Shifting Culture

Joshua Johnson
  • 4.9 (68)
  • CHRISTIANITY

Shifting Culture is a podcast about faith, justice, and spiritual formation in a divided world. Hosted by Joshua Johnson, the show features long-form conversations with authors, theologians, artists, and cultural thinkers exploring the way of Jesus, nonviolence, reconciliation, and human dignity. Each episode goes beyond theory to ask practical questions: How do we break cycles of violence and fear? What does it mean to love our enemies? How do faith, culture, creativity, and justice shape the way we live together? If you’re searching for thoughtful conversations on spiritual growth, justice, and healing (especially for those disillusioned with shallow answers) Shifting Culture offers depth, honesty, and hope.

  1. Ep. 392 Michael Leach - Faith Over Fear

    1D AGO

    Ep. 392 Michael Leach - Faith Over Fear

    In this episode, I sit down with Michael Leach for a thoughtful conversation about fear, faith, and what it looks like to keep moving forward when clarity is hard to come by. We talk about his journey from growing up on the South Side of Chicago to working in the NFL and serving in the White House, but more importantly about how faith is formed through practice, resilience, and trust in uncertain seasons. We explore purpose and identity, calling versus assignment, burnout and boundaries, and why connection matters more than simply having the right words. This is an honest, grounded conversation about choosing faith over fear and learning how to live with courage and moral clarity in a complicated world. Michael Leach is a distinguished leader whose career spans the NFL, national politics, and the White House. Born on the South Side of Chicago, his journey has shaped him into one of today’s most trusted and relatable voices on faith, leadership, and resilience. He began with the Chicago Bears, advanced to NFL Headquarters, helped lead and build the most diverse presidential campaign team in U.S. history, culminating in a historic victory, and later made history as the first-ever Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer of the White House. Now Founder & CEO of BridgeTrust Partners, Leach helps leaders and organizations strengthen trust, purpose, and impact across industries. Michael's Book: Faith Over Fear Michael's Recommendation: The One Thing 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    55 min
  2. Ep. 391 N.T. Wright - God's Homecoming: What if the Point of Christianity Isn't to Go to Heaven When We Die?

    4D AGO

    Ep. 391 N.T. Wright - God's Homecoming: What if the Point of Christianity Isn't to Go to Heaven When We Die?

    What if Christianity was never meant to be about escaping earth for heaven, but about God coming home to the world? In this episode, I sit down with N. T. Wright for a wide-ranging conversation that reclaims the Bible’s larger story: heaven and earth meant to overlap, God dwelling with humanity, and new creation beginning now. We explore temples and tabernacles, resurrection and judgment, what it truly means to be human, and how the church is called to reflect God’s presence in a fractured world. Drawing from Wright’s latest book God’s Homecoming, this conversation invites youto rethink faith, hope, justice, and the future of the world and to rediscover a gospel that is far bigger, richer, and more grounded than we thought. N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. He is Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and Senior Editor at Saint Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of many books, including Paul: A Biography, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, The Day the Revolution Began, Simply Jesus, After You Believe, and Scripture and the Authority of God. N.T. Wright's Book: God's Homecoming 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    58 min
  3. Ep. 390 Martin Shaw - Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That Make Us

    FEB 6

    Ep. 390 Martin Shaw - Liturgies of the Wild: Myths That Make Us

    We live in a world flooded with stories, opinions, and noise, and I find myself wondering which ones are actually worth giving our attention to. In this conversation, I sit down with mythologist and storyteller Martin Shaw to explore why some stories shape us toward life while others quietly hollow us out. We talk about myths that function like prayers rather than spells, why Jesus taught through parables, and how stories still have the power to form us into more loving, grounded human beings. Martin shares his own unexpected journey back to Christianity through a long wilderness vigil and reflects on grief, evil, beauty, and the kind of attention that makes something holy. This is a conversation about becoming human again, about learning how to see clearly, and about allowing the story of Jesus to break our enchantments and draw us toward love. Martin Shaw is a writer, mythographer and Christian thinker. He’s Visiting Scholar at the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the Temenos Academy. Author of seventeen books, Dr Shaw is the director of the Westcountry School of Myth and founder of the Oral Tradition and Mythic Life courses at Stanford University. His book Bardskull was described as “rich and transgressive” by Erica Wagner in The Sunday Times and was Book of the Day in The Guardian. A hugely respected oral storyteller, Shaw has toured internationally numerous times, and led symposiums at both Oxford and Cambridge University, Robert Bly describing him as “a true master, one of the very greatest storytellers we have.”  His more recent work is what he describes as a developing “Christian mythopoetics”—a reminder of the depth and mysticism latent in this middle-eastern mystery religion. Shaw converted to Eastern Orthodoxy after a 101-day vigil in a Dartmoor forest. He still lives nearby to the wood, writing and teaching. The Irish Times call Martin “a seanchaí, an interloper from the medieval.”, Charles Foster adding, “there’s Shaw and there’s everyone else.” Martin’s Book: Liturgies of the Wild Martin’s Recommendation: Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    59 min
  4. Ep. 389 Fr. James Martin Returns - Work in Progress

    FEB 3

    Ep. 389 Fr. James Martin Returns - Work in Progress

    In this episode, I talk with Father James Martin about his new memoir Work in Progress and the ways our ordinary jobs shape who we become. We explore summer work, vocation, grief, perseverance, and how faith is formed not just in churches, but in kitchens, factories, offices, and everyday life. Jim reflects on loss, discernment, and the slow work of becoming human, and together we talk about where God shows up in suffering, in work we enjoy, and in work we endure. This conversation is an invitation to look back on your own story, pay attention to the unfinished edges, and notice how grace has been present all along. The Rev. James Martin, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, author and editor at large at America, the national Catholic magazine. Martin was born in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School. He received his Bachelor's Degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. He worked in corporate finance for General Electric for six years before leaving and joining the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits). Martin was novitiate in Boston where he worked with seriously ill at a hospital in Cambridge. He also worked with hospice patients at the Missionaries of Charity in Kingston, Jamaica and at a school for poor boys, Nativity Mission School, in New York City. He was ordained a Catholic priest in June 1999 in Chestnut Hill, Ma. On Nov. 1, 2009, he pronounced his final vows as a "fully professed" Jesuit in New York City. Martin is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage". Fr. Martin's Book: Work in Progress Fr. Martin's Recommendation: Sacred Fire 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    52 min
  5. Ep. 388 Lori Melton - Walking with a Spiritual Giant

    FEB 2

    Ep. 388 Lori Melton - Walking with a Spiritual Giant

    In this episode, I talk with Lori G. Melton, author of Journey with a Giant, about the practice of walking with spiritual giants from history as a way of formation. We explore slowness, silence, pilgrimage, and what Lori learned by walking with Fred Rogers, including why listening is love, why presence matters more than productivity, and how paying attention to the person in front of us reshapes faith. This conversation offers a grounded, countercultural vision of discipleship rooted in companionship, attentiveness, and trust. Lori G. Melton is an author, spiritual director, podcaster, and retreat leader with a life-long passion for walking with God and helping others grow in their relationship with Him.  She and her husband Bryan are the founders of the Sanctuary at Bear Creek Retreat Center in Allegan, Michigan. Lori is the host of the Sanctuary Stirrings podcast. Raised as an Episcopalian and educated in Catholic schools, Lori came to Christ through an Assembly of God youth group and has spent her adult life in non-denominational Bible churches. One of her greatest strengths is her appreciation for diverse Christian denominations. Lori was born in Niagara Falls, New York (Yes, one of the Eight Wonders of the World!), played competitive badminton in high school (Don’t laugh, it is a sport), and is the other half of a twin-sister combination. When she’s not writing, speaking, or welcoming retreat guests, she loves spending time with her six grown children and three adorable grands.  You can find Lori on Facebook and Instagram, and at her website, lorigmelton.com. Lori's Book: Journey with a Giant Lori's Recommendation: In Search of God's Will 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    52 min
  6. Ep. 387 Lisa Colón DeLay - The Wisdom of the Desert Elders and the Way of Spiritual Formation

    JAN 30

    Ep. 387 Lisa Colón DeLay - The Wisdom of the Desert Elders and the Way of Spiritual Formation

    The Desert Elders didn’t flee the world to escape it. Some left because Christianity had become comfortable, aligned with power, and disconnected from real transformation. In this episode, I am joined by Lisa Colón DeLay to explore the wisdom of the early Christian desert mothers and fathers and what their lives teach us about spiritual formation today. We talk about attention and restlessness, judgment and humility, silence and prayer, and how habits slowly form, or deform, the soul. You’ll hear the story of Abba Moses, who moved from violence to mercy, and learn why real change doesn’t come through information or performance but through patience, repentance, and faithfulness over time. This episode is for anyone trying to take Jesus seriously in a noisy, restless, and divided world and looking for a way of life that actually leads to transformation. Lisa Colón DeLay is an author, the podcast host of Spark My Muse podcast, consultant, teacher, Substack writer, and spiritual companion known for focusing on spiritual growth, the inner life, and connection. She holds a Masters Degree in Spiritual Formation Lisa's Book: The Way of the Desert Elders Lisa's Recommendation: The Holy Ordinary 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    55 min
  7. Ep. 386 Dr. Lee Warren - How to Change Your Brain, Build Resilience, and Change Your Life

    JAN 27

    Ep. 386 Dr. Lee Warren - How to Change Your Brain, Build Resilience, and Change Your Life

    In this episode, I sit down with neurosurgeon and author Dr. Lee Warren to talk about how our thoughts shape our brains and, over time, our lives. Lee draws from neuroscience, Scripture, and his own story, serving as an Army surgeon, living with PTSD, and walking through the loss of a child, to help make sense of why so many of us feel stuck in anxiety, fear, or reactivity. We talk about what Lee calls “self-brain surgery,” the practice of learning to think about our thoughts instead of being ruled by them. We explore the difference between the mind and the brain, why most of our daily thoughts aren’t actually true, how trauma rewires us, and how healing can too. We also talk about gratitude, attention, habits, and spiritual warfare and why slowing down and responding with intention matters more than trying to fix everything at once. This conversation is about building resilience, telling the truth about what’s happening inside us, and finding a more hopeful way forward.  W. Lee Warren, MD, is a neurosurgeon, an award-winning author, an Iraq War veteran, and the host of The Dr. Lee Warren Podcast. He teaches the art of connecting neuroscience, faith, and daily practices for leading a healthier, better, and happier life. www.DrLeeWarren.com Lee's Book: The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery Lee's Recommendation: Gradually Then Suddenly 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    56 min
  8. Ep. 385 J.R. Briggs - The Art of Asking Better Questions

    JAN 23

    Ep. 385 J.R. Briggs - The Art of Asking Better Questions

    In this episode, I sit down with J.R. Briggs, author of The Art of Asking Better Questions, to talk about why questions matter in a culture shaped by certainty, polarization, and the pressure to always have the right answer. We explore how questions shape our relationships, our faith, and the stories we tell ourselves, why Jesus so often chose questions over direct answers, and how the questions we ask can either wound or heal. We talk about curiosity, humility, power, and what it looks like to ask questions that lead to connection instead of control, and the conversation turns personal as J.R. puts me in the hot seat to reflect on desire, vocation, and what it means to slow down and really listen. J.R. Briggs (DMin, Missio Seminary) is the founder of Kairos Partnerships, an organization committed to serving hungry leaders through coaching, consulting, and speaking. He serves on staff with the Ecclesia Network and Fresh Expressions, and as guest instructor for Friends University in the Masters of Spiritual Formation and Leadership program. His books include The Sacred Overlap, Fail, and Eldership and the Mission of God. He and his wife and two children live in the greater Philadelphia area. J.R.'s Book: The Art of Asking Better Questions J.R.'s Recommendations: King: A Life The Accidental President 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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Consider 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 below Get Your Sidekick Support the show

    55 min
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
68 Ratings

About

Shifting Culture is a podcast about faith, justice, and spiritual formation in a divided world. Hosted by Joshua Johnson, the show features long-form conversations with authors, theologians, artists, and cultural thinkers exploring the way of Jesus, nonviolence, reconciliation, and human dignity. Each episode goes beyond theory to ask practical questions: How do we break cycles of violence and fear? What does it mean to love our enemies? How do faith, culture, creativity, and justice shape the way we live together? If you’re searching for thoughtful conversations on spiritual growth, justice, and healing (especially for those disillusioned with shallow answers) Shifting Culture offers depth, honesty, and hope.

Information

  • Creator
    Joshua Johnson
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    395
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Shifting Culture
  • Show Website
    Shifting Culture

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