Modern leadership models tend to revolve around attaining power, loyalty, and even perfection. In today’s episode, author and Christianity Today CEO Nicole Massie Martin invites us to flip these values upside down. Drawing on Jesus’ ministry to provide a countercultural model for effective leadership, Nicole talks with Brian about the inevitability of pain in the leader’s journey, resisting the pressure to achieve perfection, and the nuances of navigating competition and partnership across the gender divide.

Nicole Massie Martin is a leader, author, speaker, teacher, and CEO of Christianity Today. Check out her book, Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender: https://www.nicolemassiemartin.com/

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In this exciting episode, Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Robert George model and expound upon the antidote to the polarization plaguing our times: a blend of intellectual humility, a hunger for truth, and a Gospel-shaped love for humankind. Dr. Joseph Clair—Associate Provost and Professor of Theology and Culture at George Fox—hosts this rousing conversation with two of America’s most influential public intellectuals.

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

From our work habits to the competitive way we rest, Americans are notorious for our “hustle and grind” culture. But what is this approach to life costing us, and is there a better way? In today’s episode, Brian and social worker Steffanie Altenbern consider alternatives from other countries, the origins of the American work ethic, and the value of putting aside optimization in favor of what truly matters.

New York Times article, “The Europeans Have Some Notes About American Sauna Culture”: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/well/european-american-sauna.html

Steffanie Altenbern is a social worker in Portland, OR and teaches at George Fox University: https://www.georgefox.edu/socialwork/faculty/altenbern.html

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Is Gen Z on the brink of an old-school revival? How are social media and AI shaping how Christians share their faith? Is exile the perfect metaphor for Christians in Portland, Oregon, today? George Fox Talks pays a visit to Palau, the global evangelistic ministry founded by Luis Palau, for a conversation with current president and CEO, Kevin Palau.

Check out Kevin’s book, Unlikely: Setting Aside Our Differences to Live Out the Gospel: https://www.amazon.com/Unlikely-Setting-Aside-Differences-Gospel/dp/1476797269

Kevin Palau is president and CEO of Palau, a global evangelistic organization based near Portland, OR: https://www.palau.org/kevin

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Death, destruction, and dismemberment in…Christian art? Artist, author, and performance speaker Scott Erickson joins Brian for a deep dive on the strange and complex season of Lent. Fueled by personal experiences of grief and loss, Scott’s “Stations in the Street” project demonstrates that facing the Bible’s darkest story (in all its gory detail) deepens our connection to Jesus Christ as “God with Us.”

Check out Stations in the Street in its entirety: https://www.scottericksonart.com/arts/stations-in-the-street

Scott Erickson creates art and moments that speak to our deepest experiences: https://www.scottericksonart.com/

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Brian and George Fox University CIO James Gurganus respond to YOUR questions about AI and faith! How is AI shaping career prospects for new graduates? How might AI that provides 'frictionless' companionship and instant emotional validation impact our spiritual growth? If a machine can think, work, and love, what’s left that makes humans special to God? Don’t miss a rousing discussion on these and other questions from two of the university’s top AI integration experts.

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

James Gurganus is the Chief Information Officer for George Fox University: https://nwacc.org/person/james-gurganus/

The DELTA Framework from the University of Notre Dame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_tQ-5njGhV0

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Professor and social worker Steffanie Altenbern joins Brian on an expedition through the “maze” of healthcare in the United States, a system they argue has become too complicated for the average person to navigate without help. Join us as we explore the reasons why, the impact on patients and providers, and some practical steps we can take to get the care we need.

Steffanie Altenbern is a social worker in Portland, OR and teaches at George Fox University: https://www.georgefox.edu/socialwork/faculty/altenbern.html

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

Stand up comedy bit on American healthcare: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIclMKPyTuS

“Uncompensated care crisis”: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2025/oct/expiring-premium-tax-credits-lead-340000-jobs-lost-2026

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-what-to-watch-in-2026/

“Healthcare anxiety”:

https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-health-tracking-poll-health-care-costs-expiring-aca-tax-credits-and-the-2026-midterms/

“Rural Care Deserts”:

https://www.aha.org/environmentalscan

“Alorithm Bias”:

https://naacp.org/resources/building-healthier-future-designing-ai-health-equity

https://dhinsights.org/news/naacp-releases-blueprint-to-tackle-bias-in-healthcare-ai

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Can physics explain the soul? Is AI building a silicon god? Should Christians be open to merging their brains with the cloud or using AI to “resurrect” a loved one? Brian and philosophy professor Isaac Choi explore these and other questions at the intersection of faith, science, and futurism.

Check out The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil: https://www.singularity.com/

Dr. Isaac Choi directs the George Fox University Honors Program: https://www.georgefox.edu/honors-program/faculty-pages/isaac-choi.html

Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor: https://www.georgefox.edu/academics/undergrad/departments/religion/faculty/doak.html

If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.