Because all of Scripture is divinely inspired, all of it holds promise for the edification of God's people. But it’s not always clear how that’s so. What are we to gain, aside from historical knowledge from genealogies, for example? That's just one kind of biblical text that challenge Bible teachers. Pastor and Cairn University Professor Dr. Bryan Murawski, wrote his book Preaching and Teaching Difficult Texts of the New Testament, a follow-up to his _Preaching Difficult Texts of the Old Testamen_t, to help those who teach the Scriptures know how to more effectively and accurately teach passages that are hard for a variety of reasons. He joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about some of the ideas he shares in these books. Whether you’re a pastor, Bible study leader, parent, or someone who simply wants to get the most out of your Bible reading, there’s something for you here. Let’s join their conversation now.

Neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath recently testified before a US Senate hearing on the impact of technology on American youth where he claimed, “Evidence indicates that indiscriminate digital expansion has weakened learning environments rather than strengthened them.” This negative impact and what to do about it is the subject of his latest book The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning—And How to Help Them Thrive Again. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer for an informative exchange we trust will benefit and challenge parents, teachers, and educational administrators alike.

In this episode, recorded at The Gospel Coalition’s 2025 national conference, Keith Plummer talks with Cairn alum John Biegel, lead pastor at Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Annandale, VA, and TGC council member Bill Kynes, who for 36 years, preceded John in that role, about what it means to be a pastor-theologian. Next, Keith talks with author and lead mentor and trainer at Australia’s EvQ School of Evangelism, Sam Chan, about how to have natural gospel conversations and tips for addressing skeptics’ hard questions about the faith.

In their book Are We All Cyborgs Now? Reclaiming Our Humanity from the Machine, Robin Phillips and Joshua Pauling examine how our ongoing interaction with especially digital technologies could be altering our conceptions and expectations about how life should be. “Under the subtle catechesis of our machines,” they ask, “do we come to see our humanity—the flesh and blood bodies that God has given us—as problems to be overcome? Do we begin to perceive the human body as merely a machine or mechanism that doesn’t always work very well?” In this episode Joshua Pauling talks with Keith Plummer about how the Christian doctrines of creation, the mystery of the Incarnation, the promise of the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to come can and should stabilize us in the dizzying, high velocity world of technological change.

In this bonus episode of Defragmenting, recorded at the Gospel Coalition's 2025 National Conference, Dr. Keith Plummer talks with New Testament scholar Dr. Matt Harmon and Cairn's own Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Dr. Gary Schnittjer, about their book How to Study the Bible's Use of the Bible: Seven Hermeneutical Choices for the Old and New Testaments. They explain how the Old Testament use of Scripture is integral to understanding the New Testament author's use of Scripture.

Later in the episode, we'll also hear from Dr. Michael Keller, Senior Pastor of Redeemer, Lincoln Square, about what it means to faithfully contextualize the gospel and why it's so important. He also gives us a preview of a book that arose from conversations between him and his dad, Pastor Tim Keller, before his death, as well as unpublished writings by Tim following his going to be with the Lord. At the time of recording, the title was Unsettled. We know now it's The Stories We Live By: How Jesus Critiques and Completes What Our Culture Tells Us.

Matt Smethurst says the aim of his book, Tim Keller on the Christian Life is to synthesize and distill Tim Keller’s best teaching on the Christian life. We believe he succeeded at that task, and we’re not alone. World magazine selected it as its 2025 Book of the Year, stating, “This well-written book will convict but also encourage Christians who read it, helping them as they pray, pursue friendships, go to work, consider how to help their poor neighbors, and endure suffering themselves.” Pastor Smethurst joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about why he wanted to write the book and some of the recurring themes of Tim Keller’s thinking, writing, and preaching about following Jesus.

Might a popular understanding of Paul’s words in Romans 7:14-25 contribute to a learned helplessness with respect to sin in the lives of many Christians? New Testament scholar Dr. Joseph Dodson believes the answer is yes and explains why in his book Conquerors Not Captives: Reframing Romans 7 for the Christian Life. In this episode, he joins Dr. Keith Plummer to discuss his take on this much-contested passage.

The adverse effects of a screen-immersed life on children and teens becomes harder to ignore on what seems to be a daily basis. What are parents to do? In her book The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide for Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones, Clare Morell offers well-researched and hope-giving answers. She joined Dr. Keith Plummer to talk about the dangers screen immersion, the inadequacy of screen limiting and parental control software, how to prepare for a family digital detox, and how and why to fill the time previously consumed by fixation on devices. This informative and encouraging exchange is not foremost about saying no to digital tech but rather, about acknowledging and embracing what God has made us for.