Podcasts For Strengthening Your Faith
Do you have a favorite podcast?
People who don’t have a favorite podcast, don’t listen to podcasts, or are unfamiliar with podcasts are becoming rarer each year. In fact, podcasts have grown tremendously in popularity over the last two decades or so.
One study reports, “Back in 2006, only 22 percent of the adult population in the United States was aware of podcasting. By 2022, this figure had risen to 79 percent.” Not only that, but over a third of the American population listens to podcasts regularly.
If you’re not sure what podcasts are, they are essentially audio-recorded discussions and/or conversations around a particular subject. There are podcasts about politics, current events, business, entertainment, relationships, sports, cooking, etc. They are perfect for listening to when you’re commuting to work, cleaning up around the house, doing a morning walk, or just chilling out on the couch.
As many different podcasts as there are now, you can bet that there are some pretty good podcasts for building and strengthening your faith. While I was excited to recommend some books for you in last week’s blog, I am just as excited to recommend these podcasts which you can find on platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Pandora for encouraging you in your walk with Jesus.
To Preface: There are many wonderful podcasts which are just recorded sermons. Because I am going to be discussing recommended preachers and bible teachers next week, I’ve decided to only recommend those great podcasts which are faith-based, but not sermon-oriented.
Enjoy!
BibleThinker Podcast with Mike Winger
Mike Winger is a pastor who was discipled and ordained under the well-known Calvary Chapel out in Costa Mesa, California. He has served in various ministry capacities over the years, but now does most of his teaching on a podcast called BibleThinker.
According to BibleThinker’s website, their mission is simply, “helping you learn to think biblically about everything.” They do this by focusing on three objectives: teaching good theology, defending the faith, and accurately applying the scriptures for everyday life.
What I love about BibleThinker and Pastor Mike Winger is that everything he discusses, whether it be ministry, theology, current events, relationships, whatever – it is all done with a completely honest, biblical foundation. He has his positions as it relates to certain theological concepts, but he does not allow his theological persuasions to influence the discussion at hand. He tackles every topic with an honest look at scripture.
That’s only one of the reasons I love this podcast, because he is thorough in his examination of scripture, and, therefore, teaches us how to dissect scripture properly in order to approach any given topic in the most biblical way you can.
A Favorite Discussion/Episode: I love the Friday episodes, “20 Questions with Pastor Mike.”
If you want to listen to the BibleThinker podcast, look it up on your favorite platform or click here.
Thirty Minutes With the Perry’s
Preston and Jackie Hill Perry are longtime favorites. Certainly, they ruffle the feathers of some. That said, I find them to come off as incredibly genuine and lovers of Jesus. In fact, you might even read about Jackie in another blog in the coming future.
In this particular show, the Perry’s sit down for personal conversation around various subjects. They typically start the show with a common greeting in the African-American church, “Hello, Saints and Ain’ts!” Afterward, they get right into the topic at hand and share personal stories, portions of scripture, and how the topic at hand should matter to you.
Aside from the Perrys’ good sense of humor and relatability, I find that their insights, especially when informed through personal experience, are very eye-opening. They are also very sincere in their responses, not sugar-coating anything that’s difficult to receive.
A Favorite Discussion/Episode: Any episode related to sexuality and godly relationships.
Tune into Thirty Minutes With the Perry’s by clicking here.
The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast with Pete Scazzero
I am a local church pastor, which means I have a congregation who looks to me for healthy and holy leadership. Whether you’re a pastor or not, you are a leader. You lead your children. You lead your team at work. You lead your ministry. in some sense, you even lead yourself.
One of the most valuable qualities for a leader to demonstrate is emotional maturity. And maybe you’re thinking, “I thought this was about faith, not emotions.” Pete Scazzero, retired pastor and bible teacher from Queens, New York, explains why your spiritual maturity is directly proportionate to the level of emotional maturity you’ve developed.
He’s been arguing this in his multiple books over the years, including but not limited to, Emotionally Healthy Church, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, and more recently, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. That’s why he also started a podcast in 2015, named after a former (and my favorite) book title of his, The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast.
In examining the scriptures and pulling lessons from the life and ministry of Jesus and the Apostles, Scazzero then helps us live and lead with both spiritual wisdom and emotional intelligence.
A Favorite Discussion/Episode: “[Leadership Case Studies] Navigating Power and Dual Relationships”
If you want to hear Scazzero’s timeless wisdom on The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast, click here.
BibleProject
There’s not too much to say about this podcast except that it is for people who really geek out about the scriptures. In other words, if you’re a Bible Nerd who loses your mind when someone teaches or show you something in the scripture that you would not have known or noticed otherwise, then you need to listen to this podcast.
Tim Mackie has grown increasingly popular over the last decade or so, and alongside Jonathan Collins, he founded The Bible Project. Through various mediums, including visual storytelling, online classes, and blogs, this particular organization now helps millions of Christians study and understand their Bible in a deeper and more fascinating way.
The BibleProject Podcast is just one medium by which Tim and Jon analyze and explain the themes, concepts, nuances, and narrative of scripture. If you have questions, confusion, or just find the Bible intriguing, this is a great podcast for you. Furthermore, if you’re a Christian believer who wants to really understand the Bible for more than face-value, you will not be disappointed.
A Favorite Discussion/Episode: I love the series where they explore the biblical theme, “Family of God.”
If you’d like to grow in your understanding of the Bible with the BibleProject podcast, click here.
Exploring Word and Spirit with Dr. Sam Storms
Dr. Sam Storms is a lifelong local church pastor and a former theology professor. That said, while Dr. Storms covers many subjects over many episodes, he ultimately desires that Christians live with serious faith and expectation. Indeed, this podcast is for anyone who wants to live in the fullness of God’s abundant life that is only found in understanding God’s Word and walking by God’s Spirit.
There’s a great balance between theology, biblical exposition, and spirit-filled practice. That makes perfect sense if you’re familiar with Dr. Storms. He is a Reformed Charismatic, which means many things, but it especially means that he is serious about sound doctrinal teachings in scripture, as well as the continued empowerment of the Spirit for supernatural ministry inside and outside the local church.
He believes, much like myself, that both God’s Word and God’s Holy Spirit are necessary in the lives of those who live by faith. We have no guidance without biblical understanding, and we have no power without the Spirit’s anointing. As Dr. Storms often states at the beginning of each episode, “Exploring Word and Spirit highlights the power of Truth (the Bible) and the truth about Power (the Holy Spirit).”
A Favorite Discussion/Episode: Anything concerning the spiritual gift of prophecy in the local church.
If you long for a more vibrant faith, study God’s Word and Spirit with Dr. Storms by clicking here.