--- title: Top Theology Stories of 2025 canonical: "https://wordfirst.org/podcasts/gospelbound/top-theology-stories-of-2025/" pubDate: "2025-12-16T00:03:00.000Z" updatedDate: "2025-12-16T01:26:31.000Z" description: "Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger look back on the top theology stories of 2025 and discuss the year to come, including some new projects." categories: [Gospelbound] --- Join Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger for their annual discussion as they look back on the top theology stories of 2025 and look toward the year to come. They also share their favorite interviews and books from 2025, updates on personal projects, and what they’re each looking forward to in life and ministry in 2026. --- ### In This Episode 01:04 – The year of commas: trends and implications 03:46 – Persecution of the church in China 06:02 – Legacy of influential leaders who died in 2025 07:28 – The shift in evangelical influence 10:33 – The influence of Kay Arthur on women in the church 12:30 – Cultural fragmentation and media influence 16:18 – Changes in church leadership: archbishop of Canterbury and Catholic pope 22:13 – Encouraging trends in church attendance 30:43 – Penal substitutionary atonement and John Mark Comer 41:40 – The role of AI in spirituality and the church 54:23 – The effect of Charlie Kirk’s death on theological discussions 1:11:29 – Book recommendations and personal reflections 1:12:28 – Blaise Pascal: The Enlightenment’s most influential thinker? 1:17:13 – Diverse reading: personal stories and historical contexts 1:20:14 – The beauty of writing: truth and aesthetic 1:25:17 – New project: *Churchill and Lewis: For the Salvation of the World* 1:35:40 – How you can support TGC **Resources Mentioned** - *[Theo of Golden](https://www.amazon.com/Theo-Golden-Novel-Allen-Levi/dp/1668236516/?tag=thegospcoal-20)* by Allen Levi - [*Believe*](https://www.amazon.com/Believe-Why-Everyone-Should-Religious/dp/0310367581?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Ross Douthat - [*Superbloom*](https://www.amazon.com/Superbloom-Technologies-Connection-Tear-Apart/dp/1324064617?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Nicholas Carr - [*Everything Is Never Enough*](https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Never-Enough-Ecclesiastes-Surprising/dp/0593601319?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Bobby Jamieson - *[Blaise Pascal](https://www.amazon.com/Blaise-Pascal-Made-Modern-World/dp/1399807641/?tag=thegospcoal-20)* by Graham Tomlin - [*Future Tenses of the Blessed Life*](https://www.amazon.com/Future-Tenses-Blessed-Life/dp/1120882915?tag=thegospcoal-20) by F. B. Meyer - [*The Case Against the Sexual Revolution*](https://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Sexual-Revolution/dp/1509549994?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Louise Perry - [*I Seek a Kind Person*](https://www.amazon.com/Seek-Kind-Person-Children-Holocaust/dp/139980331X?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Julian Borger - [*The Gift of All Gifts*](https://www.amazon.com/Gift-All-Gifts-Celebrating-Christmas/dp/0736991956/?tag=thegospcoal-20) by Melissa Kruger - [*The Deep Dish*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-deep-dish/id1794426491) (podcast) - [*The Rest Is History*](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rest-is-history/id1537788786) (podcast) - [TGC Church Directory](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/churches/) - [The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/thekellercenter/) - *[Making Sense of Us](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/making-sense-of-us/)* by The Keller Center fellows - [TGC’s 2026 Women’s Conference](https://www.tgcw26.com/event/45cdc8e9-e0ab-4967-83cb-624ce8ec3f32/home) - [RTS Women’s Bible Study](https://rts.edu/campuses/charlotte/community/bible-studies/) --- SIGN UP for my newsletter, [Unseen Things](https://pages.thegospelcoalition.org/subscribe-gospelbound?_gl=1*h8jhpt*_gcl_au*MTgwNDEwMDE2Ni4xNzUzMzc5MTE3*_ga*MTU2NzgyMjU4Ni4xNzUzMzc5MTE3*_ga_R61P3F5MSN*czE3NTcwODg2MDEkbzEzJGcxJHQxNzU3MDg4ODQ3JGo0OCRsMCRoMA..*_ga_3FT6QZ0XX1*czE3NTcwODg2MDEkbzEzJGcxJHQxNzU3MDg4ODQ3JGo0OCRsMCRoMA..)*.* *Help The Gospel Coalition renew and unify the contemporary church in the ancient gospel:* [Donate today](https://www.tgc.org/together). Don’t miss an episode of *Gospelbound* with Collin Hansen: - [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/gospelbound/id1499898207) - [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/0kRYr5FTKr5ru1N7MR65Br) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@thegospelcoalition) - [TGC Updates](https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/newsletters)