Keith Simon
What a year! We’re incredibly grateful for our podcast listeners, blog (and book!) readers, social media followers, newsletter subscribers, and more who engaged with us this year. Your support is what keeps us going!
We value all of the relationships we’ve made with our TOT audience and our guests this year, and we hope that together, we can continue to build a community that’s intent on seeking truth and forsaking tribalism.
It’s impossible for us to pick our favorite episodes from 2022, so we let you do it for us!
The Five Most Listened To Episodes of 2022 🏆
Did your personal favorite make the list? Got a guest or topic suggestion for 2023? Let us know in the comments below.
- What Do Demonic Powers Have To Do with Politics? with Tim Mackie
If you missed this episode, you might be staring at that title and thinking, “Is this going to be a weird campfire conversation where they share their demon stories?” But no, it was quite the opposite!
In this episode, Patrick sat down with Tim Mackie, cofounder of BibleProject, and had a sophisticated and candid discussion about the “powers” that Paul refers to in Ephesians.
Tim shared how these spiritual powers contribute to disunity and fragmentation within the church, and he urged Christians to be aware of their schemes to divide Christians. We also got to hear Tim share how BibleProject navigates hot-button cultural topics and whether or not local churches should weigh in on those conversations.
- Seek First the Kingdom of... America? with Brian Zahnd
How does a Never Trump pastor lead a congregation located smack dab in the middle of Trump country? We found out on this episode when Keith spoke with Brian Zahnd. Brian is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri.
On this episode, he and Keith discussed how Christians with opposing views can remain unified, despite our tribalistic tendencies. We also heard Brian explain why Christian nationalism isn't biblical, why so many Evangelicals have been co-opted by the Republican party, and what the ramifications are for a church that chooses America over Jesus.
- Would You Wear an LGBTQ+ Pride Patch? An Interview with MLB Pitcher Jason Adam
In June of 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher, Jason Adam, and four of his teammates opted not to wear LGBTQ+ pride patches on their uniforms during the Rays' "Pride Night." They didn't refuse to wear the patch to get attention or make a political point, but they did it because they didn’t want to advocate for something that contradicted their faith. In the weeks that followed, Jason Adam was called a bigot by other players and the sports media.
In this episode, Keith got the opportunity to talk with Jason about why he and his teammates made their decision, why professional sports are wading into the culture war, and how Christians can live out their convictions while loving their neighbors.
- Here I Am To Worship (My Celebrity Pastor)
When Kim K has over 400 Million followers on social media, it shouldn’t surprise us that celebrity culture has crept into the church. On this first episode in our celebrity pastors series, Patrick and Keith explain how Carl Lentz rose from relative anonymity to celebrity status and why that was bad for him, his family, the people he worked with, and Hillsong.
They also examined the history of celebrity and how we went from a culture that celebrated accomplishment to one in which some people are famous for being famous.
- Overturning Roe v. Wade: What Does the Bible Say About Abortion?
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights. Pro-lifers celebrated and pro-choicers raged, but many Christians were confused and unsure exactly how to respond.
In this episode, released prior to the SCOTUS decision, Keith and Patrick sat down to discuss this complicated and sensitive issue through the lens of scripture and in light of our current cultural moment.
What does the Bible really have to say about abortion? What did they predict would happen if Roe v. Wade was overturned? And what does all of this mean for the future of the pro-life and pro-choice movements?
Thanks again for making our podcast a part of your year! Be sure to check out the above listener favorites if you haven’t already. Plus, let us know in the comments below what your personal favorite episode was this year and tell us if there’s a topic or a guest you’d like to see on an episode in 2023. Happy New Year! 