"Spiritual warfare" seems to be on the lips and minds of many Christ-claimers in the United States these days, including those in the Church of Christ.

But what is "spiritual warfare" and how do we know that we're waging it?

Dr. Joe Beam, who wrote the landmark book Seeing the Unseen: A Handbook for Spiritual Warfare in the early 1990s, joins the present-day milieu on how the spirit realm is affecting current events and vice versa.

In this episode, Beam answers questions like:

• What might be contributing to what could be an increase in "spiritual warfare" talk in the United States these days?
• What is the difference between demon-possessed and demonized?
• Does demon-possession still happen today (and how do we know if someone is demon-possessed)?
• How do we know if we're being "attacked" by evil spiritual forces or if we're creating our own negative circumstances or situations?
• How do we know if God is communicating with us or if we're just having strong feelings that come from ourselves?
• How do we know if someone is "speaking for God"?
• For Church of Christ congregations that have to come to believe that the Holy Spirit is available to guide and support them, how do they learn to discern and follow the Holy Spirit?
• How do we "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1)?

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A little more than half (52 percent) of Americans say they would allow public school teachers to lead their students in prayers to Jesus in taxpayer-funded public schools. This is according to the latest Religious Landscape Study from the Pew Research Center.

In this episode, that study's author, Chip Rotolo, reveals how Americans have changed in both religious and spiritual beliefs and practices since Pew started researching them in 2007. While it may come as no surprise that Americans' adherence to, and participation in, organized religion has declined, Pew's research shows that the newest generation of Americans is showing signs of more openness than preceding ones.

Rotolo unpacks this and more data from the Pew report. What might these trends mean to Church of Christ congregations, their leaders and their members?

Link to the Pew Research Center's Religious Life Survey

Link to Chip Rotolo's site (referenced in the interview)

Link to Religious Landscape Study report that measures how religious is each state (released after this interview, but references in the episode)

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Colleges and universities with roots and ties in the Church of Christ community have a strong history of seeking and welcoming international students to their campuses. Many of them see this as essential to their Christian mission to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Gospel of Matthew 28:19).

Rapid changes to federal policies, however, may be keeping some international students out of the United States and out of the Church of Christ colleges and universities they want to attend.

In this episode, one of The Christian Chronicle's 2025 interns, Kenzie James, talks about a recent story she reported on how federal policies are affecting these students and the colleges and universities that want to enroll them. She also talks about what it's like to be a college student herself, making plans for a career in journalism (in these wild times for journalists).

Link to Kenzie James's report on how federal policies are affecting Church of Christ colleges and universities and their international students

Link to an archive of Kenzie James's stories for The Christian Chronicle

Link to Kenzie James's true crime podcast, Case Closed

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