Impact Nations Podcast

Send us Fan Mail
What if heaven isn’t somewhere far away—but a dimension of reality surrounding us right now?
To close out the Summer Series, Tim Stewart welcomes back Brian Zahnd for a fascinating conversation about heaven, pilgrimage, wonder, the false self, and his new book, Unseen Existences: Of Heaven, Earth, and the Divine Mystery in All Things.
Brian explains why heaven has become an embarrassment in serious theological circles, lumped in with escapist "fly away" thinking, sentimental clichés about departed loved ones on clouds, and sensationalized "I went to heaven and back" books. His pushback: heaven isn't a distant location somewhere past the clouds, but another dimension of reality, "the heavens," that surrounds us right now. Tim and Brian also talk through where Brian gently disagrees with N.T. Wright's caution around Platonic thought, recruiting C.S. Lewis to make his case.
The conversation moves into life as pilgrimage. Brian, who has walked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago four times, describes what a spiritual journey teaches that a plane ticket to the same destination never could, and how doubt, wonder, and even losing old certainties along the way can be part of authentic faith rather than a threat to it. He shares one of the sharper lines from the book: "Christianity without transcendence degenerates into politics," and what a "holy ambivalence" toward political partisanship might look like instead.
Tim and Brian also dig into one of the book's most striking chapters, "Depart From Me," reconciling Jesus's gentle response to Peter's confession of sin with his far more sobering words at the judgment, "I never knew you." Brian explains why he believes that verdict falls on the false self we try to become, not the person God actually made us to be. Along the way, Brian tells the story behind "The Reverend," a haunting short story cut from the final manuscript about a Puritan pastor who blessed a massacre, and what it imagines happening when that pastor stands before Christ.

In This Episode
Why heaven has "gone missing" from serious theological conversation, and the three unhelpful ways people talk about it instead
Why Brian says heaven isn't a distant place but "a different dimension" that is all around us right now
Where Brian pushes back on N.T. Wright's caution toward Platonic thought, with help from C.S. Lewis
Why Brian argues that "Christianity without transcendence degenerates into politics"
What walking the Camino de Santiago four times taught Brian about pilgrimage, friendship, and spiritual transformation
Why losing our sense of wonder isn't inevitable, and a simple daily discipline for reclaiming it
How to hold together Jesus's compassion toward Peter and his sobering words, "I never knew you," at the judgment
The story behind "The Reverend," the short story cut from the book, and its message about mercy at the final judgment
This wraps thirteen weeks of Summer Series conversations exploring who God really is. If any of these episodes have challenged or encouraged you, follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast, and share your favorite conversation with someone who'd value it too.

Featured Resources
Unseen Existences by Brian Zahnd (available now from InterVarsity Press): IVP: https://www.ivpress.com/unseen-existences Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Existences-Heaven-Divine-Mystery/dp/1514005646
“The Reverend” (the short story Brian mentions, plus its audio performance): https://brianzahnd.substack.com/p/audio-performance-of-the-reverend
Brian Zahnd's website: https://brianzahnd.com
Brian Zahnd on Substack: https://brianzahnd.substack.com
Word of Life Church: https://wolc.com

Explore Impact Nations
Website: https://www.impactnations.com
Journeys of Compassion (upcoming trips to Zimbabwe, the Philippines, and Nicaragua): https://impactnations.com/joc
All Impact Nations links: https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
Give: https://www.impactnations.com/donate

Hashtags
#BrianZahnd #UnseenExistences #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #Heaven #Pilgrimage

Send us Fan Mail
What if the truest picture of power we'll ever see isn't a throne or an army, but a baby who can't lift his own head—or a man nailed to a cross who refuses to fight back?
In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes Kenneth Tanner, pastor of Holy Redeemer in Rochester Hills, Michigan, theologian, and author of the new book Vulnerable God: How Jesus Upends Our Assumptions About God—and Shows Us How to Be Human, releasing September 29 with a foreword by Brian Zahnd.
Kenneth makes the case that we shouldn't start with abstract ideas about God's power, sovereignty, or holiness and then try to squeeze Jesus into them. We should start with Jesus and let his life rearrange everything else. Tim and Kenneth talk through what it means to call Jesus "the human God," why weakness and humility aren't the opposite of divine power but its actual source, and how the incarnation—from the vulnerability of an infant to the vulnerability of the cross—reveals a strength the world rarely recognizes as strength at all.
The conversation moves into what it means to be truly human. Kenneth reframes salvation less as rescue from an angry God and more as restoration of an image already present in us, borrowing Athanasius's picture of a master restorer cleaning centuries of grime off a painting to bring the original colors back to the surface. He also challenges the popular idea of a "sin nature," arguing instead that our nature is good and has been infected by sin—a disease with a cure, not an identity we're stuck with.
They also dig into some of the Bible's hardest passages, including violent Old Testament stories, and why reading every text through Jesus—rather than reading Jesus through every text—changes the questions we're even allowed to ask. Kenneth shares two deeply personal stories: one from the day the Challenger shuttle exploded, when a grieving professor's words reshaped his entire theology of suffering, and another about sitting with a family after a young man drowned, that together show what it looks like to trust a God who suffers with us rather than one who causes our suffering.

In This Episode
Why we should start with Jesus, not an abstract idea of God, when we ask what power really looks like
What it means to call Jesus "the human God"
Why a woman healed by touching Jesus's robe and a baby lying in a manger reveal the same kind of power
How Athanasius's image of a master art restorer reframes salvation as restoration rather than rescue from wrath
Why Kenneth rejects the popular idea of a "sin nature"—and what he says instead
How Irenaeus's mosaic-floor illustration changes the way we read violent Old Testament passages
What Kenneth learned about God and suffering the day the Challenger shuttle exploded
How to sit with someone who's suffering without becoming one of Job's unhelpful friends
Why Kenneth believes Jesus was inside the water with a young man who drowned, not just watching from the shore
If this conversation gives you a new way to see Jesus, follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast so you don't miss the rest of the Summer Series. Please share this episode with someone who has ever wondered where God is in their suffering, or who could use a more hopeful picture of who God actually is.

Featured Resources

Vulnerable God by Kenneth Tanner (releases September 29 — foreword by Brian Zahnd): Baker Publishing Group: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781540902771_vulnerable-god Pre-order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Vulnerable-God-Reviving-God-Us/dp/1540902773
Kenneth Tanner on Substack: https://substack.com/@kennethtanner
Kenneth Tanner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kentanner/
Holy Redeemer (Kenneth's church): https://www.holyredeemer.us
Explore Impact Nations

Website: https://www.impactnations.com
Journeys of Compassion: https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion
All Impact Nations links: https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations
Give: https://www.impactnations.com/donate

Hashtags
#KennethTanner #VulnerableGod #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #Incarnation #Restoration #FaithAndSuffering

Send us Fan Mail
Jesus spoke truth to power, confronted injustice, and stood with people pushed to the margins. But does that make the church political—and if so, how can it engage public life without becoming captive to a political party?
In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart is joined by Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. “Jay” Augustine, Senior Pastor of Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta. Dr. Augustine is a pastor, author, legal scholar, educator, military veteran, and public theologian whose work brings together faith, justice, reconciliation, and the public calling of the church.
Jay shares how his mother’s instruction to “call a thing a thing” shaped his life in law, ministry, and public service. He and Tim explore the crucial difference between being prophetic and being partisan, why Jesus provides the clearest model of speaking truth to institutions of power, and what happens when the church becomes more interested in acquiring power than following Christ.
The conversation also moves beyond public statements and political debates. What does a communal gospel require of us? How can churches stand alongside people affected by injustice, meet practical needs, and become living signs of reconciliation? And why does faithful civic participation still matter?

IN THIS EPISODE

●      What it means to “call a thing a thing”
●      Why prophetic ministry is political—but not partisan
●      Jesus as the model for speaking truth to power
●      How Christian nationalism can confuse faith with the pursuit of power
●      Why Christian faith is communal, not merely individual
●      How churches can meet the practical needs of marginalized communities
●      The vertical and horizontal dimensions of reconciliation
●      Why informed civic participation and voting still matter
Follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast for more honest conversations about following Jesus in the real world. If this episode challenges or encourages you, share it with someone wrestling with the church’s role in public life.

FEATURED RESOURCES

Dr. Jay Augustine:
https://www.jayaugustine.com
Big Bethel AME Church:
https://www.bigbethelame.org
When Prophets Preach:
Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit
Called to Reconciliation:
How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion

EXPLORE IMPACT NATIONS

Impact Nations:
https://www.impactnations.com
Journeys of Compassion:
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion
Give:
https://www.impactnations.com/donate
Follow Impact Nations on TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

HASHTAGS

#JayAugustine #FaithAndJustice #ChurchAndPolitics #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations

Send us Fan Mail
What happens when sharing Jesus becomes a project to manage rather than a relationship built on love?

In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart welcomes back Mercy Aiken, a peace advocate, author, and pilgrimage leader serving with Peace Catalyst International in Jordan.

Mercy shares what she is hearing from people from Gaza who have come to Jordan for medical care. She also tells stories of local teams providing food, shelter, practical care, prayer, and the simple assurance that those they serve have not been forgotten.

The conversation then turns toward a deeper question: How do followers of Jesus build genuine friendships across religious and cultural lines without treating people as projects?

Mercy challenges common assumptions about Christians in Palestine, reflects on the hospitality she has experienced among Muslims, and explains why she believes it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convert people. Our role is to love, listen, bear witness, and make room for the Spirit to work.

Mercy also reflects on the unique invitation of Jesus to know God as Father and shares stories of profound spiritual openness among Muslim and Jewish friends.

This is a candid conversation about suffering, peacemaking, dignity, and the quiet power of presence.

In This Episode
What Mercy is building through Peace Catalyst International in Jordan
What she is hearing from Gazans receiving medical care outside Gaza
How practical relief and compassionate presence help people know they are seen
Why the Christian presence in Palestine must not be forgotten
How Christians can build genuine friendships with Muslim neighbours
The difference between sharing Jesus and trying to control the outcome
Mercy’s understanding of Jesus as the way to know God as Father
Why conversion belongs to the Holy Spirit

Follow and Share

If this conversation helps you see peacemaking, mission, or the Middle East differently, follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast.

Please share this episode with someone who would value a thoughtful conversation about following Jesus in a divided world.

Featured Resources

Impact Nations Gaza Relief

Help provide practical support through Impact Nations’ trusted partners and teams serving families in Gaza:

https://www.impactnations.com/relief-gaza

Peace Catalyst International

Explore Christian peacemaking resources and learn more about the work Mercy is helping lead:

https://peacecatalyst.org

Explore Impact Nations

Impact Nations Website
https://www.impactnations.com

All Impact Nations Links
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations

YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations

LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

Hashtags
#MercyAiken #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #ChristianPeacemaking #GazaRelief #ChristiansInPalestine #HolySpirit

Send us Fan Mail
What if Christ is already present in the people we overlook—and what if sin has not separated us from the God who is holding us together?

In this Summer Series conversation, Tim Stewart sits down with his dear friend Dr. Bradley Jersak, Principal of St. Stephen’s University, Director of the SSU School of Theology & Culture, author of more than twenty books—including A More Christlike God and A More Christlike Word—and a member of the Impact Nations Board of Directors.

Bradley begins with the message at the heart of his life and work: “God is exactly like Jesus.” From there, Tim and Bradley explore what it means to encounter Christ in unexpected people and places, especially among those the Church has been trained to approach as projects rather than partners.

They reconsider familiar assumptions about Christian mission, the Great Commission, salvation, and separation from God. Bradley shares stories of meeting Christ among unhoused neighbours, learning from Indigenous wisdom, and witnessing restoration in someone experiencing profound addiction and brokenness.

The conversation also turns inward. How much of our anger, judgment, and religious certainty is driven by fear or untreated wounds? How can we understand the wounds beneath destructive behaviour without excusing the harm? And how do we pursue justice without allowing resentment, contempt, or rage bait to shape our hearts?

This is a warm, candid conversation about mercy, mutuality, healing, and learning to recognize the work Christ may already be doing before we arrive.

In This Episode
Why “God is exactly like Jesus” has become Bradley’s central life message
How younger people respond to a more Christlike vision of God
Why serving marginalized people must involve listening, partnership, and mutuality
The Indigenous elder who told Christian visitors, “Christ was here 500 years before the first Christians arrived”
How colonial assumptions have shaped common readings of the Great Commission
What it means to say that all people exist in Christ
Why Bradley distinguishes alienation from actual separation from God
Salvation as a past, present, and future journey of whole-person restoration
How fear, wounds, resentment, and contempt affect the way we treat others
If this conversation gives you something new to consider, follow or subscribe to the Impact Nations Podcast so you don’t miss the rest of the Summer Series. Share this episode with someone who is rethinking mission, salvation, or what it means to recognize Christ in others.

Featured Resources

Bradley Jersak’s website:
https://bradjersak.com
Bradley Jersak on Substack:
https://substack.com/@bradleyjersak
Bradley Jersak on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bradley.jersak/
Bradley’s books, including A More Christlike God and A More Christlike Word:
https://bradjersak.com/books/
St. Stephen’s University:
https://www.ssu.ca
Certificate in Transformative Leadership:
https://www.ssu.ca/cert-in-transformative-leadership
Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership:
https://www.ssu.ca/ma-in-transformative-leadership
Connect With Impact Nations
Website:
https://www.impactnations.com
Journeys of Compassion:
https://www.impactnations.com/journeys-of-compassion
All Impact Nations links:
https://linktr.ee/impact.nations
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@ImpactNations
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/impact.nations
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-nations-international-ministries-inc
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@impact_nations

Help Make Restoration Possible
Become a Monthly Impact Champion and help Impact Nations keep showing up with practical compassion, trusted local leadership, and long-term pathways toward restoration:
https://www.impactnations.com/monthly-impact-champions
Give to Impact Nations:
https://www.impactnations.com/donate
#BradleyJersak #SummerSeries2026 #ChristianPodcast #ImpactNations #ChristlikeGod #FaithAndJustice #ChristianMission #Restoration