After three and a half years, The Christian Chronicle Podcast is going to sound — and look — a little different.
Wes McAdams and Marcus Stenson — the hosts of the “Radically Christian” podcast — expressed excitement as they take over as the new hosts for the Chronicle’s podcast.
“If I can even play a small part in encouraging and promoting unity, especially within our fellowship, I want to be a part of that,” McAdams said.
Listeners are familiar with the voice of B.T. Irwin, who has been the podcast’s host since it launched in January 2023.
But he’s stepping back from his role with the podcast as he devotes himself fully to leading economic empowerment programs with a Christian community development organization in metro Detroit. Irwin described his work connecting and training unemployed and underemployed neighbors for new careers and jobs as “some of the hardest pastoral and teaching work I’ve ever done.”
“We’re so grateful for B.T.’s work since 2023 and the vision he brought to the Chronicle podcast,” said Bobby Ross Jr., the Chronicle’s editor-in-chief, noting that the show earned national recognition from the Religion News Association earlier this year.
“After lamenting B.T.’s departure, my first email was to Wes and Marcus,” Ross added. “They have such a friendly nature and respectful tone. I asked, ‘Would you ever consider partnering with the Chronicle on a podcast?’ I’m so pleased they prayed about it and said yes.”
“I know that The Christian Chronicle Podcast’s best days are ahead of it, and that this ministry is in good hands and good heads and good hearts.”
The outgoing host recently welcomed McAdams and Stenson as they take his place in the recording studio. Irwin recorded his last episode in June, interviewing the new hosts and producer Kenzie James as part of the transition. McAdams and Stenson’s first episode will be released on July 17.
“I know that The Christian Chronicle Podcast’s best days are ahead of it, and that this ministry is in good hands and good heads and good hearts,” Irwin said.
Kenzie James works as a camera operator during a basketball game at Harding University in Searcy, Ark.
Besides hosting podcasts, McAdams preaches for the Church of Christ on McDermott Road in Plano, Texas, and Stenson preaches for the Leander Church of Christ in Texas. However, Stenson is moving to Virginia in August to serve as the pulpit minister for the Church of Christ in Falls Church.
James is a senior multimedia journalism major at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., and is interning at the Chronicle’s Oklahoma City office for a second summer. She grew up in Tallahassee, Fla., where she attended the Timberlane Church of Christ.
“We had already invited Kenzie to focus on audio and video journalism this summer, so the timing has been perfect,” Ross said. “We’re excited about her producing the podcast even as she returns to Harding.”
Stenson told Irwin in the interview that he hopes their experience as ministers will help in their role as hosts.
“My hope, B.T., is really that Wes and I will both be able to bring some of that insight from really, hopefully, having our fingers on the pulse from inside of congregations,” Stenson said.
Starting the conversation
In addition to hearing McAdams and Stenson’s voices, audience members are now able to see their faces through a new video format available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and RSS feed. For listeners who prefer audio only, the podcast will function as normal on all the same platforms.
The structure of the podcast going forward will be a little different. Each episode will now have two segments. The first segment will be a conversation among McAdams, Stenson and a member of the Chronicle staff about the latest news.
“We are going to continue to let The Christian Chronicle staff play the role of journalists, and we will continue to play the role of evangelists, ministers, preachers,” McAdams said. “(We’ll) lean on people like Kenzie, who’s with us, and her expertise in what is happening in the Churches of Christ, and then Marcus and I will kind of lean into that and share our thoughts on those things, and talk about what we can do with this news … and how we can go from here.”
In the second half of each episode, the hosts will interview guests, similar to Irwin’s longtime interview format.
McAdams said that he and Stenson want to interview people with different perspectives within the church. Churches of Christ are diverse, and the new hosts want to have conversations that encourage unity, kindness and peace — even when Christians may disagree on specific topics.
B.T. Irwin, Marcus Stenson and Wes McAdams record an episode of The Christian Chronicle Podcast.
Stenson said he’s also excited for the chance to dive deeper into some of the stories from the print editions of the Chronicle. Stories in the paper are limited by the amount of space on a page, and the podcast creates the opportunity for McAdams and Stenson to share aspects of the stories that didn’t make the cut.
“There will certainly be some unique offerings that we bring together that aren’t going to be in print,” Stenson said. “I think it’s really important to respect the diversity of the Chronicle audience that is growing on digital platforms, and to give as many different outlets as possible for people to connect with the content in a meaningful way.”
