S.J. Dahlstrom is one of the most award-winning and critically-acclaimed authors of youth fiction. He is the creator of the "Wilder Good" series of nine books that follow the adventures of a 12-year old boy growing up in the American West. Dahlstrom is a four-time winner of the Wrangler Western Heritage Award, five-time winner of the Will Rogers Me…

Church of Christ kid and small-town high school athlete Colt McCoy grew up to be one of the greatest college football players of all time before going on to play 13 seasons in the National Football League. Just a few weeks before recording this conversation with The Christian Chronicle, McCoy announced his retirement from playing the sport that mad…

Darcy Todd (Woodland West Church of Christ, Arlington, Texas) is the 2024 Starbucks North America Barista Champion. She recently beat out 17,000 Starbucks baristas for the title. In this episode, she'll not only tell the story of how she did it, she'll explain how working in a Starbucks is not so different from working in a church (one with excepti…

In 2010, Ose Ehimare and her four(!) unborn children faced poor chances of survival unless they could get special medical care not available where they lived in Abuja, Nigeria. God made a way for Ose to come to the U.S. to get the care she needed for herself and her children at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. But she was 6,000 miles from home…

How much should you trust the people in your own congregation to not steal money? This may seem like an almost offensive question, but in this episode we explore the astonishing increase in embezzlement in congregations and ministries around the world. According to data from our guest, 1 in 3 churches will become victims of embezzlement at some poi…

Rochester Christian University, founded in 1959 as North Central Christian Junior College, has deep roots and strong ties to Churches of Christ. Like other colleges and universities in this tradition, Rochester Christian built itself around its school of ministry and theology so that its graduates would become leaders and ministers in churches arou…

In front of a live audience at Sycamore View Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee, we interview Josh Ross, author of Coreology: Six Principles for Navigating an Election Season Without Losing Our Witness. So many things that Christians hear, read and talk about these days have to do with how they get along with political opponents or how they use…

These days, politics in the United States seems to be a dividing force even among Christians. Over the last few years, how many Christians changed congregations or cut off relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ over politics? How many Christians feel, and sometimes give into, the temptation to attack other Christians because they identif…

After years of decline, Hermitage Church of Christ maintain its facility at a cost of $3,000 per week while its ministry languished. So the congregation sold its building and became New Garden Church. In this episode we explore how becoming a guest in its own community changed how New Garden Church discerns God at work in Hermitage and how it minis…

Bestselling author (Ghosted: An American Story) and Church of Christ daughter Nancy French opens up about her new memoir and allegations of childhood sexual abuse by a minister. She talks about how sexual abuse happens in Christian churches and organizations and why they sometimes protect perpetrators and not their victims. And, in Christianity, wh…

In our first-ever show before a live audience, we're pleased to present C. Leonard Allen, author of 16 books that explore Christian life, most of all Christian life together in the church. In his latest book, a memoir titled The Bookroom: Remembrance and Forgiveness, Allen retraces the story of his lifelong search for answers to the questions that …

Less than a week after an assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, three preachers talk about how and what they preach when political violence is on the rise. Featuring: Jerrard Davis, minister, Spencer Church of Christ, Spencer, Oklahoma David Duncan, preaching minister, Memorial Church of Christ, Houston, Texas Robin Gough, preachi…

The attack on former president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 happened less than 24 hours before Church of Christ congregations began gathering for Sunday worship. The Christian Chronicle news team wanted to know if congregations prayed special prayers, elders and preachers spoke of the event from pulpits, and …

Segment One: Audrey Jackson reports from the Church of Christ in Nazareth, Israel (with Maurice Jadon and Sandro Jadon) The Christian Chronicle's Audrey Jackson reports in from Nazareth, Israel, where she is a guest of the Church of Christ there. Arab Israeli Christians of Palestinian heritage, Maurice Jadon and Sandro Jadon, give their own account…

Over the last few hundred years, Christians in many different places and times moved to restore the New Testament church. The Church of Christ community emerged from one of those movements that started and spread on the American frontier in the years just after the founding of the United States. In this episode, we explore how the events, ideas, an…

On the two-year anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, we explore what is happening now with abortion in the United States, in general, and the Church of Christ community in particular. Segment One: Tessa Cox, Charlotte Lozier Institute What overall effect has the Dobbs decision had on the …

Segment One: Dr. Warren Blakney, North Peoria Church of Christ, Tulsa, Oklahoma The North Peoria Church of Christ recently received a $1.6 million federal grant to study the removal of one mile of Interstate 244 through the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Senior minister Dr. Warren Blakney explains why this is the work that God is callin…

Segment One: Calling for peace in Gaza (James Michael Crusoe, Arlington Road Church of Christ, Hopewell Virginia) Inspired by the "message of reconciliation" in Second Corinthians 5:18-20, 13 leaders from Church of Christ congregations in seven states and one South African province recently signed a letter calling for an immediate ceasefire in the …

Christian Chronicle CEO (and sometimes globetrotting field reporter) Erik Tryggestad calls in live (at recording time) from the street in suburban Kyiv. He reports on how the continuing war to repel Russia's invasion is testing the faith, hope, and love of the Church of Christ community in Ukraine and beyond. A test that the church seems to be more…

A few months ago, The Wall Street Journal called Dearborn, Michigan, "America's jihad capital," a characterization that the city's mayor called "inflammatory and untrue." The fact is that Dearborn (population 110,000) is America's only major city with a majority Muslim population. Parkside Church of Christ, a congregation that grew up in Dearborn H…

On March 3, 2020, an EF4 tornado struck Cookeville, Tennessee, in the middle of the night, taking the lives of 19 people. Among those who died was four-year old Hattie Jo Collins, the oldest daughter of Macy and Matt Collins. In this episode, Macy and Matt tell the story of what happened that night and in the "dark night of the soul" that came over…

Over the last few months (and years), "Christian nationalism" became a buzzword in both Christian and mainstream news media. A few years ago, barely anyone knew the term. Now it may be making its way into everyday conversations, if not the pews at local congregations. But is Christian nationalism even worth talking about? Dr. Brad East, associate p…

In this episode, The Christian Chronicle's CEO, Erik Tryggestad, interviews popular Christian author Philip Yancey, who recently co-wrote with John A. Bernbaum What Went Wrong? Russia's Lost Opportunity and the Path to Ukraine. Yancey was one of the first Western Christians that leaders of the former Soviet Union invited in soon after the fall of C…

After some time away from the studio (to finish and graduate from the Master of Religious Education in Missional Leadership program at Rochester Christian University), host BT Irwin returns with an episode chock full of information and insight on two timely topics (Christian nationalism and the mental health of LGBTQ+ students on Christian college …

In this episode: Christian attitudes on immigration in the United States, how the church is helping its neighbors recover from the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, and how the Freed-Hardeman University men's basketball team won the NAIA national championship..."the right way." Segment One: Christian attitudes on immigration in the United States (Scott M…

The Christian Chronicle, Inc. is getting all-new branding and design across all of its media. In this episode, you'll hear from those who had a hand in the makeover as well as two senior journalism majors who make some predictions about how The Christian Chronicle may function and look in the future. Segment One: The Christian Chronicle editorial t…

Haiti’s government is all but nonexistent and gangs are in near-total control of the country, causing death and destruction, food and medical shortages, and spreading violence. Church of Christ congregations, members, and ministries are suffering along with the rest of the country. Hear Church of Christ minister and Haitian political refugee Roolit…

Dr. Bob Waldron, a lifelong minister and missionary for congregations around the world, talks about what he has learned about the Lord’s Supper from his reading, study, and travels. How might we renew and restore all that the Lord intended for this “main event” in the life of the church? Dr. Waldron also talks about his book, Food for the Journey, …

Texas preacher Shawn Davis finds strength in the Lord after he loses everything in a wildfire. Herald of Truth, an old radio ministry, is new again (and partnering with The Christian Chronicle). Elsie Stark, an 11-year old baking entrepreneur competes on Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship. SEGMENT ONE: A Texas preacher finds strength in the Lo…

A Kansas City church runs toward gun violence, an Australian teen lost her mom and found her own faith, a puppet ministry bringing Bible stories to 50 million, and a bonus segment (Bible bowling with the Tryggestads). SEGMENT ONE: A Kansas City church runs toward gun violence (Branden and Sharee Mims, Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ, Kansas C…

Dr. O.J. Shabazz (Church of Christ in Harlem, New York City), a congregational minister with more than 40 years of experience, talks about the practical wisdom he shares in his book, 'Excellence in Ministry: A Guide to Protocols and Etiquette for Church Leaders'. Dr. O.J. Shabazz (Church of Christ in Harlem, New York City), a congregational ministe…

Dr. Scott Thumma of Hartford Institute for Religion Research reveals how and why minister burnout is on the rise. Dr. Philena Myers (Woodland Place Church of Christ, Ocala, Florida) explains how Black history is Christian history. Let's Start Talking has a waiting list of people who need volunteers to practice conversational English while teaching …

We continue The Christian Chronicle’s in-depth coverage of how a “Holy Sexuality” chapel program at Abilene Christian University motivated alumni to petition the university’s administration to change its policies and position on same-sex relationships. SEGMENT ONE: The story so far and why The Christian Chronicle is covering it (Bobby Ross, Jr., Th…

Christian Chronicle contributor Cheryl Mann Bacon talks more about her recent report on how the cost of insurance is threatening the very existence of some congregations. Ethel Sherrill, a longtime member of the landmark historic Silver Point West End Church of Christ in Silver Point, Tennessee, shares an oral history with The Christian Chronicle’s…

Dr. Greg Smith of the Pew Research Center talks about the latest data on "nones," Americans who claim no religious affiliation. Today, that make up 28 percent of all Americans, up from 16 percent less than 20 years ago. Who are they and why are they rejecting organized religion? Bobby Ross, Jr., visits Cuba to interview minister Tony Fernandez. The…

Dirk Smith of Eastern European Mission describes how EEM will send 800,000 Bibles to Europe, including Ukraine and Russia, in 2024. Dr. Jeremie Beller explains why The Christian Chronicle's editorial board believes that the "Restoration Plea" is still valid. Jason Bivens is not only a deacon with a Church of Christ congregation in Tennessee, he is …

On this one-year anniversary of The Christian Chronicle Podcast, we ask The Christian Chronicle news team to share what they think were the biggest stories they reported in 2023...and which stories they wish got more attention and started more conversations among Church of Christ folks. They'll also make their best guesses at what stories are most …

Author and theologian Curtis Chang talks about his book, 'The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry is the Doorway to Your Best Self' and 'The After Party,' the new small group curriculum he created with David French and Russell Moore to help Christians practice "better politics" in 2024. Link to The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry is the Doorway to Your B…

SEGMENT ONE: Abilene Christian University is facing organized backlash from LGBTQ-affirming alumni, students, and even some professors for its "Holy Sexuality Week. Christian Chronicle CEO Erik Tryggestad fills in the story and talks about how The Christian Chronicle will cover it in 2024. Link to Religion News Service coverage of the “Holy Sexuali…

John Johnson put on the red suit for the first time 40 years ago and he's been Santa Claus ever since. But it's not just a side job or role that John plays for a few months each year; it is his calling and his ministry. In this episode, the member of the Myrtle Beach (South Carolina) Church of Christ shares his secrets and some of his stories from …

Legendary performer (and Church of Christ favorite son) Pat Boone has a book and a new hit album, but he really wants to talk about what the Bible is telling him these days, what he sees God doing in the world, and what the choice he hopes everyone makes to obey the Word. And he proves that he still knows how to lead congregational singing! Link to…

Landon Saunders, a broadcaster and preacher who won millions of fans and friends around the world, went to his rest on November 14, 2023. He was 86 years old. In this episode, you'll listen to recordings of Saunders preaching and speaking in his own words. You'll also listen to two friends who knew him well. Mike Cope, director of the Thriving in M…

A few weeks before this episode, The Christian Chronicle reported that Oklahoma Christian University is closing its graduate school of theology due to budget cuts and declining enrollment. This latest news follows the trend of enrollment decline in Bible, ministry, and theology programs at colleges and universities with roots and ties in the Church…

Some segments edited for brevity and clarity Segment One: An Arab Israeli Christian talks about what is happening in Gaza and Israel (Sandro Jadon) Link to Erik Tryggestad’s Christian Chronicle interview with Sandro Jadon in the days imm ediately after the October 7 attack on Israel from Hamas Link to Erik Tryggestad’ Christian Chronicle interviews…

Some segments edited for brevity and clarity This episode explores what is going on in Christian education and among people between the ages of 13 and 25. Segment One: Dr. Trace Hebert of Lipscomb University talks about his annual report on enrollment trends at colleges and universities from the Church of Christ tradition. Once again, Church of Chr…

After the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, the surviving victims needed a place to resume learning...and a place to try to recover. Nearby Brentwood Hills Church of Christ opened its building and its hearts to them. Ministers Amy Bowman and Jonathan Seamon talk about what it's like to love neighbors who are grieving and…

Few changes in popular culture are causing more discomfort and raising more questions in the church than how the LGBTQ+ lifestyle is going mainstream in North America. It's not just outside the church. Over the last 20 years, Christians who accept and even approve at least parts of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle increased from next to none to almost one in t…

On September 6, 2018, off-duty Dallas police officer Amber Guyger entered the apartment of Dallas West Church of Christ member and Harding University alumnus Botham Jean. Mistaking his apartment for her own, she came through the unlocked front door, found Jean eating ice cream and watching TV on the couch, and shot him with her service weapon. Jean…

It's been two full years since most congregations tried to "get back to normal" after COVID turned the world outside in in 2020 and 2021. Our first guest, Aaron Hill, headed up a nationwide study of how COVID is still affecting congregations and what those lingering effects portend for the future. Our second guest, American missionary Brandon Price…

Few articles that The Christian Chronicle published over the last year got more comments and more buzz than a report that the Mayfair Church of Christ in Oklahoma City is becoming part of Crossings Community Church, a 9,000-member multisite congregation with roots in the non-Pentecostal Church of God. Mayfair Church of Christ was once one of the "f…