Is mysticism creeping into your church? Are you unknowingly influenced by New Age or New Thought beliefs?

In this eye-opening conversation, Jonny Ardavanis sits down with apologist and author Melissa Dougherty to unpack the subtle but dangerous ideas infiltrating modern Christianity — from the Law of Attraction and Christ consciousness to Christian mysticism, universalism, and the teachings of Richard Rohr.

Melissa shares her personal story of being deeply involved in the church while unknowingly holding occultic, unbiblical beliefs — and what finally woke her up.

📖 Topics covered: — What is New Thought and how is it different from New Age? — Law of Attraction, manifestation & Christ consciousness explained — How Oprah, Joel Osteen & the Word of Faith movement connect to New Thought — The danger of Christian mysticism and chasing spiritual experiences — Richard Rohr, universalism & progressive Christianity — The Enneagram's roots in New Thought — How to discern truth from deception

📚 Get Melissa's book Happy Lies: https://a.co/d/0e2lMldd

📺 Melissa's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaDougherty

What does it mean to abide in Christ — and why does Jesus say it's the key to everything in the Christian life?

This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu

In this episode, we open up John 15 and break down what abiding in Jesus actually looks like in practical, everyday terms. If you've ever felt like your Christian life was running on empty, or wondered why real joy and spiritual fruit seem out of reach, this conversation is for you.

We cover:

✔ What "abide in me" means (it's simpler than you think)

✔ Why union with Christ is the foundation of all spiritual growth

✔ How abiding in God's Word leads to abiding in His love

✔ The role of prayer in staying connected to Jesus

✔ What you're missing out on if you're not abiding — including the unshakeable joy Jesus promises

✔ The difference between being positionally in Christ vs. practically living it out Whether you're a new believer or a seasoned Christian, Jesus' command to abide in Him is the heartbeat of the Christian faith — not for pastors or super-evangelists, but for every follower of Christ.

📖 Key Passage: John 15:4–11

📚 Also referenced: Romans 8, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 3, John 17

🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on theology, discipleship, and living the Christian life.

Did you know the Apostle Paul — who wrote half the New Testament — never once called himself a "Christian"? Instead, he used the phrase "in Christ" nearly 200 times. In this episode, we unpack what it means to find your identity in Christ, why so many believers struggle with temptation and insecurity, and how understanding union with Christ is the grip of the entire Christian life.

This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. Join thousands living in freedom with nothing to hide, and visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin.

**Use our unique code DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan**

We answer 7 key questions about our identity in Christ, including:

• What does it mean to be "in Adam" vs. "in Christ"?

• How do we reckon ourselves dead to sin?

• What happens when we forget who we are in Christ?

• How does our new identity empower us to overcome temptation?

• And what do we say when Satan accuses us?

Whether you're wrestling with habitual sin, struggling with assurance, or just want to go deeper in your walk with God — this episode is for you.

📖 Key Scriptures: Romans 5–6, Colossians 3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 2:20

Subscribe for weekly conversations on theology, sanctification, and the Christian life.

Why does worship feel shallow? Why does preaching feel flat? Why has passion for God gone cold? The answer might be simpler — and more uncomfortable — than you think: a low view of God.

This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu

In this episode, we open in Isaiah 6 — widely considered the greatest passage on the holiness of God in all of Scripture — and trace it through the story of King Uzziah, the seraphim, Palm Sunday in John 12, and the return of Christ in Revelation 19. What we find is a thread that ties the whole Bible together: God is a holy King, and understanding that changes everything.

Topics we cover:

• What A.W. Tozer meant when he said your view of God is the most important thing about you
• King Uzziah — what pride, prosperity, and a low view of God's holiness cost him- The seraphim in Isaiah 6 — who they are and why they cover their faces
• What "Holy, Holy, Holy" actually means (and why it's the only attribute tripled in Scripture)
• The connection between Isaiah 6 and Palm Sunday in John 12- Why God is not self-deprecating — and why that's actually good news
• The difference between a quantitative and qualitative view of God
• Revelation 19 and the return of the King

Referenced: Isaiah 6, 2 Chronicles 26, John 12, Revelation 4 & 19, Tozer, Sinclair Ferguson, RC Sproul, Spurgeon, Michael Horton

Is the Bible trustworthy? In this episode, we tackle one of the most important questions a Christian can ask — how did we get the Bible, and can we actually trust it?

This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. To join thousands living in Freedom with nothing to hide visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin.

**Use our unique code: DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan**

We start with the famous story of the woman caught in adultery (John 7:53–8:11) and the asterisk in your Bible saying it's "not in the earliest manuscripts" — and use that as a jumping-off point to explore the full story of how Scripture was formed and preserved.

Topics covered:

• What is the biblical canon — and who decided what's in it?
• What is textual criticism, and why does the 1% manuscript variance actually STRENGTHEN our confidence?
• The Apocrypha — why it's not in your Protestant Bible
• How the New Testament was recognized (not chosen) by the early church
• Why the apostles knew they were writing Scripture
• Constantine, the Council of Nicaea, and what the Da Vinci Code gets wrong
• 25,000+ manuscripts — why the Bible has more historical evidence than any ancient document
• The difference between inspiration and illumination
• Why being a Bible-believing Christian isn't enough — you need to be Bible-loving

Whether you're a lifelong Christian, a skeptic, or a college student whose professor is throwing haymakers at Scripture, this episode will bolster and buttress your confidence in God's Word.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Michael Kruger — Canon Revisited: https://a.co/d/0d0mmwrp
• D.A. Carson — The Gospel According to John
• Leon Morris — The Gospel of John

In this episode of Dial In Ministries, we dive deep into John 3:16 — arguably the most well-known verse in all of Scripture — and unpack what it truly means with fresh eyes.

This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit masters.edu

Topics Covered:

• What does "For God so loved the world" really mean?
• The meaning of "born again" and why Jesus said it to Nicodemus
• God's sovereignty vs. human responsibility in salvation
• What is saving faith — and how is it different from just believing facts?
• Why Jesus came to save, not to judge (John 3:17–18)
• The urgency of the gospel and the story of D.L. Moody

Scriptures Referenced: John 3:16–19, Romans 8:3, Romans 10:9–13, Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:4–5, Numbers 21, John 1:11–12, Hebrews 11:6

What if everything you thought about “being a good person” was wrong?

In this episode, we explore a shocking but deeply biblical truth: Even the most admired humanitarian like Mother Teresa and the most notorious criminal like Jeffrey Dahmer need the exact same thing to be saved—a miracle of God.

This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. To join thousands living in Freedom with nothing to hide visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin.

**Use our unique code: DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan**

This conversation dives into:

• Why good works don’t earn salvation
• The real meaning of being “born again” (John 3)
• The tension between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility
• The powerful illustration of the bronze serpent (Numbers 21)
• What it truly means to look to Jesus and be saved

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Am I saved?”
• “Do I need to do something, or is it all God?”
• “Why would God save some and not others?”

This episode tackles those questions head-on with biblical clarity.

“The Bible never says people missed heaven because they wanted Jesus but weren’t chosen… it says they did not repent and believe.”

Key Takeaway: Salvation is not about your merit—it’s about Christ’s finished work. Whether you’re moral, religious, broken, or lost… the call is the same: Look to Jesus and believe.

What does it actually mean to be born again? In this episode, we dive deep into John 3 and Jesus' shocking conversation with Nicodemus — the most religious man in all of Israel — to unpack the biblical doctrine of regeneration and why it changes everything about how we understand salvation.

We cover:

• Why religion is not enough to enter the kingdom of God
• What Jesus meant by being "born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5)
• The connection between Ezekiel 36 and the New Covenant promise of a new heart
• Why the human heart — not your upbringing or circumstances — is your greatest problem
• The difference between reformation and regeneration
• Why salvation is a miracle, not a merit system
• How to know if you've truly been born again

Whether you grew up in the church, have all the right answers, and still wonder if you truly know God — or you're just beginning to ask who Jesus really is — this conversation is for you.

📖 Key Scriptures: John 3:1–8 | Ezekiel 36:24–27 | Titus 3:5 | Ephesians 2 | 2 Corinthians 5:17 | Jeremiah 17:9

This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu

📧 Subscribe to the Dial In newsletter for first access to restocks and devotionals: www.dialinministries.org