The Rise of Christian Influencing (And Why It Makes People Uncomfortable)

Happy & Healthy with Jeanine Amapola Ward

That Sounds Fun Network

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Society & Culture, Relationships

4.8 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kaleb and I had a really honest conversation about something that’s been on our hearts lately: Is Christian social media actually helping people grow in their faith, or could it sometimes be hurting them? We talked about the incredible ways God has used social media to reach people, share the Gospel, and build community, but we also wrestled with the challenges that come with Christian influencing, performative faith, monetizing ministry, comparison, and call-out culture. This conversation was especially personal because we’ve both experienced different sides of the Christian creator world. We discussed the tension between sharing your faith publicly and keeping your relationship with God authentic and personal. Kaleb opened up about why he sometimes struggles with faith-based content online, while I shared how God has used social media in my own journey and in the lives of so many others. One of our biggest takeaways? Christian influencers can inspire us, but they should never replace our personal relationship with Jesus, our local church, or real-life Christian community. Social media can be an amazing tool, but it should point us back to God—not become the source of our faith. Mentioned Resources Follow Luke Lezon ORDER MY BOOK!⁠⁠ This book is for the person looking for a practical guide on how to navigate life’s most common challenges. from lack of confidence and making difficult decisions to healing yourself from the inside and out and dating wiser, becoming healthy and healthy is your one stop shop to learning how to heal and thrive in life, God’s way. Thanks to Our Sponsors Wayfair: Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wayfair.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now to shop all things home. Grand Canyon University: Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GCU.edu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to learn more. Shopify: Start your business today with the industry’s best business partner, ⁠⁠Shopify⁠⁠. The Wonder Project: Subscriber support makes more great content like I Gotta Ask with Annie F. Downs possible. The Wonder Project subscription on Prime Video is available in the U.S. for $8.99/month or $89.99/year after a 7-day free trial.Visit ⁠⁠ tinyurl.com/HAHIGottaAsk⁠⁠⁠ to learn more! If you’d like to partner with Jeanine as a sponsor for the Happy & Healthy podcast, fill out our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Advertise With Us⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ form! Follow us on Instagram!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Happy and Healthy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeanine⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeanine and Kaleb⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on TikTok! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Happy and Healthy⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jeanine⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	There are Christians out there who spend years thinking that they're broken or failing God because they're struggling with unwanted, distressing thoughts. I'm talking about the thoughts that interrupt worship. Will God forgive me if I make a mistake in my prayer? I need to start over and do it perfectly. Or blasphemous images that pop into your head and make you feel like you've sin for just thinking them. Unwanted thoughts like these aren't a spiritual failure. They could be due to a common
0:21.7	but overlooked condition, religious OCD. Religious OCD, also known as scrupulosity OCD, can turn your faith
0:28.4	into a source of constant guilt, doubt, and fear. But because OCD is still widely misunderstood,
0:33.9	a lot of people don't even know that it can focus on their faith. That's why it is so important
0:38.0	to know that OCD isn't just about being neat or organized like the stereotypes suggest. OCD latches
0:44.0	onto what you care about most, causing a cycle of distressing intrusive thoughts and behaviors done to get
0:48.6	rid of the anxiety they create, like praying until it feels just right, repeatedly confessing
0:53.9	the same sin, or trying to
0:55.8	figure out your thoughts. Any relief from these behaviors is short-lived so the cycle keeps going.
1:01.4	Religious OCD isn't something to be ashamed of or suffer from in silence. It's a common type of
1:06.1	OCD, and it's highly treatable with the right kind of specialized therapy, and that's where
1:10.2	no CD comes in.
1:11.6	NoCD is the world's leading OCD treatment provider and all their licensed therapists are trained in ERP or exposure and response prevention therapy and the most effective treatment for OCD.
1:21.5	NoCD therapists deeply understand OCD so they know that these thoughts don't mean anything about you.
1:26.9	In live virtual sessions, they'll help you break free from OCD's grip while honoring your faith
1:30.9	so you can get back to focusing on what matters most.
1:33.6	NoCD is covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans, and they provide support between
1:38.8	sessions so you're never alone.
1:40.3	If you think you might be struggling with religious OCD, don't wait.
1:43.9	Head over to nocd.com to book a free 15-minute call with their team today. If you think you might be struggling with religious OCD, don't wait. Head over to nocd.com to book a
1:46.1	free 15-minute call with their team today. That's N-O-C-D.com. Is Christian social media helpful or
1:53.7	hurtful? You can't look at social media and try to draw a conclusion on where someone is at with
	...

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