My favorite podcasts
The 6 podcasts I listen to everyday, plus some other favorites.
Podcasts are my frequent companions — I spend about 10 hours a week listening to them!
Whether I’m commuting, tackling chores around the house, or enjoying my daily 45-minute walk with Stella, our spirited Jack Russell Terrier, podcasts keep me informed, inspired and entertained.
Here’s a little secret: When I say I spend 10 hours a week on podcasts, it’s really closer to 19 hours of content. How? I listen at 1.9x speed.
Anne says it sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, so let’s just say I’ve learned to enjoy most of my podcasts solo. 😂
I currently subscribe to 24 podcasts (all free, of course). Six of them are part of my daily routine, while I listen to 10 others at least once or twice a week. My playlist leans heavily on Christianity, business and culture — a mix that fuels both my faith and curiosity.
Since podcasts are such a big part of my life, I thought I’d share my favorites with you. Maybe they’ll resonate with you too! There are links to each podcast in the titles.
But now it’s your turn: What are your favorite podcasts? I’d love to discover new gems! Feel free to send me an email at estych@gmail.com or drop a comment below.
Daily
The Briefing with Albert Mohler: A daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview. This is at the top of my list every morning. Mohler is an evangelical leader, theologian and author. He is best known as the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I truly don’t know how Mohler does his day job plus a myriad of other high-level activities and still produce this 30-minute podcast every day (Monday-Friday). It’s available by 6 a.m.-ish every day, and usually he is discussing events that happened the day before — even the night before. He spends the last half of Friday’s episodes answering questions from listeners, some of the questions coming from children or teenagers.
Solid Joys Daily Devotional: These are 3-minute devotionals written and read by Reformed theologian and pastor John Piper. I’m a big Piper fan. He served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for more than 30 years and is the founder of Desiring God, a ministry that shares his teaching and resources (almost all of it for free).
Christian History Almanac: This is one of two podcasts that I listen to from an organization called 1517 (the year Martin Luther's posted of his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany). The Christian History Almanac explores significant events, figures and stories from Christian history. The five-minute episodes are anything but dry with historian Dan van Voorhis as host. Van Voorhis ends each episode with a favorite proclamation of mine: “The rumors of grace, forgiveness and the redemption of all things are true. Everything is going to be OK.”
The Journal: This comes from The Wall Street Journal and discusses the most important story of the day about business, money and power.
Ultimately with R.C. Sproul: These are short clips (averaging about five minutes) from R.C. Sproul’s best sermons and lectures. Sproul, who died in 2017, was another renowned Reformed theologian. He founded Ligonier Ministries, a teaching ministry dedicated to equipping Christians with a deeper understanding of Scripture, theology and apologetics.
Breakpoint: This is a daily podcast produced by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, offering Christian perspectives on current events, culture and societal issues.
At least once a week
Honestly with Bari Weiss: The former New York Times reporter has in-depth conversations on politics, culture and current events. Maybe the most interesting person in the conversations is Weiss, a “moderate” who felt unwelcome at the left-leaning New York Times and founded her own media company, The Free Press, which is now valued at $100 million and has 800,000 subscribers. The Free Press works hard to bring diverse perspectives to its readers.
Ask Pastor John: John Piper answers tough theological and pastoral questions in this twice-a-week podcast. Recent episodes include “Will God forgive my worst sin?” “7 encouragements for parents of prodigals,” and “How not to respond to suffering.” Piper has recorded more than 2,000 of these 10-minute podcasts, and earlier this year they were collected into a book: “Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life's Most Important Questions.”
The Art of Manliness: I learned about his podcast from my son Joe. Hosted by Brett McKay, The Art of Manliness podcast aims to help listeners become better men. The show features in-depth interviews with experts on topics such as history, philosophy, social and professional skills, parenting, self-defense, and physical training.
The Economics of Everyday Things: This is my favorite podcast from the Freakonomics family. It delves into the economic aspects of common, often overlooked items and services. Topics have included vending machines, prison labor, tow trucks and Girl Scout cookies.
Hidden Streams: This weekly podcast from 1517 is a devotional that focuses on the Psalms with reflections by theologian Chad Bird.
The Crossway Podcast: Crossway publishes Christian books and is best known for publishing the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible. On the podcast, Crossway authors discuss their latest books.
5 Minutes in Church History: Another short and informal look at church history.
Racket To Go: These are the audio versions of Racket News, Matt Taibbi’s Substack site. Taibbi, who focuses on free speech, liberty and transparency issues, may be the best journalist in America.
Stand Firm: Three Anglican pastors discuss theological, cultural and political topics from a Reformed Anglican worldview. The three belong to the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), the same denomination of which our church is a member.
WSJ’s The Future of Everything: This Wall Street Journal podcast looks at the trends that are shaping our future.
On occasion
eX-skeptic: Unlikely stories of belief: Jana Harmon interviews former atheists and skeptics who have embraced Christianity. She examines the reasons that thoughtful individuals change their perspectives on faith. Many of these people are scientists who discover that science and faith can co-exist together.
Compelled: Christian Stories and Testimonies: Paul Hastings interviews people who have been transformed by their Christian faith. Each episode features personal testimonies of overcoming challenges such as addiction, trauma and adversity through faith in Jesus Christ.
Thinking in Public with Albert Mohler: Another Al Mohler podcast, but this one is longer (about an hour) and comes out every few weeks. It’s described as “intelligent conversation about frontline theological and cultural issues with the people who are shaping them.”
Ask NT Wright Anything: N.T. Wright is a distinguished English New Testament scholar and retired Anglican bishop. In his weekly podcast, Wright answers listeners’ questions related to faith, theology and Christian living.
VOMRadio: I once spent several years as a volunteer for Voice of the Martyrs, which supports and advocates for persecuted Christians around the world. It was founded in 1967 by Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian pastor who endured imprisonment and torture for his faith under both Nazi and Communist regimes before moving to the U.S. in the 1960s. VOMRadio shares testimonies of Christians suffering for their faith.
Freakonomics: An offshoot of the book “Freakonomics,” written in 2005 by economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner. They “uncover the hidden side of everything.” Recent episodes include “The world’s most valuable unused resource,” “Why rent control doesn’t work,” and “Why your eyeglasses cost $1,000.”
No Stupid Questions: This podcast is led by research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of the book “Grit”) and an subsidiary of Freakonomics. Recent subjects have included “How can I give better gifts?” “Why do people love horror movies?” and “Is it OK to do the right thing for the wrong reason?”
The Aaron Renn Show: This is a recent find for me. Renn co-founded American Reformer, an organization dedicated to revitalizing Protestantism in American religious, political and cultural spheres. He wrote “Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture.” The podcast features conversations with leading thinkers on topics such as culture, media economics, politics, Christianity, and men's issues.