Winsome Conviction

"Praxis" is when you put theory into practice, and this is something we try to do at The Winsome Conviction Project. On today’s episode, Tim and Rick talk about a recent praxis experience involving two religious universities. This spring, Biola University hosted faculty and students from Brigham Young University for a series of constructive dialogues on points of agreement and disagreement between Christianity and Mormonism. Tim and Rick discuss three ways the dialogues were impactful, and th...

Friend and New Testament scholar Doug Huffman (Ph.D.) joins today’s episode to speak with Tim and Rick about his work as a consultant on a wildly popular television series, The Chosen. They discuss the fictive portions of the series and consider these in light of the historical gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry. They reflect on questions including, What does the television series portray really well? Why does The Chosen stir up agitation and anger among some Christians? Do controver...

Is social media the new public square? If it is, when so much anger exists online and social media incentives bad behavior, is it possible to have civil discourse? And what does Christian witness look like when buttons get pushed and the discussion becomes divisive? Today’s guest knows a thing or two about these questions. Dr. Sean McDowell (Ph.D.) joins today’s podcast to speak with Tim and Rick about having public discourse online. Sean talks about his vision for his YouTube channel and how...

Mean-spiritedness and vitriol are contributing to the breakdown in our contemporary discourse, and tactics expressive of affective polarization, where disagreements on policies devolve into bitterness and hatred toward people with whom we disagree, are all too tempting for Christians. And yet, aren’t Christians called to a different way, a different manner of public engagement? On today’s episode, Steve Porter (Ph.D.) speaks with Rick on the role of spiritual formation for shaping how we work...

In the biblical wisdom literature, Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This is sound wisdom, but this bit of advice can often seem irrelevant in matters of church quarreling and cultural rage. And yet, formation in civility, both for the health of the Church and for broader cultural engagement, is crucial. On today’s podcast, Rick and Tim speak with Rev. Dr. Todd Pickett (Ph.D.) on the role of spiritual formation in matters of civility ...

The biblical call to “love your neighbor” is one of Christianity’s most profound and challenging practices, especially in today’s argument culture. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with professors Katherine Douglass (Ph.D.) and Brittany Tausen (Ph.D.) on their forthcoming book, Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community (released on January 15, 2026), in which they wed insights from social psychology and practical theology to empower loving one’s neighbor. Draw...

How do we transcend the culture war and transform the world with the good news of Jesus Christ? J.D. Greear, pastor of Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and author of recently released, Everyday Revolutionary, is on today’s episode to speak with Tim about this question. They draw from the biblical example of Daniel as a model for how we might think about Christian influence in our current cultural moment. J.D. spends time unpacking a call to “live quietly but testify loudly” and what ...

Are there some topics and issues where we just can’t have a winsome conversation? For many listeners, abortion is likely high on the list. It often seems impossible to find common ground between being pro-choice and being pro-life. Today on the podcast, Tim is joined by Dr. Julia Hejduk (Ph.D.), a professor of Classics at Baylor University. Julia speaks with Tim about the work she has been doing and the friendships that have come about as she seeks to be a bridge-builder on this contentious, ...

Simon Greer, a Jewish leader, social entrepreneur, and founder of Bridging the Gap, and Saad Soliman, a Muslim entrepreneur and justice reform advocate, could be enemies. A generation ago, members of their families were trying to kill each other in the Six-Day war. Simon’s uncles fought for Israel in 1967, while Saad’s uncles died fighting for Egypt in that same war. And yet, after meeting at a justice event for formerly incarcerated individuals, Simon and Saad made a choice to work together ...

Dr. Ed Uszynski (Ph.D.) is back on the podcast to speak with Tim about a provocative cultural moment: when Max Lucado issued an apology to a multi-ethnic church in San Antonio, TX, following the death of George Floyd. The incident received mixed responses, positively received as being an act of racial reconciliation to being negatively critiqued as an act of bowing to the woke mob. So, Tim and Ed practice perspective-taking in order to understand these differing responses, and they explore so...

On today’s episode, we’re practicing perspective-taking on the topic of Critical Race Theory (CRT), and we’re getting some help from Dr. Ed Uszynski (Ph.D.). Ed’s book, Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need To Know And Why It Matters, is an excellent resource on this subject, and it helps the church to frame conversations on race relations and critical race theory. Tim and Ed discuss key terms that are often misunderstood: critical theory, critical race theory, and white privi...

Tim Milosch (Ph.D.) joins today’s episode for another edition of Report From The Front, conversations with people who are doing it right, to speak with Tim and Rick about his work with Braver Angels, a non-profit dedicated to political depolarization. They discuss the function and benefits of parliamentary procedure - What is it? How to practice it? They discuss how roles like “the chair” and having established boundaries help to diffuse the heat when a disagreement gets combative, and they c...

Undergraduate students have a thirst for interfaith conversations. So this past spring professors and students from Brigham Young University traveled to Southern California to engage in meaningful conversations and build relationships with professors and students from Biola University. On today’s episode, Tim speaks with Andy Reid, associate professor of religious understanding and church history at BYU, and Greg Johnson, a pastor and the founder of Standing Together ministries, a bridge-buil...