Radio host and pastor Bob Lepine is back on the podcast to speak with Tim and Rick about notable changes in our cultural communication since late 1970’s, including changes in our cultural tone. They discuss the loss of common ground, the dangers of one-sided winsomeness, how to engage fellow Christians with whom we disagree, and a significant communication pattern with Jesus and the Apostle Paul in the way they communicated with others, including their criticisms of others.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

What are our expectations for rules of engagement in building a healthy democracy? What shared commitments can we make in our civic aspirations? At the heart of answers to these questions is the issue of pluralism, which was one of the founding creeds of the United States for helping to live peaceably and with civility despite deeply engrained differences. John Inazu, professor of law and religion at Washington University, and author of the book, Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving through Deep Difference, is back on the podcast to discuss pluralism and ways to foster persuasion rather than coercion for a pluralistic society.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Michael Whitenton (Ph.D.) directs the Bridgebuilding Fellows program at Baylor University, a program that seeks to help students to engage in healthy and virtuous civil discourse. Michael joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about the origins and aims of the program. Today’s episode helps listeners become aware of other groups and organizations who are responding to issues of polarization by championing the work of bridge building in civil discourse. Michael also gives examples on the art and value of constructive dialogue, and they discuss the importance and difficulty of achieving genuine disagreement.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

When we move from influencing an individual to influencing a community or a body of people, the field of communication studies would say we transition from persuasion to rhetoric. In this transition, we often find ourselves in “rhetorical situations.” Tim and Rick unpack the rhetorical situation, including elements and affects of this communication event. They also discuss how skills in rhetoric can help you make the most of those moments when you have an opportunity to speak to an audience.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

In this episode, Austin Suter, executive director for United? We Pray, interviews Tim on his recently released book, End the Stalemate: Move Past Cancel Culture To Meaningful Conversations (released by Tyndale House on June 18, 2024), which Tim has co-authored with Sean McDowell. Tim speaks with Austin about the purposes in writing this book, which is less about learning how to win an argument and more about learning how to foster productive conversations and find common ground. They consider two fundamentally different views of communication, the emotional influence upon beliefs, dangers of straw man arguments, and how to remain hopeful given the current state of things. You can learn more about ways to find common ground at the End the Stalemate website.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Some stories in the Bible are hard to understand, let alone approve. For those who are questioning and finding it difficult to trust the God of the Bible and certain historical events as recorded in the Scriptures, it helps to hear stories from people who have worked through their own questions and doubts to arrive at healthy, more firmly held beliefs and convictions. On today’s episode, History scholar Susan Lim (Ph.D.) speaks with Tim and Rick about her own journey of coming to love the Bible, and they speak about her book, Light of the World: How Knowing the History of the Bible Illuminates Our Faith.  

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Susan Lim (Ph.D.) is a history scholar and writer who decided to follow Jesus in her teenage years after having grown up in a Buddhist family. Susan joins today’s episode to share her story from Buddha to Jesus, and it’s a powerful story that has reverberated through her family. She also speaks with Tim and Rick on the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Christianity. They discuss what Buddhists get right that Christians can learn from, differing views on suffering, and what happened when Susan told her mom she had become a Christian. If you’re interested in learning how to communicate with your Buddhist family and friends, you're sure to gain insight by listening to today's episode.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

What are communication spirals and how do they contribute to the argument culture? On today’s episode, Tim and Rick discuss these patterns of negative communication and what can trigger them. They also draw from research in communication theory to suggest ways to de-escalate situations when we become perturbed, frustration boils, and we want to up the negative communication. 

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Earlier this year, a convictional firestorm ensued over advice Alistair Begg, a prominent North American pastor and radio host of Truth for Life, gave to a woman about attending her grandchild's gay wedding. Bob Lepine, the on-air announcer for Truth for Life, joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about how this situation provides us with an opportunity to clarify our thinking around convictions and guidelines for faithful conduct. Bob provides a quick summary of what happened before they discuss some ideas to help foster biblically-based convictions around attending a gay wedding.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.

Can principles from law and a legal education help us in our day to day disagreements with colleagues, neighbors, family and friends? Our guest today, legal professor John Inazu, thinks so, and he speaks with Rick about his newly released book, Learning To Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. They discuss the value of legal education for learning to get good at disagreement, and they also venture into the cultivation of empathy and fairness, how to think about occupying “middle ground,” and the need to be careful with our language when labeling people with whom we disagree.

Show notes and a full transcript are available.