Impact 360 Institute

How should Christians think about controversial issues like transgenderism, homosexuality, euthanasia, or abortion? How should we respond to popular slogans like "gender is just a social construct” or "my body, my choice"? In response to these issues, what does true compassion look like? What does the Christian worldview have to offer here? Many of the hot button issues of our cultural moment deal with issues of the human body. However, it seems that often times many people are content to settle for slogans and sayings without thinking deeply about their hurtful real-world implications. As Christians, how do we engage these topics that are controversial, but deeply important? This week on the podcast, join Jonathan sits down with Nancy Pearcey to discuss her new book, Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions About Life and Sexuality. Join Jonathan and Nancy as they answer these questions as well as discuss why it's important to understand the fact/value split, answering popular ideas like cri

What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be an "image bearer"? What does it mean to "lose our humanity", and what are the consequences of that. Most importantly, how does our view of human dignity affect how we live out our faith in our cultural moment? There's no question that human dignity is at the center of some of the most important topics in our cultural moment. But how should Christians be talking and engaging about topics involving human dignity, from abortion to immigration? In this episode of the podcast, Jonathan sits down with Daniel Darling of the ERLC to discuss this issue. Join Jonathan and Daniel as they answer these questions and more as they discuss how human dignity, justice, and the gospel fit together, how other views of human dignity borrow from the Christian faith, areas where the Church is leading the charge on the human dignity conversation, others where we have blind spots and need to grow, and how to move forward in a practical way. Daniel Darling is

What is theistic evolution? Is it a good idea or a bad idea? Why should Christians care about this, and how do we think critically about it? Does the evidence point to an intelligent designer? And if so, where should we start? In our recent study with the Barna Group, we found that about half of churchgoing teens say that "the church seems to reject much of what science tells us." Many students in the next generation think that there simply is no scientific evidence for God, and many will point to the Darwinian theory of evolution to explain the origin of life. But what about the idea of theistic evolution that's becoming increasingly popular? Did God use evolutionary mechanisms to produce all of life? In this episode of the podcast, Jonathan talks with Dr. Stephen Meyer of the Discovery Institute to answer these questions and more as they discuss the scientific, philosophical, and theological problems with this view, the compelling evidence for intelligent design, what pieces of evidence to bring

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions? Why can’t I control my anger? Or stop overeating? Or wasting time online? Why can’t I seem to finish my projects or make progress in my spiritual life? Why do I fall for the same stupid temptations over and over again? Today on the podcast, Jonathan sits down with Drew Dyck to talk about self-control. Join Jonathan and Drew as they discuss why self-control is a foundational virtue, why we sometimes view self-control as restricting rather than liberating, why it’s important to understand both the science and spirituality of self-control, how habits work and how to build them, how to have self-control with our electronic devices, and much more. Drew is an acquisitions editor at Moody Publishers and a contributing editor at CTPastors.com. He’s the former managing editor at Leadership Journal. His work has appeared in numerous publications including USA Today, Huffington Post, and CNN.com. He is the author of several books including Generation Ex-Christian: Wh

How do you walk through the challenges of life as a Christian? How do those challenges and obstacles shape our identity? How do we remain both honest and faithful in the midst of hardship and difficulty? What are the tools that we need to deal with these challenges as they come? Today on the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and Trudy Cathy White answer these questions and more as they discuss the importance of embracing challenges as they come, what Scripture says about hard seasons, how to navigate challenges in a way that leads to growth, finding encouragement in the midst of hardship, and more. Trudy Cathy White and her husband John are the founders of Impact 360 Institute and Lifeshape. Trudy is the daughter of Jeanette and Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A, Inc. She is a speaker, author, dedicated wife, mother of four, and grandmother of fifteen. Her new book Climb Every Mountain: Finding God Faithful in the Journey of Life is available now wherever books are sold. For more: Hear more from Trudy in our c

How do you think about truth, culture, and freedom? What’s shaping us as a culture, and why are we so divided? What’s a way forward? As Christians, why is it important to care about these kinds of issues, and how do we respond to false ideas? This week on the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and Os Guinness answer these questions as they discuss truth, freedom, and culture. Listen this week to hear about where freedom comes from, why religious freedom is important, how to respond to the idea that all cultures are equally valid, and more. Os Guinness is an author and social critic who has written over thirty books, including Last Call for Liberty: How America's Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat, The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends On It, Fools Talk: Recovering the Art of Christian Persuasion, and many more. You can visit Os online for resources and more at osguinness.com. For more: For more conversations on leading the next generation, check out Gen Z Lab! Learn from Jonathan and others

How do you "grow" a leader? In the workplace, the family, and really anywhere else, what does it look like to motivate people to lead? How do you build a culture that values things like greatness, resiliency, opportunity, and wisdom? Why is it important to value these things? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and our guest Jeff McManus answer these questions and discuss how to grow leaders that are resilient, the importance of celebration and "quick wins", how trust leads to empowerment, and more. Jeff McManus is the Director of Landscape Services at the University of Mississippi and is a grower of plants, people, and ideas. Jeff speaks to groups nationally and is the author of Growing Weeders Into Leaders: Leadership Lessons from the Ground Up. You can find Jeff online and subscribe to his blog at jeffmcmanusspeaking.com. For more: Find out more about our 9-month Fellows program here Check out our online courses on truth, worldview, and the resurrection here For more conver

How do you share the good news with Mormons? Are Christianity and Mormonism similar, or even the same thing? If not, what are the important differences? How do we as Christians have a successful spiritual conversations with our Mormon neighbors? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and our guest Eric Johnson answer these questions as they discuss what Mormons believe, the important differences between Christianity and Mormonism, and the importance of learning to ask good questions when we have spiritual conversations. Eric is the co-host of the daily radio show Viewpoint on Mormonism and writes for Mormonism Research Ministry. He is the co-author of several books, including Sharing the Good News with Mormons: Practical Strategies for Getting the Conversation Started with Sean McDowell. For more: Practice spiritual conversations with us this summer at Immersion! Listen to more podcasts like this one here Find free resources on leading the next generation here

What is the story of reality? Why is the Christian story unique, and how do other stories come up short in their attempt to explain the way the world really is? How can we go about articulating this story in a way that makes sense? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and our guest Greg Koukl answer these questions and discuss how when Christians talk about the Christian story, it isn't simply wishful thinking or fabricated fantasy. Rather, it's an explanation of the way the world actually is. Greg Koukl is the Founder and President of Stand to Reason, and the host of the Stand to Reason talk show advocating clear-thinking Christianity and defending the Christian worldview. He's the author of several books including the excellent Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions and his new book The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between. Check out Greg and his team online at STR.org. For more: Listen to more episodes of t

What does it mean to be human in the age of artificial intelligence? Are there jobs that simply require a human to do? What is "anti-fragility" and why is it a virtue? In the end, why should Christians care about this stuff? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and our guest Jay Richards answer these questions and more as they discuss how to understand the hyper-connected age that we live in, and how to restore a culture of virtue. Jay Richards is a professor in The Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, a Senior Fellow at The Discovery Institute, the Executive Editor of The Stream, and host of A Force for Good. You can find Dr. Richards' new book The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines here, as well as his book Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem here. For more: Listen to more episodes of the podcast here Learn more about truth, worldview, and the resurrection through our online courses h

How do you walk through doubt as a Christian? In those times, how do you develop discernment? Why is it important to deal with doubt rather than push it aside? How does apologetics play a role in helping us understand why we believe what we believe? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow and Alisa Childers answer these questions and more as they discuss how to deal with doubt and develop discernment. Alisa Childers is a wife, mom, blogger, and speaker. She is a worship leader and was a member of the CCM recording group ZOEGirl. She is passionate about helping Christians work through their doubts about Christianity and the Bible. Visit Alisa online for her blog and podcast at alisachilders.com, and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. For more: Questions about the Bible? Check out Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow Learn more about truth, worldview, and the resurrection through our online courses here High school student? Come learn from Alisa, Jonathan, and others about discipleship and C

How can we offer truth to a culture that seems to value confusion more than it does clarity? In this episode, we talk with Abdu Murray of RZIM on how to talk about truth in a post-truth culture About Abdu: RZIM Website Abdu's Latest Book: Saving Truth

Technology, especially social media, is one of the biggest "shapers" for Gen Z, the digital natives. In this episode, Nikki Dutton and Jonathan Morrow discuss some practical ways that adults can set a good example for Gen Z on social media.

At Impact 360 Institute, we get to work with a lot of students. But what is it that makes a student grow? How do we "do" discipleship in a way that leads to transformation? How do students move from being audience members to being participants? What does it look like to be both invitational and challenging? On this episode of the podcast, Jonathan Morrow, and Mitch Aldridge answer these questions and more as they discuss why students need to be challenged in order to grow. For more: Spend a week learning more about discipleship at Impact 360 Propel Find out more about Gen Z and buy the report at whoisgenz.com High school senior? Learn more about our Fellows experience here

How do I make the case for the life on the issue of abortion? What do science and philosophy have to say about what it means to be human? Can we really talk about this issue without "imposing morality" on people? Why is it important to clarify the issue when making the case for life? Many in our culture feel nervous to talk about issues like abortion. On this episode of the podcast, host Jonathan Morrow and Megan Almon of Life Training Institute answer these questions and more as they discuss why it's important to clarify this issue, and do so with a posture of gentleness and respect. Megan Almon is a speaker with Life Training Institute, an organization focused on persuasively communicating the pro-life message. Megan speaks nationally on topics including the case for life, Christianity as a worldview, and evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Megan and many others are guest professors at our Fellows program. Learn more about Impact 360 Fellows here! For more: Find out more about Megan and Life

How do I talk to people who believe differently than me? How do I talk to my Muslim friends who believe differently about God and the Bible? What about my friends who believe differently about things like gay marriage and gender? What does it look like to be an ambassador in our cultural moment? On this episode of the podcast, host Jonathan Morrow and Alan Shlemon of Stand to Reason answer these questions and more as they discuss how to be an ambassador of Christ in our cultural moment. Listen as Alan and Jonathan discuss how to engage these difficult issues with knowledge, wisdom, and character. Alan Shlemon is the author of The Ambassador's Guide to Islam and The Ambassador's Guide to Understanding Homosexuality. Alan and many others are guest professors at our Fellows program. Learn more about Impact 360 Fellows here! For more: Find out more about Alan and Stand to Reason at STR.org Read Alan's "Three Options" article here Learn more about the next generation and get our new report at whoisgenz.

How could a good and loving God send people to hell? Does believing something make it true? Why is religious liberty important? Why is it important for students to be able to ask questions and wrestle with doubts? How can Christian leaders equip students to ask hard questions and keep their faith? On this episode of the podcast, host Jonathan Morrow and Frank Turek talk about the questions that he receives most on college campuses. From questions about ethics, evil, evolution, and eternity, Jonathan and Frank talk about why it's important for students to wrestle with these hard questions and value the truth. Hear from Dr. Frank Turek, President of CrossExamined.org and author of books like Stealing From God and I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an atheist as we discuss these issues and more! For more: Find out more about Frank at CrossExamined.org Listen to other podcasts episodes here Learn more about the next generation and get our new report at whoisgenz.com

Who is Gen Z? How do they differ from the Millennials and other generations? What kinds of questions are they asking about God, happiness, and the biggest questions of life? What do they think about topics like science, faith, and church? What is life like for a young Christian in 2018? Are Gen Z Christian prepared to follow Jesus in a post-everything world? And if not, how should we go about getting them prepared? In this episode of the Impact 360 Institute podcast, Nikki Gentry and Jonathan Morrow introduce you to Gen Z, the generation following the Millennials, or the “next, next generation.” For the past year and a half, Impact 360 Institute and the Barna Group have been studying this generation, seeking to understand the worldview of Gen Z, and thinking through how to prepare them to follow Jesus in today’s culture. Now this research has been published in a new and exciting full color report, and Jonathan and Nikki give you an inside look into what it says. So how does the worldview of Gen Z differ from

Why is apologetics or giving reasons for your faith important for this generation and for parents? How does having a conversation with your kids at an early age affect the task of parenting and how students approach these topics of apologetics and worldview? What does it practically look like to begin teaching your kids the Bible and having these kinds of conversations even at young ages? Why does Biblical hope matter as we approach a post-Christian culture? Get answers to these questions and more in this episode of the podcast, as we learn what it looks like to talk to our kids about God. Hear from Natasha Crain, author of Talking With Your Kids About God, about these issues and more!

What stands out on college applications and essays for Admissions Counselors? When should a high school student start thinking deeply about which college to choose? What types of questions should high school students be asking when choosing a college? What really stands out to colleges in your college essay? How involved should parents be in the college application process without hindering the student’s acceptance? Get answers to these questions and more in this episode of the podcast, as we learn what it looks like to set yourself apart in the college application process. Hear directly from Impact 360 Institute’s Enrollment Team, Nikki Gentry and Hannah Purdie who are phenomenal at helping students navigate this. Whether you are a parent or a student, this episode will provide with some valuable secrets to rock your college application now!