The Trouble With Jesus—and Why That Matters
In a cultural moment marked by skepticism, doubt, and deconstruction, many believers find themselves quietly questioning their faith—or walking away altogether. In this episode of Honest Christian Conversations, I sit down with Constance Hastings, author of The Trouble with Jesus: Considerations Before You Walk Away, for a thoughtful and compassionate conversation about doubt, faith, and the unsettling nature of following Christ.
The title of Constance’s book may sound provocative, but it’s not an attack on Jesus—it’s an honest acknowledgment of Him. From His birth to His crucifixion, Jesus consistently disrupted expectations, challenged religious systems, and unsettled those who encountered Him. This episode explores the reality that following Jesus was never meant to be comfortable or convenient. The “trouble” He brings isn’t a flaw in Christianity—it’s evidence of its truth.
Our conversation engages the kinds of questions skeptics are actually asking. Rather than dismissing doubt, Constance walks directly into it—examining Scripture, cultural objections, and common misunderstandings with intellectual honesty and grace. We talk about Jesus’ refusal to act as a “divine fixer,” particularly through the story of Lazarus, where waiting, grief, and unmet expectations collide with more profound hope of resurrection. We also address misconceptions about Jesus and women, highlighting how He consistently elevated and honored women in a world that marginalized them.
At the heart of this episode is a powerful reframe: doubt is not the opposite of faith—fear is. True faith continues to seek, trust, and wrestle, even when answers feel incomplete. Constance’s reflections, including her experience surrounding her father’s death, reveal a Jesus who does not abandon us in our questioning—a Savior who never walks away, even when we’re tempted to do so.
🎧 Listen to the episode to explore how faith can hold space for complex questions, how doubt can become a doorway rather than a dead end, and why Jesus remains faithful in His pursuit of us—even in seasons of uncertainty.
💬 After listening, join the conversation in the community.
Share your reflections, questions, or experiences as we walk together through doubt, faith, and the grace that refuses to let go.
Wife. Mother of five. Podcaster. Fiction Novelist
Ana is the host of the Honest Christian Conversations podcast and a prodigal saved by God’s unending grace.
She grew up in a legalistic Christian home where asking questions often felt wrong. In her early twenties, overwhelmed by confusion and hurt, she walked away from her faith. Yet even then, God’s love never stopped pursuing her. At thirty years old—and after a painful second divorce—He brought her back to himself, and she has never looked back.
As Ana returned to Christ, she began rebuilding her faith from the ground up and asked the questions she once feared to ask. Along that journey, she discovered inconsistencies, misplaced teachings, and even lies woven into the Christianity she grew up with. Instead of destroying her faith, this only deepened it. Out of that discovery, she founded Honest Christian Conversations. Ana's heart is to help others navigate the same tension she once lived with: wanting to know the real Jesus while sorting through the noise of deceptive teachings, spiritual manipulation, and “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
Everything she creates flows from gratitude for the God who rescued her, restored her, and continues to shape her into who He intended her to be.
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