Christians as Joyful Outsiders, Finding Unity in Diversity, Engaging Culture Without Fear - w/ Keith Simon

MAG - Marriage advice, Relationship Encouragement, We discuss Sex, Money, Finances and everything In-between, Marriage Tips a

Aaron & Jennifer Smith

Christianity, Relationships, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality, Health & Fitness, Arts, Books, Self-improvement, Education, Kids & Family, Sexuality, Spirituality, Parenting

5 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2025

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today's episode of the Marriage After God podcast, Aaron interviews Keith Simon, co-author of "Joyful Outsiders" and co-host of the Truth Over Tribe podcast. After 35 years of marriage and raising four children, Keith shares his wisdom on how Christians can positively influence culture without conforming to it. As a pastor in Columbia, Missouri, Keith explains how believers can embrace their role as outsiders in an increasingly post-Christian world, while maintaining joy and unity within the diverse body of Christ.

In this thought-provoking conversation, we explore:

How Christians have always been outsiders since Genesis 3, and why this role should be embraced rather than resisted
The six different ways believers can engage culture: as ambassadors, trainers, builders, protesters, advisors, and artists
Why unity doesn't require uniformity, and how the diversity of gifts within the church strengthens our cultural witness
The dangers of retreating from, conforming to, or fighting against culture instead of joyfully engaging it
How parents can raise children who are confident in their faith despite cultural opposition
The importance of seeing other Christians as teammates rather than competitors, even when approaches differ
Why Jesus calls us to be "in the world but not of it" and how to navigate this tension
How focusing on Christ as King brings perspective to political and cultural changes
Practical ways families can cultivate joy in their faith journey regardless of external circumstances

Whether you're feeling discouraged by cultural shifts, struggling to know how to engage with the world around you, or seeking to raise children with a confident faith, this conversation offers biblical wisdom for approaching life as a joyful outsider.

Please subscribe to our channel on YouTube, iTunes, or Spotify and leave us a star rating and review to help us reach new listeners. Your support and feedback mean the world to us!

Connect with Keith Simon:

Book: "Joyful Outsiders: Six Ways to Live Like Jesus in a Disorienting Culture" (co-authored with Patrick Miller)
Website: joyfuloutsiders.com
Previous Book: "Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to the Lamb, Not the Donkey or the Elephant"
Podcast: Truth Over Tribe and Ten Minute Bible Talks

Follow Marriage After God:

Instagram: Marriage After God - https://www.instagram.com/marriageaftergod
Instagram: Unveiled Wife - https://www.instagram.com/unveiledwife
Instagram: Husband Revolution - https://www.instagram.com/husbandrevolution

Support this podcast:

Shop: https://shop.marriageaftergod.com/
Become a patron: https://marriageaftergod.com/patron

KEY WORDS: Marriage After God, Aaron Smith, Keith Simon, joyful outsiders, Christian engagement, cultural influence, biblical unity, cultural diversity, Christian parenting, faith and culture, body of Christ, Christian witness, biblical perspective, cultural outsiders, church unity, Truth Over Tribe

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/marriageaftergod/donations

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey friends, I just wanted to talk to you for a few seconds.
0:02.8	We're going to get into the content soon.
0:04.3	But if you're new to this show, we just want to invite you to subscribe.
0:07.0	We're trying to see 2025 be a year of growth and expansion.
0:10.8	We just need people like you to subscribe to our channel and to share about the episodes
0:15.2	that you just are totally in love with on social media.
0:18.3	And then lastly, if you can leave us a review today, we'd greatly appreciate it.
0:23.0	The algorithms will appreciate it.
0:25.0	And so thank you so much for joining us on the Marriage of God podcast.
0:28.4	And I just pray that you enjoy this content.
0:31.9	Hey, everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Marriage, I forgot podcast.
0:34.7	I'm Aaron Smith, your host.
0:36.2	In today's episode, I get to talk to
0:38.1	Keith Simon. He's the author of the book, Joyful Outsiders, right here. Great cover, by the way.
0:45.9	He's a pastor of a church in Missouri, and he's a husband of 35 years to his wife, and he's got four
0:52.7	kids. And we have an awesome conversation about this
0:55.5	book and about just the fact that we're all outsiders as believers. And we talk about how to
1:01.3	deal with being outsiders in this current culture and climate and how Christians ever since
1:06.9	Christianity existed have been outsiders. And so if you've ever wondered how are we supposed
1:12.9	to engage with current culture, how are we supposed to engage with politics, how are we supposed
1:16.7	to engage with differences within the church even with other types of believers out there?
1:22.0	We talked about all of those things in today's episode. So I just pray that this episode blesses you.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Aaron & Jennifer Smith, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Aaron & Jennifer Smith and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.