The Natasha Crain Podcast

We're raising kids in an increasingly challenging world--which means we have to be intentional in raising them in a counter cultural way. But if we’re not careful in how we do it, it can lead to our kids’ resentment of Christianity over time. In today's short episode, I talk about four ways that can happen and how to avoid it. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Talking with Your Kids about God: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Conversations/dp/0801075521

Even Christians struggle with believing what the Bible says sometimes. We want to believe it's God's Word, but there can be doubts that nag at us. Can miracles really happen? If they can, why should we believe some of the stranger miracles in the Bible like a talking donkey? Why would God leave enough uncertainty around what the Bible says that people can come to such different conclusions about it? Even if we believe that the Gospels report some true things about Jesus, how can we be confident that we should believe everything the Gospels say? Today, cold-case homicide detective, national speaker, and bestselling author J. Warner Wallace joins me to discuss these questions and more, in honor of the release of the updated and expanded version of his modern classic, Cold-Case Christianity. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Cold-Case Christianity (Updated & Expanded Edition) J. Warner Wallace's website: www.coldcasechristianity.com Investigating the evidence for Mormonism: https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/investigating-the-evidence-for-mormonism-in-six-steps/

Social media has been a popular place to share deconversion stories over the last few years, and sometimes so many people resonate with those posts that they go viral to some extent (being liked and shared by thousands of people). There’s one that’s being shared all over Facebook right now, written this week by a lady named Myndee Mack. At the time of this writing, it has 8,000+ likes/loves, 7,000+ comments, and over 3,000+ shares. Clearly, Myndee’s post is compelling to many. Here is my response to the reasoning and theological clarity/accuracy of what she wrote. NOTE: This is an audio version of a written blog post--many people requested I do a recording. You can find the original post here: https://natashacrain.com/a-christian-response-to-a-viral-deconversion-post/

This is part 2 of my episode, "Public, Private, or Homeschool: Thinking Through Your Child's Education (Part 1)." In this part, I talk about the widely varied types of Christian private school options available to parents, breaking them into four general categories: progressive Christian schools, nominally Christian schools, committed Christian schools with a mainstream educational philosophy, and committed Christian schools with an alternative educational philosophy. Additionally, I answer questions listeners submitted online, such as: --How do you prevent your kids from being in "Christian bubble" if they aren't in public school? --How do you discern if a "Christian" school is really Christian? --How do you prevent your kids from being jaded by the nominal Christianity they are likely to encounter with classmates at a Christian school? --What should you do if the administration and/or teachers at your current Christian school are leaning leftward? --How much does a school's denomination matter? ...and more. Note that I was originally going to discuss public school as well in part 2, but due to length, I've made this a stand alone episode. Part 3 will discuss public school and is forthcoming. Mentioned in this episode: Episode 9 of the Unshaken Faith podcast: "How to Discern a Church Website" https://blubrry.com/1470671/94556853/9-how-to-discern-a-church-website/ Battle for the American Mind book by Pete Hegseth: https://www.amazon.com/Battle-American-Mind-Uprooting-Miseducation/dp/0063215047

You’ve probably noticed that it seems everything is about transgender issues today. Why, exactly, is that? Why is everyone talking about transgenderism in particular? Why are we seeing an explosion of people identifying as trans? What’s even involved in the transition process, in particular for the growing number of teens who are pursuing a gender change? What about the popular claim that if we don’t support transitions, people will commit suicide? How, as Christians, do we respond to all of this in truth and love? Author, speaker, and radio show host Dr. Frank Turek is joining me today to talk about all of these questions and many more—including a bunch of personal questions about transgender issues that were submitted by people who follow my Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor). Mentioned in the show: Frank’s latest book: Correct, Not Politically Correct: About Same-Sex Marriage and Transgenderism (Expanded Third Edition) https://www.amazon.com/Correct-Not-Politically-Same-Sex-Transgenderism/dp/1607087073 OR order from Impact Apologetics (Amazon has been out of stock): https://impactapologetics.com/correct-not-politically-correct-about-same-sex-marriage-and-transgenderism-2023-edition/ Frank’s ministry, Cross Examined: https://crossexamined.org/ Cross Examined Instructor Academy: https://crossexamined.org/what-is-cia/ Abigail Shrier’s book, Irreversible Damage: https://www.amazon.com/Irreversible-Damage-Transgender-Seducing-Daughters/dp/168451228X/ Jordan Peterson’s YouTube interview with detransitioner Chloe Cole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O3MzPeomqs Article on research censorship: “My Research on Gender Dysphoria Was Censored. But I Won’t Be.” https://www.thefp.com/p/trans-activists-killed-my-scientific-paper Frank’s book, Legislating Morality: Is It Wise? Is It Legal? Is It Possible?: https://www.amazon.com/Legislating-Morality-Wise-Legal-Possible/dp/1592441521/ Frank’s article, “Sex at Work”: https://crossexamined.org/sex-at-work/

In her newest book, The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes, bestselling author and speaker Nancy Pearcey explains how secularism has villainized the concept of masculinity. For example, one media researcher analyzed more than 2,000 mass media portrayals of men and found that more than 75 percent of all media representations of men portrayed them as “villains, aggressors, perverts, and philanderers.” How did we get here? How did we get to the point where men are seen so negatively that they’re literally considered by many to be “toxic”? And what does the Bible say about what it means to be a man? Nancy and I dig into these critically important questions in today's episode. The Toxic War on Masculinity: How Christianity Reconciles the Sexes

How you educate your child should be a very intentional choice--certainly not something you default into just because you haven't considered the various options available. But how is that decision best made from a Christian worldview perspective? In Part 1 of this episode, I walk through 6 key principles to keep in mind, followed by my thoughts on and experiences with homeschool in particular. In the next episode (Part 2), I'll go on to talk about Christian private school and then public school.

Today I have the honor of talking with someone who I think is one of the best, if not the best, Christian models of navigating this tough culture with grace AND truth. Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and especially young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. In this episode, we go deep into the question of how we can better balance grace and truth in our interactions with a hostile culture--and also in our interactions with fellow believers. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW:

Cultural Marxism. Equity. Socialism. DEI. CRT. Anti-Racism. Collective Guilt. Christians can no longer stay silent about the divide between the Bible's truth and the world's lies. In today's episode, I talk with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, pastor emeritus of The Moody Church, where he served as senior pastor for 36 years. Dr. Lutzer clearly explains the most prevalent lies today and walks through the reasons we should have the courage to proclaim truth. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Get Dr. Lutzer's book, No Reason to Hide, here: https://www.amazon.com/No-Reason-Hide-Standing-Collapsing/dp/0736986871 More information and tickets for the Unshaken Conference: https://unshakenconference.com/ Subscribe to my Unshaken Faith Podcast with Alisa Childers: https://blubrry.com/1470671/

Jesus wants us to be humble, but we can misunderstand the nature of that humility and start to believe the world’s claims that we’re being arrogant about things that we’re not being arrogant about. In this episode, I walk you through how to respond to charges of moral arrogance ("Who are you to judge?"), epistemic arrogance ("Who are you to be so confident that you know what’s true better than others?"), and biblical arrogance (“Who are you to think your biblical interpretation is better than mine…or anyone else's?”). Mentioned in the episode: Unshaken Conference: https://unshakenconference.com/ Unshaken Faith Podcast with Alisa Childers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unshaken-faith/id1657921515 My apologetics books: https://natashacrain.com/books/ My Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a popular and fast-growing new movement of Christians who emphasize signs and wonders and teach that God is giving new revelation through new apostles and prophets today. Some churches associated with those teachings have even become household names—you’ve probably heard of the widely influential Bethel Church, for example. But are NAR teachings consistent with the historic Christian faith? That's the question my guest today, Holly Pivec, seeks to answer in her new book, Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church, which she co-authored with Biola professor Douglas Geivett. Holly is a blogger, author, and speaker, as well as a pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom. She has a master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University. She has coauthored three books about the New Apostolic Reformation and writes a popular blog, which you can read at hollypivec.com. Connect with Holly: www.hollypivec.com Order Counterfeit Kingdom: https://www.amazon.com/Counterfeit-Kingdom-Revelation-Prophets-Practices/dp/1087757495 My books: Faithfully Different:https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291/Talking with Your Kids about Jesus:https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Jesus/dp/080107553XTalking with Your Kids about God: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Conversations/dp/0801075521Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Kids-Gods-Side/dp/0736965084 Connect with me: Website and Blog:https://www.natashacrain.comFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/c/NatashaCrainAuthor

In today’s secular culture, there is a lot of popular-level wisdom that passes as self-evident truth we should all just accept--statements like live your truth; you are enough; authenticity is everything; God just wants you to be happy; you shouldn’t judge. These are claims about reality that sound good…but are they really good when we define good by the standard of God’s Word? In today’s show, I’m welcoming back my friend Alisa Childers to talk about the lies we hear in culture and how secular wisdom so often fails. That’s the subject of her brand new book, Live Your Truth and Other Lies: Exposing Popular Deceptions That Make Us Anxious, Exhausted, and Self-Obsessed. Connect with Alisa at https://alisachilders.com/. Grab her new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Live-Your-Truth-Other-Lies/dp/1496455665 My books: Faithfully Different:https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291/Talking with Your Kids about Jesus:https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Jesus/dp/080107553XTalking with Your Kids about God: https://www.amazon.com/Talking-Your-Kids-about-Conversations/dp/0801075521Keeping Your Kids on God's Side: https://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Your-Kids-Gods-Side/dp/0736965084 Connect with me on social media: Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/natashacrainauthor/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/natasharcrain/

If you have followed my content for any amount of time in the last year, you have heard me talk repeatedly about the jarring statistics related to the shrinking percent of Americans who have a biblical worldview. I’ve written and talked about a lot of different studies and numbers, but two of the most pertinent data points are these: 65% of Americans self identify as Christians, but research on people’s actual beliefs and behavior shows that only about 6% have a biblical worldview. This huge gap has numerous implications for the church today. But how exactly do researchers define a biblical worldview? How do they get to that 6% estimate? In this episode, I get into all the details with Dr. George Barna, who is the Director of Research for Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: 2017 Worldview study conducted by the Barna Group and Summit Ministries: https://www.barna.com/research/competing-worldviews-influence-todays-christians/ Research on "syncretism" as top worldview in America: https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2021/04/13/vast-majority-of-americans-stitch-together-patchwork-worldview-of-conflicting-beliefs-making-syncretism-top-worldview-among-u-s-adults/ Newest research data on the worldview of pastors: https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CRC_AWVIRelease_07_Digital.pdf Sign up for research updates from the Cultural Research Center: https://www.arizonachristian.edu/culturalresearchcenter/latest-research/

There is a crisis of homelessness happening across the country, and many Christians wonder what can and should be done. This is an important question because not all attempts at helping the homeless are equally beneficial nor are they equally consistent with a biblical worldview. Bryan Crain, Chief Operating Officer of the Orange County Rescue Mission, joins me to discuss what helping the homeless looks like from a biblical worldview perspective, how that compares to secular homeless program models (such as "housing first"), and takes a variety of questions about homelessness submitted by my podcast listeners online. (Bryan also happens to be my husband!) If you've ever wondered how to help the homeless you pass by on the streets, this is an episode not to miss. MENTIONED IN THE SHOW: Recommended books:

Not only is mainstream media no longer trying to be objective, but they’re also openly advocating for specific viewpoints. And not only are they openly advocating for specific viewpoints, but they’re also strategically manipulating public thought. In this episode, I break down five implicit messages that mainstream media trumpets to push culture toward a uniformity of thought that's nearly always at odds with a Christian worldview. Mentioned in this episode: My newest book, Faithfully Different: https://www.amazon.com/Faithfully-Different-Regaining-Biblical-Clarity/dp/0736984291 My article, "Are Christians the New Extremists? Yes, and That's Okay" (also available in podcast form): https://natashacrain.com/are-christians-the-new-extremists-yes-and-thats-okay/ AP Stylebook for covering transgender issues: https://www.apstylebook.com/topical_most_recent#transgender The Alliance Defending Freedom: https://adflegal.org/ Abigail Shrier's must-read book, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters https://www.amazon.com/Irreversible-Damage-Transgender-Seducing-Daughters/dp/168451228X/ Fact-Checking 6 Claims about Life After Roe v. Wade: https://www.dailysignal.com/2022/07/28/fact-checking-6-claims-about-life-after-roe-v-wade My last podcast on "Why Christians Must Care about Politics": https://natashacrain.com/why-christians-must-care-about-politics/

There are few things more controversial than whether Christians should be involved with politics, and if so, to what degree and how that involvement should happen. In this episode, I break down two basic premises for thinking well about this subject: 1. Christians have the right, politically speaking, to advocate for our views in the public square. 2. Christians have the calling, spiritually speaking, to advocate for the good of others. I then respond to seven problematic ideas on the topic found in Pastor Andy Stanley's new book, "Not In It to Win It." (To be clear, these are problems I believe there are with what he wrote, not problems he is presenting.)

My guest today is the best-selling author and nationally known speaker Dr. Frank Turek. Frank has a fascinating new book out called Hollywood Heroes: How Your Favorite Movies Reveal God. Hollywood Heroes shows how our culture's favorite movie heroes are patterned after the ultimate hero—Jesus of Nazareth— and how the stories we see played out on the big screen parallel the real-world fight between good and evil. This is a unique and powerful book for starting faith conversations with people you may otherwise have trouble engaging with...especially teens! In this episode, we walk through examples from the book, show how they can be used to initiate conversations, and discuss the importance of Christians engaging with culture. Mentioned in the show: CrossExamined.orghttps://crossexamined.org/jack-hibbs-vs-infanticide/https://dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com/california-legislation-would-decriminalize-killing-newborns/Hollywood Heroeshttps://hollywoodheroesbook.com/https://crossexamined.org/what-is-cia/https://www.facebook.com/CrossExamined.orghttps://www.instagram.com/drfrankturek/https://www.youtube.com/c/CrossExamined

Author, speaker, and podcaster Alisa Childers joins me to discuss a series of popular ideas found in progressive Christian writings, using the recent bestselling book If God is Love, Don't Be a Jerk by John Pavlovitz as a case study. We explain why each idea is in conflict with a biblical worldview for those who accept the inspiration and authority of the Bible as God's Word. Mentioned in this episode: My newly released book, Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture My Facebook read along group for Faithfully Different Alisa's book, Another Gospel Connect with Alisa online: Facebook Instagram YouTube Website Connect with me online: Facebook Instagram Website

This weekend, Saturday Night Live cast member Cecily Strong played a character called Goober the Clown who had an abortion when she was 23 and now talks to people about how normal abortion is in between clown jokes. Every single one of us should be asking how on earth we, as a culture, have arrived at such a moment. Here's my answer. Mentioned in the episode: https://natashacrain.com/join-the-book-launch-team-for-faithfully-different/https://natashacrain.com/faithfully-different/https://natashacrain.com/how-culture-got-to-the-point-where-saturday-night-live-is-promoting-abortion-in-a-clown-outfit/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exSZQICbSb8The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolutionhttps://www.amazon.com/Rise-Triumph-Modern-Self-Individualism/dp/1433556332

There are plenty of high profile cancel culture examples that grab sustained public attention, but it’s the everyday cancel culture that picks off person after person without national attention that’s far more insidious...because the cumulative seriousness of what’s happening isn’t obvious to many people. In this episode, I discuss a recent example and walk through three things every Christian should understand about the fast but quiet creeping of everyday cancel culture. Mentioned in the episode: Pre-order details for my new book, Faithfully Different: https://natashacrain.com/faithfully-different/ My article from last year on why secular social justice "warriors" often hate Christians so much: https://natashacrain.com/how-to-explain-to-your-kids-why-social-justice-warriors-hate-christians-so-much/