Shifting Culture

In this episode, Carmen Joy Imes returns to talk about Fierce and Faithful: 25 Women of the Bible Who Dared to Trust God, the children’s book she co-wrote with Nijay Gupta. The book tells the stories of biblical women honestly and gives kids a big enough imagination for how God invites all of us into his work. We talk about holy disobedience, what Eve was called to do in the garden, Hagar naming the God who sees, the prophet Huldah, and how to tell hard stories to children with care. These are stories worth putting in the hands of the girls and boys in your life.
Dr. Carmen Joy Imes is associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, in Southern California. She is the author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters, and Becoming God’s Family: Why the Church Still Matters. Her primary areas of expertise are Exodus and the Psalms. Carmen releases weekly videos on her YouTube channel and you can find her writing on various websites, including Christianity Today and Substack. Carmen has appeared on over 200 podcasts and radio outlets. She enjoys traveling to speak at churches, schools, conferences, and retreats. Carmen is passionate about equipping the church to engage the Old Testament well and to see its relevance for the Christian life. She is a fellow of Every Voice.
Carmen and Nijay's Book:
Fierce and Faithful
Carmen's Recommendations:
The Gospel and My Black Skin
Dementia
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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In this episode, Michael Gorman and I talk about his new book, Life Transfigured, and why Paul still matters for a church that wants to look like Christ. Michael makes the case that Paul was a practitioner, not an armchair theologian, and that being “in Christ” means being drawn into Christ’s own story of self-giving love. We talk about the cross as the shape of our salvation, power in an age of Christian nationalism, the church as an alternative culture, and what the letter to Philemon still asks of us. It’s a conversation about a change so total that Paul could only call it new creation.
Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, where he has taught since 1991. A specialist in the writings of Paul and of John, he is the author or editor of more than 20 books.
Michael's Book:
Life Transfigured
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

Go to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.

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In this episode, Jonathan Tremaine Thomas returns to talk about Make Straight the Path and what it means to stand in the gap when everyone around you is choosing a side. JT argues that justice without righteousness turns false, and righteousness without justice never becomes the kingdom Jesus preached. We talk about the difference between a contract and a covenant, how anger became something we reward, why the church needs room to lament instead of rushing past grief, and what Rwanda might teach us about reconciliation. This conversation doesn’t let any side off the hook.
Jonathan Tremaine Thomas is the founder and president of Civil Righteousness, a nonprofit movement committed to reconciliation and restorative justice through spiritual formation and grassroots engagement. His work has reached over 400 cities globally and has been featured on major media outlets, including Christianity Today. Based in Ferguson, Missouri, Jonathan is a trusted voice in the Church and a sought-after speaker at conferences, universities, and churches nationwide.
Jonathan's Book:
Make Straight the Path
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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In this episode, Mark Batterson joins me to talk about Not My Circus and how to live with courage, conviction, and compassion in a world of chaos. We explore discernment as anointed intuition, why grace and truth need each other, and what Jesus with the woman caught in adultery teaches us about which comes first. Mark opens up about people-pleasing, overfunctioning, and the practice of being unoffendable. We discuss unity in a divided church, holding convictions with humility, and the call to create culture rather than simply consume or condemn it. We also talk about wayfinding and how discernment grows over time.
Mark Batterson is the New York Times bestselling author of 25 adult and children’s books including Whisper and A Million Little Miracles. His newest book is Not My Circus: Living with Courage, Conviction and Compassion in a World of Chaos. More than 10 million of his books are in print. 
He’s also the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with multiple campuses, NCC owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, the DC Dream Center, the CultureHouse, and the Capital Turnaround. Mark holds a doctor of ministry degree from Regent University. He and his wife, Lora, have been married for 30 years, have three adult children and reside on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit markbatterson.com and Instagram.com/markbatterson, https://www.facebook.com/markbatterson/ & https://X.com/markbatterson
Mark's Book:
Not My Circus
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

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In this episode, Kristin Mockler Young and I talk about The Other Side of Certainty and what it means to grow from certainty into something with more nuance. We discuss the four walls of religious certainty (authority, fear, conformity, and obligation) and what each one promises but can’t deliver. We get into the difference between repenting and simply growing up in faith, why Jesus has to remain the head, and how to stay in relationship with people who see the world in black and white. Kristin talks about the friendships she lost, lament as an antidote to cynicism, and letting go of the need to change anyone’s mind.
Kristin Mockler Young is a teaching pastor at Mosaic Church and host of the Becoming Church podcast. Through her teaching, podcast, and Turning the Gem Substack, Kristin encourages curiosity over certainty and helps people discover God in unexpected places.
Kristin's Book:
The Other Side of Certainty
Kristin's Recommendations:
Anxious People
The Road to Tender Hearts
Connect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.com

Go to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.

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