Can I Say That?: Recent Episodes
Brenna Blain
Engaging with culture as Christians in a post Christian world, asking questions we don’t normally ask in church.
Today we are going to talk about:
• the purpose of the church
• whether salvation can be lost
• church scandal and honesty
• celibacy and companionship
• prosperity gospel vs prayer
• Pentecostal practices and discernment
• spiritual disciplines for neurodivergent Christians
• being hurt by Christians
• and addiction and how the church should respond
What happens when science and the Bible disagree? This is a theological tension followers of Jesus should be able to logically walk through. Today we talk about the context of wine then and now and some false narratives christians are more likely to believe.
What Dying churches lack, church plants have... and what church plants need, aging churches can offer.
Moral Failure plagues the western Church, and yet there is a group of christian leaders that have even less oversight. If we take scripture seriously, something needs to change. Brenna Blain asks how moral failure happens for those who have oversight and why influencers, preachers and theologians should seek out concrete oversight.
Today Brenna Blain talks through the Biblical command to love our enemies in a time where theological tribalism runs rampant.
Today Brenna Blain preaches through 2 Timothy 2:20–25 about the dangers of being lukewarm in the west and how to live a life set a part.
A closed Bible is the coin, progressives live on one side while seeker sensitives churches live on the other. Today we talk about the next season vision for Can I Say That? and jump into our first train of thought.
Brenna Blain shares her pastoral exhortation on what it means to engage in the issue of abortion with compassion and conviction by looking to the Biblical text. This message was given in the heart of South East Portland, Oregon in partner with First Image.
Evan Wickham shares his insights as a pastor with us about developing a Biblically based theology of disabilities drawing from both the old and new testament. Evan is the lead pastor at Park Hill Church in San Diego, CA as well a worship song writer for the greater Church.
This month we hear from Ericka Anderson on the topic of drinking, sobriety and addiction all within the context of christian community. Ericka Andersen is a freelance writer and mom in Indianapolis, Indiana. She's the author of Reason to Return: Why Women Need the Church & the Church Needs Women. Ericka is a columnist at WORLD Magazine and a contributor to Christianity Today. She's been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and more. You can get her sobriety toolkit for Christian women at SobrietyCurious.com
For International Women's Day we go back to 2022 to hear Brenna teach on the taboo interaction that Jesus has with the woman at the well in John Chapter 4. Want to bring Brenna in for a guest teaching spot or conference? You can reach out to here team at www.brennablain.com
What does Jesus have to do with your politics? Well, if you are a follower of Christ....everything! Today we hear from Joshua Ryan Butler about his latest book The Party Crasher and the implications that Jesus has on all of our lives wether you subscribe to politics or not. From liberal leaning Gen Z to Boomer Conservatives to Anabaptist Millennials, there is something in this conversation for everyone.
You can find Josh's book here on Amazon!
Today we hear from Ashley Abercrombie about how christians can engage well with the struggles of having broken bodies.
Today we ask the hard questions about christian content. Why is there so much shallow and theologically anemic content being circulated? How can we grow as listeners and as teachers? How can we balance rich theology with teaching that will be accessible to all learning levels? We hear from Jackie Hill Perry on the subject.
Brenna Blain preaches on John 15:1-6 at Shine Conference in Vancouver Washington. The question we are asking today is "what keeps followers from remaining"? If you have an event or Sunday service you'd like to bring Brenna in for you can reach out at www.Brennablain.com
This episode we ask Aarti about being a christian in the secular world of TV, how food and faith have intersected in her life and what keeps her grounded in the lights of fame.
Today we hear from Dr Preston Sprinkle about empathy surrounding the gender and sexuality conversation, the arguments in his latest book and some hard truth about denying the Biblical commands
Today we hear from Jeremy Jenkins about the main differences between Mormons and Christians, how we can witness well to Mormons and what it looks like to talk with people who have a different faith.
How should christians talk to children and youth about sexuality? It can feel like an overwhelming task but today we hear from Amber Carroll who works to equip christians to have Biblically and well informed conversations surrounding sex and sexuality with kids ages 2-12.
What are Spiritual Rhythms and why do they matter? Is partaking in them simply a suggestion or a Biblical Command? How can we help others without making it a point of legality? Today we hear from Amy Gannet, founder of Tiny Theologians, about the impact that these practices can have in our lives.
What is it like to be a christian who identifies as transgender? As more and more individuals are able to recognize incongruences in their own life with their gender identity, it is important that followers of Christ learn how to care for and engage well with those wrestling. Today we hear from Kat LaPrairie, a trans* christian who is eager to share about her own experience with Jesus and gender.
Do followers of Jesus struggle with anger issues? How can we repair the damage that our anger has done against our kids? How can we come alongside someone else who struggles with anger without getting emotional ourselves? Today Lisa Bevere shares her own story about anger and how God worked through it in her life and what that can look like for us as well.
How can the Church support LGBTQ teens? What if they are non-affirming....is that even possible to support them? If so, how? In this episode Laurie Krieg shares with us how to pursue meaningful relationships with sexual minorities in our places of faith and answers some of your toughest questions on the subject.
Should followers of Christ use the enneagram? Is it harmless or harmful? Does it give us an excuse to continue with bad habits or does it point out ways we need surrender to Christ? Maybe you're just asking WHAT IS the Enneagram anyways?? Today we talk with Christian Dawson, young adults pastor from Bridgetown Church in Portland Oregon. He shares how he has seen the enneagram at work in the lives of young people today.
Why does the evangelical church historically focus so much on the sensual and sexual aspect of modesty? How has this specifically affected women? What about men? What does the Bible say about modesty? Today we talk with Kat Harris, author of Sexless in the City to get her view on modesty and the christian faith.
Should christians still identify with the term "American Evangelicalism"? Or is it too engrossed with Christian Nationalism? Are we letting a younger generation have too much say over what some people have seen to be a "tried and true" movement? Today we talk with Sho Baraka to hear his thoughts on the term, how politics have impacted it and wether or not we should seek to redeem what some are calling a stained identity.
Is doubting a sin? What even does the term "doubt" me in relation to the faith world? Why do churches struggle with welcoming doubt in their spaces? How can we work through doubt with ourselves and others well? This episode we hear from Dominic Done about the complexities found within the topic doubt and how to wrestle well.
How can christians become the non-anxious presence of Christ in this world? Are there spiritual practices that can lead us away from anxiety and fear? Can either of those be helpful ever? We ask Trillia Newbell all these and more on this timely episode of "Can I Say That?".
Today we are talking about online church vs in person community. Are both beneficial? Is there a clear Biblical mandate for followers to gather together in person? Is technology changing the way we do community? What are the downsides to only meeting online? We ask all these questions and more as we talk with Chris Cruz from Bethel Church in Redding, California.
Are Christians called to judge? What about to criticize? Should we enjoy correcting others? Is there a boundary when it comes to those who are not followers of Christ? Join us as Phylicia Masonheimer shares her thoughts on all these questions and more.
What is the Prosperity Gospel? Where did it come from? Does it contain any sort of Biblical truth? Do we really just have to have faith in order to be healed? Hear Zachariah Paulson share his thoughts on all these questions and more.
What is progressive christianity? What are some common held beliefs of those who would consider themselves to be progressive christians? What can conservative christians learn from progressive christians? Today we hear from Aaron Salvato, founder and director of Good Lion Podcast Network, as he shares his perspective on this controversial topic.
Should christians be involved in politics? Should we let our Biblical convictions dictate how we vote? Is one party really more christian than "the other" party? Why do evangelicals like Donald Trump so much? Join us as we talk with Steven Dowling about one of the most polarizing subjects out there.
Pastors fail. They have affairs, they struggle with power, money and honesty. Ultimately they are not immune to sin, so how should the church deal with it? How should the leader in question face their failure? Today we learn from Dr. Gerry Breshears about moral failure, leadership and the difference between redemption and grace.
What is Purity Culture? How did it start? Is it even Biblical? Today we hear from Joshua Harris, writer of the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", to listen to his take on the purity culture movement, how it has developed and how his view has changed since writing his christian best seller.
Is there a Biblical mandate for Christians to pursue social justice surrounding race? Should Christians support the BLM Organization and if not, how can they support black lives? Should churches strive to have diverse leadership? Why or why not? Join us as we talk with Michelle Lang-Raymond about the movement against racism in America and the Church.
Part one of a two part series talking about racism in America and how the church should respond. In part one we listen to POC sharing their moments of experiencing racism in America.
Why does the Bible speak to lament? How should we engage with those who are lamenting in our church communities? What does lament reveal to us about God and His character? This week we sit down with worship leader and artist Logan Myers to talk about the impact lament has had on his faith and the role it played in his forthcoming album, No Where Left to Run.
What is it like to be a woman struggling with porn in the evangelical church today? Have conservative Christians created a harmful stigma for women when choosing to mainly address men when it comes to issues of sexual addition and pornography? How can men and women both get help? How did others help you? How can the church change when it comes to engaging in this subject? Join us as we hear Sarah Moreau talk about her struggle and journey with pornography as an evangelical christian.
Does God call people to be creative? Does art actually matter in life? Can being creative be a spiritual practice? Join us as we talk with John Mark McMillan about growing up, wrestling with what it means to be alive and all our questions about art and creativity.
Charismatics are defined as Christians who share with Pentecostals an emphasis on the gifts of the Spirit but who remain a part of a mainline church. Even so, the charismatic church is still often looked at as being "odd" or "untamed" by many who belong to non-demon/evangelical churches in the west. In this episode we talk with Annalise Southwood about her experience growing up in the charismatic church and ask some of our biggest questions about prophecy, speaking in tongues and the Holy Spirit.
Do the conversations we have about sex during our upbringing play into how we view sex as adults? Is saying that men have a stronger sex drive than women a damaging stereotype? Can and should single people engage with their sexuality? Join us as we talk with Matt and Lauren Bowen about being sexual beings trying to pursue what Christ has for us.
Being single within the christian community can often feel like a negative thing, but is it supposed to? Why does Paul the Apostle consider singleness a gift? How can we balance the tension between being content within singleness while longing for companionship? Join our conversation with Beka Hardt as she shares her insight on singleness and serving God in this current culture.
More and more young people are joining Youth With A Mission every year, but with that trend others are starting to speak about some of their questionable experiences with YWAM. So is YWAM a good organization to do missions with? What is the leadership like? Are the short term missions they engage with ethical? We asked 10 YWAMers to share their experience with us, both good and questionable.
Are men and women really that different? Does the Bible promote certain gender specific stereotypes? Can men wear makeup? Are women more emotional than men? Join us as we ask Austin Blain some of the biggest questions revolving around cis gendered men and women and Biblical commands.
Are eating disorders a choice? Are they a sin? What classifies one and how do I get help if I am struggling? The Christian community needs to engage in more conversation surrounding this mental illness, but how do we go about it? Join Lindsey Koehler as she shares her story with us.
Can women Biblically teach men? Is the term pastor synonymous with the term elder? Why are women's roles in ministry even a topic that needs to be discussed? Join us as Matt Bowen unpacks the Biblical text surrounding gender and office. Egalitarians and Complementarianists welcome.
When the Bible says "Do not be anxious" what does that actually mean? Is suicide selfish? Will God only heal those who have strong faith? Is Bethel crazy? Yeah, we are talking about ALL these questions. Join us as Ali Gadbaugh shares about her walk with mental illness.
Can Christians use explicit language? SHOULD Christians use explicit language? Are we being too legalistic if we say no? Listen in as Lauren Bowen shares her view of how we are called to speak as followers of Christ.
How can the church better love and engage with the LGBTQ community without fundamentally agreeing? Is that even possible to have rich relationships with those you disagree with on such strong issues? Lets talk about it!
Arguably the most misunderstood part of the Trinity, we sit down and ask who exactly is the Holy Spirit and what does He do? Is He chaotic? Boring? Is being baptized in the Spirit even real? Lets talk about it.
Engaging with culture as Christians in a post Christian world - talking about issues we don't often hear brought up at church but see on a daily basis. From mental illness to charismatic gifts to abortion, we plan to talk about it all. Join us in August!