 Family isn’t just your immediate relatives, it should also include your church. In this episode of True Vs. Truth, Matt and Danielle Forte explain what it means to be a part of a church family and what your church should provide for you as a Christian.   

True Vs. Truth Podcast

Blessings, Callings, and the Church Family

As a pastor, father, and person of color, Dr. Loritts weighs in on the important role that Christianity and God’s word plays in family, government, and the church. What is our responsibility as Christians living in a democracy? As an avid advocate for democracy and systemic change, Dr. Loritts understands that the word of God does not fit perfectly into the political parties that America is divided into. Instead, Dr. Loritts encourages Christians to care for people of all ages and races and to vote in a way that supports human life and paves the way for an equal, peaceful world. “We need to be voting and voting in such a way that brings human flourishing.” How do we show love and acceptance for all people in our churches? Dr. Bryan Loritts experienced significant racial trauma as a black man in theology school, despite the messages that his Christian classmates and professors were teaching and preaching. To combat the racism he’s personally experienced and the systematic racism that all people of color experience in America, Dr. Loritts preaches strong messages of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and justice. “When God blesses me to get into a position of authority, I want to give back.” Are there ways to make disciples of our family? As a family man with a wife and 3 kids, Dr. Loritts believes strongly in bringing the message of God into both his marriage and his parenting. Through preparing his sons for the lives they have ahead of them and supporting his wife as his primary relationship, Dr. Loritts encourages discipleship among his family and builds a strong foundation of love and respect at home. “My kids are getting an education of what it’s like to love a woman based on watching how I treat my wife.” An excerpt from this week’s prayer: “Heavenly father, I recognize that I am a sinner and that I am in need of a savior. And I believe that your son, Jesus Christ, came down here to die for our sins. I believe that he died on the cross and that, on the third day. Lord, you are the Lord over my life, and I submit my own will and I now look to your will for my life.”

Dr. Bryan Loritts - Faith Starts With Family

 When we talk about faith and family, we also have to talk about the youngest members of our families: children. As parents themselves of 3 children, Matt and Danielle spend this episode of True Vs Truth talking about raising their kids to be faithful followers of God and teaching them to be genuine believers in his word.   When should parents start introducing faith into their children’s lives?   Faithfulness starts at a young age and the Forte’s are living proof of how God can and should be introduced to children when they’re still learning about the world. With children at the ages of 10, 7, and 5, the Forte’s practice teaching their children bible verses to make sure that their kids grow up with a deep knowledge of the bible and of all the lessons within it.     “Our children are the first disciples, besides each other, within the home and we have to take that seriously and intentionally.”  What are children gaining from studying and learning God’s word?   As children grow and experience the world around them, they will need the grace and wisdom to make good decisions and to honor God in their actions. It’s up to parents to show their children how to be loyal followers of God so that they can live their lives according to God’s plan and can show up as good Christians in everything they do.   “God's word is so deep that we can never touch the bottom but shallow enough for babies to swim in.”  How do blended families practice faith together?   Matt and Danielle know the struggle of parenting from a distance with one of their children living partially with another parent. For many families, this is their reality and it can feel impossible to teach faith from afar and to feel connected as a family. However, nothing is impossible with help from God and from his guiding word, especially when we dedicate ourselves as Christians to make disciples of all of God’s children.  “Unfortunately, you have to do it over the phone, but that’s better than not doing it at all.”  

Raising Children of God

Continuing on with our season 3 theme of family, True Vs. Truth welcomes on the preacher, speaker, author, and mother Nona Jones. Recalling her past trauma and paving the way with her ministry, Nona shares with us how she promotes family, healing, and Christ’s word both in real life and on social media.

Nona Jones - Finding Healing After Trauma

The word “toxic” is thrown around a lot in today’s world, but do we really know what it means? On this episode of True Vs. Truth, Matt, and Danielle break down the reasons why so many toxic relationships exist around us, especially within our own families, as well as give us the guiding words from God to focus on transformative prayer and patient wisdom when dealing with conflicts in our relationships with one another.   

The Antidote to Family Toxicity

 As season 3 of True Vs. Truth dares to dive further into the topic of family, Matt and Danielle share their beliefs on what it means to be a family in our modern world. With the many complex issues and conflicts plaguing and overwhelming our society, it’s important that we reflect inward to focus on the current state of family and how we can improve our relationships with family members through God’s guidance.   

Modern Discipleship Within the Family

From making sense of the loss of prominent celebrity figures to contextualizing current protests against racial injustice, talking about God with guests from around the country to working through a pandemic, it has been a season of ups and downs for Matt and Danielle and they’re proud to share what they’ve learned and how we can all continue to allow God to guide us through these uncertain times.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

In the latest episode of True Vs. Truth, Matt, and Danielle Forte are joined by special guest AJ McQueen, a rapper, activist, and revolutionary. AJ shares his own story with Matt and Danielle about his past struggle with gang violence and imparts his wisdom about creating systems, speaking up, and channeling Christ in activism and advocacy.

Creating Systemic Change w/ AJ McQueen

Adisa Bakari joins Matt and Danielle to discuss racism, injustice, and accountability. 

Addressing Injustice and Racism

This is the first episode of a series called Truth talk where we dive into the toughest of conversations to bring action and healing to certain issues that have plagued america as well as the world for centuries. This episode is a panel conversation about racism and injustice consisting of Geof Morin the CEO of Biblica, Dr. Charlie E. Dates, Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church on the southside of Chicago and Pastor of Woodmen Valley chapel in Denver Josh Lindstrom. We dive deep into the topic of race and injustice in america coming off the heels of the public lynching of Ahmaud Arbery that was covered up but went viral.

God’s Guidance in a Racist World

Matt and Danielle sit down with Jimmy Legree a former NFL cornerback who has transitioned into the military and Greg Matthews who is a veteran amongst many other accolades who's testimony will leave you amazed and inspired to serve.

Wild Awakenings & Veteran Appreciation

In the third episode of season two of the True Vs. Truth podcast, Matt and Danielle Forte aren’t asking “How are you?” Instead, they are asking, “How is your soul?” Through discussing the deeper feelings we are all experiencing during these uncertain times, Matt and Danielle advocate for developing a stronger relationship with Christ, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian.

Understanding Peace in Turmoil

In the second episode of the second season of True Vs. Truth, Matt and Danielle Forte are joined by special guest Pastor Charlie Dates from the Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago,Illinois. Pastor Dates discusses the recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with Matt and Danielle and provides the listeners of True Vs. Truth with the guidance needed to navigate these troubling times and to maintain their faith.

Finding Christ in COVID-19

Welcome to the second season of True Vs. Truth with Matt and Danielle Forte. In this episode, we give a brief recap of what we’ve learned from season one of our podcast and then transition into an in-depth discussion about grief, tragedy, and loss, and what we should do when we encounter these things. You can connect with Matt and Danielle through Instagram: Matt Forte - @mforte22 Danielle Forte - danielleforte8.28 You can keep up with all things happening with Biblica through https://www.biblica.com/ You can share this podcast using this link: Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-vs-truth-podcast/id1478817553

Where is God?

Matt and Danielle sit down with former world-class gymnast and author Kim Anthony, who's testimony has tested and built her into the champion she is today. 

There are no mistakes.... Only God's divine plan!

In this day of self-defined truth based on cultural norms and science, our podcast is meant to expose the myths and illusions plaguing truth through a focus on the absolute truth of God’s Living Word. The world needs this truth, and this podcast is here to accurately provide it through testimonies of God's faithful, everlasting Word.