GRAPEVINE, Texas (NRB) – NRB Convention attendees were treated to the first ever live recording of Phil and Jase Robertson’s podcast, “Unashamed” on Wednesday afternoon at NRB 2021.
Phil’s son Al is also a part of the podcast, which has received 375 million views since 2018, gets around 4.5 million downloads a month, and was the number one podcast in the religious/spirituality category in 2020.
In their 299th episode, Al, Jase, and Phil brought their family dynamic to the live stage at NRB 2021. This live episode featured a discussion on family and faith with some special stories sprinkled in along the way. Dedicated to sharing their faith with new believers and longtime followers of Jesus alike,“Unashamed” takes listeners “beyond the four walls of the church to share God’s word” in a relatable and authentic way.
In this live edition, Zach Dasher, CEO of Tread Lively Entertainment, and Phil’s nephew, joined the Robertsons on stage.
Dasher explained the brainstorming stages of the podcast’s beginnings, but traced the true origin of the project back to a family living room filled with bible discussion—a real and regular occurrence.
“The many, many years spent in Uncle Phil’s living room, watching him disciple people… if we could capture that in a podcast, we might be onto something that could be very powerful,” Dasher said.
Capturing and replicating the true family dynamic is compelling to audiences, whether they know Jesus or not.
“There are outlets out there for us to present the gospel for folks who won’t step into a church—a place where they can come hear the Bible,” Dasher said.
And the impact the podcast has had on listeners has been a powerful encouragement to its creators.
“I’m particularly proud of this podcast because of the impact it’s having,” Dasher said. “A lot of the people listening are not churched people. We get countless emails and Facebook messages, every single day and hundreds a week.”
Dasher described the nature of podcasts as intimate. “Unashamed” offers just that, a personal invitation to an intimate, family conversation centered on the gospel of Jesus that he hopes listeners will take back to their own homes.
The heartbeat of the podcast is found in Romans 1:16. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” For the Robertsons, being “Unashamed” is a lifestyle.
“I am unashamed. What about you?” Phil Robertson said in the video that played before the event.
Each episode challenges listeners with this question while offering Bible study, truth, and family laughs. Wednesday’s live edition explored a variety of insights into what God is doing in the Robertsons’ lives with entertaining commentary within the “redneck mind.” From duck calling to Phil’s words of wisdom— “Never leave home without your woman, your bible, and your duck call”— attendees got it all.
But at the core, the message of the podcast remained rooted in the “big stuff”— Jesus, his grace, the resurrection, forgiveness, and our need for all four.
The Robertsons have turned a lifestyle into a business, and their faith has taken no backseat.
“Observing you, Dad, over my life, it’s clear that you’re passionate about two things: ducks is one and sharing Jesus is the other,” Al Robertson said.
Phil discussed the truth of the gospel in contrast to America’s drift away from God.
“I’m looking at what America’s doing now, and I’m thinking there’s no Jesus there,” Phil Robertson said. “All he wants out of us is to love him for crying out loud, and to love each other. How hard can it be?”
The conversation explored the ever-desired qualities of Jesus, God’s relentless pursuit of us, and the significance of forgiveness.
“Forgiveness is the answer to what ails America. If we can forgive in the past, forgive in the present, and forgive in the future because Jesus forgave us, that makes us live totally differently,” Al Robertson said. “If you want to unite people, you do it in forgiveness.”
“Unashamed” doesn’t solve America’s problems. It encourages and challenges listeners.
“God is not ashamed to call us sons and daughters. We’re not ashamed of Him because despite our baggage and crap in our life, God is not ashamed of us—that’s why he sent Jesus,” Jase Robertson said. “For me, that’s my motivation for being out loud and proud—he’s out loud and proud for me.”
You can listen to all episodes of “Unashamed” on platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.
