S6E39 Faith, Films, and Finding Common Ground – with Matt Mikalatos

My guest is Matt Mikalatos — author, screenwriter, producer, and all-around brilliant storyteller. 

He has written award-winning books, including the beautifully illustrated graphic novel God With Us, the devotional Praying with Saint Nicholas, and an imaginative Young Adult fantasy series, The Sunlit Lands. He’s also co-authored Loving Disagreement with Kathy Khang — a timely, powerful book about how to stay in relationship, even when the culture says it’s time to cancel.

As an undergraduate student in creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, Matt studied under the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Percival Everett, author of the wildly popular novel entitled JAMES.  

Matt’s story doesn’t stop there. He spent 20 years with a global campus ministry (Campus Crusade for Christ now known as CRU), lived in China, became fluent in Mandarin, and worked deeply in cross-cultural ministry. He’s seen the evolution — or devolution — of Evangelicalism from the inside, and he doesn’t shy away from talking about it. From Trumpism and anti-democratic rhetoric to hot-button issues like immigration, LGBTQ rights, and even “chainsaw massacre” politics, we go there — and Matt helps us understand the power of story over shouting matches.

There’s exciting news - he’s just been notified that a script he’s written has been greenlit. The production of a full-length feature film begins soon, with filming in Thailand.

Join me as Matt and I talk about faith, storytelling, culture, and how, in this divided world, we can still communicate and respect each other — even when we disagree. It’s a lively, eye-opening, and deeply human exchange you won’t want to miss. 

Mike Mikalatos WebSite