Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

The frontman for the legendary rock band Stryper says Christians almost alienated him and his bandmates from the church some three decades ago and that the church still hasn't overcome its judgmental tendencies. Lead singer Michael Sweet and his brother Robert became Christians by watching TV preacher Jimmy Swaggart and then, years later, gained worldwide fame for their metal songs, their Bible-infused lyrics, their big hair and their yellow and black attire. They tossed Bibles to their fans. They attracted teens with edgy lyrics (To Hell with the Devil). They received a Grammy nomination.  Listen to his interview with Christian Headlines writer Michael Foust to hear how Sweet balances the sound of metal with the themes of faith. Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In Mr. Manhattan, Carlos portrays a businessman whose life is turned upside down when he learns his brother and sister-in-law have been tragically killed – and he’s been placed in charge of raising their two children. It is the 10th time or so, Carlos said, that he and his wife have portrayed an on-screen couple. Alexa may be best known for her roles in the Spy Kids movies, while Carlos became a well-known name for his role in the Nickelodeon series Big Time Rush (which is also the name of his music group). All total, they have more than 150 project titles to their names.  They have a passion for family-focused content. “Something that is becoming harder and harder that we're really trying to get a handle on, is keeping things safe for the family and keeping things pure for the family, including content for children,” said Alexa. “I think it is getting harder and harder for parents to navigate. Like: Is this going to be okay for my kid? Because the standards are changing so much to what is considered family-friendly now and what isn't." This video is brought to you by Crosswalk (https://crosswalk.com)  Read more here: https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/michael-foust/carlos-and-alexa-penavega-declare-god-is-their-foundation-our-faith-is-everything.html  Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“Whatever trauma, whatever darkness, whatever hard things you've gone through -- God's molded something beautiful out of that and that's allowing you to be who you are today, whether that's a husband, a father, a mother, a wife. … I'm not saying that we're asking for dark things or trauma in our life, but it happens." The same director who was behind the 2023 hit movie The Blind and the 2018 biblical film Paul, Apostle of Christ says his newest project, Angel Studios’ Sight, will inspire audiences to trust God through the trials of life. Sight (PG-13) tells the true-life story of a young Chinese boy who grows up with a dream to be a doctor but faces severe challenges and persecution when schools close during the Cultural Revolution of the 60s and 70s. That boy, Ming Wang, overcomes the odds during a move to America to become one of the world’s top eye doctors whose innovations restore sight to the blind. He also becomes a Christian.  It hits theaters May 24 and is being released by Angel Studios, the same studio that released Sound of Freedom. Director Andrew Hyatt said the film urges believers to ask: How does God work through the trials of life? “We may not all have Ming's past and the trials and tribulations that he went through, but we all have something that … we grow from, we learn from,” Hyatt told Crosswalk Headlines. “You get to this place in life where you look back, and all those trials have made you who God wanted you to be today.”  Want more? Head over to Crosswalk.com to read the accompanying article! Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Author and speaker Amanda Jenkins acknowledges that a Bible study on suffering isn’t likely a popular topic, but she adds that it can be life-changing. Jenkins, the lead creator of additional content for the hit series The Chosen and the wife of the series creator, Dallas Jenkins, is the co-author of the new Bible study God’s Goodness for The Chosen, which is a companion to Season 4 and explores how God uses suffering to bring about good in the lives of those He loves. Season 4 of The Chosen spotlights suffering more so than previous seasons when a character suffers a tragic death, and Jesus’ followers are left wondering why He didn’t intervene. Jenkins said that the Bible study’s eight lessons tackle that issue.  “We're dealing with some of the harder questions,” she said. The topic of suffering is personal for Jenkins.  “We have a daughter who's chronically ill,” she told Crosswalk Headlines. “And so it's really a double whammy of suffering. Because it's hard for me that I'm watching her suffer, and I can't stop it. And [God’s] not stopping it. And so what seems loving to me as her mom is not the thing He's choosing, but He is love. So, how do you work that out? So those are the kinds of things that we talk all through the study about — what we want from God versus what we get from God."  Listen to the entire interview here! Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The frontman from the award-winning Christian band We Are Messengers says his testimony is proof that Jesus can rescue anyone – even a rock band member who rejected God and spent countless nights sleeping with strangers and partying until he was unconscious.  Listen in as Darren shares how he went from drinking heavily to searching for the answers to life's biggest questions - and eventually, finding the answers in Christ. “Dead men can't raise themselves and blind men can't teach themselves to see – only Jesus does that,” Darren said. “So when I was 27, Jesus ran into my grave and pulled me out of it, and has changed my life.” Find More from Darren at: https://wearemessengersmusic.com/ Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“God redeems our story, no matter how hard it gets,” St. James told Crosswalk Headlines' Michael Foust. “And I think a lot of people are discouraged in our world today. They're discouraged about marriage, they're discouraged about family life, they're discouraged about faith. A lot of people, I think, need hope and need to be reminded that God is the great redeemer of our story and of our life. I think that's why people are responding to the film the way that they are.” Listen in to hear more from Rebecca St James on her faith, family and her new movie Unsung Hero!  Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

An actress who made a name for herself on Broadway before venturing into Great American Family and Hallmark movies says her faith and a specific Bible passage have been the guiding light in her career. Laura Osnes is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her performances on Broadway in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella and Bonnie & Clyde and the winner of the role of “Sandy” in the 2007 NBC reality series Grease: You're the One That I Want! She’s appeared on PBS’ A Capitol Fourth three times.  In recent years, though, she has become known for her roles in family-friendly romantic comedies. She has a lead role in Just In Time, a new movie on Great American Pure Flix that Candace Cameron Bure executive produced. “I often wonder how people survive in the entertainment industry without a firm foundation, because it is so volatile,” she told Crosswalk Headlines, referencing faith. “There are times of highs and there are times of lows -- you are told no a lot in this industry. And you have to be so solid and grounded in who you are and who you're called to be and what you're called to do." Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Anne Wilson has a message for fans of her Christian music: She’s not abandoning the faith-centric genre. She is, though, leaning into country music more than ever. Her sophomore album, Rebel (April 19), leads with a fast-paced country tune and includes a country flare throughout most of the 16 tracks, including several -- God and Country, for example -- that sound like they were written with pickup trucks in mind. The album cover features Wilson in a cowboy hat. Wilson, though, is rejecting labels. Read the accompanying article here: https://shorturl.at/lquzF  Cover Art Image Credit: Robby Klein Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

A discussion with 89-year-old Pat Boone isn’t merely a trip down memory lane. The energetic singer and actor -- who is celebrating 70 years in entertainment -- is still busy. He has a new album, Country Jubilee, with 25 songs, including the whimsical tune Grits. He has a new faith-centric book, If, that urges readers to consider their eternal destiny.  He plays Thomas Jefferson in an upcoming film, An American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic. Boone’s character is portrayed in the new movie Reagan, which stars Dennis Quaid as the former president and is scheduled for an August release. While other music stars were falling into temptation -- if not dying in drug overdoses -- Boone stayed true to his Christian faith. Raised in the church, Boone had a wife and children as he was rising to stardom. His public image became one of a church-going rock star. “I was so blessed. …This platform was given to me miraculously -- and for a reason... I sensed it. I knew that God gave me a platform from which I could express my own faith and my own life, my lifestyle, without having to make any explanations.” Watch the accompanying video here: https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/michael-foust/pat-boone-friendship-elvis-reagan-god.html  Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

What can we learn about the story of Dagon and how does it fit into our lives? This bonus episode from "The Crosswalk Devotional" will give you some questions and hopefully some answers too. If you want to hear more, consider subscribing to "The Crosswalk Devotional" on Spotify, or Apple today! "Even as believers in Christ, we are prone to fall into the temptations to make "gods" out of people places or things. But they all fail in comparison to Jesus." - Emma Danzey SUBSCRIBE to our sister podcasts:Your Daily Prayer: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-prayer/Your Daily Bible Verse: https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-daily-bible-verse/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.