Smashing Idols: Stories & Reflections on Following Jesus: Podcast

The Problem With Most Christian Giving - J.D. Bauman

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:01:18 GMT

We know Christians are supposed to give to those in need, but should effectiveness be considered in how we change lives? J.D. Bauman, co-author of All the Lives You Can Change, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how Christians can steward their resources with greater impact and intentionality. J.D. explains how effective altruism reframes generosity by focusing on outcomes, showing that some efforts to help can be far more impactful than others. He shares his personal journey from raising money as a student to wrestling with the teachings of Jesus on wealth, sacrifice, and love, and challenges assumptions about giving locally versus globally. Throughout the conversation, J.D. invites listeners to rethink Christian generosity by integrating faith, reason, and sacrifice in ways that reflect the heart of the Gospel and prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

All the Lives You Can Change by Dominic Roser, David Zhang, and J. D. Bauman - https://amzn.to/4tT3zJz (affiliate)
Christians for Impact - https://www.christiansforimpact.org
Effective Altruism for Christians - https://www.eaforchristians.org

J.D. Bauman is a leader in the effective altruism movement within the Christian community and co-author of All the Lives You Can Change. He directs Effective Altruism for Christians and serves as executive director of Christians for Impact, helping believers use their careers and resources to address the world’s most pressing problems.

Why Christian Faith Turns Into Performance - Kristen LaValley

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 13:01:44 GMT

Christian culture often teaches that faith must be earned, but this episode challenges why Christian identity so easily becomes performance. Kristen LaValley, author and speaker, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how performance-driven faith forms in church culture and why it leaves many feeling disconnected from God. Kristen traces how transactional beliefs, spiritual pressure, and church systems shape a Christianity built on fear, control, and belonging rather than love. She also explains how her ADHD diagnosis reframed years of shame and shows how reclaiming a healthier view of God opens the door to healing.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Growing Up Saved by Kristen LaValley - https://amzn.to/4dzMhwp (affiliate)
Even If He Doesn’t by Kristen LaValley - https://amzn.to/41YWN9e (affiliate)
community on Substack

Kristen LaValley is a writer, speaker, and storyteller exploring the intersection of faith, trauma, and mental health. She is the author of Growing Up Saved and Even If He Doesn’t and leads The Liminal Way, a community for people navigating complex faith journeys.

How Men Can Support Women in Ministry - Rob Dixon

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:03:03 GMT

Men can say they support women in ministry all they want - but to truly support women requires action. Dr. Rob Dixon, author of Allies in Ministry, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how men can actively support women in ministry through everyday actions and leadership choices. Rob explains the gap between believing in women in ministry and living it out, showing how subtle patterns like exclusion, silence, or inaction continue to hold women back. He introduces a framework of practical allyship roles—like listening, amplifying, advocating, and sponsoring—that help men take responsibility for change. Grounded in both lived experience and the biblical vision of shared leadership, Rob demonstrates how supporting women in ministry is not optional but central to faithful Christian leadership.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Allies in Ministry: How Men Can Support Women in God’s Mission by Rob Dixon - https://amzn.to/3PHM5kS (affiliate)
Together in Ministry: Women and Men in Flourishing Partnerships by Rob Dixon - https://amzn.to/4sMToWU (affiliate)
Penny Preaches by Rob and Amy Dixon - https://amzn.to/4bOAKYM (affiliate)
Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces by Karen Catlin - https://amzn.to/4s8jvq5 (affiliate)
Rob on X - https://x.com/robfdixon
Rob on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rdixondis/

Dr. Rob Dixon is a professor, author, and speaker focused on equipping churches to practice shared leadership between men and women. Rob has spent nearly three decades with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and also teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary and Fresno Pacific University. He is the author of Allies in Ministry and Together in Ministry, and co-author of the children’s book Penny Preaches.

The Gospel is Inefficient | Solo Episode

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:03:49 GMT

Efficiency is not a Gospel value. Jake Doberenz, host of Christianity Without Compromise, is on Christianity Without Compromise discussing how modern culture's obsession with efficiency into Christian faith is at odds with the message of Jesus. Jake explains how the Gospel is not about maximizing outcomes but about embodying a slower, costly way of living that prioritizes people over productivity, drawing from stories like Jesus interrupting his journey to heal the bleeding woman. He argues that this inefficient Gospel resists utilitarian thinking, challenges comfort, and reframes success around presence, dignity, and faithfulness rather than speed or measurable results. This solo episode exposes how efficiency-driven thinking has shaped Christian ethics and calls listeners to recover a Gospel that values interruption, patience, and human worth.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Jake Doberenz is the founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media and host of Christianity Without Compromise. He holds multiple degrees in Bible and communication studies and is passionate about Christians finding Jesus outside of the Culture Wars.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Spiritual Formation After Deconstruction - Tiffany Yecke Brooks

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 13:03:21 GMT

Christian deconstruction doesn’t have to be the end of faith; it could be the beginning! Dr. Tiffany Yecke Brooks, author of To Rebehold the Stars, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why and how faith deconstruction can lead to intentional spiritual formation. Tiffany reframes deconstruction as a necessary but incomplete process, arguing that language, imagination, and inherited assumptions shape how people understand God and must be reexamined. She explores specific practices to help form a more authentic Christian faith, and also challenges us to move beyond inherited systems and deliberately rebuild a faith rooted in the heart of God.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

To Rebehold the Stars: Reimagining Faith and Formation After Deconstruction by Tiffany Yecke Brooks
, Tiffany Yecke Brooks’ Substack

Dr. Tiffany Yecke Brooks is an author, speaker, and university writing instructor with a background in literature and theology. Tiffany has written dozens of books across Christian living, history, and spirituality, including Rebeholding the Stars, which focuses on rebuilding faith after deconstruction. Her work helps readers critically examine inherited beliefs, reimagine spiritual practices, and develop a more thoughtful, authentic Christian faith.

Cultivating Christian Courage in an Age of Comfort - O. Alan Noble

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:03:19 GMT

Comfort has become a cultural goal and the loss of Christian courage may be one of the hidden costs. Dr. O. Alan Noble, associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and author of the forthcoming To Live Well, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why the recovery of Christian courage is essential in a distracted and disillusioned culture. Alan explains how modern culture is full of shifting moral rules yet largely lacks virtue, and he defines courage as the willingness to endure suffering and vulnerability for the sake of the good. Drawing from his personal struggle with OCD and bringing in insights about efficiency, Alan explores how suffering, endurance, and community shape Christian character.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times by O. Alan Noble
You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World by O. Alan Noble
On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living by O. Alan Noble
O. Alan Noble’s website - https://www.oalannoble.com

O. Alan Noble is an associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University and a fellow at the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is the author of several books exploring faith, culture, and spiritual formation, including Disruptive Witness, You Are Not Your Own, On Getting Out of Bed, and To Live Well. His work focuses on helping Christians live faithfully within the pressures and anxieties of modern culture.

How to Love Your Neighbor - Amar D. Peterman

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 13:03:00 GMT

“Love your neighbor” is one of the most quoted teachings in Christianity, yet it is often practiced in ways that reinforce division. Amar D. Peterman, theologian and author of Becoming Neighbors, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why Christian neighbor love is frequently misunderstood and how it can be reimagined in polarized communities. Amar shares how Jesus’ table-centered ministry challenges performative hospitality and how cultivating the common good begins through local relationships, shared spaces, and practices like accompaniment, compassion, and lament.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Eating Your Way Through Luke’s Gospel by Robert J. Karris— https://amzn.to/4ufrBQ9
Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local by Amar D. Peterman —https://amzn.to/4lj7qN1 (affiliate)
Amar D. Peterman’s Substack,
Articles by Amar D. Peterman in Sojourners — https://sojo.net/biography/amar-d-peterman

Amar D. Peterman is a writer, theologian, and PhD student whose work explores neighbor love, the common good, and Christian public life. He has written widely on faith, politics, and community for publications including Sojourners and his Substack, This Common Life. Peterman is the author of Becoming Neighbors: The Common Good Made Local, a book exploring how Christians can cultivate the common good through shared tables, local relationships, and faithful practices of love.

Church Through Everyday Conversations - Matthew G. Mattson

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:03:28 GMT

Many Christians have reduced the Church to a building, a service, or a weekly ritual—missing the deeper call of Christian faith. Matthew G. Mattson, author of Cathedrals of Connection and founder of the Between ministry, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why the Church is not primarily an institution but a sacred space created whenever two people truly connect. Matt explains how loneliness, division, and cultural fragmentation have exposed a crisis within modern Christianity and why faith traditions at their best push people back toward one another. Together, they examine how spiritual formation is meant to shape everyday relationships, reframing church gatherings as preparation for the real Church happening in daily life.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Cathedrals of Connection: Your Invitation to Everyday Sacredness by Matthew G. Mattson - https://amzn.to/4s6DZA0 (affiliate)
Cathedrals of Connection website: https://cathedralsofconnection.com
Between Ministry: https://between.church

Matthew G. Mattson is a writer, speaker, and founder of BETWEEN, an inclusive global faith community helping people embrace curiosity, conversation, and sacred connection. With decades of experience growing cause-based organizations, Matt has helped thousands rediscover the divine in everyday relationships. His latest book, Cathedrals of Connection: Your Invitation to Everyday Sacredness, offers an invitation to experience God through honest, human conversation.

Christians Must Win Differently

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 17:45:21 GMT

Winning elections, winning debates, winning culture wars, and even winning converts. In this solo episode of Christianity Without Compromise, Jake Doberenz confronts the uncomfortable question at the heart of much of American Christianity: what if many of the wins being celebrated are not wins that Jesus would want? We unpack how metrics borrowed from politics and business have shaped how the Church defines and achieve success. Using cultural examples, including reactions to Charlie Kirk’s influence and assassination, Jake explores how the means used in faith and politics form disciples just as much as the results do. Jake argues that the upside-down kingdom revealed in the Sermon on the Mount demands a different kind of scoreboard—one shaped by humility, virtue, and spiritual formation rather than power and spectacle.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links

A Community of Character: Toward a Constructive Christian Social Ethic by Stanley Hauerwas

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Christianity Without Compromise is a part of the KFM Broadcasting network.

Why Do Christians Fear Empathy and Curiosity? - Liz Charlotte Grant

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 14:02:47 GMT

Some forms of Christianity frame difference as dangerous—so empathy and curiosity are viewed with suspicion. But this week on Christianity Without Compromise, Liz Charlotte Grant, Christian Century columnist, is on the show with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how genuine curiosity—and even disagreement—can be acts of faithfulness. They talk about the power of talking with those you disagree with, unpack the fear beneath the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, and explore how Christianity might look if it welcomed empathy instead of certainty. Liz challenges the idea that being “right” matters more than being empathetic, calling the Church to embrace wonder and listen well—even across very deep divides.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Liz Charlotte Grant’s Substack:
Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible by Liz Charlotte Grant (affiliate)
Liz Charlotte Grant on Instagram
Christian Century Columns by Liz Charlotte Grant

Liz Charlotte Grant is an award-winning writer, columnist for The Christian Century, and the author of Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible. Her work focuses on politics, theology, and spiritual formation, often exploring the spaces between certainty and mystery. She runs the Substack newsletter The Empathy List and lives in Colorado.

When To Speak Up About a Toxic Church - Amy Fritz

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:02:58 GMT

Should you say something when your church goes toxic—or stay quiet to keep the peace? On Christianity Without Compromise, Amy Fritz, host of the Untangled Faith podcast, joins Jake Doberenz to unpack the spiritual, emotional, and relational weight of speaking out. Drawing from her own journey from rule-following Christian student to institutional whistleblower, Amy shares what it takes to tell the truth when everything in church culture says to stay silent. Together, Jake and Amy examine why Christian institutions often protect their image over integrity, how toxic church environments form, and what it looks like to choose wisdom, love, and accountability at the same time. They confront the idolization of “God’s anointed,” the confusion between fruitfulness and faithfulness, and the corporate structures that reward performance over character—all while offering hope for those discerning what to do next.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Diane Langberg: Narcissism and the System It Breeds (YouTube)
The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel
A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer
Untangled Faith Podcast
Untangled Faith Substack
How Church Culture Can Turn Leaders Into Idols - David Ruybalid (Episode 35)
Religious Certainty and Being the Only Ones Saved - Scot Loyd (Episode 44)
When Spiritual Formulas Distract Us from Jesus - Christy Lynne Wood (Episode 39)

Guest Bio:

Amy Fritz is the host of the Untangled Faith podcast and Substack, where she creates space for Christians to process church hurt, spiritual abuse, and power dynamics in faith communities.

Christians Need a New Approach to Abortion - Angela Weszely

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:03:24 GMT

Christians have too often talked about abortion with labels instead of love. Angela Weszely, co-founder of ProGrace and author of Becoming ProGrace: Expanding the Abortion Conversation Beyond Life Versus Choice, joins Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to explore a faithful, grace-filled approach to abortion rooted in the teachings of Jesus. In this conversation, Angela explains why the Church’s political framing—whether pro-life or pro-choice—fails to reflect the Imago Dei in both the woman and the child. Drawing from her decades of experience in pregnancy resource ministry, Angela shares how a lack of nuance, poor language choices, and gender imbalance in church culture have alienated women and made the Church unsafe to engage this issue. Rather than offering a legislative solution, she calls for spiritual reformation—beginning not with changing others, but by examining ourselves.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation at Fuller Theological Seminary - https://fuller.edu/center-for-peacebuilding-and-conflict-transformation/
Becoming ProGrace: Expanding the Abortion Conversation Beyond Life Versus Choice - https://amzn.to/49Rjvnv (affiliate)
ProGrace.org

Angela Weszely is the co-founder of ProGrace, a nonprofit helping churches move beyond political categories in how they respond to abortion. With more than 20 years of experience in pregnancy center ministry, Angela now equips Christians to speak with grace, empathy, and theological clarity about abortion, gender, and spiritual formation. She is the author of Becoming ProGrace: Expanding the Abortion Conversation Beyond Life Versus Choice.

Spiritual Abuse in Evangelical Megachurches - Scott Latta

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 14:00:41 GMT

Behind the lights, fog machines, and polished sermons lies a darker reality in megachurches. Scott Latta, award-winning journalist and author of Gods of the Smoke Machine, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how evangelical megachurches create environments where spiritual abuse thrives. Drawing from personal experience and deep reporting, Scott outlines the patterns that allow abusive pastors to evade accountability and return to power—even after serious harm. We unpack the sociological model of the megachurch, how non-denominational structures often sidestep oversight, and why it’s so difficult for victims to speak out or even leave. This episode confronts how systems meant to glorify Jesus have become breeding grounds for abuse—and what needs to change.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Boz Tchividjian’s organization GRACE and BozLaw
Scott Latta’s website - https://www.scottlatta.com
Gods of the Smoke Machine - https://amzn.to/49DKYu2 (affiliate)
Scott’s Substack -
Scott’s appearance on the Untangled Faith podcast with Amy Fritz - https://www.untangledfaithpodcast.com/148-inside-the-megachurch-machine-abuse-accountability-and-christian-nationalism-with-scott-latt/

Scott Latta is a journalist whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today. His most recent book is author of Gods of the Smoke Machine: Power, Pain, and the Rise of Christian Nationalism in the Megachurch.

What Christian Marriage Advice Gets So Wrong - Sheila Wray Gregoire

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:02:13 GMT

Much of what passes for Christian marriage teaching has left couples confused, disconnected, and harmed—especially women. Sheila Wray Gregoire, author and researcher behind The Great Sex Rescue, joins Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to unpack how evangelical sex and marriage advice went so wrong. Drawing from large-scale survey data, Gregoire explains how obligation-based sex, rigid gender stereotypes, and authority-driven theology damage intimacy, fuel sexual pain, and erode trust. The conversation explores purity culture, entitlement, mutuality, and why equality—not hierarchy—is essential for healthy Christian marriage and faithful discipleship.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

BareMarriage.com
The Great Sex Rescue – https://amzn.to/4jIqpjt
The Marriage You Want – https://amzn.to/49A0hTa
Bare Marriage Podcast – https://baremarriage.com/category/podcasts/
Sheila on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sheilagregoire/

Sheila Wray Gregoire is a Christian speaker, author, and researcher who has written multiple bestselling books on sex and marriage, including The Great Sex Rescue and The Marriage You Want. Through her blog and podcast at BareMarriage.com, she helps Christians rethink harmful assumptions about gender, intimacy, and faith in relationships. Her work is grounded in data, driven by compassion, and committed to pointing people toward wholeness and mutuality.

See Also:

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at http://jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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How the Black Church Resists the Culture Wars - Justin Giboney

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 14:00:45 GMT

Many Christians are trapped in a false choice between political ideologies that distort the Christian faith. Justin Giboney, political strategist, attorney, and president of the AND Campaign, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss his new book Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around and the Black church’s enduring witness in the face of oppression. Drawing on his grandparents’ legacy in the civil rights movement, Giboney shares how the Black church modeled a prophetic public faith that was both bold and redemptive. Together, they explore what the culture war really is, why Christians must learn to critique both the right and the left, and how moral imagination enables better engagement in politics.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Justin Giboney on X (Twitter)
The AND Campaign - https://www.andcampaign.org/
Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads Us out of the Culture War – https://amzn.to/4qNyUMp
Greed, Racism, Violence, and Empire - Malcolm Foley – https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/20

Justin Giboney is an attorney, political strategist, and co-founder of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization dedicated to applying biblical values to social and political issues. He is the author of Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around: Messages from the Black Church on Cultural Confusion, Race, and the Reign of God. Giboney draws from his heritage and civil rights roots to reframe how Christians engage politics with conviction and compassion.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Resisting Christian Nationalism - Jared Stacy, Joash Thomas, Caleb E. Campbell, and Larry Lin

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:03:43 GMT

On this episode of Christianity Without Compromise, originally recorded live, Dr. Jared Stacy (theologian and author), Joash Thomas (Anglican minister and justice advocate), Larry Lin (pastor and writer), and Caleb E. Campbell (pastor and author) join host Jake Doberenz to examine the rise of Christian nationalism five years after the January 6 U.S. Capitol attack.

Jared Stacy, scholar of conspiracy theories, traces how Christian nationalism thrives by blending whiteness, national identity, and Christian symbols. Caleb Campbell shares his own church’s disorientation as members turned on him over immigration and racial justice, seeing political dissent as spiritual betrayal. Larry Lin reflects on his transformation driven by a desire to root out anti-gospel messages from the church. And Joash Thomas, former GOP operative turned public theologian, draws on his Indian Christian heritage to contrast American self-preservation with the global Church’s sacrificial advocacy for the marginalized.

Together, they confront the spiritual rot beneath Christian nationalism—and what real Gospel allegiance demands in response.

Watch: https://youtube.com/live/egwxjE4u5bI

Resources Mentioned:

Jared Stacy’s upcoming book Reality in Ruins: How Conspiracy Theory Became an American Evangelical Crisis (Coming March 2026)
Joash Thomas’s book The Justice of Jesus
Caleb Campbell’s book Disarming Leviathan
The Cross and the Olive Tree: Cultivating Palestinian Theology amid Gaza edited by John S. Munayer and Samuel S. Munayer
Faith in the Face of Empire by Mitri Raheb

Guest Bios:

Jared Stacy is a theologian and chaplain. His forthcoming book Reality in Ruins explores how conspiracy thinking became a crisis in American evangelicalism. Check out his previous episode, “Why Do Christians Fall for Conspiracy Theories?”
Joash P. Thomas is an Anglican minister who works in international justice and public theology. His first book is The Justice of Jesus. Check out his previous episode “Justice and Jesus in a Colonized Church.”
Larry Lin is a pastor at Grace Life Church in Baltimore. He previously worked for One America Movement, a nonprofit organization that equips clergy to counter political and cultural polarization. Check out his previous episode “The Dangers of Christian Nationalism & Tribalism.”
Caleb Campbell is the lead pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona. His book Disarming Leviathan and podcast of the same name equips readers to engage Christian nationalists with truth and love. “Why Hate Won’t Stop Christian Nationalism.”
Jake Doberenz is the host of Christianity Without Compromise and founder of the podcast production company Theophany Media. He’s on, well, all the episodes!

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Joy as Resistance in a Pessimistic World

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 13:02:52 GMT

In this solo episode of the Christianity Without Compromise podcast, host Jake Doberenz explains why Christians need to cultivate joy—and exactly how they can do that. Using the example of the movie Elf, Jake explores how joy can change people and the world. Drawing from the work of Willie James Jennings, he defines joy as a way of life, outlines three ways to cultivate joy, and shares how choosing joy doesn’t mean you ignore reality.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

“Theology of Joy: Willie James Jennings with Miroslav Volf”

“Willie James Jennings on joy that joins”
“The Code of the Elves: A Primer for Joy,” Jake Doberenz, https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2020/12/07/the-code-of-the-elves-a-primer-for-joy/

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Christianity Without Compromise is a part of the KFM Broadcasting network.

Christmas Movie Trivia SHOWDOWN!!! - Joseph Holmes and Kenny Doberenz

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 13:01:53 GMT

For this special holiday episode, host Jake Doberenz sets aside the usual Christian theological discussions for something more festive (and chaotic): a Christmas movie trivia game show featuring returning guest Joseph Holmes, film critic and host of The Overthinkers Podcast, and first-time guest Kenny Doberenz, film and media teacher and voice actor. The three dive into obscure facts about The Santa Clause trilogy, animated Christmas Carol adaptations, Die Hard villains, and really old Christmas movies no one has seen. It’s fun.

Merry Christmas, and good luck knowing when Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July actually came out.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

The Overthinkers Podcast — Joseph Holmes’ show on faith and pop culture
“Why Are We So Obsessed With Identity“ - The Overthinkers podcast episode with Jake
Jim vs. the Future — Joseph Holmes’ sci-fi movie
The Dead Sea Squirrels — Animated kids’ show featuring Kenny Doberenz

Joseph Holmes is a New York-based film and culture critic who writes for publications like Christianity Today, Religion Unplugged, and World Magazine. He co-hosts The Overthinkers Podcast and recently released his first feature film Jim vs. the Future.

Kenny Doberenz is a film and media teacher at Oklahoma Christian Academy, where he teaches high school and middle school students about movie production and storytelling. He has voice acting credits in The Dead Sea Squirrels, an animated show created by VeggieTales co-creator Mike Nawrocki.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Christianity Without Compromise is a part of the KFM Broadcasting network.

Depression isn't Faith Failure - Trey Hayman

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:01:18 GMT

Christians are still telling people to “just pray more” in response to depression. Trey Hayman, pastor of New City Church in Nashville, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss how Christian faith and mental health need not be at odds. Drawing from both personal experience and theological training, Trey unpacks how the stigma around emotions and diagnoses developed in church spaces—and why it’s time to dismantle it. Together, Jake and Trey explore the false divide between “spiritual” and “emotional” life, the way Christian platitudes do more harm than good, and what a healthier theology of the mind could look like. Whether you’re a struggling believer or a church leader wondering how to help, this episode is for you.

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Important Links:

Trey’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/treyhayman/
Trey’s Substack -
Trey’s Threads - https://www.threads.com/@treyhayman
Classical Pastoral Care: Pastoral Counsel (Vol. 3) by Thomas C. Oden - https://amzn.to/3XNAv8y (affiliate)
Classical Pastoral Care: Crisis Ministries (Vol. 4) by Thomas C. Oden - https://amzn.to/4rUSQy4 (affiliate)

Trey Hayman is the pastor of New City Church, a young church plant in Nashville, Tennessee. He holds degrees in Psychology and Christian Leadership from Belmont University and a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. His work centers on integrating emotional health, theology, and community, and he regularly shares about mental health, faith, and authenticity online.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

Subscribe now

Christianity Without Compromise is a part of the KFM Broadcasting network.

Church Still Matters - Loren Richmond Jr.

Jake Doberenz — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:03:42 GMT

If Christian community can be so toxic, should we just leave it all behind?

[Listen to this episode on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, our website, or your favorite podcast player]

Loren Richmond Jr., pastor, chaplain, and host of the Future Christian Podcast, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why the Christian faith still calls us to show up in community—even when church institutions fail. They talk candidly about disillusionment, spiritual exhaustion, and the cultural appeal of individualism, yet also uncover what’s lost when Christians opt out of the local church. Loren brings practical insight from both sociology and theology to show why Christian identity depends on more than podcasts and personal devotion. Together, they explore how church forms us, how it’s supposed to testify to God’s way of being in the world, and how to evaluate a church community without expecting perfection.

Important Links:

“Jake Doberenz on working for a church that doesn’t fit your theology” Future Christian Podcast — https://futurechristian.podbean.com/e/jake-doberenz-on-working-for-a-church-that-doesn-t-fit-your-theology/
“Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America” by Christian Smith — https://amzn.to/3KgYBFG (affiliate)
“How the Anglican Tradition Forms a Moral Ecology” by Loren Richmond Jr.
“Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation” by F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Levett H. Weems Jr. — https://amzn.to/4iGWRC6 (affiliate)
Loren’s Substack — /

Loren Richmond Jr. is a pastor, chaplain, nonprofit leader, and the host of the Future Christian Podcast. He holds an MDiv from Phillips Theological Seminary and an MBA with a nonprofit focus from Hope International University. His wide-ranging ministry background includes roles from food pantry director to founding pastor, giving him a grounded and practical perspective on the evolving role of the church in society.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.

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Christianity Without Compromise is a part of the KFM Broadcasting network.