Shifting Culture

Shifting Culture Network
Shifting Culture Network
  • 4.9 (75)
  • Christianity

On Shifting Culture we have conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, justice, and the way of Jesus. Hosted by Joshua Johnson, this podcast features long-form conversations with authors, theologians, artists, and cultural thinkers to trace how embodied love, courage, and creative faithfulness offer a culture of real healing and hope. 

SHIFTING CULTURE NETWORK

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  1. Nov 10 · Subscriber Early Access

    Ep. 476 Amanda Held Opelt - Food, Home, and the Lost Art of Belonging

    In this episode, Amanda Held Opelt and I talk about her book Provisions and what the food of Appalachia can teach us about home, memory, and belonging. We discuss why we long for rootedness in an age of machines, why nostalgia can’t carry us back, and how diet culture loses its grip when food becomes a matter of history and gratitude. We look at how the caricature of the hillbilly served the coal and timber companies, how a seed can carry a people through grief, and why Jesus gave us a meal to remember him by. We also talk about how to become native to the place where you live. Amanda Held Opelt is an award-winning author, speaker, and song­writer. She writes about faith, creativity, communal traditions, and life in Southern Appalachia. Amanda spent nearly fifteen years serving in the nonprofit sector, and her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Plough, Religion News Service, and 100 Days in Appalachia. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina. Amanda's Book: Provisions Amanda's Recommendations: Look Like a Lady Night Magic 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 476 Amanda Held Opelt - Food, Home, and the Lost Art of Belonging

  2. Nov 6 · Subscriber Early Access

    Ep. 475 Brian McLaren - We Can’t Change What We Can’t Imagine

    In this episode, Brian McLaren joins me to talk about The Great Rift, the second book in his Last Voyage trilogy. We discuss what happens when a community leaves a collapsing Earth for Mars and finds that the old world’s assumptions have come along. I ask Brian how real change happens, whether we can imagine anything beyond the systems we’re swimming in, and what it takes to move from survival to meaning. We also talk about artificial intelligence, ritual, the power of story in a crisis, and why rediscovering our connection to one another and the earth may be the most urgent work we have. Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, and public theologian who spent over 30 years as one of the most widely-read voices in progressive Christian theology. After the 2016 election, he began writing science fiction as a way to imagine the future honestly. His new novel, The Great Rift, the second book in a trilogy that began with The Last Voyage, releases November 3rd, 2026. Brian's Book: The Great Rift Brian's Recommendation: Children of Time 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below

    Ep. 475 Brian McLaren - We Can’t Change What We Can’t Imagine

  3. 1d ago

    Ep. 474 Matthew D. Taylor - How Do You Follow Jesus When Christians Choose Empire?

    In this episode, Matthew D. Taylor joins me to talk about his new book, Defying Tyrants: Following Jesus in a World of Christian Antichrists, and why he believes American Christianity has reached an emergency. We trace the merger of Christianity and empire back to Constantine, then read Mark, 1 John, and Revelation as challenges to Caesar’s vision of power. Matthew explains what John meant by antichrist and why the early church aimed that word at fellow Christians. I ask him what we’re supposed to do when the wheat and the weeds grow together, and what following Jesus looks like when Christians choose empire. Matthew D. Taylor is the author of Defying Tyrants, The Violent Take It by Force, and Scripture People, and his work has appeared or been featured in the New York Times, Weekend Edition, On the Media, Rolling Stone, The Bulwark, Politico, Sojourners, and Religion News Service. A religious studies scholar who specializes in American Islam, Christian nationalism, and Christian extremism, he is also the creator of the Charismatic Revival Fury podcast series. Taylor holds a PhD from Georgetown University and an MA from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently a senior visiting scholar at the Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University. Matthew's Book: Defying Tyrants 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 474 Matthew D. Taylor - How Do You Follow Jesus When Christians Choose Empire?

  4. 5d ago

    Ep. 473 Carmen Imes Returns - These Women are Fierce and Faithful

    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 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 473 Carmen Imes Returns - These Women are Fierce and Faithful

  5. Oct 27

    Ep. 472 Michael Gorman - The Power of Self-Giving Love and the Transfigured Life

    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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Support the show

    Ep. 472 Michael Gorman - The Power of Self-Giving Love and the Transfigured Life

  6. Oct 23

    Ep. 471 Jonathan Tremaine Thomas Returns - Why Justice and Righteousness Can’t Be Separated

    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 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 471 Jonathan Tremaine Thomas Returns - Why Justice and Righteousness Can’t Be Separated

  7. Oct 20

    Ep. 470 Mark Batterson Returns - Conviction Without Contempt in a World of Chaos

    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 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 Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 470 Mark Batterson Returns - Conviction Without Contempt in a World of Chaos

  8. Oct 16

    Ep. 469 Kristin Mockler Young - From Certainty to Curiosity: Faith That Keeps Growing

    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. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTube Support the podcast and the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link below Listen to Radical Common Sense wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Empathy Revolt! Wherever You Get Podcasts Listen to The Good, The True, and The Cinema anywhere you get podcasts. Support the show

    Ep. 469 Kristin Mockler Young - From Certainty to Curiosity: Faith That Keeps Growing
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On Shifting Culture we have conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, justice, and the way of Jesus. Hosted by Joshua Johnson, this podcast features long-form conversations with authors, theologians, artists, and cultural thinkers to trace how embodied love, courage, and creative faithfulness offer a culture of real healing and hope. 

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