What makes faith believable in a world where the Church so often seems to undermine its own message?

Credible Witness is a new podcast for those who’ve wrestled with that question—not with cynicism, but with courage. Hosted by public theologian Nikki Toyama-Szeto, the show features weekly, story-rich interviews with Christians from across traditions and perspectives. These are not sanitized testimonies or PR spins on institutional faith—they’re lived stories of conviction, doubt, joy, protest, surrender, and hope. Each guest offers a glimpse into what it means to bear faithful witness in a fractured world—and why the credibility of Christianity may not hinge on who’s right, but on who is still showing up in love.

As dominant cultural narratives threaten to hollow out the gospel—reducing it to political branding or moral certainty—Credible Witness invites listeners to remember something deeper: the radical, relational, justice-shaped love of Jesus. Whether you’re deeply committed, quietly disillusioned, or spiritually seeking, these conversations are for you. Not to resolve every tension, but to remind you that a more beautiful Church is not only possible—it’s already being lived.

Transcript

Nikki Toyama-Szeto  Join us this summer for a new podcast that listens closely to the faithful lives of Christians, asking hard questions about what it means to be a credible church today. The complicated questions, the painful questions, the profound yet beautiful questions. The questions we’re sometimes afraid to even ask, let alone answer.

I’m Nikki Toyama-Szeto, and this is Credible Witness.

In this inaugural season, every Monday will feature stories, perspectives, and wisdom from people wrestling with, and bearing witness to, the credibility of Christian life in the United States.

Throughout its history, the church has faced a near constant temptation to assimilate, to imitate, and to capitalize on the dominant powers of the world.

This is no less true today as implausible versions of Christianity grow. Often it’s the church that most undermines faith by copying culture rather than following Jesus. This diminishes the credibility of the gospel and reveals a failure of Christian moral imagination in action.

Jesus came to redefine reality marked by a shockingly radical love, an act of justice for the vulnerable, a communal imagination that offers hope, joy, justice, and common flourishing.

The church is meant to be a credible witness to this living reality.

Each episode of the podcast is an invitation to journey with one person as they share their story of Christian faithfulness in their own words from their own context in light of all that their life includes. We hear from pastors, leaders, scholars, and everyday believers from different Christian denominations, social locations, gender, geography, ethnicity, and political views. Some stories emerge from joy and enduring hope. Others are shaped by deep pain, hurt, and struggle. All of them bear credible witness to Christ in ways both ordinary and extraordinary.

Each voice reminds us that the church is not a fixed institution. It’s a living relational body, still becoming, still beloved, not through just one cultural lens, but through many, together. An alternative to the echo chambers that divide us. Each guest challenges us to listen bravely and recognize our own blind spots, especially those that divert the church from showing itself as God’s new humanity by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is Credible Witness. Finding stories of faithfulness and the courage to listen.

Episodes drop Mondays starting July 28th. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts.

Credible Witness is brought to you by the Rethinking Church Initiative. For more information, visit crediblewitness.us.

More Episodes

• Episode 9 | October 6, 2025

  Alexia Salvatierra on Family, Bridgebuilding, and Power

  Activist-theologian Alexia Salvatierra shares stories of bridgebuilding across generations, identities, and wounds. In conversation with Nikki Toyama-Szeto, she reveals how HIspanic communities embody a living gospel—vital, Spirit-led, and collective—where suffering becomes a source of liberation and the church learns again to accompany, share power, and dance toward renewal.

• Episode 8 | September 25, 2025

  Robert Chao Romero on the Brown Church, Activism, and Ancestral Faith

  Robert Chao Romero joins Nikki Toyama-Szeto on Credible Witness to discuss Brown Church, a 500-year tradition of Latino Christian justice. Blending Mexican, Chinese, and Christian heritage, Romero shares his story of faith, belonging, and academic calling. He highlights liberation theology, Antonio de Montesinos’s 1511 sermon, Christ outside the gate, and the cultural treasures of all nations in Revelation 21—revealing a vision for the church as beloved community—where every culture and identity contributes to the glory of God.

• Episode 7 | September 15, 2025

  Walter Kim on the Impoverished Gospel, Belonging, and Public Faith

  Walter Kim, President of the National Association of Evangelicals, explores evangelicalism’s identity crisis and the call to a comprehensive gospel. From immigrant stories and multicultural ministry to critiques of fear-driven witness, Kim shares personal experiences and biblical vision for rethinking church. Discover how holistic gospel brings transformation across individuals, communities, and systems.

• Episode 6 | September 1, 2025

  Brianna Parker on Brilliance and Calling in the Black Church

  Explore Reverend Dr. Brianna Parker’s journey of faith, resilience, and innovation in the Black church. In this Credible Witness conversation with Nikki Toyama-Szeto, she defines Black brilliance, celebrates Black joy, and shares how data, authenticity, and courage can help churches flourish. Parker’s vision offers hope and renewal for Christian communities today.

• Episode 5 | August 25, 2025

  Mark Labberton on Curiosity, Community, and the Beauty of the Church

  This episode of Credible Witness with Nikki Toyama-Szeto features Mark Labberton reflecting on the credibility of the church in today’s fractured culture. Drawing on his pastoral experience in Berkeley, his leadership at Fuller Seminary, and his response during the AIDS crisis, Labberton challenges listeners with the urgent question: Will the church live its peculiar Jesus-centered identity? Themes include Schleiermacher’s “cultured despisers,” the scandal of small-making, public credibility, curiosity, and the Rethinking Church Initiative.

• Episode 4 | August 18, 2025

  Santiago Mellado on Heritage, Identity, and Global Citizenship

  Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado—Olympian and CEO of Compassion International—shares his journey of faith, identity, and leadership. From growing up across continents to leading the Willow Creek Association and serving global churches through Compassion, Mellado reflects on belonging, diversity, and what it means to be known and loved. His story challenges listeners to rethink church, embrace identity, and rediscover the credibility of the gospel today.

• Episode 3 | August 11, 2025

  Tara Beth on Women, Leadership, and God’s Mission

  Tara Beth Leach, pioneering female pastor, recounts her calling, opposition, and perseverance. From historic pulpits to painful smear campaigns, she navigates sexism, criticism, and hope. In conversation with Nikki Toyama-Szeto, she offers a redemptive vision of the church rooted in Jesus’s enduring belief in his people and the mission of God.

• Episode 2 | August 4, 2025

  Jemar Tisby on History, Courage, and Place

  Jemar Tisby uncovers the deep spiritual and historical meaning of place, memory, and justice. From the haunting beauty of the Mississippi Delta’s cotton fields to the riverbank where Emmett Till’s body was found, Tisby shows how place carries history—and how Christians are called to remember truthfully, confront complicity, and pursue justice with courage.

• Episode 1 | July 28, 2025

  Staying with Jesus When the Church’s Credibility Is at Stake

  In the premiere episode of Credible Witness, host Nikki Toyama-Szeto is joined by theologian and public historian Jemar Tisby and pastor and scholar Mark Labberton to explore how the witness of the church has become compromised—and what might restore its credibility.