

The Ryley Heppner Podcast
Ryley Heppner
Helping the Church think deeply, read faithfully, and live biblically.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 23, 2026 • 4min
How Many Ways to Heaven?
No shortcuts. No backdoors. You must be born again.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Mar 20, 2026 • 8min
What is The Book of Revelation REALLY About?
The book of Revelation is, first and foremost, a revelation of Jesus Christ. It is a pulling back of the curtain so that we can see Jesus even more clearly.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Mar 14, 2026 • 47min
Reading the Bible Through an Indigenous Lens | Danny Zacharias and Chris Hoklotubbe
In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Zacharias and Chris Hoklotubbe, coauthors of "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island." We discuss what it means to read Scripture through Indigenous perspectives, the meaning of “Turtle Island,” the historical relationship between Christianity and Indigenous communities, and how Indigenous scholars and Christians are engaging Scripture today. Christopher Hoklotubbe (ThD, Harvard) is a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He is the director of graduate studies of NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, the first accredited Indigenous designed, developed, delivered, and governed theological institute. He is also assistant professor of classics at Cornell College (Mount Vernon, Iowa). He is the author of Civilized Piety: The Rhetoric of Pietas in the Pastoral Epistles and the Roman Empire, which was awarded the Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two daughters and live near Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Danny Zacharias is a Cree-Anishinaabe/Métis & Austrian man originally from Winnipeg, MB (Treaty One territory), with ancestors also residing in Treaty Two, Treaty Three, and Treaty Five territories. He lives in Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) with his wife and four children in Wolfville, and is Associate Dean and Professor of New Testament Studies at Acadia Divinity College. He also serves as an adjunct faculty for NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Mar 14, 2026 • 55min
From Youth Alpha to Church Planting | Jason Ballard
In this episode, I chat with Jason Ballard of The Way Church and The Pastorate about church planting in the secular landscape of Vancouver. Our conversation digs into the lessons Jason learned through his work with Alpha Youth, the tension between cultural contextualization and the gospel and what it looks like to plant healthy churches.Jason Ballard is Lead Pastor of The Way Church Vancouver, a community dedicated to “joining Jesus in the restoration of all things” in Vancouver and beyond. He also serves as Executive Director of The Pastorate (formerly the Canadian Church Leaders Network), where he hosts The Pastorate Podcast—connecting with pastors across Canada to strengthen their heart, vision, and resilience. Jason is passionate about making space for doubt and honest exploration of faith, and helping people grow as disciples of Jesus. He lives in Vancouver with his wife Rachael and their three children, Hudson, Mary, and Millie.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Feb 20, 2026 • 4min
In what way am I ALREADY SEATED with CHRIST?
What does Paul mean when he says in Ephesians 2 that Christians are “seated with Christ in the heavenly places"?InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Feb 18, 2026 • 56min
Lessons After a Lifetime in Scripture | Clifton Black Returns
In this episode, I sit down once again with Clifton Black, this time to talk about his latest book, "Biblical Theology: Essays Exegetical, Cultural, and Homiletical," and to discuss what a lifetime of studying, praying, teaching, and training pastors does to the way you read Scripture. Dr. C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary’s Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical Theology, earned his MA in theology from the University of Bristol, his MDiv from Emory University, and his PhD from Duke University. He is an ordained elder in the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. While his research interests concentrate in the New Testament’s Gospels, particularly in Mark, he publishes in many fields, including biblical theology, New Testament rhetoric, and the history of biblical interpretation. He offers a broad array of courses, including New Testament introduction, the exegesis of Mark’s Gospel, biblical theology and the practice of ministry, the parables of Jesus, major themes in New Testament theology, the biblical and Shakespearean visions, prayer in the New Testament, series in faith and film, as well as several doctoral-level seminars. He is the author, editor, or collaborating author of 20 books, and has published more than 200 essays, articles, and reviews. Black is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the Center of Theological Inquiry, and the American Association of University Professors. He serves as secretary of the American Theological Society.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Feb 10, 2026 • 9min
Crossing Cultural Boundaries for the Sake of the Gospel
Mark 7:24–30 and the Syrophoenician woman is an amazing picture of Jesus' words from a few verses earlier, "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him.” Jesus crosses several religious and cultural boundaries by engaging with a Syrophoenician woman, and instead of being made unclean by her, his presence brings purifying power to her. The implications of this encounter for Christians and the mission of God are many!InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Feb 7, 2026 • 1h
Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity | Joel Looper
I was privileged to sit down with author and professor, Joel Looper, to talk about his book Another Gospel: Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Evangelical Identity. In our hour-long conversation, Joel clarifies what “Christian nationalism” actually is and what it is not, and explores why this movement reveals a deeper crisis of identity within contemporary evangelicalism. On top of that, we discuss the evangelical reactions to Charlie Kirk's tragic death, the immigration situation, and what Bonhoeffer might think of the Christian Nationalist movement.Joel Looper teaches at Baylor University and coordinator for Shalom Mission Communities, a network of international Christian communities. He is also the author of Bonhoeffer’s America: A Land Without Reformation.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Feb 2, 2026 • 54min
Lust, Lies, and Freedom | Brad Hambrick
What does it take to truly break free from the grip of porn and sexual sin? Today I sit down with Brad Hambrick (pastor and biblical counselor) to talk about his new book False Love: 9 Steps Toward Sexual Integrity. In our conversation, Brad shares why lasting change requires more than behavior management, and talks about the role of honesty, the grip of self-deception, and how sin distorts our view of God and ourselves. Brad serves as the Pastor of Counseling at The Summit Church in Durham, NC. He also serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, has authored several books including God’s Attributes: Rest for Life’s Struggles, and served as general editor for the Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused (churchcares.com) project.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request

Jan 30, 2026 • 51min
Divorce, Remarriage and Growing up a Piper | Barnabas Piper
In this episode, I have the privilege of chatting with Barnabas Piper about growing up with John Piper as a father and about walking through divorce and remarriage. Barnabas reflects on how all of these experiences have shaped and reshaped his understanding of God, the church, and pastoral ministry.Barnabas Piper serves as one of the pastors at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of several books including, The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help and Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another. He is married to Lauren and has three children.InstagramPersonal Website/WritingApologetics Canada RequestOutreach Speakers Request


