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Why is it that when someone raises a concern, we so quickly start looking for what's wrong with them? In this solo episode, Asher looks at that very human reflex and what happens when it shows up in church leadership, especially around abuse. He takes the critique of "awareness fatigue" seriously, names the history of cover-up that makes these stories spread, and shares a petition asking the BMA for a third-party investigation into an orphanage under its care. He also announces his workshops on healthy masculinity and shame at the Anabaptist Awareness Symposium on Sexual Abuse, October 15–17 in Millersburg, Ohio. Links to the symposium, the petition, and the article are below: Symposium info & brochure Request for Transparency petition Read the article, "When the Person Who Raises Their Hand Becomes the Problem" The Marketing Machine coaching (founding cohort) LifeX Marketing

My sister Kristi is a registered nurse. Last fall she went to Ukraine with a Christian humanitarian organization to teach Stop the Bleed, a course that trains ordinary people to keep someone alive long enough for help to arrive. In a country where medics and first responders are targets, that training is often the difference. In this conversation she tells me about arriving in a city that had been shelled hours earlier, the host who told them his family prays for their lives every night before bed and then said "I'm not joking," and the first night she spent waiting out a drone in a basement. She also tells me about the high schoolers. Over a hundred of them, ninth through eleventh grade, packing wounds and asking questions about injuries most American adults have never had to picture. And she tells me what the Ukrainians asked her to do when she got home. I think you'll find her answer at the end enlightening. I did. Unfeigned Christianity is the podcast where we seek to become a people who are theologically anchored in Jesus and emotionally healthy, so we can love and disciple others well. Learn more about Team Pulse at https://teampulse.us/signup?ref=asher-witmer. If you would like to grab the two months free, use the promo code Z867DH0O at checkout. Learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at https://www.asherwitmer.com/member. Subscribe to all Unfeigned Christianity free episodes and articles: https://www.asherwitmer.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Kristi's background and mission in Ukraine 07:12 Why Kristi decided to go to Ukraine during the war 16:37 First impressions and the reality of living in a war zone 21:17 Experiences of air raids and drone attacks 26:40 Resilience and hope among Ukrainians 30:55 Teaching stop the bleed to Ukrainian youth 35:19 The message of hope and not being forgotten 38:35 Lessons learned about faith and suffering in war 44:48 Advice for those considering service in crisis zones

AI can write a passable paper in thirty seconds. It can edit your podcast, draft your emails, and brainstorm your strategy. So why do so many of us feel busier and more burned out than ever? In this episode, Asher talks with his coworker Stuart Mullet, a former literature teacher who now works alongside him in marketing, about what it means to build a healthy relationship with AI. They get into writing as an act of discovery, the sociology of why time-saving tools keep speeding up our lives, and the quieter spiritual question underneath it all: we serve a God who didn't remove Paul's thorn, but AI is built to remove every thorn it can find. It's a conversation between two people who use AI every day and are still trying to figure out how to do it well. Honest about the benefits, honest about the costs, and rooted in the conviction that suffering and toil are part of how we're formed, not problems to be optimized away. Check out The Marketing Machine Coaching at https://www.wordsthatturn.com/. Learn more about Team Pulse at https://teampulse.us/signup?ref=asher-witmer. If you would like to grab the two months free, use the promo code Z867DH0O at checkout. Learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at https://www.asherwitmer.com/member. Subscribe to all Unfeigned Christianity free episodes and articles: https://www.asherwitmer.com/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction to AI's Impact on Work and Learning 02:13 Guest Introduction: Stuart Mullet's Background 03:52 Building a Healthy Relationship with AI 12:11 Writing as an Act of Discovery 22:37 The Value of Deep Engagement with Sources 30:46 Time Saving and Social Acceleration 41:15 Ethical Considerations and Supporting Core Values 56:43 AI and Pastoral Care

Joe Kuepfer grew up in Kenya in the nineties watching people he knew die of AIDS and watching people he knew go hungry. He also watched a bicycle taxi driver put a little money into a co-op every week and start to climb. That second memory has shaped his life's work. Joe served eleven and a half years with Open Hands, spent time in Nepal, and has just gone back full-time with Detroit Junk Busters, a business whose profits support a Christian school in the city. In this conversation, he and Asher talk about savings and credit groups, how they differ from microfinance, why relief and development are both necessary and why confusing the two does real harm, and what it looks like for a business to be genuinely missional rather than just profitable with a Bible verse on the wall. Asher brings his own wrestling to the table: the mentoring relationships that went sideways, the handyman work in LA that was inefficient on purpose, and the idea he's been chewing on for a couple of years now, that money might be fuel for shalom. Learn more about Team Pulse at https://teampulse.us/signup?ref=asher-witmer. If you would like to grab the two months free, use the promo code Z867DH0O at checkout. Learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at asherwitmer.com/member.Chapters 02:43 Understanding Poverty and Sustainable Living 05:43 The Role of Savings Groups in Alleviating Poverty 08:47 Microfinance vs. Savings Groups 11:40 The Holistic Approach to Helping the Poor 14:51 The Importance of Context in Helping the Poor 17:36 Theological Motivations for Helping the Poor 20:32 Using Money as a Tool for Shalom 23:15 Discipleship and Community in Savings Groups 29:43 Understanding Poverty and Addiction in the U.S. 31:23 Business as Mission: A New Perspective 36:30 The Role of Business in Community Development 44:57 Lessons from Savings Groups and Community Support 49:29 Getting Involved: Practical Steps for Mission-Driven Work

Bob Kulp hid pornography, and eventually paid sex, through most of three decades of marriage. He thought marriage would fix his lust. He thought confessing would heal it. Both were wrong. In this honest conversation, Bob walks us through the long road toward wholeness: white-knuckling that never held, the night his wife Laura put divorce on the table, the counselor who made him feel her pain, and the shift from being "free from" sin to being "free for" the people he loves. Forgiveness came quickly. Trust took years. Bob and Laura now serve couples together through Delight Your Marriage. The next Live Free Mentorship cohort is now open, but closes tonight! Details and the link here. You can learn more about Bob's work at Delight Your Marriage here.

I'd written a whole book about overcoming pornography before I ever sat across from a counselor and got asked the one question that changed everything: what is that part of you actually trying to do for you? My guest is Rick Manabat, a licensed therapist and the founder of Pneuma Counseling, who has walked with me personally for nearly two years now. In this conversation we get into Internal Family Systems, often called parts work. Rick explains the wounded parts we exile, the managers and firefighters that scramble to protect them, and the self that God uses to bring healing. We talk about why sexual addiction is usually a story being acted out, why curiosity does what condemnation can't, and how all of this holds together with a faith that takes sin seriously. If you've been white-knuckling your way through the same struggle for years, this one's for you. The next Live Free Mentorship cohort is now open. Details and the link here. Rick's practice: Pneuma Counseling

A small comment from my wife about picking peaches set off a soundtrack I'd carried for years. In this episode I show you exactly how I worked through it, why our old wounds resurface in new seasons, and what it looks like to take our whole selves to Jesus instead of managing the shame or numbing it. We talk about why real freedom isn't about never being tempted again, but about knowing where to go when the temptation shows up. This is the third part of the Free for Real series, and the next mentorship cohort is now open. Details and the link here. To catch up, watch— Episode 1: https://youtu.be/SV1ahPyal6g?si=oJ87bDQ3JqCK-uqa Episode 2: https://youtu.be/agmj6Z7NXlM?si=iis3btijNol30LKu Chapters 00:00 Navigating Emotional Soundtracks 05:53 Understanding Freedom from Temptation 09:06 The Impact of Wounding Experiences 15:50 Processing Triggers in Real Time 22:40 Reframing Self-Worth and Value 27:37 The Importance of Emotional Health

Confession is where healing starts — but it's not where it ends. In this episode, I dig into why so many men experience a cycle of confession, temporary freedom, and failure, and what's actually going on underneath the surface. Drawing on the Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework, I walk through the emotional architecture behind unwanted sexual behavior — the exile (childhood wound and shame), the manager (how we cope), and the firefighter (the addictive behavior itself) — and explain why no amount of accountability or prayer can substitute for genuine emotional healing and story work. This is part 2 of the Free for Real series. If you've ever wondered why you keep stumbling despite doing all the right things, this episode is for you. Unfeigned Christianity exists to help people become theologically anchored in Jesus, emotionally healthy, and able to love and disciple others well.  Purchase a copy of Live Free here.  Join the Formation Circle here.  Get your first month FREE with Accountable2You here. Chapters 00:00 The Illusion of Freedom from Pornography 02:34 The Cycle of Confession and Temptation 05:09 Pursuing Emotional Health and Wholeness 07:20 Understanding Triggers and Emotional Environments 10:33 The Impact of Past Experiences on Present Behavior 12:59 The Role of Shame and Identity in Healing 18:15 The Journey of Healing and Freedom 20:55 The Importance of Story Work in Emotional Healing 23:11 Navigating Emotional Triggers and Responses 25:44 The Framework of Internal Family Systems 28:06 Managing Shame and the Search for Purpose 30:53 The Cycle of Addiction and Emotional Management 33:30 Curiosity Over Condemnation in Healing 35:47 The Path to Understanding and Healing

Have you ever found lasting freedom from pornography — only to find it creeping back years later? You're not alone, and it doesn't mean you've failed. In this first episode of the Free for Real series, I open up about his own experience returning to temptation after more than a decade of genuine freedom — and what my therapist said that changed my perspective: porn is like an old friend. This episode digs beneath behavioral strategies and accountability software to ask a harder question: what emotional need is this filling? If pornography keeps coming back no matter how hard you fight, something deeper is going on — and that something is worth getting curious about. You'll learn: Why confession alone doesn't equal freedom The HALT framework for understanding your triggers Why sexual temptation is often really a longing for connection What it means to pursue wholeness, not just behavior change This is the beginning of a journey toward freedom that is lasting, honest, and rooted in emotional and spiritual health. If you've been carrying this alone, this episode is for you. Part 1 of the Free for Real series. Next episode: What does emotional health actually look like?  Join the Formation Circle here.  Get your first month FREE with Accountable2You here. Chapters 00:00 Understanding the Old Friend: Pornography 02:39 The Journey of Recovery and Accountability 08:36 The Deeper Issues Behind Pornography Use 16:27 The Cycle of Temptation and Emotional Health 25:21 Pursuing Connection and Wholeness 33:23 Building Guardrails and Community Support

(Paid review — full disclosure.) Have you ever wanted to connect more deeply with the people around you but didn't know how to get the conversation there? I review Pathos, the emotional card game, in this episode — walking through how it works, what makes it different from other conversation games, how my family actually played it (which was not exactly by the book), and one specific moment where a card gave me a window into my wife I wouldn't have found otherwise. I also share some honest questions I still have about the game — because a good review means naming the uncertainties too. Buy Pathos directly from their website ($24). Learn about the Unfeigned Christianity Patreon Formation Circle. Chapters 00:00 The Desire for Connection 00:54 Introducing Pathos: The Emotional Card Game 02:51 Gameplay and Family Experience 09:51 Deepening Conversations Through Gameplay 15:19 Exploring Emotions and Insights 19:17 The Interconnection of Emotional and Spiritual Health

I had the honor of interviewing my boss, Cliff Stoltzfoos, on what it looks like to do business while living like Jesus and what leaders actually owe the people they're responsible for. We get into: Why having authority over someone calls you to greater transparency, not less What it means to take seriously that your team members are giving you enormous amounts of themselves — their brain, their time, their energy — and what you owe them in return The company mission that changed everything: multiplying wholeness in the lives of our team, clients, and community, by living like Jesus Team Pulse, a tool Lifex built to help leaders stay genuinely connected to their people — built around Patrick Lencioni's line: people should find healing at work, not need healing from work And the leadership character trait Cliff is still developing: asking for direct feedback, and holding it without getting defensive If you lead people in any capacity — a business, a church, a nonprofit, a school — this conversation is for you. Learn more about Team Pulse at teampulse.us. If you would like to grab the two months free, use the promo code Z867DH0O at checkout. Learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at asherwitmer.com/member. Chapters: 00:00 Welcome 07:05 Cliff's Background and Early Influences 17:21 Transitioning into Business and Marketing 28:19 Living Like Jesus in Business 38:06 Stewardship and Leadership Lessons 43:59 Team Dynamics and Growth 48:57 Leadership Responsibilities and Team Care 56:32 Introducing Team Pulse 01:07:40 Creating Healing Workspaces 01:16:05 Final Thoughts on Leadership and Feedback

Keith Smith grew up on Montford Street in Pacoima — in the San Fernando Valley — during one of the most culturally distinct decades in American history. His grandfather was a Tuskegee Airman who helped build what became the first African-American suburb in the United States. His grandmother was a Southern hospitality-giver who always cooked enough for company. His neighborhood was multigenerational, tight-knit, and quietly remarkable. His mom taught Michael Jackson the robot. And then, when Keith was 12 years old, a murder on his street divided his childhood into before and after. The Magic of Montford Street: A Love Letter to the Valley in the '80s is Keith's memoir — his origin story, told before he writes the theological books that are coming next. It's a book about a community that formed him, a magic that was stolen, and what it means to grieve something good. In this conversation, Asher and Keith talk about: What made Pacoima one of the most unique Black communities in America — and how it got that way The '80s as a bridge generation: still outside until the streetlights came on, but also Atari 2600 How the Cosby Show gave Keith the first screen representation of the life he actually lived The crack epidemic and the War on Drugs — what it looked like from a kid's perspective on the street The LAPD battering ram, two blocks from his house, deployed against the wrong family How Rodney King was beaten just down the road in Pacoima — and why it wasn't surprising to the people who lived there What his grandmother's storytelling and hospitality built in him that he still carries as a pastor Why he believes you have to start with your origin story before you can say anything else This is a rich, warm, personal conversation about memory, community, loss — and the people who form us. Read the full blog post and show notes here and learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at asherwitmer.com/member. Find Keith's book, writings, and soundtracks at www.keithnsmith.com. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Keith Smith and His Journey 05:05 From California to Ohio 08:16 The Impact of Community and Neighborhood 11:14 Processing Trauma and Change 13:59 Nostalgia for the 80s: A Unique Era 16:41 The Day the Magic Ended 19:52 Celebrity Culture in the Valley 22:39 The Influence of Family and Community 25:40 Reflections on Race and Neighborhood Dynamics 35:27 The Legacy of Redlining and Community Building 38:09 Pacoima: The First African-American Suburb 41:02 The Impact of the Drug Epidemic 48:40 Community Responses to Change 55:35 The Evolution of Pacoima Today

Karen Swallow Prior spent 21 years teaching English at Liberty University. She has a PhD in English literature, has taught at a Southern Baptist seminary, and has written extensively about evangelicalism — as an insider who both loves the movement and refuses to look away from its problems. Her book The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Create a Culture in Crisis asks a question that should unsettle all of us: how much of what we've been taught is "biblical Christianity" is actually just Victorian-era cultural assumptions with a Bible verse attached? In this conversation, Asher and Karen talk about: What a "social imaginary" is — and why every community has one, whether they know it or not How the evangelical emphasis on conversion as a dramatic, singular event produced a generation of people who checked a box and never grew Why sentimentality — emotion elevated beyond the reality behind it — leaves us spiritually immature and ill-equipped to walk with people in real suffering Where our theology of gender roles actually came from (hint: the Industrial Revolution, not Genesis) How Victorian self-improvement culture quietly replaced sanctification in the evangelical imagination Whether authors and speakers are just monetizing people's desire to improve themselves — and what the honest answer to that looks like Why reading great literature actually makes us better at loving our neighbors And why Karen — despite everything she's seen and named — is still evangelical This is a thoughtful, generous, and genuinely challenging conversation. Karen doesn't throw the tradition out. She loves it enough to examine it. And that's the kind of faith worth having. Read the full blog post and show notes here and learn more about the Unfeigned Christianity Membership program at asherwitmer.com/member. Find Karen's book, writing, and Substack at karenswallowprior.com. Chapters 02:08 Understanding the Evangelical Imagination 04:06 The Crisis of Evangelicalism 07:12 Understanding Conversion and Discipleship 09:51 Cultural Influences on Evangelicalism 12:42 The Role of Victorian Sensibilities 15:15 Unpacking Metaphors and Imaginaries 18:14 The Impact of Conversion Stories 21:01 Disentangling Culture from Faith 32:00 The Dangers of Emotionalism in Faith 34:32 Self-Improvement vs. Sanctification 38:56 Navigating the Industrialization of Self-Improvement 41:02 The Power of Literature in Empathy 46:00 Staying True to Evangelical Roots

By now you've likely heard about what's been coming out around Bethel Church in Redding, California — Sean Bowles, the cover-up, the repentance service, Bill Johnson's public comments. Mike Winger and others have done significant work exposing the timeline and the failure of leadership. I'm not here to re-litigate all of that. I'm here to talk about the one thing I haven't heard anyone name — and the thing that stood out most when I watched Bill Johnson's portion of the repentance service. Bill Johnson is a people pleaser. And people pleasing is not a neutral personality trait. It is an emotionally unhealthy state. And when you pair it with the kind of authority Bill Johnson holds — and the theological frameworks around apostleship and honor that discourage confrontation — it becomes genuinely dangerous. In this solo episode, I walk through Bill Johnson's comments carefully and try to name what's being revealed. Not as a takedown. Not as a theological victory lap. But as a mirror — because the same emotional unhealth that let a leader like Bill Johnson look the other way while a predator operated under his platform is the same unhealth that shows up, quieter and less publicized, in every church community and every one of us. The episode also covers: Why "I didn't want to believe it" is a warning sign, not an excuse The crucial difference between mercy and people pleasing What Biblical confession and repentance actually require How the NAR theology of apostleship and honor creates conditions for cover-up What sweeping, non-specific apologies do and don't accomplish And the honest question Asher sits with at the end: what do I do when someone points something out to me? This episode will challenge you. But it's not meant to give you something to say about Bill Johnson. It's meant to give you something to do about yourself. Chapters 02:30 — What this episode is and isn't 06:00 — Background on the Bethel/Shawn Bolz situation 12:00 — Who else has covered this well (Mike Winger, Ruslan KD, Remnant Radio, etc.) 18:00 — Walking through Bill Johnson's comments from the repentance service 26:00 — "He didn't want to believe it" — why that's telling 33:00 — This isn't about gifting. Something else is going on. 38:00 — People pleasing vs. genuine care for wholeness 44:00 — What mercy actually requires (and what Jesus actually did) 50:00 — The theology of apostleship and honor in NAR 56:00 — Sweeping apologies and what they reveal 1:02:00 — The question we all need to sit with

Brian Dye grew up in one of Chicago's more impoverished neighborhoods — Puerto Rican and African-American community, a mentally ill mom, an alcoholic dad, and a grandmother who was the spiritual anchor of the whole family. What changed the trajectory of his life wasn't a conference, a program, or a church event. It was a carpenter named Paul Terry who wasn't paid to do ministry — but who kept showing up on Saturdays to paint houses, move furniture, and bring a kid named Brian along for the ride. That's the heartbeat of everything Brian has built since. Brian is the founder of Legacy Disciple, a Chicago-based discipleship ministry that runs annual conferences in 5 cities, reaches 400 kids a year in Chicago's neighborhoods, and is launching Legacy University — accessible online Bible courses for everyday disciples and small groups. In this episode, I get to talk with Brian about: Why Jesus called us to make disciples, not find them — and why that distinction matters more than we think The Hebrew educational context that helps explain why Jesus chose fishermen and tax collectors nobody else wanted The orphanage vs. family model of church — and why one keeps people dependent while the other releases them His practical 3-year discipleship framework: formal Bible study + informal life-sharing with 3-4 people at a time Why discipleship doesn't mean adding things to your schedule — it means inviting people into your schedule His 20-year relationship with Preston Perry and what the early, unglamorous years of that looked like What he's building with Legacy Disciple now and where the conferences are going in 2025 If you've been in ministry long enough to feel the gap between what discipleship sounds like in sermons and what it actually looks like on a Tuesday morning — this conversation will give you something real to hold onto. Read the full blog post and show notes here Learn more about Legacy Disciple at legacydisciple.org. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Discipleship and Legacy Disciple 02:41 The Call to Make Disciples 04:34 Brian Dye's Background and Cultural Context 07:36 The Role of Mentorship in Discipleship 10:26 The Importance of Community in Faith 16:31 The Impact of Personal Relationships in Faith 19:22 Jesus' Model of Discipleship 25:21 The Challenge of Long-term Discipleship 31:20 The Need for Depth Over Numbers 40:59 The Importance of Proximity in Discipleship 43:52 Incorporating Life Rhythms into Discipleship 47:35 Vulnerability in the Discipleship Process 53:39 Legacy Conferences and Community Engagement