GoodLion Ministries

Seeking the God who is not safe, but is very good.

Pointing to Christ and His Kingdom

We live in a postmodern, post-Christian age. Christianity is dwindling, secularism is rising, and the faith of many is being shipwrecked on the rocks of doubt and deconstruction.

It’s into this world that GoodLion was born.

It started with two youth pastors with a heart to see young people caught in the storm of modern culture find an anchor in the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The name GoodLion comes from C.S. Lewis’ classic Narnia stories. The child Lucy asks if Aslan is a safe lion, and to this the woodland creatures respond… “Safe? Of course he’s not safe… he’s a lion! But he’s good.”

It’s our deepest desire for people everywhere to encounter this Jesus, the God who is not safe but is very good.

We want to see people break free from apathy. We want to help doubting Thomases see the holes in the hands of Christ. We want to help people move from a place of cheap grace and easy-believism to radical discipleship. We want to raise up powerful peacemakers in a hostile and divided culture.

Most of all, we want to help people live their lives for the Kingdom of God.

We are GoodLion, and we are glad you are here.

Who we are.

Aaron Salvato

Aaron spent over a decade sheperding youth ministry students in the Way of Jesus. He has served as a middle school pastor, high school pastor, and Bible College teacher. He currently works as Content Strategist / Podcasting Director at Calvary Global Network.

Aaron describes himself as having the heart of a pastor and the hands of an artist, which he expresses in a drive for creating Gospel-centered content through podcasts, writing, videos, and theological courses. He is an avid reader, lifelong learner, and dedicated Bible teacher. Aaron is passionate about helping young people navigate our post-Christian culture, prioritizing the ministry of peacemaking in a divided world. Aaron is most happy when he is mentoring others on their journey with Christ.

Aaron lives in Oklahoma with his best friend Brooklynn and their new son, Jack. His favorite ministry role so far is husband/father.

Brian Higgins

Brian has served as a pastor, teacher, and discipler for nearly 15 years. Previously, he worked as a Youth Pastor at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge and as the Director of Admissions for Calvary Chapel Bible College. Currently, Brian is leading a small group seeking to plant a church in Central New Jersey.

Brian’s main ministry passion is personal discipleship, helping people enjoy and embrace the lifestyle of Jesus. He works to do this through podcasting, writing, preaching, and one-on-one mentorship. Brian loves to see a new generation of Christians learn to live like Jesus so they can experience and advance God’s Kingdom.

Brian lives in New Jersey with his incredible wife Tori and their newborn son Nathan.

Aaron and Brian met in 2017, founded the GoodLion Podcast Network, and now serve together researching, writing, and creating content to help young people walk with Jesus.

We create resources and content to help people follow the Way of Jesus.

We want to walk with people through the complexities and challenges of faith in our age.

Our goal is to challenge you to think, learn, and grow in your apprenticeship to Jesus.

Podcasts

One of the core ways we serve the Church is by creating podcast content that is theological, educational, and focused on forming disciples in the way of Jesus.

Below you will find curated lists of our content.

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Re-Centering on Jesus: Purpose, Hope, and Regaining Childlike Wonder | Brian Higgins & Aaron Salvato

September 4, 2023
In this episode, Brian and Aaron reuinite after a long time off from recording together. The 2 friends help each other rekindle their fervor for Jesus and share their journey…

Progressive Dispensationalism, Eschatology Reimagined – With Dr. Darrell Bock

July 31, 2023
Welcome, theology nerds and seekers! On this season 9 finale, we're diving deep into the world of dispensationalism. Whether you're a seasoned theologian or a fresh-faced learner, we've got something…

Why Does Yahweh Seem So Angry in the Old Testament? – (GoodLion Classic Episode)

July 10, 2023
This week we're thrilled to revisit an important conversation with one of our longest-running and most cherished guests, Dr. Gerry Breshears. Gerry, a beloved Seminary Professor and mentor to many,…

Jesus’ Death: Failure or Victory? – (Classic GoodLion Episode)

July 3, 2023
For this special classic episode, Aaron delves deeply into a provocative claim made on NPR's This American Life. In a conversation with host Ira Glass, Princeton historian Elaine Pagels argues…

Getting Honest About Depression and the Christian Church – With Wesley Towne (Classic GoodLion Episode)

June 26, 2023
Join Aaron and Brian as they tackle one of the hardest topics facing Christians and the church today: depression. In this honest and illuminating episode, they sit down with pastor…

A Raw Conversation On Sex Scenes, Christians, and Media – (GoodLion Classic Episode)

June 19, 2023
Welcome to a classic two-part episode of The GoodLion Podcast! It's a marathon not a sprint as Brian and Aaron dive into the complex issue of violence, sex and nudity…

Shame, Sin, & What Tim Mackie Taught Us About Righteousness – (Classic GoodLion Episode)

June 12, 2023
Aaron and Brian welcome you to revisit two early episodes from Season 1 that set out to deeply explore the meaning and importance of righteousness. These episodes were part of…

GoodLion Update: School of Discipleship Ministry Reports, Great Things in Store for the Podcast, & an Update on Aaron’s Seminary Journey

June 6, 2023
In the season finale of Season 9 of the GoodLion podcast, we take a moment to appreciate the incredible journey we've been on, and share with you some awesome news.…

Learning From Jesus: The Wisdom Warrior (Michael Bowles)

May 30, 2023
Michael Bowles returns with fresh insight on the ancient motif of the wisdom warrior. As Aaron and Michael discuss, Michael traces the wisdom warrior path embodied by exilic prophets like…

Battling Intrusive Thoughts (Aaron & Brian) – Strategies for the Christian to resist and overcome thoughts of doubt, discouragement, & fear and re-center on Christ.

May 22, 2023
Struggling with Intrusive Thoughts and Doubts? You're not alone. Most Christians experience doubt from time to time, but for some the struggle with intrusive thoughts that breed uncertainty can become…

Responding To Tough Pushback Around Christian Sexual Ethics | Pieter Valk – Pt 2: “Is Gay Sin Worse Than Straight Sin?” and More Challenging Questions From Pastors.

May 8, 2023
This episode is the second part of an interview with Pieter Valk. In part one of the interview, Pieter laid out his heart and his vision for helping gay people…

Compassionate Sexual Orthodoxy – Pieter Valk Pt 1: Navigating Brokenness, Shame, and Helping LGBT People Turn To Jesus

April 28, 2023
Pieter Valk joins Aaron Salvato for a very intriguing conversation on sexuality. Pieter is a same-sex attracted Christian and ministry leader who is also committed to the historic Christian sexual…

The Dangers of Theology Gone Wrong – (Dr. Gerry Breshears) – Disunity, Division, & Deconstruction

April 19, 2023
In part 2 of our short series on theology, Dr. Gerry Breshears (Western Seminary) helps us understand the dangers of theology gone wrong. Gerry is an amazing theological mind and…

WHY does theology matter for discipleship? (Dr. Gerry Breshears) – Defining Theology, Learning How it Helps us as Disciples, and Exploring How We Can Work Together… Even When We Disagree

April 10, 2023
In today's episode of The GoodLion Podcast, we're chatting about something super close to our hearts: what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and how theology shapes that…

The Creativity Of The Minister – Riley Taylor | Exploring the God-given call to harness creativity for good.

March 30, 2023
In this episode Aaron sits down with his friend pastor Riley Taylor to discuss the importance of creativity in ministry. Aaron and Riley share a background in filmmaking and youth…

Courses

As lifelong learners, we have a passion to help shape the next generation of believers. We want to freely share with them what we have learned. Below you will find some of the free theology courses we have developed.

Advancing
The Kingdom

11 part video series. 6 lessons + 5 student discussions. Learn what it means to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Biblical Justice

A balanced framework for how to view justice. Lessons from Acts ch 6.

The Way of the Peacemaker

Shepherding through social media. Learn practical tools for how to do ministry online while avoiding the traps of hostility and division.

More Resources From Our Library

Visit Our Library

Questions

The team at GoodLion loves questions. We think the best thing you can do with your questions is wrestle through them with your fellow believers. In these episodes, we tackle questions sent in by listeners and do our best to help. We aren’t experts, but we are life-long learners who love helping fellow questioners find truth.

Send Us A Question!

 

Aaron and Brian love preaching and teaching the scriptures and helping people grow in their passion and love for Jesus and the Kingdom.

Both Aaron and Brian have spent many years preaching to youth ministries, Bible college classrooms, young adults ministries, churches, camps, and conferences.

They are as comfortable speaking to rooms of 10 as they are rooms of 500.

A big part of what we love to do at GoodLion is invite people into discussion.
We love leading discussions and Q&A after we preach to help people go deeper.

If you’d be interested in having Aaron and Brian speak at your event, please let us know!

We can be booked individually, but we love working together as a package deal, much more fun.

We don’t charge to speak. The Gospel is our mission, not our side hustle! You are free to donate an offering to support what we do, but we don’t have rates and we aren’t afraid to work for free. We only ask that our travel expenses are covered.

Note: Due to both of us having newborns, we are less likely to be open to traveling outside of our home states of Oklahoma and New Jersey in 2022, but we’d love to work with you in 2023 and beyond, and are also open to creating video content for your event, or speaking virtually at your event, big or small.

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