to help strengthen our convictions?

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Dr. Ed Uszynski (Ph.D.) is back on the podcast to speak with Tim about a provocative cultural moment: when Max Lucado issued an apology to a multi-ethnic church in San Antonio, TX, following the death of George Floyd. The incident received mixed responses, positively received as being an act of racial reconciliation to being negatively critiqued as an act of bowing to the woke mob. So, Tim and Ed practice perspective-taking in order to understand these differing responses, and they explore some of the particulars and nuances that shape a point of view on a contentious issue. 

Show notes and a full transcript are available.