How Memory, Identity, and Story Shape Discipleship with Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz

In this episode of Being Human, host Steve Cuss is joined by pastor and Harvard-trained brain scientist Jessie Cruickshank and first-time guest Julia Schmaltz to explore whether changing our internal narratives can enable transformation. Jessie and Julia discuss their co-authored book, Becoming Good News, and examine spiritual growth and discipleship through the lenses of theology, neuroscience, and personal experience. They challenge unrealistic “superhuman” expectations in church culture, advocate for grace-based discipleship, and emphasize that spiritual maturity means becoming more fully who God created us to be—joyful, childlike, and close to Jesus.

Episode Resources:

• Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz’s Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science (amazon.com/dp/B0FVTTC54B?lv=shuf&channelId…)

• Jessie Cruickshank’s Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation (amazon.com/dp/1641587326?lv=shuf&channelId…)

• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel lecture: The Quest for Peace and Justice (nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/lecture)

• Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch (philosophybreak.com/articles/ubermensch-explai…)

• Jessie Cruickshank’s previous appearance on Being Human: Episode 171 (podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-human-with…)

Scripture Referenced:

• 2 Corinthians 3 (esv.org/2+Corinthians+3) (ESV)

• Psalm 139 (esv.org/Psalm+139) (ESV)

How Memory, Identity, and Story Shape Discipleship with Jessie Cruickshank & Julia Schmaltz

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