Two years ago, I started an irregular series recommending podcasts I listen to. That series has appeared four times, and I’ve recommended a total of 18 podcasts. (I’ve included a complete list, along with links to those columns, below.)
Today, I extend that series by recommending a few more podcasts to you I have found nourishing. I want to note that podcasts, like all media, must be consumed wisely. I don’t agree with everyone I am about to recommend or have recommended over the past two years. But just as the Sons of Issachar “understood the times and knew what Israel should do,” so should Christians today understand the times in which they live. Having a diverse media diet, which you consume with discretion, can help you behave wisely and fruitfully in this beautiful but broken world.
Fresh Air. Terry Gross and her associates are progressive to a fault, but they are also unmatched in their ability to get culture makers as interview guests. Because the show has been around for 50 years, it has an unparalleled archive of long-form interviews. These interviews have often provided instructive retrospectives when one of these culture makers dies or achieves a career milestone. I find that I listen to fewer episodes than I did in the past, but it is still on my podcast feed, and I typically listen to one or two episodes a week.
How I Write. Writer and writing teacher David Perell takes a deep dive (almost always more than an hour, sometimes much longer) with some of the nation’s great writers. Recent guests have included mega-bestseller Dean Koontz, Pulitzer Prize winner Jayne Anne Phillips, and essayist (and one of my favorite writers) Tom Junod. These conversations are intensely practical and “in the weeds,” so I’m not sure how interesting this podcast would be to non-writers, but for me they are catnip. I can’t resist listening to a writer like Jonathan Franzen describe how he writes great characters.
As recently as 2021, David Perell described himself as a “tepid non-believer,” but he has long written about Christianity’s influence on Western civilization. In recent years, he has also talked about his “journey to faith” and “finding God.” Recent guests on the podcast have included Christian apologist John Lennox and theologian N.T. Wright.
Interesting Times. The phrase “May you live in interesting times” is often described ambiguously, either as a Chinese blessing or curse. The ambiguity of the phrase makes it the perfect title for New York Times columnist Ross Douthat’s podcast. What makes Douthat’s podcast interesting is not its news-making quality, but his thoughtful, both/and rather than either/or take on topics that are emerging — or settled questions that are under attack or review. Recent episodes have taken on the liberal arts in an age of artificial intelligence, Bitcoin, how the United States should behave now that China has replaced Russia as the world’s other great superpower. I find Douthat wry, funny, and wise. (By the way, there is no evidence that the “interesting times” quotation originated in China. The earliest known references are in English-speaking circles in the early 20th century. The phrase was popularized by British politician and diplomat Austen Chamberlain, who mentioned in a 1936 speech that he had heard it described as a Chinese curse.)
On The Media is one of the longest-running and most influential media-criticism programs in American public radio. Produced by WNYC and distributed nationally by NPR affiliates, the show debuted in 1993 and has been hosted since 2001 by Brooke Gladstone. (Longtime co-host Bob Garfield was fired from the program in 2021 following accusations of bullying — accusations Garfield denied.) Originally focused on journalism and press criticism, the program has evolved into a broader examination of media, politics, technology, culture, and the forces that shape public opinion. The show’s perspective reflects many of the assumptions common in public radio and elite journalism. It is progressive without seeming to be aware of its liberal biases. Nevertheless, “On the Media” remains one of the most respected programs devoted to understanding not just what people believe, but how they come to believe it.
The Bulletin. This Christianity Today podcast has been a must-listen for me, though it’s not clear what the future of the program will hold. Two of its co-hosts, Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll, have recently departed the program, and it is now re-airing material from older episodes, curated into thematic shows. I have found these curated programs to be excellent, much more than mere re-runs — though I’m not sure how long that can last without the need for new material. (Disclosure: I have been a guest on this program twice in the past few months.)
Carey Nieuwhof on Leadership. Carey Nieuwhof was a megachurch pastor and is now a leadership coach — two species to which I have severe allergies. Also, Nieuwhof has guests on his program from the attractional, church-growth movement who I sometimes find cloying and self-serving. That said, I have found I can’t get enough of this podcast. Nieuwhof will respectfully and even lovingly, but relentlessly, hold their feet to the fire. He’s not a cheerleader for the church-growth movement. The episodes in which he talks about mental health for church leaders, including a couple of recent episodes describing his own season of burnout and depression, were helpful and nourishing to me and — I suspect — would be to all church leaders.
The Town with Matthew Belloni. This podcast is part of the “Puck” ecosystem of publications and podcasts. Founded in 2021, Puck is left-leaning, but its podcasts and newsletters are not so much ideological as they are “insider” looks at elite cultural institutions — which themselves are left-leaning. Matthew Belloni is the former editor of The Hollywood Reporter and the strength of this podcast is his deep industry Rolodex. (Do people still use Rolodexes?) For a conservative Christian reader, Puck and The Town (and On the Media) are probably best viewed as a window into how America’s political, media, entertainment, and financial elites think and operate.
Past Recommendations for Easy Access
Since it’s “been a minute” since my last podcast column, here are my previous recommendations, in one place.
April 2024 — “Listening In On The World”
Focused on avoiding media echo chambers and broadening one’s listening diet.
- Lex Fridman Podcast
- Strong Towns
- One Degree of Andy (hosted by Andy Chrisman)
- True Believer: The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Mackintosh
July 2024 — “Podcasts for Doers and Donors”
Focused on leadership, management, creativity, and organizational effectiveness.
- Freakonomics Radio
- Wisdom From The Top (Guy Raz)
- The Great Creators (Guy Raz)
- The Russell Moore Show
October 2024 — “Quarterly Review of Podcasts”
Focused on economics, church leadership, politics, history, and music.
- The Economics of Everyday Things
- The ChurchLeaders Podcast (Ed Stetzer)
- Inside the Hive
- Slow Burn
- Broken Record with Rick Rubin
November 2025 — “Podcasts That Nourish Me”
Focused on spiritual formation, economics, storytelling, business, music, and journalism.
- David Bahnsen’s Capital Record
- COMPELLED: Real Christians, Remarkable Stories
- ACQUIRED: Every Company Has a Story
- Song Exploder
- The Daily (New York Times)
I find that I don’t listen to some of these as much as I used to. That’s the nature of the podcast ecosystem. Podcasts rise and fall. They come and go. But another interesting feature is that they also hang around on the Internet for a long time. A podcast I did for WORLD, “Listening In,” was discontinued five years ago, but its episodes are still accessible, and I still occasionally refer to some of the interviews I did then.
I guess the moral of that story is: Be careful what you say. In the digital age, nothing ever gets deleted.
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