The Ryley Heppner Podcast

In this episode, I talk with Benjamin MacDonald (Apologetics Canada) about the rise of secularization in the West: what it is, where it came from, and how it’s quietly reshaping not just our culture, but our churches.Ben MacDonald is a theologian, speaker, and educator with a heart for engaging faith and culture. After a brief career in television news, Ben earned his Master of Theology from Acadia Divinity College and completed a PhD in Theological Studies at Wycliffe College, TST. In addition to his work with Apologetics Canada, Ben serves as recruiter and adjunct lecturer at Acadia Divinity College.

In this episode, I sit down with pastor, author and scholar, Paul Hoffman, to talk about his book "AI Shepherds and Electric Sheep" and to explore how artificial intelligence and digital habits are shaping the way pastors lead, churches function, and disciples are formed.Paul A. Hoffman (PhD, University of Manchester) is associate professor in the Department of Biblical and Religious Studies and director of the Preministerial Scholars Program at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He previously served as a senior pastor and is the coauthor of Preaching to a Divided Nation, named an Outreach 2023 Resource of the Year.

What kind of man was the Apostle Paul? In this episode, Frank Thielman joins me to explore Paul’s life, mission, and message. We talk about how Paul’s years in chains shaped his message of grace, why he often concealed the deepest parts of his story, and the surprising misconceptions people still carry about him today.Frank Thielman joined Beeson Divinity School faculty in 1989, and teaches courses in Greek, New Testament Theology and the Pauline letters. His scholarly work concentrates mainly on the apostle Paul. Thielman is the author, among other books, of Paul, Apostle of Grace (Eerdmans, 2025), Romans (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, 2018) and Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach (Zondervan, 2005).https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

In today's episode I chat with Dave Ripper about his new book Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard. Dave unpacks how Dallas Willard’s vision of the “with-God life” can transform the way Christians approach Scripture—not as a textbook to master, but as a living Word to encounter and experience.Dave Ripper is the lead pastor of Crossway Christian Church, a multicongregational church in southern New Hampshire, focused on spiritual formation. He earned a doctor of ministry in spiritual direction from Fuller Theological Seminary and The Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and Dallas Willard Research Center at Westmont College. He is coauthor of The Fellowship of the Suffering and serves as the chaplain for the Boston Bruins. Dave and his wife, Erin, a mental health therapist, have three children. They make their home in the woodlands of New England near Nashua, New Hampshire.https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

What does it really mean to follow Jesus? And is it possible that it's simpler than we think? When we look at the first disciples—the twelve who left everything to follow Jesus—we see a template for what it means to walk with Him. They weren’t perfect. They stumbled, doubted, and even failed. Yet their lives reveal three core patterns that defined their following.https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

For years I thought reading the entire Bible was too much for me—until I broke it down in the simplest way! You don’t need to be a fast reader or super disciplined—just a little math and a small daily habit can transform your Bible reading.https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

In this conversation, Reed Dunn joins me to talk about his new book "When You Don’t Have the Words: Praying the Psalms." Reed shares how the Psalms give us language for every season of life—joy, sorrow, doubt, and hope—and how they point us to Christ as they shape our prayers.Reed Dunn is the pastor of Redeemer Hudson, New Jersey. He cares deeply about pastoral care and spiritual formation. https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

In this episode, I talk with Robert S. Smith about his new book The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory. We explore what transgender theory is, how it became so influential in Western culture, and why the Bible’s vision of the body as “given” rather than self-crafted offers a more hopeful and truthful foundation for identity.Robert Smith is lecturer in theology, ethics & music ministry at Sydney Missionary Bible College in Sydney, Australia, and serves as Ethics and Pastoralia book reviews editor for Themelios. He has written The Body God Gives: A Biblical Response to Transgender Theory (Lexham Press, 2024), The Gender Revolution: A biblical, biological and compassionate response (Co-authored with Patricia Weerakoon and Kamal Weerakoon (Matthias Media 2023), and much more.https://www.ryleyheppner.comhttps://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

The Gospels don’t wrap up with neat closure, and maybe that’s the point. The story isn’t finished—and you have a role to play in how it continues! https://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/

In this episode, I sit down with Steve Kim, a speaker with Apologetics Canada and a PhD student researching transhumanism, to explore one of the most pressing worldviews emerging in our time. We talk about what transhumanism is, why it matters, and how it’s already shaping how people think about identity, purpose, and salvation. Drawing on the ideas of Nietzsche and Chesterton, Steve helps us see what’s at stake in the push to become “more than human”—and how the Christian gospel offers a far more hopeful, embodied, and grounded vision of what it means to be human. In his early 20s, Steve experienced a faith crisis due to intellectual undernourishment. Through this experience, he has come to see apologetics as the “intellectual care of the soul” and now feels a personal burden to walk with others who may be struggling with doubt and/or seeking sincerely. Steve holds a diploma in Worship Arts and a BA in Biblical Studies from Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, BC. He has completed a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics through Biola University in La Mirada, CA. He began his PhD studies through the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland, exploring any proper limits of human enhancement. https://www.ryleyheppner.com https://apologeticscanada.com/ryley-heppner/