Provoke & Inspire Podcast

Send us a textWhy is it that we can be so casual in dire circumstances; so slow to share our faith, even when the lives of the people around us are being destroyed by lies and hopelessness?In this quick hit episode, Ben shares a personal story of actions taken during an emergency, and contemplating what they reveal about the spiritual reality around us.----------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textShould Christians watch R-rated movies? Does the Bible contain offensive art? Have we applied arbitrary moral standards to art and killed it in the process? What IS the purpose of art?In this episode Ben talks with author and artist, Josh Porter, about his new book,  "With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art."Check out more from Josh Porter here: joshuasporter.comOrder Josh's new book here: With All Its Teeth----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textIn this episode Ben, David, Chad, and a special guest respond to a story of a Minnesota man who dove into an icy river to save the driver of a vehicle that had just gone off of the road.How do we parallel this story with our urgency for the gospel, for those in our lives who are heading toward an eternity without God? Why are we not more vigilant, like the man who went into the river, without hesitation?Join us on Tuesday, January 30th at 12 PM CST for our Provoke & Inspire Community Zoom call! Here's the link, see you there! https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81289458902----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textWe can often get so caught up in doing things for God and wondering what he might want us to be doing, that we miss some very simple, yet critical aspects of walking out our faith. We miss out on what God has for us; following our own dreams instead of following Jesus. In this quick hit episode, Ben dives into how we were designed to make a difference, drawing from the scriptures as well as his own life experience.----------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textIt's the 500th episode of Provoke & Inspire! Whether you've been here from the beginning or this is your first episode, thank you for listening and for your support!For this special episode, Ben, Luke, David, and Chad come together and reflect on all that God has done through the podcast in the last eight years. They remember past guests, from the late Timothy Keller to Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen), and talk through the reason why this podcast began: how do we faithfully follow Jesus in a post-Christian culture?Join us on Tuesday, January 30th at 12 PM CST for our Provoke & Inspire Community Zoom call! Here's the link, see you there! https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81289458902----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceD

Send us a textLate last week, rapper Lil Nas X released his new song "J Christ." The music video features a depiction of Noah's flood and a scene where Lil Nas X is being nailed to a cross.Many Christian influencers have shared their reaction, but do followers of Jesus need to always react to the latest antics of today? What's the line between being informed, or just distracted?----------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textIs there something specific that is actively keeping us, the Church, from sharing the gospel? If so, what is it? How can we overcome this epidemic?In this episode Ben and David are joined by author and speaker Greg Stier, founder of Dare 2 Share, and author of the new book, Unlikely Fighter: The Story of How a Fatherless Street Kid Overcame Violence, Chaos, and Confusion to Become a Radical Christ Follower.Greg shares from the trenches how he has seen thousands of young people trained to effectively share the gospel, and how we can address barriers to doing so for people in the church.----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textSocrates was famously credited with saying, "The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living", and in this quick hit Ben examines our cultures' obsession with busyness as a means of status, albeit a source of extreme anxiety. What does this say about our society, that used to value a person's leisure time as a measure of their value? How do we correctly deal with busyness in our lives as followers of Jesus?----------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textSadly, one of the most ubiquitous things in the evangelical church today seems to be an attitude of irreverence toward  biblical and spiritual things. Jokes about prayer, being saved, and ironically even the Holy Spirit are prevalent virtually everywhere. What role do Christians play in confronting these things inside, and outside of the church? How do we react to irreverence in our own hearts? With the re-release of the Monty Python movie "Life of Brian", the regulars came together to ask, and attempt, to answer the questions above in this week's episode.----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textBritish actor, comedian, and historically outspoken atheist Stephen Fry recently took to the stage for an event called "Letters Live." During this event, Fry gave a dramatic reading of a letter written by Nick Cave about ChatGPT and human creativity.In this episode the regulars weigh in with their opinions on the revolutionary tech that is ChatGPT, and attempt to answer the question of whether or not we are "fighting for the very soul of the world." To watch the specific video referenced in this episode, click HERE!----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textIt's increasingly apparent that while our society often has an openness toward spiritual things, this does not necessarily equal an openness toward the gospel, or any kind of definitive answers in regard to the topic.A prime example of this phenomenon is Stanford professor and neurobiologist Andrew Huberman. Andrew was asked about his faith in God during a recent interview with Lex Friedman, and the regulars discuss his responses in this episode. ----------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textWe live in a time of extraordinary spiritual openness, yet find many people don't want to define who or what God is. What if you could guide someone from ambiguous spirituality to a personal relationship with Jesus? How would you navigate conversations with people who are spiritually open yet skeptical of religion?This is Provoke and Inspire's Quick Hit, where we recap full length conversations surrounding events happening in culture today, all while asking the question, “what would Jesus think, and what would he want me to do about it?”----------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textIs it possible that a lack of gratitude in our lives signifies a dangerous underlying issue in regard to our view of reality, as well as our spiritual health?In light of last weeks' US holiday, Ben explores the application of thanksgiving as is described in Philippians 6, as well as the questions above in this P&I quick hit! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Want to invite Ben to speak? Click HERE!Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textWhen the world attempts to answer the deepest questions of the human experience, what kind of answers does it produce? Are they sufficient? Do they come close to providing solutions?Now more than ever, the world is searching for answers. Actor and musician Nick Cave proves this through his online blog called "The Red Hand Files," where he attempts to answer questions sent by people from all over the world.  Ben, Luke, Chad, and David are together again in this special in-person edition of the podcast recorded live in Minneapolis, MN.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textAre there underlying reasons as to why people are leaving the church today? Especially young people? Ben and David come to you while on tour in Argentina, and discuss some of the spiritual and cultural reasons behind why this worldwide fallout is occurring, and how we can respond and take action as followers of Jesus.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textWhat are the marks of a successful life. True success; a life well lived?Ben gives a tribute to the life of Joanie - his beloved grandmother, and the last of his grandparents departed to be with Jesus.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textRecently, Christians on staff at The United States Pentagon supposedly opposed active exploration into U.F.O.'s and other extraterrestrial phenomenon, with the objection that the 'aliens' which might be discovered are not aliens at all, but demons.Are UFO's, including flying saucers and little green men actually fallen angels? Should we resist exploring these things, or should we follow the truth wherever it leads?The regulars dive into these things and more in this special in-person edition of the podcast recorded live in Minneapolis, MN.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textFamous tattoo influencer, Kat Von D, gave her life to Jesus, but just wait until you hear how Christians responded.This is Provoke and Inspire's Quick Hit, where we recap full length conversations surrounding events happening in culture today, all while asking the question, “what would Jesus think, and what would he want me to do about it?”-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce

Send us a textKat Von D, the famous tattoo influencer and reality TV star, had a surprising encounter with criticism from Christians after posting her baptism online.How can we see people the way that God does? Why are we quick to look at the "speck" in someone's eye, when not acknowledging the "plank" in ours?  Join Ben, Chad, and David as they explore the dangers of judgmentalism, the importance of self-reflection, and the power of Jesus' words from Matthew 7. -------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow the regulars on Instagram!Ben PierceDavid PierceChad JohnsonLuke Greenwood

Send us a textTech-millionaire Bryan Johnson is trying to live forever. Is this a great idea, or the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone? Let's find out!This is Provoke and Inspire's Quick Hit, where we recap full length conversations surrounding events happening in culture today, all while asking the question, “what would Jesus think, and what would he want me to do about it?”-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Questions, comments, or feedback? We'd love to hear what you think! Send them to provokeandinspire@steiger.org, or send us a message on Instagram.Join the Provoke & Inspire Community!Click below to follow Ben on Instagram!Ben Pierce