Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Jon Erwin has been dreaming about the story of George Washington for over a decade. He read approximately 30 books, brought in historians obsessed with the subject, and set out not to photograph history but to paint an accurate portrait of a young man raging against an unfair world who decided to build a better one. Young Washington finished third at the box office over the Fourth of July weekend, making it the only film about American history in theaters on the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding — and the only modern theatrical film about George Washington in decades. The origin story of America, a love letter to a nation still worth believing in, and why your movie ticket is your vote: Jon shares what drew him to Washington's story, how the film captures a young man denied entry into a colonial class system and the fury that forged him into the father of a different kind of country, and why he believes so many of America's current problems trace back to a generation that no longer knows its own origin story. He also previews his next film, 1776, which will bring Washington back as the central figure of an ensemble story about the moment the largest amphibious fleet ever assembled in the history of the world hit the immovable object that was George Washington. Highlights Why Young Washington finishing third on the Fourth of July weekend was not a surprise to Jon but a statement from Middle America How nearly 30 books and years of research shaped a film he originally fell in love with long before he planned to make it The moment that defines Young Washington — a young man denied entry into a colonial class system who decides to build a fairer one Why America replaced the word subjects with citizens in the Declaration of Independence and what that still means today Why Jon believes this film belongs to everyone, left and right, because Washington is the first founding father for all Americans The staggering fact that Young Washington is the only modern theatrical film about George Washington in decades A preview of 1776, the next chapter in Washington's story, featuring an ensemble cast and the largest amphibious fleet ever assembled Why Jon believes America's story needs to be retold through film and why he hopes other filmmakers follow where Young Washington led Resources / Links / CTA 🎬 Young Washington film: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32104007 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonerwinofficial 🌐 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.

Steven Curtis Chapman grew up watching his grandfather Ruble Rudd — a Purple Heart World War II veteran who came home with shrapnel permanently lodged in his leg, the only survivor of his platoon — live out a quiet, grateful patriotism that never left him. That legacy is at the heart of a new song Steven wrote for America's 250th birthday, a reimagining of America the Beautiful with the same chorus and new verses, recorded with country singer Chris Janson and debuted at the Grand Ole Opry on July 31, 2024 — the same night Ricky Skaggs walked out to invite Steven to become the Opry's newest member. Gratitude, division, and what happens when algorithms keep feeding us reasons to fight: Steven shares why he felt compelled to write a song that names the thing tearing America apart — including a lyric about algorithms that he was not sure belonged in a patriotic song but knew he had to say — and why his prayer for it is simply that people would lay down their weapons long enough to be grateful. He also opens up about the song Cinderella never becoming a number one because some Christian radio stations did not consider it a Christian song, why I Will Be Here was born from his parents' marriage dissolving, and why after four decades he is playing music with more joy than ever. Highlights The Purple Heart grandfather who survived his platoon and gave Steven a lifelong love for the cost of American freedom The night he debuted the new song at the Grand Ole Opry and was immediately invited to become a member Why he put the word algorithms in a patriotic song and what he believes social media is doing to American unity How he and Chris Janson connected as Opry brothers and why Janson jumped at the chance to record it together Why Cinderella never reached number one because some Christian radio stations said it was not a Christian song The painful season behind I Will Be Here, written after his parents' marriage dissolved, and why it surprised him by becoming one of his most beloved songs The Speechless 25th Anniversary Tour, a string quartet, a full band, and why he is playing music with more joy now than ever What he told his record label when he started — and what they told him about his singing before they signed him anyway Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Steven Curtis Chapman website: https://stevencurtischapman.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevencurtischapman 🎵 Single: America the Beautiful with Chris Janson 🎤 Speechless 25th Anniversary Tour 🌐 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.

Tenroc has spent his life making hits for other people. Grammy nominated producer and songwriter, he has worked with Rihanna, Jonas Brothers, Julia Michaels, Renee Rapp, and others — building songs, polishing them, handing them off, and going back to do it again. He never wanted to be the one out front. Then, about a year ago, he was driving a church van full of youth with his wife in the passenger seat when he heard God say something that changed everything. God's personhood, misdirected worship, and why the universe is not listening when you talk to it: Tenroc shares the story behind God Is a Person, his debut solo album releasing July 17, and why every song on it was deliberately written to be impossible to apply to anyone but God. He also breaks down Celebrity Is Dead, a song born from a conversation with his wife about why fame ruins both the person being worshipped and the people doing the worshipping, and why the whole album is designed to start with you wherever your emotion is and carry you out of it by the last note. Highlights The moment God spoke to him while driving a church van and why his first attempt to rationalize his way around it failed Why God specifically told him to make songs that were explicit about Jesus and said His name out loud Celebrity Is Dead and why humans were never created to receive worship — and what it does to both parties when they try Why every song was written to be impossible to apply to anyone but God, including rewriting verses that felt too generic What God Is a Person means — not just that Jesus is God, but that the universe is not a person and is not listening Why the album has an 80s pop and rock sonic profile that anyone can enjoy regardless of their faith background What it is like to be a producer who gets to make the product, hand it off, and then go back to make another one Why he believes every song needs to begin in an honest emotion but cannot leave you there Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Tenroc website: https://www.praise-jesus.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tenroc 🎵 Single: Call My Name (Yahweh) 🎵 Album: God Is a Person, releasing July 17 🌐 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.

Dr. Jay Richards, philosopher, senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, and vice president at the Heritage Foundation, has spent his career dismantling one of the most persistent myths in modern culture — that science and Christianity have always been at war. The founders of almost every sub-discipline of modern science, from Copernicus to Kepler to Newton, were either conventional or devout Christians. The warfare narrative was invented in the 19th century, and the evidence has been moving in the opposite direction ever since. Design, purpose, and the 20th century discoveries that materialism cannot explain: Dr. Richards walks through why the universe having a beginning in the finite past effectively removes materialism from contention as a worldview, how the fine-tuning of the cosmos points to a transcendent creator, and why the moral argument — the simple fact that you know it is always wrong to torture a child for fun, is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence for God that requires no science at all. He also shares his role in The Story of Everything as the philosophical connective tissue between the film's different streams of scientific evidence, and why he believes audiences who watch it will walk away knowing that the 19th century just-so stories of materialism simply do not hold up to scrutiny. Highlights Why the warfare between science and Christianity was always a myth invented in the 19th century How the discovery that the universe had a beginning effectively eliminates the materialist worldview from serious contention The moral argument for God, why the certainty that torturing a child is wrong points to a personal, holy, transcendent creator How Thomas Aquinas' teleological argument maps onto modern intelligent design evidence from DNA, bacterial flagella, and cosmology Why Dr. Richards served as the philosophical connective tissue between the scientists featured in The Story of Everything His go-to argument depending on the person, scientific for those interested in evidence, moral for those interested in truth Why he is agnostic on extraterrestrial life and what Mars and Venus tell us about how narrow the conditions for life actually are Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaywrichards 🎬 The Story of Everything 📖 Book: The Privileged Planet 🌐 Discovery Institute: https://www.discovery.org 🌐 Heritage Foundation: https://www.heritage.org 🌐 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 Wilson is 24 years old, has a K-LOVE Award for Hey Girl, a debut country album called Rebel, a new book by the same name, and no social media on her phone. In 2023 she bought a flip phone, used it for a year, and has not looked back. She is one of the boldest Christian voices in country music right now, and she will tell you that boldness did not come from strategy — it came from watching her five-foot-tall, opinionated mother walk into rooms and say exactly what she believed. Faith in country music, the emptiness Gen Z is finally admitting, and what it means to be a rebel for Jesus: Anne shares why she named her book, album, and lead single all the same thing — because Jesus himself was a rebel who went against the crowd, fixed what was broken, and spoke the truth whether people liked it or not. She also opens up about why she believes phones and social media are quietly destroying her generation, why country music artists are increasingly using collaborations with Christian artists as a safe way to share a faith they have never publicly expressed before, and the surreal moment she sang the national anthem at the Artemis 2 launch — exactly 10 years to the day she first visited NASA as a 14-year-old who wanted to be an astronaut. Highlights Why she named her book, album, and single Rebel and why she believes Jesus himself was the original rebel What it actually looks like to follow Jesus boldly in today's culture beyond just going to church on Sunday How her five-foot-tall, opinionated mother modeled boldness in a way that shaped everything about who Anne is today Why she got rid of social media on her phone in 2023, bought a flip phone for a year, and still has no regrets The Light Phone and why she recommends making your phone do only what a phone actually needs to do Why she believes Gen Z is hitting rock bottom earlier than previous generations and why that is opening the door for Jesus How country artists have used collaborations with her as a safe space to share a faith they have never expressed on their own records Singing the national anthem at Artemis 2 exactly 10 years to the day she first visited NASA as a child who dreamed of space Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Anne Wilson website: https://www.annewilsonofficial.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annewilsonmusic 📖 Book: Rebel: Following Jesus When the World Walks the Other Way 🎵 Album: Stars 🎤 Stars Tour 🌐 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.

Leanna Crawford writes songs the way other people write journal entries — because she needs them first. Her sophomore album Thank God, releasing July 26, is the most personal thing she has made, built around gratitude for unanswered prayers, the freedom that comes from forgiveness, and the simple conviction that sitting at the feet of Jesus is better than any to-do list she could ever complete. She did not plan for it to be called Thank God. The songs told her that was the name. Comparison, forgiveness, and what it means to trust God with the nos: Leanna shares the story behind Living Room Floor, inspired by Mary and Martha and her lifelong struggle to simply sit with Jesus instead of earning her way into His presence, and Ask Him Again, born from a week of vulnerability in a writing room when a co-writer showed her a daily reminder on her phone that said exactly what Leanna needed to hear. She also opens up about Revenge, a song she wrote after realizing she was holding unforgiveness in her heart for someone who probably did not even know it, and Her, the Proverbs-inspired anthem for young women she has been wanting to write for years that asks whether two girls can both be fully okay with the gifts God gave them. Highlights Why she did not plan to call the album Thank God and how the songs themselves decided the title Living Room Floor, the Mary and Martha song she wrote because she is a Martha who desperately wants to be a Mary Ask Him Again, the song born from a co-writer's daily phone reminder and Leanna's own season of unanswered prayer How she cried to the demo of Ask Him Again over and over before the album was even finished Revenge, the song about forgiveness she wrote after a phone conversation with a friend helped her realize she was still holding bitterness Her, the comparison song for young women that she has wanted to write for years and has already made audiences cry before its release The season when songwriting became impossible for her and how Still Waters was her first step back to loving it again Indiana football, her husband Cody, and the Cinderella national championship run the whole country ended up cheering for Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Leanna Crawford website: https://www.leannacrawford.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leannacrawfordmusic 🎵 Album: Thank God 🌐 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.

Todd Nettleton has spent more than two decades working with Voice of the Martyrs, and he has sat with enough persecuted Christians around the world to know that what happened in a Roman coliseum in 203 AD is still happening today — just in different arenas. On this year's Day of the Christian Martyr, June 29, Voice of the Martyrs is spotlighting Perpetua, a 22-year-old woman from a noble family in ancient Carthage who kept a journal in prison while her father begged her to deny Christ and come home to her nursing baby. She was killed for refusing. Her journal survived nearly 1,800 years. Christian persecution, the courage of the church under fire, and what happens when the government decides it is in charge of your faith: Todd walks through what is happening in China, where unregistered churches are illegal, pastors are forbidden to preach about the Second Coming, and children under 18 are barred from attending services. He also shares what is happening in Northern Nigeria, where Christian homes are specifically targeted while Muslim homes next door are left untouched, and the story of Pauline Ayyad, a widow in the Middle East whose social media post forgiving the men who murdered her husband has been read by millions across the Arab world and changed lives no sermon could reach. Highlights Who Perpetua was, a 22-year-old noble woman with a nursing baby who kept a journal in prison and refused to deny Christ Why her journal may be the earliest surviving example of a woman's writing in history How her father used her infant son as an emotional plea to make her recant, and why she still said no What Christian persecution in China actually looks like, illegal gatherings, state-approved sermons, and children barred from church Why Chinese registered church pastors are forbidden from preaching about the Second Coming How Fulani attackers in Nigeria specifically target Christian farms and homes while leaving Muslim properties untouched The Nigerian pastor who sent his wife and children south to safety and stayed with his flock anyway Pauline Ayyad, the widow whose public forgiveness of her husband's killers reached millions across the Middle East Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Voice of the Martyrs: https://www.persecution.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vom_usa 🎙️ Voice of the Martyrs Radio: https://www.vomradio.net 📅 Day of the Christian Martyr: June 29 📅 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church: November 1 🌐 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.

Bella Taylor Smith was 17 when she got saved at a summer camp during a worship service and realized that singing was not just something she could do — it was what she was made for. Years later, when a Voice Australia application popped up on her computer during Covid lockdowns, she felt the Lord prompting her to apply. She won. And then, rather than chasing the biggest mainstream opportunity that win could have opened, she and her husband moved to Nashville to make Christian music full time. Worship, the local church, and music made for your living room: Bella shares the story behind her new EP For the Home, the companion piece to her earlier project For the House, and why she wanted to make two distinctly different kinds of music — one filled with scripture for the local church, and one intimate and honest enough to fill a home with the Lord's presence. She also tells the genuinely strange story of winning The Voice Australia by watching the pre-recorded finale on her then-boyfriend's parents' couch, the difference between Australian and American food ingredients, and what it means to be a worship leader whose goal is to disappear so the congregation can find Jesus. Highlights Why she felt the Lord prompting her to enter The Voice Australia even though Christian music was always the plan The bizarre Covid finale where all four finalists pre-recorded four different endings and she found out she won watching TV Why she made two separate EPs, For the House for the local church and For the Home for intimate listening How she got saved at 15 at a summer camp worship service and knew immediately that was where she was meant to sing What it has been like to move from Australia, where Christianity is not culturally embedded, to the Christian music world of Nashville Why she believes a worship leader's job is to be as invisible as possible and simply connect people to heaven What her husband's production philosophy of recording with live musicians means for the intimate organic sound of her music Her honest take on Australian versus American food and why high fructose corn syrup is actually banned in Australia Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Bella Taylor Smith website: https://www.bellataylorsmith.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bella.taylor 🎵 EP: For the Home 🌐 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.

Bethany Wohrle has been with Bethel Music since she was 17 years old. Her voice is on All Hail King Jesus and Living Hope, songs with tens of millions of streams that have been sung in churches around the world. But when her niece Junie died unexpectedly at 18 months old in February 2023, Bethany nearly didn't show up to the Nashville writing camp she had scheduled for her debut solo album just weeks later. She went anyway, and what happened in those writing rooms was not what she expected. Grief, hope, and a God who is still good even when nothing makes sense: Bethany shares how the songs on her debut album Reason That I Sing, releasing July 10, were born not from a desire to process sadness but from a determination to write hope-filled music because she had seen too much of God's faithfulness to doubt Him now. She talks about the song So Close, written for her sister and brother-in-law as a declaration that God can bring dead things back to life, what it means to be a worship leader whose goal is to be as invisible as possible, and why walking through the hardest season of her life left her more on fire to lead people into worship than she has ever been. Highlights How her niece Junie's unexpected death three years ago became the grief behind nearly every song on this album Why she went to the Nashville writing camp just weeks after the loss and what God did in those rooms Why she refused to write a song about sadness and what she chose to write about instead So Close, the song she wrote for her sister, and the moment they both wept listening to the mastered version together What she believes the role of a worship leader actually is — to be invisible and simply connect the congregation to heaven The woman who had never raised her hands in church and what happened when the whole room lifted them together All Authority, the song on the new album declaring that every fear and worry bows to the King of Kings What she is sensing about the movement of God right now and why she does not want to be left behind what He is doing Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Bethany Wohrle website: https://bethanywohrle.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanywohrle 🎵 Album: Reason That I Sing 🎵 Single: He Is Here 🌐 Bethel Music: https://bethelmusic.com 🌐 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.

Anike grew up with a Muslim father, a conviction that some of the music she was listening to was wrong, and no idea she would one day be the first female artist signed to Reach Records. She looked up Christian remixes, found Lecrae, convinced her family to let her go to a church summer camp by calling it an internship program, and gave her life to Jesus on day three. Two days later, Lecrae showed up at the camp. She had no idea what God was setting in motion. Christian hip hop, the gospel carried in a beat, and what it means to give God your yes even when it costs you everything: Anike shares how a high school biology project turned into freestyle circles at lunch that turned into a full-time calling, why she carries headphones everywhere so people can listen before they realize they're hearing about Jesus, and what led her to change her name from Wande to Anike as an act of obedience to God. She also talks about the new single Holy Girls, inspired by Proverbs 31, what it felt like to record her entry for the Forrest Frank contest on a camera mic at her relative's house and get selected anyway, and why she believes you don't need the perfect setup for God to use what you have. Highlights How finding Lecrae through a search for Christian remixes became the first domino in her entire journey to faith The summer camp permission slip she got her Muslim father to sign by calling it an internship, and what happened on day three Why she brought headphones to school every day as her non-awkward strategy for evangelism What it cost her to give up a Nigerian family's expectation of becoming a doctor or lawyer to pursue music full time Holy Girls, the Proverbs 31-inspired single celebrating women of God who are unashamed, diligent, and fearless Why she changed her name from Wande to Anike and what God showed her through letting go of a brand she had built Recording her Forrest Frank contest entry on a camera mic at her relative's house and getting selected for the album anyway Her new ebook Song Release 101, giving other artists everything she had to figure out alone about releasing music legally Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Anike website: https://anike.net 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anike 🎵 Single: Holy Girls 🎵 Single: Contagious 🎵 Forrest Frank collaboration: Jesus Is Alive 🌐 Reach Records: https://www.reachrecords.com/artists/wande 🌐 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.