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What is evangelicalism, and is it worth defending? In her latest book, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers, Christianity Today's deputy editor, Bonnie Kristian, argues that evangelicalism is neither as monolithic nor as malign as some of its critics portray it. She joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss common criticisms of evangelicalism and to consider where those criticisms are warranted, where they go too far, and why evangelicalism remains worthy of both reform and defense.

How are we to live well in a fragmented and confusing world? Facing an overwhelming number of options, how can young adults in particular overcome anxiety and fear of failing to make the “one right choice” when it comes to things like education, marriage, and vocation? In his latest book, To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times, Dr. Alan Noble introduces readers to the cardinal and theological virtues and explains how they can help us navigate the many pressures, decisions, and competing visions of the good life that confront us. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss how cultivating and practicing classical virtues such as prudence, justice, fortitude, faith, and love can form and guide believers to live wisely, confidently, and fruitfully in the present day.

What does it mean to be a responsible interpreter of Scripture, and how are we to become such interpreters? These are among the questions that Cairn University's own Dr. Gary Edward Schnittjer seeks to answer in his latest book, Connected. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to explain why it's important to understand how the grand narrative of redemption relates to three substories, and how Jesus is the "grand connector" of all of them. He contends that our aim should not be to make connections between Scriptures but to recognize the connections that already exist. They also talk about the necessity of realizing how the message of Scripture connects to the lives of God's people and how its centrality is intended to shape our lives.

What if the eleven books of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Writings sat around a table and talked with one another? That's the premise of Voices of the Sages: Old Testament Wisdom in Dialogue by Old Testament scholar and Cairn University professor emeritus Dr. Brian Toews. He describes the Writings as “a conversation-creating collection” whose arrangement prompts readers to see meaningful connections between them. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss how these books speak to one another, their common theological themes, and how they contribute to the unified story of Scripture that culminates in Christ. Voices of the Sages helps readers see how the Bible fits together and exemplifies what we mean by promoting biblical integrity.

In a recent issue of Cairn University’s magazine, Cairn professor and dean of the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Dr. Victoria (Tori) Aquilone, reviewed the book The Two-Parent Privilege by economist Melissa S. Kearney. She writes, “While [the author] does not exactly approach the cultural dynamics of family formation from a biblical worldview, her book investigates the proliferation of non-marital parenting arrangements as well as highlights the range of negative impacts of the decline of marriage in the West, especially the impact on children.” In this episode, Dr. Aquilone joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss how Kearney’s research both confirms God’s design for the order of marriage and childbearing and raises important issues worthy of Christians’ consideration.

Because all of Scripture is divinely inspired, all of it holds promise for the edification of God's people. But it’s not always clear how that’s so. What are we to gain, aside from historical knowledge from genealogies, for example? That's just one kind of biblical text that challenge Bible teachers. Pastor and Cairn University Professor Dr. Bryan Murawski, wrote his book Preaching and Teaching Difficult Texts of the New Testament, a follow-up to his _Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testamen_t, to help those who teach the Scriptures know how to more effectively and accurately teach passages that are hard for a variety of reasons. He joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about some of the ideas he shares in these books. Whether you’re a pastor, Bible study leader, parent, or someone who simply wants to get the most out of your Bible reading, there’s something for you here. Let’s join their conversation now.

Neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath recently testified before a US Senate hearing on the impact of technology on American youth where he claimed, “Evidence indicates that indiscriminate digital expansion has weakened learning environments rather than strengthened them.” This negative impact and what to do about it is the subject of his latest book The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning—And How to Help Them Thrive Again. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer for an informative exchange we trust will benefit and challenge parents, teachers, and educational administrators alike.

In this episode, recorded at The Gospel Coalition’s 2025 national conference, Keith Plummer talks with Cairn alum John Biegel, lead pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, VA, and TGC council member Bill Kynes, who for 36 years, preceded John in that role, about what it means to be a pastor-theologian. Next, Keith talks with author and lead mentor and trainer at Australia’s EvQ School of Evangelism, Sam Chan, about how to have natural gospel conversations and tips for addressing skeptics’ hard questions about the faith.

In their book Are We All Cyborgs Now? Reclaiming Our Humanity from the Machine, Robin Phillips and Joshua Pauling examine how our ongoing interaction with especially digital technologies could be altering our conceptions and expectations about how life should be. “Under the subtle catechesis of our machines,” they ask, “do we come to see our humanity—the flesh and blood bodies that God has given us—as problems to be overcome? Do we begin to perceive the human body as merely a machine or mechanism that doesn’t always work very well?” In this episode Joshua Pauling talks with Keith Plummer about how the Christian doctrines of creation, the mystery of the Incarnation, the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come can and should stabilize us in the dizzying, high velocity world of technological change.

In this bonus episode of Defragmenting, recorded at the Gospel Coalition's 2025 National Conference, Dr. Keith Plummer talks with New Testament scholar Dr. Matt Harmon and Cairn's own Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Dr. Gary Schnittjer, about their book How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible: Seven Hermeneutical Choices for the Old and New Testaments. They explain how the Old Testament use of Scripture is integral to understanding the New Testament author's use of Scripture. Later in the episode, we'll also hear from Dr. Michael Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer, Lincoln Square, about what it means to faithfully contextualize the gospel and why it's so important. He also gives us a preview of a book that arose from conversations between him and his dad, Pastor Tim Keller, before his death, as well as unpublished writings by Tim following his going to be with the Lord. At the time of recording, the title was Unsettled. We know now it's The Stories We Live By: How Jesus Critiques and Completes What Our Culture Tells Us.

Matt Smethurst says the aim of his book, Tim Keller on the Christian Life is to synthesize and distill Tim Keller’s best teaching on the Christian life. We believe he succeeded at that task, and we’re not alone. World magazine selected it as its 2025 Book of the Year, stating, “This well-written book will convict but also encourage Christians who read it, helping them as they pray, pursue friendships, go to work, consider how to help their poor neighbors, and endure suffering themselves.” Pastor Smethurst joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about why he wanted to write the book and some of the recurring themes of Tim Keller’s thinking, writing, and preaching about following Jesus.

Might a popular understanding of Paul’s words in Romans 7:14-25 contribute to a learned helplessness with respect to sin in the lives of many Christians? New Testament scholar Dr. Joseph Dodson believes the answer is yes and explains why in his book Conquerors Not Captives: Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss his take on this much-contested passage.

The adverse effects of a screen-immersed life on children and teens becomes harder to ignore on what seems to be a daily basis. What are parents to do? In her book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide for Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, Clare Morell offers well-researched and hope-giving answers. She joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about the dangers screen immersion, the inadequacy of screen limiting and parental control software, how to prepare for a family digital detox, and how and why to fill the time previously consumed by fixation on devices. This informative and encouraging exchange is not foremost about saying no to digital tech but rather, about acknowledging and embracing what God has made us for.

As the hymn writer noted, our hearts have a proneness to wander from the Lord we love. On account of this inclination, God, through the writer of the book of Hebrews, calls us to “pay much closer attention to [the gospel] lest we drift away from it.” In his book Lest We Drift, Jared C. Wilson explains the subtle yet powerful ways that even those who claim to be “gospel-centered” can stray from the purity of the gospel of grace and the counterfeits we drift toward in its place. He joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about this and more.

One doesn't have to look too hard or too far to recognize the church's shortcomings. But according to Brad Edwards, author of The Reason for Church, these obvious flaws aren't the main reason people dismiss the idea that church helps humans flourish. Edwards argues that both Christians and non-Christians have absorbed two powerful assumptions: anti-institutionalism and radical individualism. These beliefs make many view the church with cynicism and suspicion, preventing people from recognizing how its work and witness can help address our deepest needs. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss these cultural assumptions and how even committed Christians can mistake these ideas for genuine biblical faith.