What does it actually mean to be made in the image of God? In this episode of Thinking Christian's Prepped Series, Dr. James Spencer dives deep into one of the Bible’s most profound claims about humanity. Exploring five major views—the substantive, functional, relational, filial, and Christological—James traces how each contributes to our understanding of human worth, purpose, and calling. But he doesn’t stop with theology. He challenges how modern culture often weaponizes the “image of God” language, embracing its benefits while ignoring its demands. This episode offers a robust, multi-faceted take on the Imago Dei—and it will reshape how you think about human dignity, personal responsibility, and discipleship in a world eager to affirm identity without submitting to the One who defines it.

Go deeper: Trajectories

Thinking Christian is hosted by Dr. James Spencer, president of the D. L. Moody Center and author of Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Each conversation reads the Bible as the final authority for life and faith, questioning the assumptions of our culture, even our Christian culture, so that we don't settle for a narrower vision than God's word offers.

Unsettling convention. Cultivating conviction.
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