Shifting Culture

In this episode, I’m joined by theologian and storyteller Leonard Sweet for a deep conversation on the imagination of Jesus and why imagination is central to faith, discipleship, and what it means to be human. We talk about how Jesus doesn’t simply explain reality but reshapes it through story and metaphor, and why Jubilee sits at the heart of his vision for the world. We also explore what it means to move beyond fear-based, information-driven faith toward a life where Christ is formed in us. This conversation is an invitation to move from knowing about God to truly knowing God, and to live with an imagination shaped by goodness, beauty, and truth.Leonard Sweet is one of the most prolific Christian authors in the world today, with over 70 books to his name—and a dozen more on the way–and 2000 published sermons. A theologian of imagination, a semiotician of Bible and culture, and a prophetic voice to the church, Sweet defies easy categorization. His works span genres and generations, challenging readers to see the world—and the gospel—with fresh eyes. While others chase bestseller lists, Sweet charts a different path: one defined not by sales, but by depth, creativity, and theological daring.Len's Book:Jesus: Maker, Mender, Minder, MasterLen's Recommendation:They Flew: A History of the ImpossibleConnect with Joshua: [email protected] to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet the Presence over Power collection at shiftingculturepodcast.com/store Get Your Sidekick Support the show

In this episode, pastor and author Kate Murphy shares the surprising story behind Lost, Hidden, Small, a season when ministry fell apart, illusions shattered, and the only way forward was surrender. Kate reflects on discovering that God often does His deepest work in places that look like failure, weakness, and smallness, and how her congregation learned to see again, love their neighbors without transaction, and trust God for resurrection they could not manufacture. This conversation offers a hopeful reminder that faithfulness, not success, is the true metric of the kingdom, and that the quiet and hidden work of God in ordinary communities still creates life beyond anything we can imagine.Kate Murphy serves as the pastor of The Grove Presbyterian Church, a multi-ethnic congregation in Charlotte NC. Originally from Louisville, KY, she studied biology and music at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She received her Masters of Divinity and Masters of Sacred Theology from Boston University and accepted her first call to be an Associate Pastor at Fourth Presbyterian, a multicultural, inner-city church in South Boston. She's just published her first book, Lost Hidden Small. In her free time, Kate enjoys running, reading, writing, drinking coffee, and watching pointless reality television. She and her husband Colin have three daughters.Kate's Book:Lost, Hidden, SmallKate's Recommendations:Looking Inward, Living OutwardField Notes for the WildernessConnect with Joshua: [email protected] to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet the Presence over Power collection at shiftingculturepodcast.com/store Get Your Sidekick Support the show

Journalist and author William J. Kole joins me to unpack the deep and often hidden ties between white evangelicalism, politics, fear, and America’s gun culture. Drawing from his new book In Guns We Trust, Bill shares how his own ministry collided with concealed weapons, why fear has shaped so much of the church’s response to gun violence, and how Christian nationalism and the idolizing of the Second Amendment have influenced our national crisis. We talk about the shift from historic Christian nonviolence to the embrace of firearms, the political power that keeps common-sense reforms stalled, and what other countries have done to reduce mass shootings. We also explore why “thoughts and prayers” aren’t enough and what a truly pro-life ethic demands of us today. If you long to break cycles of violence and return to the nonviolent way of Jesus, this is an essential and challenging conversation.William J. Kole is a veteran journalist and a former foreign correspondent who has reported from North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. As Vienna bureau chief for The Associated Press, he wrote extensively on the nexus of crime, the weapons trade, arms trafficking and terrorism across Eastern Europe.His evangelical credentials are as extensive as his journalistic ones: He’s a former lay missionary for the Assemblies of God, a worship leader at evangelical churches in Europe and around his native New England, and served as board president of Dorcas USA, an international Christian relief and development agency.Kole was AP’s New England bureau chief when a gunman armed with a military-style assault rifle massacred 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Earlier in his career, he was a lead writer on the car crash that killed Britain’s Princess Diana, and he also covered the arrest of former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic, the death of Pope John Paul II, and Kosovo’s independence. His many awards include one from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers for an investigation into the exploitation of undocumented immigrants by the Walmart retail chain.Kole, who speaks French, Dutch and German, studied journalism at Boston University and was a journalism fellow at Columbia University in New York and the National Press Foundation in Washington, D.C. Now an editor for Axios, he lives in Providence, R.I., and Paris.Bill's Book:In Guns We TrustBill's Recommendation:Jesus and John WayneConnect with Joshua: [email protected] to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet the Presence over Power collection at shiftingculturepodcast.com/store Get Your Sidekick Support the show

In this conversation, I sit down with Dorothy Greco to explore misogyny not just as individual prejudice, but as a system that shapes our culture, our institutions, our churches, and even our closest relationships. Dorothy walks me through how misogyny shows up in medicine, economics, purity culture, pornography, and the daily lives of women, and why it remains so difficult to see and name. We talk about the ways entitlement and distorted power sustain this harm, and how the way of Jesus offers a radically different vision, one rooted in dignity, equality, and mutual flourishing. This episode invites all of us to look beneath the surface, recognize what’s been hidden in plain sight, and imagine what healing and justice might require from us moving forward.Dorothy Littel Greco has worked as a photojournalist for more than forty years. She is the author of three books, including the recently released, For the Love of Women: Uprooting and Healing Misogyny in America. When Dorothy is not writing or making photos, she loves to bike, kayak, and share food with friends.Dorothy's Book:For the Love of WomenDorothy's Recommendation:This is HappinessConnect with Joshua: [email protected] to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet the Presence over Power collection at shiftingculturepodcast.com/store Get Your Sidekick Support the show

In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Valentyn Syniy, president of a theological seminary in Kherson, to explore what it means to lead, shepherd, and hold on to hope in the midst of war. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Valentyn lost almost everything - his home, his church community, and the entire seminary campus he helped build. Yet in the chaos of evacuation, the trauma of displacement, and the destruction of his city, he discovered a deeper sense of calling and a renewed understanding of God’s presence in suffering. We talk about spiritual leadership under siege, the impossible decisions families face when war arrives at their doorstep, the wound and weight of leaving or staying, the formation of pastors for a traumatized nation, and the surprising ways God rebuilds what has been shattered. Valentyn’s story, captured in his book Serving God Under Siege, is both heartbreaking and hopeful - a gripping reminder that faith can survive the fire and that the voices of Ukrainians must be heard. This episode invites you into a story of resilience, courage, and a theology forged under pressure.Valentyn Syniy holds master’s degrees in theology and history and a doctorate in theology. Since 2006, he has served as president of Tavriski Christian Institute, an evangelical seminary in Ukraine.Valentyn's Book:Serving God Under SiegeConnect with Joshua: [email protected] to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet the Presence over Power collection at shiftingculturepodcast.com/store Get Your Sidekick Support the show