Amazon to the Himalayas

Scripture, Apologetics, and Christian-Muslim DialogueHost Paul Akin interviews Dr. Devin Provancher about lessons modern Christians can learn from early Christian responses to Islam. Provancher highlights how medieval apologists appealed to Scripture’s authority and overarching narrative while cautioning against approaches that became more anti-Islam than distinctly Christian. They discuss the importance of making God’s Word accessible, responding to Muslim claims of biblical corruption through manuscript evidence, and appropriately engaging in polemics by examining Quranic variants and Islamic historical sources. Provancher also addresses historical gaps in early accounts of Muhammad and offers practical guidance for Christian-Muslim dialogue today. He concludes by urging the church in 2026 to understand the Bible’s overarching story and use it to share Christ faithfully and effectively.Timestamps00:00 Mission Podcast Intro00:32 Early Christian Apologetics03:03 Scripture in Dialogue05:20 The Power of the Bible’s Story06:32 Responding to Claims of Corruption08:57 Apologetics and Polemics11:37 Examining Quranic Claims14:03 The Historical Gap in Muhammad’s Biography16:14 Engaging Muslims Today18:45 Lessons for the Church in 202621:18 Final Encouragement22:22 Thanks and Sponsor MessageMentioned in this episode:The Online PhD at Southern Seminaryhttps://www.sbts.edu/online-phd/

Islam on the Rise: Ancient Christian Responses for TodayHost Paul Akin speaks with Dr. Devon Provencher about the growth of Islam globally and in the United States, exploring how Christians can respond with gospel intentionality rather than fear or defensiveness. Provencher, a Southern Seminary graduate with an MA in Islamic Studies and a PhD focused on Islamic history and early Christian-Muslim dialogue, explains the distinction between Islam as a religious system and the diverse experiences of individual Muslims. Drawing on the history of the seventh- and eighth-century Arab conquests, he examines how Christians lived under Islamic rule, addresses common Muslim objections to Christianity, including the divinity of Jesus and the reliability of Scripture, and highlights how early Christians responded through biblical teaching, reason, and even arguments drawn from the Quran. The conversation challenges churches to deepen their understanding of Islam and prepare to engage Muslims thoughtfully and faithfully with the gospel.Timestamps00:00 Mission Podcast Intro00:35 Islam Rising Today01:59 Meet Devon Provencher03:19 Why Study Islam?05:11 Threat or Opportunity?07:06 Islam vs. Muslims08:04 Is the Church Ready?09:23 History Repeats Itself11:04 The Realities of the Arab Conquests14:48 Core Doctrines Challenged15:49 Common Muslim Objections17:16 Ancient Christian Responses

Host Paul Akin discusses the cost of discipleship and the cultural pressure not to stand out, including the story of a 19-year-old new believer who secretly jogged to church to worship before telling his parents. Jordan shares about ministry in a Southeast Asian city, where interest in learning English creates natural opportunities to build relationships and share the gospel. He recounts how an expat group began planning in 2016 and formed a doctrinally clear, elder-led, congregational Baptist church in 2017, growing from about 15 people meeting in a living room to nearly 90, split roughly between locals and expats. Jordan also discusses local-language discipleship, a new church plant preparing to launch nearby, and the challenge and encouragement of sending members—including his co-pastor—to reach other unengaged people groups.Mentioned in this episode:The Doctor of Ministryhttps://www.sbts.edu/degree-programs/doctor-of-ministry/

Host Paul Akin introduces a conversation with Jordan, a Kentucky native who came to a fuller understanding of the gospel in college through a Romans Bible study and later developed a heart for the nations through church discipleship and international student outreach in Louisville. Jordan explains how he and his wife initially planned a short, three-year assignment but were led instead to Southeast Asia through a practical opportunity matching their skills, and 15 years later he has helped plant a healthy church preparing to send local believers to plant another. He describes a context with less than 1% evangelical Christians, a religious “veneer” of Buddhism over an animistic worldview marked by fear, ancestor veneration, and syncretism, alongside government pressure toward secularism. Major obstacles include government restrictions and cultural pressure to conform, which can cause some baptized members to withdraw.Mentioned in this episode:The Doctor of Ministryhttps://www.sbts.edu/degree-programs/doctor-of-ministry/

Host Paul Akin reflects on a recent family trip to Nairobi, Kenya, reconnecting with former ministry partners after 17 years. He shares three reflections: encouragement from healthy churches, evidence of God’s work across Africa, and the continued need amid lostness, poverty, and the prosperity gospel. Along the way, he highlights formative experiences for his children, including time with refugees, prayer walking, and campus gospel conversations.

What happens when God meets a man in a prison cell? Jon Kelly joins Dr. Paul Akin to share how the Lord saved him in prison through His Word and ultimately called him to pastoral ministry in Chicago.Mentioned in this episode:The Doctor of Ministryhttps://www.sbts.edu/degree-programs/doctor-of-ministry/

Host Paul Akin welcomes Pastor Chopo Mwanza of Faith Baptist Church Riverside in Kitwe, Zambia, for a conversation about gospel ministry and church life in Zambia. Mwanza introduces Zambia as a peaceful, diverse nation of more than 70 tribes and languages, where English serves as the official language and tribal divisions are often less pronounced in urban areas. He discusses Zambia’s identity as a “Christian nation,” highlighting both the opportunities it creates for gospel ministry and the challenges of nominal Christianity and syncretism. Mwanza also describes life in Kitwe, a Copperbelt mining city shaped by the rise and fall of the mining industry. Finally, he shares the story of Faith Baptist Church—from its founding by missionaries in 1993 to its transition to local leadership—and reflects on the challenges facing believers today, including syncretism, corruption, and the call to live with integrity.Mentioned in this episode:Doctorate of Missiology at Southern Seminary

Host Paul Akin interviews Jennifer Trafton about her book, If Only We Could See, highlighting missionary Lilias Trotter’s decades in North Africa and how she leveraged art and creativity for ministry. Trotter kept nearly daily illustrated journals for 40 years, shared them with supporters, and helped produce colorful Arabic publications shaped by the region’s visual language to help people “see” and therefore love and pray for the Arab people she loved. Trafton explains Trotter’s idea of a “beautiful possible life” marked by joyful adventure, surrender to the Spirit, and faithful, often hidden obedience rather than platform-driven success. The conversation emphasizes Trotter’s attentive compassion, her ability to dignify marginalized people by truly seeing them, and how studying her has shaped Trafton’s attentiveness, prayer for the Arab world, and perspective on calling.Mentioned in this episode:The Online PhD at Southern Seminaryhttps://www.sbts.edu/online-phd/

Her legacy was relational. Her legacy was people. People who felt seen and loved by her years later. Lilias Trotter lived what looked like a hidden and seemingly unsuccessful life, but she believed we are scattering seeds far beyond what we can see. ‘The harvest of the trivial and monotonous might lie out beyond the stars.’ We have no idea what God may do with our faithfulness long after our lifetime.Mentioned in this episode:The Doctor of Ministryhttps://www.sbts.edu/degree-programs/doctor-of-ministry/

Host Paul Akin interviews missionary Michael about his journey from nominal Catholicism in Knoxville, Tennessee, to serving nearly 15 years overseas in Central Asia and Germany. Michael shares how God used prayer for unreached peoples to call his family to missions, the challenges and opportunities of church planting in post-Christian Germany, and the story behind their German-speaking church plant in Cologne. They also discuss international churches, missionary pastors, language learning, and the importance of healthy local churches in global missions.