Bob Reads Books | Why Do Protestants Convert?

In the second part of this two-part episode, Bob Thune explores how the distinctions between men and women inform their respective roles in Christian ministry. Drawing on the biblical imagery of shepherding, the historical role of women in ministry, and the church as the family of God, he makes the case for an all-male eldership while emphasizing the essential contributions of women in the church. He offers a vision of church life in which men and women serve together, reflecting the beauty of God’s design for spiritual fathers and mothers.

Bob Thune explores the biblical and natural law foundations of complementarianism, asking how the differences between men and women shape their roles in the church. He considers what Scripture teaches about church leadership, challenges modern assumptions about freedom and individual autonomy, and examines how male and female differences reflect God’s design for creation.

Bob Thune and Bethany Gilbert talk with Ernest Richardson, principal conductor of the Omaha Symphony, about faith, vocation, and the power of music to shape a community. Ernest reflects on pursuing excellence without making success his identity, cultivating beauty as a way of loving our neighbors, and using our work to serve something greater than ourselves.

In this talk from the 2026 EFCA Theology Conference, Bob Thune explores "cultural apologetics" — how the Church can expose the idols of our cultural moment and make the case for Christ. He offers three practical exhortations for church leaders: confront dominant cultural narratives, make repentance and faith a lifestyle, and proclaim the hope of the resurrection and the world to come.

In this talk from the 2026 EFCA Theology Conference, Bob Thune explores how conversion involves more than a profession of faith — it requires a gradual transformation of how we see the world. Drawing on Lesslie Newbigin, he explains how cultural apologetics helps the local church expose cultural idols and form people in the gospel’s way of seeing.

Bob Thune examines The Atlantic’s claim that America is becoming a post-literate society and considers what the decline of reading means for Christians. He explores the importance of reading, the transmission of wisdom between generations, and why the church should remain committed to the written word and the slow work of discipleship.

Bob Thune joins Dusty White from Oxford, UK to reflect on the history and present state of Christianity in England. From church planting and gospel partnership to the value of theological study, they discuss what American Christians can learn from a post-Christian context and how rest, scholarship, and global fellowship can renew our vision for the church.

On this Faith + Work episode, Bob Thune and Bethany Gilbert are joined by Andy Holz to discuss vocation, entrepreneurship, and the gospel at work. Andy shares his journey from teaching and mowing lawns to grain trading and starting his own company. They explore a theology of work, pursuing excellence, honesty in business, taking responsibility, loving your customers, and seeing ordinary work as a way to love your neighbor and glorify God.

Bob Thune is joined by Tom Sommerville and Merlyn Klaus to tell the story of Sean Barrett, an Omaha man who was serving a 60-year sentence for murdering his wife. After coming to faith in Christ in jail, Sean spent the rest of his life growing in faith and serving as a missionary to other inmates at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution. As they reflect on Sean’s life and sudden death in 2026, Bob, Tom, and Merlyn consider the transforming power of grace, the unseen work of God behind prison walls, and what it means to see wherever God has placed us as a mission field.

Bob Thune is joined by Will Walker to discuss Why Do Protestants Convert? by Brad Littlejohn and Chris Castaldo. Together they explore some of the psychological, theological, and sociological reasons behind the trend of Protestant conversion to Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. They discuss the weaknesses of modern American evangelicalism, the importance of recovering historic Protestantism, and why Christians should do more than get their theology from YouTube.