Outside the Walls

Sheila Gregoire is a committed Christian and researcher who has interviewed more than 30,000 women and men on the topics of sex and marriage. Through her extensive research she has uncovered a number of harmful myths that many Christians believe on these subjects. Some topics Sheila covers in this conversation with Kris & Chris include: What is Purity Culture? How Single People Have Been Impacted by Bad Christian Teaching Five Keys to a Healthy Sex Life How to Talk to Kids About Sex (Not Just Abstinence) Chastity vs. Virginity Roots of Porn Use

Scholar Dan Morrison is now a chaplain in the United States navy stationed in Okinawa Japan. His area of expertise is the book of Revelation. In this second conversation Kris, Chris, and Dan cover the following topics: • Jesus comes back at the end of Revelation – does that mean the whole book is about the future? • Where is the Harlot Babylon at work today? • What/Who is the Antichrist? • What/Who are the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11?

What is the Mark of the Beast? What does 666 stand for? Does the book of Revelation predict future technologies and wars? In this episode, scholar Dan Morrison joins Kris & Chris to talk about some of the scariest and most famous symbols in the book of Revelation, as well as to explain the context and purpose of the book of Revelation.

Part 2 of Daniel Bannoura’s conversation with Kris & Chris. Many evangelical Christians in Manitoba have stereotypes about the Palestinian people from what they hear on the news but have never had the opportunity to actually meet a Palestinian. In this episode, Daniel continues his conversation with Kris and Chris to share a little bit about life and the world from the perspective of a Palestinian. The goal of this conversation is not to change anybody’s mind about Middle East politics, but rather to open our minds to the diversity and humanity of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

Too many evangelical Christians have terrible subconscious stereotypes about the Palestinian people, often assuming them to be a mostly violent, angry, terrorist-supporting people. Not only are these stereotypes untrue, they dehumanize Palestinians, and lead to deeply un-Christlike attitudes. Generally, one of the best ways to overcome biases and stereotypes is through relationship: meet someone from a different group than you and get to know them. Unfortunately, few evangelical Christians in our area of Manitoba have opportunity to meet and build relationship with Palestinians. The next best thing, then, is just to listen: listen to someone from a group of people you’ve never been exposed to before. In this podcast episode, Daniel Bannoura – a Palestinian and a Christian – joins Kris and Chris to share a little bit about life and the world from the perspective of a Palestinian.

Scholar Gary Burge joins Kris and Chris in this episode of Outside the Walls to talk about how the land of Israel, God’s promises to the Jewish people, and the Palestinians all fit together. Is conflict in the Middle East a sign of the End Times? This conversation is about thinking more wisely and biblically about current events and the land of Israel.

What’s it like growing up with same-sex attraction in a missionary family in Indonesia? Should we even use the label “same-sex attraction?” In this episode of the Outside the Walls podcast, Kris and Chris talk to author Greg Coles about common myths many Christians have about sexuality, and about Greg’s passion to see singleness legitimized among Christians as an equally valuable choice to marriage.

What lessons are we supposed to learn from the story where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac? Is blind obedience something God wants from his followers? In this episode of the Outside the Walls podcast, Kris and Chris talk to scholar Richard Middleton who brings to life the context of the Abraham and Isaac story, along with fascinating details Christians commonly miss, to paint a beautiful picture of what God is trying to teach us in this story.

What do Faith, Science and Presuppositions all have to do with each other? Patrick Franklin is someone who is invested in answering this question and providing pastoral wisdom to those who have wrestled with the Creation Debate.

How has the Purity Culture affected the way we view each other as Siblings in Christ? Aimee Byrd has written and talked extensively on this question and has a unique insight into what a healthy siblingship might look like in the church! You can find her writing on www.aimeebyrd.com and follow her on Twitter @aimeebyrdhwt and Instagram @aimeebyrdlife

How can we figure out what the Essentials and Non-essentials of our Christian Faith are? How can we be united in the faith even though we sometimes have such strong differences of opinion, different interpretations and convictions? As a local pastor in Steinbach, Shannon is passionate about how we answer these questions and she is someone who is invested in living out what true unity looks like, both at a personal level and at a church community level.

Have you ever wrestled with the theology of Hell and Final Punishment? Donovan is the Pastor of Anchor Point Church in Winnipeg and he has wrestled with this very question, and he tells us about that journey and where it has taken him so far.

What does a holistic "Pro-life" response to MAID look like? As the Executive Director of Life Culture Canada, Susan Penner is dedicated to educating and equiping Christians and the broader public on the value of life, as well as providing practical support for women who are in difficult situations. Susan has much to say about what a holistic "Pro-Life" response to MAiD might look like.

What does a Healthy Workplace Culture look like? Is there a secret to its success? Jody has a lifetime of experience as a consultant and her insight and answers to these questions are insightful, encouraging and extremely practical.

Dr. Scot McKnight recently wrote his newest book 'Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple.' In this episode, we have a conversation with Dr. McKnight about the book of Revelation, and the many ways modern Christians have complicated and misunderstood its message. Find out how the book of Revelation is actually a very hopeful book, that is also very practical to our every-day lives. https://www.amazon.ca/Revelation-Rest-Us-Prophetic-Dissident/dp/0310135788

What’s it like raising children with disabilities? In this episode, we have a fun conversation with Pauline Loewen about her story of parenting 2 children with profound hearing loss (one of which is Chris Loewen himself!), the pain and joy of journeying with them, advocating for them, and having her dreams come true after they first seemed to be dashed.

In the following episode, we chat with a good friend of ours, who is a Muslim. We ask questions about his life in Iran, his family, and how he ended up in Canada. We ask him questions about his Islamic faith and how he reads the Koran.

We have a fascinating conversation with Greg Boyd about how he came to faith in Christ, then walked away, only to find himself back again, and how the messiness of the Bible played a major role in that journey. Greg shows us how he wrestles with the many problems people have had with the Bible. More information on Greg and his various publications can be accessed at www.reknew.org

In this episode, we have a conversation with Dr. Sy Garte about his journey as a scientist from atheism to faith in Jesus. We also have a fascinating discussion about questions relating to the tension that often exists between Faith and Science. More information on Sy Garte and his various publications can be found at https://sygarte.com

Kris sits down with a local politician, Kelvin Goertzen, and has a stimulating conversation about Kelvin's journey into politics, and what role his faith plays in politics.

In our first ever episode, we talk to Dr. Arley Loewen about how he and his wife Janice got into Muslim ministries in Pakistan and Afghanistan and what it looks like today. Then we talk about different attitudes towards Muslims and how we as Christians should respond.

In this Pilot Episode, Kris Duerksen and Chris Loewen introduce the launch of the Outside the Walls Podcast in which they discuss the history, vision and purpose of the Podcast.