Hope@Night Welcomes Questions About God as Its Audience Explores Faith

Home after her first year of college, Janae Wilson had threatened to move away if her mother insisted she attend church services or programs. In 2023, she applied to join the audience of Hope@Night without knowing Hope Channel was producing it. “Through the stories of so many people, the series has brought me back to my faith and to God,” she said.

During the recording, Wilson could ask questions for which she had never received satisfactory answers and listen as guests described their experiences with God. Hosted by Anil Kanda, Hope@Night introduces the gospel of Jesus through interviews followed by questions from a live studio audience. As the program enters its fourth year, producer Hannah Ko Luttrell said the team had completed seven seasons and filmed 146 episodes.

A live audience brings questions into conversations about faith

The show was developed with millennials in mind, including people without religious beliefs and those whose Christian background may have little part in their daily lives. Guests discuss a range of subjects on the intersection of faith and life, including Sabbath, theodicy, relationships, emotional and physical health, creation, and service. After hearing their accounts, audience members can put their own questions to the guests on air.

An audience member speaks during a recording. The program was developed with millennials in mind, including people without religious beliefs. Photo: HCI

One participant, identified as Haritha in feedback published by the program, grew up Hindu and associated Christianity with sexism and homophobia. Haritha credited the experience with clarifying that “Christianity is about love” and making room for questions about God. For Luttrell, these responses explain what she values most about the work. “The best thing about Hope@Night is the transformation of the live audience members,” she said. “It’s also made me realize the power of someone’s testimony to impact someone else’s life.”

Guests in the first season included Melissa de Paiva Gibson, who spoke about forgiveness after her missionary parents and brother were murdered. Luttrell also described guests who had experienced abuse or paralysis after an accident. Hearing them “come out of the other side saying God is love,” she said, “impacts you.”

The production team gathers written responses after each season. Season six was recorded from September 29 to October 2, 2025, with 28 audience members of various religious and nonreligious backgrounds. In the survey afterward, 11 requested Bible studies, six expressed interest in finding a community of believers, and seven wanted to recommit their lives to God. After the seventh season, another survey recorded 11 requests for Bible studies. Nineteen participants said they had fallen more in love with God, and five wanted to recommit their lives to God.

Audience members follow an interview from the studio floor. Seven seasons and 146 episodes have been filmed since 2023. Photo: HCI

In written feedback published by Hope@Night, participants also described how they were approaching faith after the recordings. An audience member identified as Patty wrote, “As a result of this series, I’ve already begun to be a more active reader of the Bible.”

The production also received recognition in 2026: silver for Religion and Spirituality and bronze for Interview and Talk Show in the television series categories at the 47th Annual Telly Awards. At the 53rd Annual Crown Awards, presented in Nashville on February 18, Hope@Night received silver for Best Christian Talk Show.

A Dallas Express essay recommends a Hope@Night interview

On September 20, The Dallas Express published an essay by a 13-year-old Texas public charter student examining his Christian beliefs. In the essay, he recommends a short clip and a longer interview between Kanda and Major Coleman, the guest on the program’s very first episode, as an example of how to give reasons for faith.

Major Coleman talks with host Anil Kanda. In an essay published by The Dallas Express, a 13-year-old pointed readers to this interview as an example of how to give reasons for faith. Photo: HCI

The program is in its fourth year, Luttrell said, and has expanded its focus. Along with inviting audience members such as Wilson into a transformative relationship with God, it now aims to inspire them toward mission. The young essayist is a great example.