Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Dr. Thomas Kidd, professor at Midwestern Seminary and author of biographies on Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and George Whitefield, has spent his career at the intersection of American history and Christian faith. He is one of the most careful historians working on the founding era today, and when he says the debate over whether America was founded as a Christian nation has enough to offend both sides, he means it — and he can explain exactly why. The founders, the First Amendment, and the tens of millions of churchgoers nobody is counting: Dr. Kidd unpacks why the separation of church and state was actually championed most fiercely by evangelical Baptists who were being persecuted by state churches, why Jefferson hosted church services in government buildings while also being the architect of religious liberty, and why Christianity thrives more when the government stays out of it. He also drops a finding from upcoming research that could reframe the entire conversation about American religious decline — congregational surveys are undercounting the total number of churches in America by at least 25%, and the tens of millions of people showing up every Sunday who never get counted are roughly equivalent in size to the entire group of Americans who claim no religion at all. Highlights Why the founding has enough historical evidence to offend both the Christian nation crowd and the strict secularists How Baptist Christians were among the loudest voices for church-state separation because state religion meant persecution Why Jefferson hosted church services in government buildings while also being the great architect of religious liberty What the founders actually believed about Christianity's role — strong cultural influence, but no official legal role How the Great Awakening of the 1740s shaped Patrick Henry's speaking style and the entire patriot movement Why Rosa Parks was chosen specifically because she was a dignified, churchgoing Christian woman — and why that matters The upcoming research showing American churches are undercounted by at least 25% and what that means for the nones narrative Why religiously practicing people consistently outperform non-practicing people on every measure of human flourishing globally Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ThomasSKidd 📖 Book: American History Volume Two 📖 Upcoming Book: The Death of Religion? co-authored with Byron Johnson 🌐 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.

Sam Eaton grew up hiding under tables in kindergarten because he was afraid of the world. His father's alcoholism left deep roots of trauma, and years later, after watching four people in his school community die by suicide, he could no longer stay silent about the pain he had carried alone for years. Sam is the founder of Recklessly Alive, a suicide prevention ministry, and the author of the new book You Can Do This: Daily Affirmations to Live Recklessly Alive. He has spoken at more than 250 events across the country, and he opens up here about his own attempt, what brought him through, and why he believes almost everyone who feels suicidal does not actually want to die. Mental health, the lies depression tells, and what Scripture says to the person who doesn't want to be alive: Sam walks through why suicide at its core is simply pain that has outgrown someone's ability to cope, why talking about it openly makes people more likely to seek help rather than less, and how Job and the Psalms show that this struggle is not new to God and has never been a sign of faith failure. He also shares the one simple daily practice that carried him through the months after his own attempt, why community is essential even when you have to push yourself to show up, and what he wants caregivers to know about how to reach the people they love who are struggling. Highlights Losing four people to suicide in one school community and how that became the turning point that broke his silence Why almost everyone who feels suicidal doesn't actually want to die — they just can't see another way through the pain How social media triples the pressure on young people and why three and a half hours a day doubles the risk for depression The one simple daily practice he used after his own attempt — one small thing a day, photographed as proof that life can get better What Job, Jonah, and the Psalms reveal about God's long familiarity with the pain of not wanting to be alive Why struggling with mental health is not a spiritual failure, and why faith and medicine are meant to work together The police officer video that went viral and what it captures about the power of human connection in a crisis moment What he wants caregivers, parents, and teachers to know about how to reach someone who is struggling without having the perfect words Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Sam Eaton website and Recklessly Alive: https://www.recklesslyalive.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recklesslyalive 📖 Book: You Can Do This by Sam Eaton 🆘 If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 — call or text 988 🌐 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.

Kristian Stanfill has been part of Passion Music for over 20 years. He has seen a lot. But what he is witnessing right now among Gen Z, he says, is different. Not hype. Not emotional. Students showing up at Globe Life Field in Arlington at 3am, lining up around the building with their physical Bibles, just to make sure they could get into the room. Forty-five thousand of them. All hungry for the same thing. Repentance, revival, and a generation that wants something durable enough to build a life on: Christian shares what he believes Asbury 2023 cracked open across college campuses in America, why this move of God is marked by confession and holy living rather than spectacle, and what the new Passion album Just That Good is really about — joy from a life that has been genuinely redeemed. He also gives a preview of the upcoming Passion tour with Taya and Levi Lusko, and why none of them are interested in just doing a show. Highlights What Christian has never seen in 20-plus years with Passion, and why this moment feels unmistakably different How the Asbury outpouring in February 2023 stripped back celebrity culture Christianity and got back to the simple heart of faith The image seared into his mind of students lined up around Globe Life Field at 3am, Bibles in hand, just to get in the room Why this generation is not looking for hype but for something real, durable, and honest enough to build a life on What the title track Just That Good is about and where the joy in it comes from What Watch Him Work, What a Worthy Name, and the rest of the album represent for Passion The upcoming tour with Taya and Levi Lusko and why all three of them are going into every city with faith for something fresh Why Christian says leaving his family is only worth it if God is actually going to show up and do something powerful Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Kristian Stanfill's website: https://www.kristianstanfill.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristianstanfill 🎵 Album: Just That Good 🌐 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. Michael Behe, biochemist and professor at Lehigh University, has spent his career making a case that most scientists would rather not hear. The concept he became famous for, irreducible complexity, argues that the molecular machinery inside living cells is so intricately assembled that removing a single part causes the entire system to collapse. Darwin thought the closer you looked at biology, the simpler it would get. The opposite turned out to be true, and that discovery has never stopped being inconvenient for strict materialism. Science pointing beyond itself, the mind behind the machinery, and what a young generation deserves to know: Dr. Behe walks through why he joined The Story of Everything, how the fine-tuning of the universe and the information embedded in DNA both point insistently toward a designer, and why the mainstream scientific establishment continues to resist conclusions that the evidence increasingly demands. He also shares his go-to argument for God — not from biochemistry, but from the one thing every person already knows they have — a mind — and why that single observation, followed honestly, leads somewhere materialists cannot explain away. Highlights Why irreducible complexity is not going away and why evolutionary biology is still fighting to ignore it How Darwin's assumption that cells were simple blobs of protoplasm turned out to be completely wrong Why the more science advances, the stronger the evidence for purposeful design becomes The fine-tuning argument and why the universe sits on a knife's edge to allow life to exist at all His go-to argument for God, starting not with biochemistry but with the reality of the human mind Why the mainstream media and academic establishment push the science-versus-faith narrative against their own evidence What books like The God Delusion have done to students, and why this film is a direct answer to that Why he believes young people who feel like accidents need to hear that science itself says otherwise Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Dr. Michael Behe website: https://michaelbehe.com 🎬 The Story of Everything: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13374694 📖 Book: Darwin's Black Box 📖 Book: The Edge of Evolution 🌐 Discovery Institute: https://www.discovery.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.

Shae Robins had one dream her entire life — Broadway. She worked the hours, joined the union, had friends performing on tour, and was ready to make the move to New York. Then, driving to work one morning past red rock canyons in Utah, God gave her a peace she wasn't looking for, and she let go. She signed with an agent almost immediately, got cast in her first Great American Family film, and has been making faith-forward rom-coms ever since. It turns out God was not closing a door. He was building a different stage entirely. Identity, letting go, and the faith stitched into the seams of everyday life: Shae shares what drew her to Blessings in Disguise, a film about a fashion designer who discovers her grandmother's Bible verse-stitched dresses and finds her way back to what matters, and how those themes led to a seven-day devotional audio series through the Glorify app called The Fabric of Faith. She also talks about the night her daughter called out "Hi Mommy" from the audience while she was playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast, why she believes families are starving for content that doesn't require a filter, and what it means to her to raise two little girls while making films they can be proud of. Highlights The morning God gave her peace about letting go of Broadway and how everything opened up immediately after How her first Great American Family film Destined at Christmas launched a career she never planned for What drew her to Blessings in Disguise and why the themes of identity and self-worth hit close to home The grandmother's Bible verse-stitched dresses in the film and why that detail became the heart of the story The Fabric of Faith, a seven-day Glorify audio devotional tied to Blessings in Disguise covering identity, community, stillness, and grace The night her daughter shouted "Hi Mommy" from the audience during Beauty and the Beast and why it was the highlight of her life Why she believes families are spiritually hungry for content that carries hope and light without compromise Her upcoming film A Christmas Prayer Two, a sequel to the Movieguide Award-winning original Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shae_robins 🎬 Blessings in Disguise 🌐 Glorify app: https://glorify-app.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.

Aaron Burns, director of the upcoming film Jimmy, had always loved Jimmy Stewart the way most people do — through the movies. It was a Guideposts article, written by Stewart himself, that stopped him cold. The man who played George Bailey had flown 20 combat missions against the Nazis, left Hollywood behind for three years to serve his country, and carried a flight log in his own handwriting marking the planes of his fallen comrades. The prayer in Martini's Bar in It's a Wonderful Life, it turns out, was not just a scene. It was the beginning of something real. Timeless storytelling, the faith woven into Hollywood's most beloved film, and what it means to tell stories that outlast your own life: Aaron shares how Jimmy Stewart's daughter Kelly Stewart Harcourt came on board as executive producer, brought her father's personal journals and wartime flight logs to the production, and even lent them Jimmy's actual Oscars for filming. He also opens up about Frank Capra's mysterious visitor who told him he was worse than Hitler for wasting his gifts, why Aaron's team asked "What would Capra do?" on set every day, and the pre-production journey of his next film, Hudson and Maria, about missionary Hudson Taylor's radical integration into Chinese culture and his courageous stand against both the British and Chinese empires to carry the gospel where no one else would go. Highlights The Guideposts article Jimmy Stewart wrote that revealed he was a combat pilot who flew 20 missions against the Nazis How Kelly Stewart Harcourt joined as executive producer and brought her father's personal journals, flight logs, and actual Oscars to set Why the prayer in Martini's Bar in It's a Wonderful Life was a real turning point in Jimmy Stewart's spiritual journey The story of Frank Capra's mysterious visitor who told him he was wasting God's gifts, and how it changed the kind of films he made Why Aaron's team put "What would Capra do?" on their coffee cups during production How It's a Wonderful Life flopped at the box office, fell out of copyright, and became America's most beloved film by accident KJ Apa's total transformation into Jimmy Stewart, and why Aaron was startled seeing him in real life after weeks in the edit The Hudson and Maria project, filming in Malaysia this August, about Hudson Taylor's decision to dress, speak, and live as Chinese to bring the gospel without cultural barriers Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Aaron Burns website: https://www.burnsco.us 🎬 Jimmy the Movie: https://www.jimmythemovie.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.

Cliffe Knechtle has been standing on college campuses answering skeptics for 46 years. His son Stuart joined him, bringing a background in psychology and mental health that turns hard arguments into something people can actually feel healed by. Together they have written Demolishing Doubt, a book that walks readers from evidence for God's existence to the reliability of the Gospel accounts to what it means to take a genuine step of biblical faith — and it was built for exactly the kind of person who shows up on a college quad with a list of reasons not to believe. Apologetics, the emotional fragility of Gen Z, and a revival that is spreading from campuses into the local church: Cliffe and Stuart walk through their go-to arguments for the existence of God and the resurrection of Christ, why answering "I don't know" has become one of the most powerful things a Christian can say to a skeptic, and why they believe the questions young people are asking now are more urgent and more honest than ever before. Stuart also shares the story of a top Division I athlete who broke down in tears at a dinner table, saying he was jealous that Stuart had objective value and meaning in his life — and why that moment captures exactly what is driving the spiritual hunger they are witnessing everywhere they go. Highlights How Cliffe's open-air Q&A ministry started 46 years ago on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale and never stopped Why the content of skeptics' questions hasn't changed much, but the emotional stakes behind them have grown dramatically The four-part argument Cliffe uses in two minutes to make the case that your worldview already assumes God Why the best answer a Christian apologist can give is sometimes "I don't know," and why skeptics love it Stuart's background in psychology and how he pairs counseling instincts with Cliffe's hard arguments to reach the whole person What the historical explosion of Jewish converts to Christianity reveals about the reality of the resurrection Why Cliffe and Stuart believe secularism is not dying but dead, and what is rushing in to fill the vacuum Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Give Me an Answer: https://givemeananswer.org 📱 Instagram Cliffe Knechtle: https://www.instagram.com/cliff.knechtle 📱 Instagram Stuart Knechtle: https://www.instagram.com/stuart_knechtle 📖 Book: Demolishing Doubt 🎙️ Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@givemeananswer 🌐 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.

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.