Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Dan Darling, Director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Seminary and Assistant Professor of Faith and Culture at Texas Baptist College, has spent years watching Christians navigate some of the hardest personal decisions of their lives without much help from the pulpit. His new book Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life, releasing May 26 through B&H, is the resource he wrote for the pastor who gets asked about IVF on a Tuesday, the parent whose college kid is cohabitating, and the young man who can't scroll through a sports app without a gambling ad following him everywhere. Biblical ethics, cultural pressure, and the questions every pastor hears at least twice a week: Dan walks through why cohabitation has become a wink-and-nod issue even in conservative evangelical churches, why IVF requires more careful ethical thinking than most Christians have been given, and why he believes sports gambling is one of the most laser-targeted traps ever aimed at young men. He also addresses the growing libertine streak inside conservatism, why some issues are black and white in Scripture while others require applied wisdom, and what it looks like to take God's design seriously not just because He commands it but because it is actually for our good. Highlights Why Dan wrote this book for pastors and everyday Christians, not just academics or policy makers The libertine streak growing inside conservatism and why Christians are called to live differently Why cohabitation embeds patterns of non-commitment and what Tim Keller says about training yourself to leave The nuanced case for thinking carefully about IVF, frozen embryos, and how far we move from the one-flesh union Why he believes surrogacy raises serious ethical concerns that Christians should not dismiss How gambling preys specifically on the working class and why the house is always designed for you to lose Why prop bets are corrupting the purity of sports and putting athletes in danger How to think through gray areas where Scripture does not give a direct command but biblical wisdom still applies Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Dan Darling website: https://danieldarling.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dandarling 📖 Book: Biblical Wisdom for Everyday Life 🌐 Land Center for Cultural Engagement 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Matt Chandler, Senior Pastor of The Village Church in Texas and author of the new book Becoming Like Jesus, has been pastoring the same congregation for nearly 25 years. He has watched 20-year-olds from the Dallas party scene get radically saved, get married, lose children, walk through divorce, battle addiction, and slowly become more like Jesus across decades. He has also survived a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, endured seven years of a painful marriage, and come out the other side convinced that the Christian life was never meant to be up into the right — and that the lie that it is has sent a generation into deconstruction. Progressive sanctification, the Beatitudes, and the deep work only the Spirit can do: Matt unpacks why the church has over-emphasized conversion at the cost of discipleship, why holiness is not a checklist or a ladder but a lifelong journey of closing the distance between yourself and Jesus, and why the most dangerous thing you can do is expect to be a finished product at any point on the road. He also shares what it felt like to be diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in 2009, why he was with David and Jeremiah in their rawest moments with God rather than offering polished theological responses, and what he is witnessing at The Village Church right now as revival seems to be jumping from college campuses into the local church. Highlights Why Matt has spent 20 years wanting to write this book and what finally made it feel like time The lie that the Christian life is up into the right and why it is sending evangelicals into deconstruction How progressive sanctification works as a coil moving forward, not a straight line upward Why the church has over-emphasized conversion and under-invested in the now what of discipleship His terminal brain cancer diagnosis in 2009, what it felt like in the moment, and where he is now 17 years later Why confession is not just telling God your sin but telling God the truth about everything in your heart How the Beatitudes are not a checklist but a portrait of what the Holy Spirit forms in us over a lifetime What he is seeing at The Village Church right now, record baptisms, radical salvations, and a prayer for revival to land locally Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Matt Chandler website: https://www.pastormattchandler.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattchandler74 📖 Book: Becoming Like Jesus 🌐 The Village Church: https://thevillagechurch.net 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Alexander Pappas, founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Hillsong Young and Free, has spent 15 years writing songs that congregations around the world sing without always knowing his name. Alive, Real Love, Echo, A Great Awakening — his fingerprints are on some of the most-played worship songs of the last decade. Now he is stepping out with a solo EP called Sunday, a project born out of a season of personal doubt, a reckoning with whether ministry was done with him, and a fresh revelation about why gathering with the church every week actually matters. Worship as strength training, the power of praise, and a God whose plan has always been Jesus: Alexander unpacks why he believes Sunday gatherings are not just services but practice sessions for the hard moments of real life, what it looks like to sing a song you don't fully believe yet until you do, and how studying Abraham and Isaac gave him a song called Always Been Jesus that traces the thread of Christ all the way back to the first time the word worship appears in Scripture. He also tells the story behind Echo, the elevation Worship hit he co-wrote and was supposed to sing before a broken tour bus changed everything, and why after 15 years he still finds the high energy praise song just as powerful as ever. Highlights Why Alexander named his solo EP Sunday and what it took to feel called back into making church music How he came to see Sunday worship as strength training, a physical therapist preparing you for the hard moments of real life The story of Always Been Jesus and how the first use of the word worship in Scripture points straight to the cross Writing Love Won't Let Me Down out of a season of feeling let down by God, and singing it until he believed it The broken tour bus story that kept him from being the lead vocalist on Echo, one of the most-played worship songs in the world How alive clicked Hillsong Young and Free into their identity after early songs that sounded like Hillsong United B-sides His current work with Lakewood Music and Hillsong Church while writing for other artists simultaneously Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Alexander Pappas website: https://www.alexanderpappasmusic.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander.pappas 🎵 NEW EP: Sunday 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Kyle Idleman, Senior Pastor of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, has watched a generation fall in love with Jesus without ever submitting to Him. The Missing Messiah, co-authored with Mark E. Moore, starts with a Michael Jordan illustration that says it all: millions feel connected to Jesus the way fans feel connected to a logo, through cultural association and name recognition, without ever being close enough that following Him actually costs them something. Discipleship, the Jesus we have domesticated, and what it means to follow a King: Kyle unpacks why the word Christ is not a last name but the New Testament equivalent of Messiah, why belief without following is not the faith of the Gospels, and what it looks like when someone treats Jesus like a drawer in the dresser of life rather than the dresser everything else fits into. He also shares what he is seeing in the spiritual awakening happening on college campuses right now, why awakening without alignment will miss the moment, and what questions every believer should be asking themselves about their bank statements, their politics, and the last time following Jesus actually cost them something. Highlights Why Christ is not Jesus's last name but a title meaning Messiah and King, and why that changes everything The Michael Jordan illustration and how cultural association with Jesus is not the same as knowing Him Why a man leaving Kyle's church because it "interfered with his life" was actually the point The Netflix faith problem, how we have built a Jesus who matches our preferences and filters out anything that doesn't Why the dresser illustration matters, Jesus is not a drawer in the dresser of life, He is the dresser itself How making Jesus in our own image is not a Western problem but a human one that goes back to the Crusades and beyond What questions Kyle challenges believers to ask themselves when they stop and honestly examine their lives Why spiritual awakening without spiritual alignment will miss the greatest opportunity of a generation Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Kyle Idleman website: https://www.kyleidleman.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyleidleman 📖 Book: The Missing Messiah 🌐 Southeast Christian Church: https://www.se.church/watch 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Anne Graham Lotz and her daughter Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, co-authors of God Won't Leave You There, came to Joseph's story the hard way. Anne survived breast cancer, lost her husband of 49 years after finding him unresponsive in their pool, and has walked through decades of suffering with a faith anchored in God's promises. Rachel-Ruth survived two rare SCAD heart attacks that should have killed her, spent three years in and out of the ER, and carried a nine-out-of-ten PTSD diagnosis while clinging to the Psalms in the middle of the night. Together they wrote this book because they had no choice but to. God's promises, the story of Joseph, and what it looks like to trust God when the suffering will not stop: Anne and Rachel-Ruth unpack how Joseph's journey from the pit to Potiphar's house to prison to the palace was never accidental, how God was teaching him at every stage even when it looked like abandonment, and why every hard thing in their own lives carried the same fingerprints. They also share what it was like to write this book together across two very different personalities, why Anne's father Billy Graham kept telling her for years that Joseph was the book she needed to write, and why they both believe this message is for such a time as this. Highlights How two rare SCAD heart attacks that should have killed Rachel-Ruth became the spark for this book Why Ann's father Billy Graham repeatedly told her Joseph was the book she needed to write, and why she waited The "Jesus in the Shadows" feature at the end of each chapter, where mother and daughter trace Christ in Joseph's story How Joseph chose to trust God and learn at every stage of suffering rather than wallowing in his pain What Anne learned about blessing during chemotherapy treatments that became like mission trips with her daughters How Rachel-Ruth clung to a specific promise God gave her after the heart attacks, and why it carried her through three years of pain Why Anne believes the key to surviving suffering is shifting your focus off your pain and onto the blessings along the way Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Anne Graham Lotz website: https://www.annegrahamlotz.org 📱 Instagram Anne Graham Lotz: https://www.instagram.com/annegrahamlotz 📱 Instagram Rachel-Ruth Wright: https://www.instagram.com/rachelruthlotzwright 📖 Book: God Won't Leave You There 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Ainsley Earhardt, co-host of Fox and Friends and host of Fox Nation's Ainsley's Bible Study, has written a children's book timed to one of the biggest moments in American history. America, I'm So Glad You Were Born releases June 2 through Zondervan Kids, illustrated by Ken Barnes, and it was born out of something deeply personal — a phrase her mother used to say on birthdays that Ainsley has carried with her ever since, and now wants an entire generation of children to say about their country. Freedom, faith, and what it means to raise children who love America: Ainsley shares why this book was the natural next step after her earlier title I'm So Glad You Were Born, how she wove in themes of equality, free speech, military service, and the beauty of disagreeing without becoming enemies, and why she believes Americans have far more in common than they realize. She also opens up about her own faith journey, from growing up in a formal Episcopal church to having her life transformed in college through praise and worship, how she stays spiritually grounded as a single mom in New York City, and what her 3:30am mornings actually look like behind the scenes at one of the most-watched morning shows in America. Highlights Why America's 250th birthday was the perfect moment to tell children the country's story through a picture book The deeply personal origin of the phrase "I'm so glad you were born" and how her mother's words inspired two books How the book tackles freedom of speech, voting, military service, equality, and the beauty of disagreement Her faith journey from formal Episcopal services to a college Baptist church that felt like a concert How a women's Bible study group has become her spiritual anchor in the middle of a fast-paced media career Why she believes God placed her at Fox News specifically because she is not afraid to talk about her faith Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aearhardt 📖 Book: America, I'm So Glad You Were Born 📖 Book: I'm So Glad You Were Born: Celebrating Who You Are 📺 Ainsley's Bible Study: Fox Nation 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Brian Bird, producer of The Story of Everything and co-creator of When Calls the Heart, has spent his career telling stories that point people toward hope. His latest project, a documentary six years in the making, takes a different kind of swing — not with Scripture, but with science itself, making the case that when you follow the evidence honestly, it leads unmistakably to design. He opens up about why he felt urgency to make this film, what his own kids experienced being pushed through secular university classrooms, and why he believes this is exactly the movie young people need right now. Scientific materialism, the anything-but-God syndrome, and the science that keeps pointing back to a designer: Brian walks through why the film has no narrator and lets 22 scientists and scholars tell the story themselves, how following the evidence rather than an agenda shaped every creative decision, and why even the multiverse and simulation theory ultimately just kick the designer further down the road without getting rid of him. He also reflects on what making this film did to his own faith, why When Calls the Heart is still the top-rated scripted show on Sunday nights on cable after 13 seasons, and why he believes content that carries no cynicism will always find a hungry audience. Highlights Why Brian and his team felt urgency to make this film after seeing young people indoctrinated into scientific materialism at college How Stephen Meyer's book Return of the God Hypothesis became the backbone and creative blueprint for the documentary How the multiverse, quantum physics, and simulation theory all still require a designer, and why that matters What making this film did to Brian's own faith after navigating doubts during his secular journalism school years The six-year journey to get the science right, make it accessible, and keep it bulletproof to skeptics How When Calls the Heart accidentally birthed the Hearties, a grassroots fan movement of nearly 2 million people Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brbird 🎬 The Story of Everything: https://www.thestoryofeverything.film 📺 When Calls the Heart: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/when-calls-the-heart 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Butch Wilmore, retired NASA astronaut, US Navy test pilot, and one of only two people to have flown five different spacecraft, boarded Boeing's Starliner for what was supposed to be an eight-day test mission to the International Space Station. It lasted 286 days. His new book, Stuck: An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected, tells the full story, and he opens up here about what he knew before the mission even launched, the thruster failures that changed everything, and how the contentment Paul wrote about from a prison cell turned out to be exactly what he needed 250 miles above Earth. Space exploration, unshakable faith, and the hope that holds when you cannot come home: Butch walks through the moment he realized they likely would not return on Starliner, why he privately told his wife and daughters a month before NASA made the official call, and what it looks like to trust God when your eight-day mission becomes nine and a half months. He also shares why he believes science and faith are not in conflict, what the Aurora Borealis from space reveals about God's protection of our planet, and why after circling Earth 7,424 times, he is more convinced than ever that this world was made by design. Highlights Why Butch told Boeing executives before launch that the thrusters and valves were his biggest concern, and how that proved exactly right The moment he realized mid-docking that they likely would not return on Starliner, and why he kept it to himself at first What Philippians 4 contentment actually looks like when you are stuck in space with no return date Seeing the Aurora Borealis from orbit and why it reflects God's deliberate protection of Earth Why he believes the creator of science cannot be in conflict with science, and how Satan has deceived people into thinking otherwise What launch, reentry, and all three landing types feel like, and why he compares the Dragon capsule to a Volkswagen Beetle His friendship with Artemis 2 pilot Victor Glover and why neither of them will shy away from their faith when asked Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Butch Wilmore: https://www.butchwilmore.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astro_butch 📖 Book: Stuck in Space: An Astronaut's Hope Through the Unexpected Take Our Newsletter Survey! 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Billy Hallowell, journalist and host of a new CBN documentary, has spent years covering faith and the supernatural, but it wasn't until he started investigating firsthand accounts of angels and demons that his own skepticism was put to the test. Angels and Demons is the follow-up to his earlier film on miracles, and it goes beyond Hollywood sensationalism to bring in scientists, scholars, and Ivy League-educated experts who have changed their minds after coming face to face with evidence they could not explain away. The supernatural, spiritual warfare, and the stories skeptics cannot easily dismiss: Billy walks through the case of Bruce Van Natta, a man crushed under a semi-truck who claims to have seen angels and survived against all odds, and the chilling story of Julia, a Satan worshiper whose experiences convinced Columbia University professor and psychiatrist Dr. Richard Gallagher that possession is real. He also opens up about why he believes the supernatural is becoming one of the most powerful apologetics tools for reaching a generation that has had secularism pushed on them, and why after 27 years in media, he still believes the most important story anyone can tell is one that points people toward God. Highlights Why Angels and Demons started as a TV series and became a feature documentary The story of Bruce Van Natta, crushed under a semi-truck, who claims to have seen angels and lived How Dr. Richard Gallagher, an Ivy League-educated Columbia University psychiatrist, went from skeptic to believer The disturbing details of Julia, a Satan worshiper whose abilities shook even the most credentialed skeptics Why Billy believes supernatural evidence is becoming a compelling apologetics tool for reaching Gen Z Why Hollywood's portrayal of demons is both mockery and misdirection, and what Scripture actually says How Billy got his start in media at age 15 in the wake of the Columbine shooting and never looked back Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Billy Hallowell website: https://billyhallowell.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billyhallowell 🎬 Angels & Demons: https://securegiving.cbn.com/films/investigating-the-supernatural/angels-demons 🎬 Miracles: https://securegiving.cbn.com/films/investigating-the-supernatural-miracles Take Our Newsletter Survey! 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Stephen Meyer, author, philosopher of science, and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, has spent decades making the case that the universe points unmistakably to a designing mind. The Story of Everything is the cinematic adaptation of his book Return of the God Hypothesis, four years in the making and releasing in theaters April 30, bringing together 22 scientists and scholars to walk audiences through the discoveries that are pulling even skeptics back toward theism. Scientific evidence, intelligent design, and the digital code inside every living cell: Stephen walks through his three core arguments, the universe's finite beginning, the fine-tuning that made life possible against all odds, and the four-character digital code embedded in DNA that Bill Gates himself has compared to software more complex than anything humans have ever written. He also shares how he talks about this with Uber drivers and seatmates on airplanes, why college students are having their faith mocked out of them in university classrooms, and why he believes this film gives both believers and skeptics something they genuinely need. Highlights Why the idea of a designer behind the universe was the dominant view from ancient Greece through the scientific revolution How Darwin, Marx, and Freud together shifted the intellectual world toward materialism in the late 19th century The three arguments from Return of the God Hypothesis, a beginning, fine-tuning, and digital information in DNA Why Bill Gates' comparison of DNA to software is one of Meyer's most powerful 30-second arguments What the impasse in origin-of-life research reveals, and why chemistry simply does not move toward life on its own Why this film is something Christians can bring their skeptical friends to without fear Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Stephen Meyer website: https://stephencmeyer.org 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstephencmeyer 🎬 The Story of Everything 📖 Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen Meyer 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.