Most Christian podcasts do 2 things: sermons and interviews. Finding a good Christian storytelling podcast, or really any Christian storytelling podcast, is like finding a cat person at a dog park. Odds are… it won’t happen.
I love storytelling podcasts like NPR’s This American Life, Pushkin’s Revisionist History, and Gimlet’s Heavyweight. The short audio stories of real people fascinate me, but until 1 year ago, I only listened to podcasts that at best ignored Christianity all together or at worst made fun of Christianity. But I still listened because the storytelling, the music, and the commentary blended to make entertaining and beautiful stories from people in all walks of life.
Then, 1 year ago, I discovered Love Thy Neighborhood. After being inspired by Love Thy Neighborhood, I decided to make Audible God. Because of my work on that, I discovered Unshackled again for the first time. I highly recommend all of these podcasts. Each one tells intriguing stories of normal people in a style that’s genuinely entertaining and thought provoking… and not every story ends in an altar call. Listen now.
Love Thy Neighborhood
The storytelling is beautiful. The empathy is apparent. The theology is sound. Grace & truth, justice & mercy, righteousness & humility all co-exist together in an intimate space with a collage of human suffering and hope in Jesus. In a world of bumperstickers and mean tweets, Love Thy Neighborhood gives a refuge to Christians who seek truthful nuance.
Audible God
The Audible God podcast mashes up a hip hop soundtrack and humor with intriguing stories of ordinary people who claim they’ve heard from God. From an artist who sensed God telling him to paint a portrait for a guy in a coma to a former drunk who put diapers on his head, each story will fascinate you. And you’ll be pumped to share each one with your friends.
Unshackled
This old-fashioned radio drama tells compelling real-life stories of actual people who found hope in Jesus in the midst of addiction, abuse, and desperate hopelessness. The vintage organ soundtrack, seamless narration, and stylized voice acting capture humanizing stories of brokenness and redemption.
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Hey Rob! Thanks for sharing your list! I was already familiar with Unshackled, but will have to check out Audible God and Love Thy Neighborhood. There are 4 other high-quality Christian shows I know about that use journalism/storytelling similar to NPR and Gimlet. All 4 of these use storytelling, professional editing, sound effects, music, and spend 30+ hours creating each episode. Compelled Podcast (this is a podcast that I host) uncovers unique stories from the Kingdom of God, told by the people Compelled to live for Him. Like a mother who found meaning and purpose after being falsely sentenced to… Read more »
You should check out the This Christian Life podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-christian-life-true-stories-of-hope/id1552486625
I’m a fan of Love thy Neighborhood and Audible God, but I haven’t heard of Unshackled. I’ll have to check it out! Thanks for sharing and thanks for making Audible God!
Thanks, Elaine! Unshackled is a really fun, vintage listen. -Rob from Audible God
I’d like to nominate one.
There is a brand new podcast called Relentless Truth with John Warren. John’s was a successful banker that wound up teaching college and currently Christian high school. His students urged him to share his biblical worldview insights in a podcast. I like how he goes way deep into topics like culture, finance, government. It’s kind of like NPR but from a biblical worldview. Here is the link: https://johnwarrenmedia.com