Unembarrassed of Jesus: Following Close When Culture Demands Your Silence
About this episode
Pastor Travis Johnson of Pathway Church in Mobile, Alabama joins Philip Cameron to unpack his new book, Unembarrassed of Jesus: Follow from a Distance, Lose Your Faith — Follow Closely, Change the World. Drawing on 25 years of senior pastoral experience, Travis makes a compelling case that "a moderate, passive Christian faith in 2025 is not going to survive — but bold faith will change the world." At the heart of the conversation is the image of Peter following Jesus "at a distance" on the night of his trial — a posture Travis argues mirrors the drift of the modern church. He illustrates the danger with a vivid personal story: while trying to follow a stranger's truck to a tire shop on I-65, he locked onto the wrong black truck and led himself — and his son — completely astray. "Discernment," he explains, "is not knowing the difference between what is good and what is not good — it's knowing the difference between what is good and what is almost good." Travis also recounts the firestorm that erupted after he prayed publicly at Mobile's city hall, his family receiving death threats and being doxxed — yet refusing to apologize, and watching his church experience record attendance and baptisms as a result. Travis Johnson's book Unembarrassed of Jesus is available for pre-order now; text the word BOOK to 877-856-0444 to receive the first chapter free. If you are a pastor, parent, or believer asking how to stand firm when culture demands silence, this episode is essential viewing.
Part of our Faith collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“A moderate, passive Christian faith in 2025 is not going to survive. It is not. But bold faith will change the world.”
“When Jesus said to the disciples, one of you will betray me, they all said, not me. And what they ended up doing was saying, ask John, because John's head was on Jesus' chest. One ear was hearing his heartbeat, one ear was hearing his voice. And when you're that close to Jesus, there is no one that will ever point an accusation towards you, because where you are displays where your heart is.”
“They wanted me to apologize. So I put a post on social media. I said, I'll be making a statement at church. So that Sunday, the church was packed to the rafters. And I said, hey, they want me to apologize. I'm gonna make a statement. So here's my statement: I am not sorry. I do not apologize. We don't bow, we stand.”
What's Discussed
Pastor Travis Johnson of Pathway Church in Mobile, Alabama discusses his book Unembarrassed of Jesus, arguing that passive, distant faith cannot survive the cultural pressures of 2025. Using Peter's example of following Jesus "at a distance" before his denial, Travis warns that Christians who drift from close proximity to Christ become vulnerable to counterfeit ideologies — just as he once followed the wrong truck on I-65 while helping his son with a flat tire. He recounts being doxxed and receiving death threats after praying publicly at Mobile's city hall during Pride Month, yet refusing to apologize — resulting in record church attendance and baptisms. He also addresses household salvation, parental responsibility, and the urgent need for pastors to disciple rather than defer to culture.
- Travis Johnson and the Book's Origin
- Peter Following Jesus at a Distance
- Wrong Truck Parable on I-65
- Discernment Between Good and Almost Good
- Household Salvation and Parental Responsibility
- City Hall Prayer and Death Threats
- Standing Firm Brings Church Revival
- Practical Steps Toward Bold Unashamed Faith
Episode Transcript
Auto-generated · click any timestamp to jump the video
Intro
Travis Johnson and the Book's Origin
Peter Following Jesus at a Distance
Wrong Truck Parable on I-65
Discernment Between Good and Almost Good
Household Salvation and Parental Responsibility
City Hall Prayer and Death Threats
Standing Firm Brings Church Revival
Practical Steps Toward Bold Unashamed Faith
Common questions
What inspired Travis Johnson to write Unembarrassed of Jesus?
Travis says the book grew out of 25 years of watching people drift away from faith — what he calls backsliding — and from noticing the pattern of Peter following Jesus 'at a distance' before denying him. He wanted to make the case that a moderate, passive Christian faith in 2025 simply won't survive, but bold, close-up faith can change the world.
What does Travis mean by following Jesus 'from a distance' — why is it so dangerous?
Travis illustrates it with a real story: when he tried to follow a stranger's truck to a tire shop, he lost sight of it and accidentally followed the wrong black truck all the way out of town. He says that's exactly what happens spiritually — when you're not tucked in close to Jesus, you get your eyes on an ideology that looks almost right and it leads you astray. He adds that when he lost sight of the truck, his son was also lost, underscoring how a parent's distance from Jesus puts the whole family at risk.
What happened when Travis refused to apologize for his prayer at city hall during Pride Month?
After praying for a 'hedge of protection around children being targeted by ideologies,' Travis and his family were doxed, received death threats, and were pressured to apologize. Instead, he told his packed congregation, 'I am not sorry. I do not apologize. We don't bow, we stand.' He says that Sunday became the church's largest attendance ever, they baptized more people that month than ever before, and giving surged — proof to him that when believers stand firm, God stands with them.
What practical advice does Travis give for moving from passive faith to bold faith?
Travis says many of the ideologies pressuring Christians are actually unscientific and illogical — they only feel dominant because believers keep backing up. His first piece of advice is simply to 'practice being normal' and honor the Lord without apology. He also reminds people that Jesus said if we're ashamed of him before men, he'll be ashamed of us before the Father — so when the enemy whispers to be afraid of your faith, choose to be proud of what God has done in you instead.
How does Travis connect following Jesus closely to your children's faith?
Travis says you rarely find an on-fire kid coming from a backslidden parent, so staying close to Jesus isn't just for your own sake — it's for your family. He frames it this way: if you knew Jesus was returning at midnight tonight, you'd spend every minute warning your kids to get ready. That same urgency, he argues, should drive us every single day, not just when the deadline feels immediate.