The Pastor Theologians Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Center for Pastor Theologians
A theology podcast for the church. The pastor theologians podcast consists of conversations and teaching resources at the intersection of theological scholarship and life and ministry in the local church. The vision for this show is to help equip pastors to be theologians for today’s complex world.
In this Summer Replay episode, Nicole Martin, president of Christianity Today, reflects on the vital role of preaching in shaping the church's theological vision. She discusses why faithful preaching must center on God rather than ourselves, the importance of surrender in sermon preparation, and how the cross—not performance or success—forms both pastors and congregations. The conversation offers a compelling vision of preaching that proclaims God's Word with humility, courage, and trust in his grace.
Nicole also discusses themes from her book, Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender, which challenges leaders to embrace Christlike leadership through sacrifice rather than performance or worldly success.
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In this short bonus episode, Joel Lawrence and Steve Williamson introduce the Center for Pastor Theologians' two new one-year cohorts, exploring how they equip pastors and ministry leaders through theological formation, rich discussion, and practical reflection on the church, pastoral identity, and the theology of work.
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In this Summer Replay episode of the Preaching and the Pastor Theologian series, Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim sit down with Jim Samra, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to explore the vital connection between a pastor's inner life and faithful preaching. Drawing from 1 Timothy 4:16, Samra reflects on what it means to "keep careful watch" over both life and doctrine, arguing that preaching flows not simply from sound preparation but from a deep, ongoing relationship with God. He shares practical rhythms of prayer, fasting, accountability, and sermon preparation that have shaped his ministry over two decades, emphasizing the preacher's role as a conduit through whom God speaks to his people.
The conversation also examines how pastors can cultivate churches that are attentive to God's voice, the role of spiritual gifts in ministry, and the importance of addressing past wounds and unhealthy patterns that can hinder a congregation's spiritual life. Samra offers thoughtful reflections on pastoral leadership, holiness, and the Spirit's work in preaching, encouraging pastors to pursue lives that faithfully embody the message they proclaim.
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In this short, bonus episode of the CPT Podcast, we talk with Matthew Kim about a preaching resource that has profoundly shaped his ministry—Preaching as Reminding: Stirring Memory in an Age of Forgetfulness by Jeff Arthurs. Kim explains how the book reframes preaching as the faithful task of reminding people of what God has already said, rather than striving for novelty or cleverness. He also shares a practical sermon preparation habit—writing each sermon with one specific person in mind—which helps him communicate clearly to both mature believers and newcomers while trusting the Holy Spirit to apply God's Word to the entire congregation.
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What makes a church feel truly welcoming?
In this episode of the CPT Podcast, we welcome one of CPT's Senior Fellows, Dr. Matthew Kim, to discuss his new book, Becoming a Friendlier Church: A Pathway to Genuine Community. Drawing from years of ministry, teaching, and personal experiences visiting churches around the world, Matt explores why many congregations unintentionally create barriers for newcomers and how pastors can foster a culture of authentic hospitality.
The conversation examines five common obstacles to church friendliness—including insularity, apathy, busyness, comfort, and prejudice—and offers practical, discipleship-centered practices to help churches become places where people experience belonging from the moment they arrive. Matt also reflects on the pastor's role in shaping church culture, the connection between preaching and hospitality, and why becoming a friendlier church is ultimately part of making faithful disciples of Jesus.
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Heather Joy Zimmerman shares why the Evangelical Homiletics Society has been one of the most formative influences on her preaching ministry. She discusses the value of a scholarly community devoted to expository preaching, opportunities for pastors and students to grow as preachers, and how meaningful relationships and collaboration can sharpen faithful proclamation of God's Word.
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In this episode of the Pastor Theologians Podcast, we invite Heather Joy Zimmerman, a member of CPT's St Irenaeus fellowship, to share how profound personal suffering shaped both her faith and her calling. Reflecting on the loss of a close friend, her father's battle with cancer, and her journey through lament, Heather explains how God used Scripture—especially Romans 8 and the Psalms—to deepen her understanding of God's goodness and inspire a lifelong passion for helping others faithfully navigate suffering.
Heather also traces her path from Moody Bible Institute to Dallas Theological Seminary and Wheaton College, where her academic work on the Psalms of lament and preaching emerged from her own spiritual journey. She discusses her passion for theological education, forming faithful preachers, and bridging the gap between the academy and the local church. The conversation offers a compelling vision of the Pastor Theologian—one whose scholarship is rooted in personal faith, pastoral ministry, and a deep love for Christ and his people.
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In this episode of the Pastor Theologians podcast, we welcome one of our own, Zach Wagner, to discuss his new book, Men of Virtue: How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World. Zach reflects on his decade of ministry with CPT, his transition into a new season, and the journey behind writing a book that reframes conversations about masculinity through the lens of Christian virtue.
Rather than focusing on cultural ideals of manhood, Zach explores how the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control—forms a distinctly Christian vision of male character. The conversation examines the modern crisis of meaning, competing narratives around masculinity, and how following Jesus challenges both the denigration and idolization of masculine identity.
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In this short bonus episode of the Pastor Theologians podcast, Jeff Hubing discusses preaching within the context of his network of house churches. He explains that pastoral leadership is not simply about delivering sermons but about equipping and empowering the whole church to participate in ministry. Jeff recommends Robert Banks’ Paul’s Idea of Community and Gordon Fee’s Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God as influential resources that shape his vision of church leadership, community, and Spirit-led ministry.
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In this episode of the Pastor Theologians podcast, we invite Jeff Hubing to share his journey into pastoral ministry, shaped by personal tragedy, a deep love for Scripture, and a desire to connect theology with everyday life. He reflects on how his father’s faith influenced his calling, his theological studies, and his work leading a network of house churches in Chicago. Jeff discusses a vision of church leadership centered on family, discipleship, and raising up others—not simply gathering crowds, but equipping and releasing people for the work of ministry.
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In this short bonus episode of the Pastor Theologians podcast, Ben Espinoza shares the preaching resources that have shaped his ministry, highlighting John Stott’s Between Two Worlds and Haddon Robinson’s work on expository preaching. He discusses the importance of bridging Scripture and culture, understanding the world of the Bible alongside the world of today. Ben also reflects on how his Wesleyan theological journey has shaped his preaching through an emphasis on grace, dialogue, and engaging people where they are.
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In this episode of the Pastor Theologians Podcast, we invite CPT fellow and Wesleyan pastor Ben Espinoza to talk about his new book, The Good News About Self-Care: How Nurturing Your Soul, Yourself, and Your Sanity Honors God. Ben shares his journey into ministry, theological formation, and the experiences that shaped his understanding of Christian self-care.
Ben reflects on how ministry pressures, ambition, and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed unhealthy patterns in his own life. He explains that self-care is not a secular pursuit of comfort, but a theological practice rooted in honoring the image of God within us. The conversation explores Sabbath, limits, vocation, and spiritual health, with Ben encouraging pastors and leaders to embrace rest, prayer, boundaries, and accountability so they can faithfully serve others.
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In this short bonus episode of the Pastor Theologians podcast, Cole Feix talks about a lesser-known preaching resource that has deeply shaped his ministry: The Pastor of Kilsyth by Islay Burns. Cole reflects on how the life of pastor W. H. Burns reshaped his understanding of preaching—not as a stand-alone skill, but as something rooted in faithful shepherding, pastoral care, and loving a congregation well.
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In this episode of the CPT Podcast, we welcome Rev. Cole Feix, pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church and a member of the CPT’s St Irenaeus Fellowship. Cole shares his journey from faith exploration and theological formation to pastoral ministry in a unique new urbanist community.
Cole reflects on how intentional spaces, hospitality, and deep relationships create opportunities for spiritual growth, and how his experience pastoring in a walkable, close-knit town has shaped his understanding of the pastor theologian’s calling. We explore questions of place-making, community, discipleship, and what the church can learn from the environments where ministry happens.
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In this short bonus interview, Rev. Dr. Ryan shares the influence of books like Haddon Robinson’s Biblical Preaching, Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Preaching, John Stott’s Between Two Worlds, and Tim Keller’s Preaching, highlighting Christ-centered preaching, cultural engagement, and preaching as an encounter with God. Ryan reflects on how his approach has matured over time—from focusing heavily on sermon mechanics to embracing a more conversational, Spirit-led style of communication.
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When everything around a church is changing, how can it rediscover who God has called it to be?
In this episode we welcome Rev. Dr. Ryan Jackson, Senior Pastor of the Capital Church near Raleigh, North Carolina, to talk about his experience in the CPT's first Church Identity Cohort.
Ryan reflects on 17 years of ministry through seasons of change, staff transitions, and post-pandemic challenges that prompted his church to revisit foundational questions of identity and mission. We discuss the connection between pastoral and ecclesial identity, the role of theological reflection in church life, and the importance of forming leaders who can faithfully guide congregations into the future.
We also explore the value of mentoring, cross-denominational dialogue, and collaborative discernment as churches seek a deeper understanding of who God has called them to be.
Whether you're a pastor, church leader, or ministry team member, this episode offers practical encouragement for leading with clarity, conviction, and a strong sense of church identity.
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In this short bonus interview, Brad Embry reflects on how Rowan Williams’ Passions of the Soul sharpened his vision for integrating theology, spiritual formation, and pastoral ministry.
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In this episode we welcome CPT Fellow Brad Embry, pastor of Missions and Outreach at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Wisconsin. He shares his journey from biblical scholar to Pastor Theologian, reflecting on vocational discernment, transitioning away from academia, and finding a home in the Anglican tradition.
Listen as we discuss the relationship between theological scholarship and the local church, the future of theological education, and the vital role of pastor-theologians in serving God’s people.
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In this episode of the CPT Podcast, we welcome Gregg Allison to discuss his book Complementarity. Allison explains his vision of “complementarity” as a theological framework focused not on gender roles but on the shared dignity, difference, and interdependence of men and women as image-bearers of God. Drawing on biblical theology, church history, and contemporary debates, the conversation explores why identity must precede function, how Christians can move beyond polarized disputes over gender, and why mutual love and honor should be the foundation for discussions of men and women in the church. The episode offers pastors and church leaders a thoughtful, gospel-centered approach to navigating one of the most contested issues in contemporary Christianity.
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In this episode of the CPT Podcast, we are joined by CPT Fellow pastor Dillon Thornton to discuss his new book, Deathly (De)Vices: Our Ever-Present Portals to Seven Ancient Sins. Drawing from pastoral ministry, personal experience, and the Christian tradition of the seven deadly sins, Thornton explores how smartphones, social media, and emerging technologies subtly deform our hearts and habits. The conversation ranges from envy and vainglory in online life to the spiritual dangers and promises of AI, offering thoughtful reflection on what technology is doing to our humanity, our churches, and our formation as followers of Christ.
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A bonus conversation with CPT fellow Kyle Fever on life, preaching, books, and music.
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In this episode, we are joined by pastor theologian Kyle Fever to discuss his journey from a Lutheran upbringing and love of biblical scholarship into pastoral ministry. Kyle reflects on the shifting nature of vocation, the challenges of balancing academic aspirations with family life, and how his daughter’s traumatic brain injury profoundly reshaped his understanding of ministry, calling, and faithfulness.
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A short bonus conversation with CPT fellow Matthew LaMaster on a book that has influenced his preaching ministry and his aspiration to write his sermons six months before they are preached.
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In this episode of the CPT Podcast, Matt Lamaster discusses his path into pastoral ministry, from his upbringing in evangelical churches to serving as a pastor in rural Maine. He reflects on the challenges of his first pastorate, the lessons he learned through ministry and theological study, and how his work in the book of Hebrews has shaped his understanding of the pastor theologian’s calling. The conversation explores church leadership, theological formation, and perseverance in ministry.
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Joel Lawrence sits down with Rich Kidd of Mission Leadership to discuss the changing landscape of pastoral leadership. Drawing from years of experience in executive search and ministry, Kidd reflects on the growing need for shepherds, not just speakers, in ministry today, and the challenges churches face in identifying and supporting healthy leaders. How can churches engage in practices that appropriately vet candidates, build trust with congregations, and prioritize a relational approach to ministry?
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A short bonus episode where CPT fellow Joey Sherrard shares discusses St. Augustine's important book, On Christian Teaching.
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This episode features a conversation with Joey Sherrard about his new book The Augustinian Pastor, exploring how the life and theology of Augustine can shape modern pastoral ministry. Drawing from his own journey—especially rediscovering Augustine during COVID—Sherrard highlights how Augustine’s work as a hands-on pastor was itself the outworking of and context in which he did his theological reflection. Key themes include the importance of pastoral friendship, the ongoing struggle with pride and sin, and the cultivation of humility through dependence on God. Pastors should see their ordinary work not as a barrier to theological depth, but as the very place where rich, enduring theology is formed.
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This episode features a conversation with Pastor Jonathan Griffiths on his ministry journey—from Toronto to Oxford and Cambridge—and the theological vision behind his book Gathered for Good*. The discussion explores the importance of the local church’s physical gathering, especially in a post-COVID context, addressing challenges like disengagement, “fringe” attendance, and the rise of virtual church participation. Griffiths offers pastoral and theological insight into why committed, embodied church life matters and how leaders can cultivate deeper buy-in and discipleship within their congregations.
(*Note: This episode was recorded in mid 2025. Some time references may be slightly out of date for this reason.)
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A short bonus episode where CPT fellow Matt Erickson shares two formative books for his ministry—Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles and Tim Keller’s Preaching—highlighting how they shape his approach to prayer, Scripture, pastoral care, and effective preaching.
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In this episode of the The CPT Podcast, hosts Zachary Wagner and Joel Lawrence interview Matt Erickson about his path to pastoral ministry and the ideas behind his book The Pastor as Gardener. Erickson shares his conversion in high school, his formation at Wheaton College and Northern Theological Seminary, and how crises in ministry—including COVID-19 and church tensions—pushed him to rethink common leadership models. Drawing on Eugene Peterson and biblical imagery such as 1 Corinthians 3, he argues that pastors should see themselves as “gardeners” who cultivate conditions for growth while trusting God to produce the fruit, emphasizing spiritual formation, shared ministry, and long-term hope.
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In this final episode of the Preaching in the Pastor-Theologian series, Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim are joined by Nicole Martin—pastor, preacher, and President/CEO of Christianity Today—for a wide-ranging conversation that brings the series’ central themes into sharp focus. Drawing on her own preaching journey and her book Nailing It, Martin reflects on preaching as a theological act of proclamation rather than performance, emphasizing surrender, simplicity, and a God-centered vision of the pulpit. Together, they explore the difference between preaching and teaching, the dangers of human-centered and culturally driven sermons, and the urgent need for theological formation shaped by the cross rather than triumphalism. The episode closes with a candid and pastoral word to preachers: true faithfulness lies not in success or spectacle, but in dying to self, trusting the sufficiency of God’s grace, and letting the Word of God do its work among a listening church—and a listening preacher.
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In this episode, Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim welcome Todd Still, Delancey Dean and Professor of Christian Scriptures at Truett Seminary, for a rich conversation on theological education and the formation of preachers. Drawing on his own journey as a pastor, scholar, and dean, Still articulates a layered theological vision for preaching—rooted in the grand narrative of Scripture, shaped by evangelical and Baptist convictions, and deeply informed by Pauline theology. Together, the hosts and guest explore the vocation of the pastor theologian, the necessity of rigorous theological study for faithful proclamation, and the dangers of thin, topic-driven preaching detached from Scripture. The conversation also addresses the role seminaries play in forming preachers, the importance of uniting substance and style, and the need for preaching that aims at discipleship and Christlike formation. The episode concludes with an extended discussion of Truett Seminary’s PhD in Preaching, highlighting its commitment to forming scholar-pastors who can serve both the church and the academy for the long haul.
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Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim speak with CPT Fellow Dan Brendsel about preaching in an age shaped by social media, attention economics, and artificial intelligence, exploring how technology subtly reinforces idolatry and the illusion of control. Brendsel argues that preaching should resist catering to diminished attention spans and instead cultivate prayerful attentiveness to God, framing preaching as God’s address to a listening community rather than a performance or content delivery optimized by technique or AI. Drawing on thinkers like Neil Postman, C. S. Lewis, and Oliver O’Donovan, he emphasizes improvisation, dependence on the Spirit, and the irreplaceable “occasion” of preaching—something no algorithm can anticipate. The conversation challenges pastors to examine how technology forms both preachers and congregations, calling them back to trust in the Word, embodied listening, and a posture of humble submission rather than technological mastery.
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In this episode, Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim talk with pastor, lawyer, and theologian K. Edward Copeland about how the gospel shapes the church’s engagement with today’s social and political tensions. Ed shares his unique journey—from overcoming a childhood speech impediment to decades of ministry and justice work—and offers a compelling vision of the gospel as God’s reconciling work for people, systems, and the whole cosmos. Drawing on the African American preaching tradition and the posture of exile, he explains how preaching can form Christians who discern cultural idols, process societal events theologically, and live faithfully amid fractured times. The result is a conversation full of wisdom, hope, and clarity for pastors and congregations navigating the complexities of modern life.
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In this conversation, hosts Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim speak with Gerald Hiestand—senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church and co-founder of the Center for Pastor Theologians—about cultural intelligence and the work of preaching. Drawing from his ministry in the diverse and politically complex context of Oak Park, Illinois, Gerald describes the challenges and opportunities of engaging culture thoughtfully from the pulpit. He reflects on how pastors can understand the visible and invisible layers of culture, avoid the “ditches” on either side of cultural and political extremes, and use cultural “types” as pathways that point people toward the gospel. The discussion explores how preaching can form a theological vision of culture, how to love congregations well by understanding their varied backgrounds, and how pastors can navigate political tensions with a Christ-centered framework. Gerald also shares personal reflections on growing in pastoral confidence, learning to give clearer admonition with less scaffolding, and shepherding faithfully through turbulent cultural seasons.
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Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim talk with Ahmi Lee about her vision for preaching as participation in God’s “grand drama.” Drawing from her global upbringing, pastoral experience, and theological training, Lee explains how preaching should bridge text-centered and reader-centered approaches by rooting sermons in the sweeping biblical narrative while remaining attentive to the lived experiences of listeners. She argues that preaching is ultimately a doxological act—first for God, then for the church, and still welcoming to those exploring faith. The hosts and Lee discuss the purpose of preaching, the role of the congregation as active listeners, the need for holistic and integrated biblical formation, and how preachers can engage diverse audiences. Lee closes by reflecting on how God is teaching her to trust Him more deeply amid a restless and chaotic world.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim speak with Anglican priest and theologian Jonathan Bailes about the deep connection between preaching, discipleship, and the daily life of the church. Bailes reflects on the formative role of preaching within a liturgical tradition, emphasizing that the sermon is not commentary on current events but an encounter with the living voice of God that continually calls the church to remembrance amid spiritual forgetfulness. Drawing on Scripture, church history, and pastoral experience, he argues that discipleship is shaped less by novelty and more by steady saturation in God’s Word—through preaching, liturgy, and practices that help Christians hear, understand, and be formed by Scripture. The conversation ultimately invites pastors to reclaim confidence in the simple, repeated proclamation of the gospel as the heart of Christian formation.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim speak with Paul Hoffman, senior pastor of Evangelical Friends Church in Newport, Rhode Island, about his ministry journey and upcoming transition to a faculty role at Samford University. The conversation centers on the book Preaching to a Divided Nation, coauthored by Hoffman and Kim, exploring how pastors can preach for reconciliation amid cultural, political, and racial divisions. Together, they discuss the theological foundations of unity, the “four isms” that divide the church, the importance of empathy and storytelling in pastoral ministry, and how preaching forms Christian identity. Hoffman also reflects on listening as a spiritual discipline, cultivating a “non-anxious presence,” and embracing the call to be ambassadors of reconciliation in a fractured world.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
CPT fellow and senior pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Jim Samra, joins Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim for episode two of Preaching and the Pastor Theologian. Together, they explore the connection between a pastor’s inner life and the ministry of preaching. Samra reflects on the church as a “pillar” and “conduit” between heaven and earth, emphasizing how a preacher’s holiness and attentiveness to God enable this connection. He shares practical rhythms of prayer, fasting, accountability, and sermon preparation rooted in dependence on the Holy Spirit. The conversation also delves into his understanding of prophecy, hearing God’s voice, and cultivating a congregation that listens for divine guidance. In closing, Samra discusses the importance of “cleaning up contaminated land” within the church—acknowledging past wounds and cultural sins so that the body of Christ can truly embody healing and holiness in its community and witness.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Episode One of “Preaching and the Pastor Theologian”
Hosts Joel Lawrence and Matt Kim introduce a ten-part exploration of the theology of preaching, launched through the CPT’s Compelling Preaching Initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment. Their guest, theologian Kimlyn Bender of Truett Seminary, discusses the theme “Preaching God, Listening Church,” emphasizing that God—not the preacher—is the primary speaker in the sermon and that Christ is present through the Spirit whenever the Word is proclaimed. Bender urges pastors to see themselves as “first listeners,” conduits through whom God addresses his people, and calls congregations to come expectantly as active, prayerful hearers. The conversation explores how preaching fits within God’s ongoing communication, the mystery of divine and human agency in proclamation, and the need for both humility and confidence in the pulpit. It concludes with Bender’s reminder that the church often “expects too little of God” and that true preaching rests on faith in God’s living presence and faithfulness to speak again.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
CPT Manager of Church Programs, Steve Williamson, joins Zach and Joel to discuss this year's slate of cohorts for church leaders, exploring ecclesial identity, the arts, and cultural apologetics.
Learn more and apply at:
https://www.pastortheologians.co/identity-cohort
and
https://www.pastortheologians.co/learningcohorts
Living Church - Awe and Presence
In this episode of the CPT Podcast, Zach Wagner and Joel Lawrence talk with CPT fellow Joey Sherrard, discipleship pastor at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church. Joey shares his story of coming to faith, studying theology at Rhodes, Duke, and St. Andrews, and discerning his calling as a pastor-theologian. He reflects on the influence of mentors, the challenges of growing up in a non-Christian home, and how thinkers like Augustine and T.F. Torrance shape his ministry today—including a preview of his forthcoming book The Augustinian Pastor (March 2026).
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Shaun Brown, senior minister at Rocky Mount Christian Church and a fellow in the St. Hildegard Fellowship, joins the podcast to explore his journey through the Stone-Campbell movement, academic theology, and vocational ministry. Shaun shares how his faith was shaped by early experiences in church and Christian education, ultimately leading him from Bible college to a PhD program at Wycliffe College in Toronto, where he focused on the theology of George Lindbeck. The conversation highlights Shaun's transition from aspiring professor to pastor theologian, the theological distinctives of the Stone-Campbell tradition—particularly regarding baptism—and how his academic training now informs his preaching, pastoral leadership, and ongoing scholarship.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Amy Peeler for a rich conversation exploring pastoral identity, theological formation, and the upcoming Pastor Theologians Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. Amy shares insights from her latest projects—including a forthcoming book on Ordinary Time and an in-depth study of Paul’s use of birth and incarnation language—while reflecting on her own pastoral journey and the people who have shepherded her well. The discussion dives into the challenges of pastoral isolation, the necessity of relational connection in ministry, and the transformative power of vulnerability and shared learning.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Chris Bruno joins the podcast today to tell us about his recent book, Sharing Christ in Joy and Sorrow: A Theology of Philippians. What are the key theological themes in the book of Philippians? How do those themes fit together and inform one another? How does Philippians encourage and exhort those who are in seasons of suffering? What does Union with Christ mean? Learn more on today's episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Ed Gerber joins us to share his story of becoming a pastor theologian. How can the Lord use even a significant break up to prepare someone for ministry? How can those who prepare future ministry leaders be both preachers and teachers to their students? What is the balance between head and heart for those who study theology academically? This and more on today’s episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
For our June episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
- JD Vance, Hillbilly Elegy (2016)
- Rémi Brague, Kingdom of Man: Genesis and Failure of the Modern Project, (2018)
- Elizabeth Goudge, The Dean's Watch, (2012)
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Today on the podcast we are joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Niebauer as he shares about his recent book, Four Mountains: Encountering God in the Bible from Eden to Zion. How can Christians encounter Jesus on every page of the Bible? What can we learn from how the earliest Christians read Scripture, and connect seemingly disparate stories in the text? What is distinct about this style of reading as opposed, for example, to 6-week Bible studies or academic study? This and more on today's episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Jason Meyer, lead pastor of Urban Refuge Church in Minneapolis, MN, joins the podcast today to tell us about his journey towards becoming a pastor theologian. After serving eight years as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist, Jason shares what he learned about his own calling, and the identity of a "pastor." This and more on today's episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
CPT board member Doug Sweeney joins the podcast today. He previews his topic for the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. What are good Christian pastors supposed to be like? On the other hand, what malformative models of pastoral identity are common in our culture today? Doug also tells us about his 2024 book, Substance of Our Faith: Foundations for the History of Christian Doctrine. Check it out on today's episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Casey Hough joins us to talk about his recent book,When Poets Were Warriors: Retrieving a Biblical Vision of Masculinity(B&H Publishing, 2025). “Masculinity” is an increasingly popular subject for public discourse. Drawing on his experiences as a pastor and father, Hough argues that Christians ought to return to the complex and challenging example of Jesus, instead of relying on cultural stereotypes, to form our vision of masculinity. If we consider Jesus Christ to be a model for masculinity, how do we then think about femininity, and any differences or similarities between the two? What should pastors consider as they shape their discipleship ministries? This and more on today’s episode! Living Church - Awe and Presence
What is culture, and what is our relationship to it as Christians? Dennis Greeson joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book The Way of Christ in Culture: A Vision for All of Life(Lifeway 2024), coauthored with Benjamin T. Quinn. In the book, the authors provide a framework for knowing one’s time in God’s story, one’s place in creation, and following wisdom. He also shares about the Alexandrian Institute, a cohort-based model for theological education focused on engaging Scripture and confessional traditions and the wisdom of previous generations of Christians, and sending students to engage their context.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
This week, James Arcadi joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, Holiness: Divine and Human(2023). He also shares about his dual calling to both pastoral ministry as a full-time Anglican rector, and to academic theology as a guest professor at Wheaton College. What is the relationship between abstract ideas and practical application? What does it mean for something to be "consecrated" or "holy"? This and more on today's podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
On the podcast this week, Adam Copenhaver shares with us about his early ministry caring for an older congregation, and his education and research on Colossians. He also tells us about his current pastoral context leading a church in a small, migrant farm town which had previously been led by an abusive pastor. He previews the breakout topic he will lead at the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. How can our churches become both helpful and welcoming to those who are suffering abuse or oppression? How can pastors identify and eliminate harmful tendencies in themselves that could lead to abuse later?
Living Church - Awe and Presence
This week we are joined by CTP Fellow Ben Burkholder. Ben shares how he developed an interest in learning how people grow as disciples. Reflecting on his time as a student, Ben also shares insights about the relationship between psychology and spiritual formation. This and more on today’s podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Join us this week as we get to know Eric Rivera. Eric will be a plenary speaker at the 2025 Pastor Theologians Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. On this episode, Eric talks about how his story shaped his interests and calling in church history and pastoral ministry. Drawing from his context as a pastor at a multi-ethnic church in the greater Chicago area, he also shares what he has learned it means to be a Good Shepherd in the 21st Century.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Samuel Parkison joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book, To Gaze upon God: The Beatific Vision in Doctrine, Tradition, and Practice(InterVarsity Press 2024.) He also shares with us his story and calling to academic ministry at the Abu Dhabi Extension Site at Gulf Theological Seminary in the United Arab Emirates.
What is the beatific vision? What does the beatific vision have to do with this moment in history for the church? This and more on today's podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
For our April episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
- CR Wiley, In the House of Tom Bombadil (2021)
- Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way (2014)
- Percival Everett, James (2024)
- Harold Netland, Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God (2022)
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Nadya Williams joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity (IVP Academic, 2024.) How do our attitudes towards motherhood reflect either a commodification of human life or, by contrast, a rich affirmation of the imago dei? This and more on today’s podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Stephen Campbell joins us today on the CPT podcast. Stephen tells us about witnessing his family's ministry through his childhood. He also shares how the Lord prepared him for his current context pastoring in Germany, and his research on the book of Deuteronomy. This and more on today's podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Matt O'Reilly joins us today to talk about his recent book Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification. What does the Bible teach us about holiness? How can the broader Evangelical community learn from historically Methodist theologies of sanctification? How can ecclesial styles of theological writing serve pastors and congregations as they work through topics like this one? This and more on today's podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Brad Littlejohn joins the podcast today to talk about his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License. What is human "freedom"? Where do American theological, moral, and political concepts of freedom and liberty come from? How do Scripture and our culture view "freedom" differently, and how can pastors help the Church's ability to think Biblically about "freedom"? This and more on today's podcast!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Steve Turnbull joins the podcast to share his journey of becoming a pastor and Biblical scholar. As a pastor theologian, Steve has worked to develop a rich Biblical narrative imagination. Today, he serves as a senior pastor of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Ohio, as well as the provost and professor of New Testament at The Master's Institute in Minnesota.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
We are excited to have Carl Trueman on the podcast today. Carl discusses his some of his recent books, including To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse, which provides an introductory intellectual history of Critical Theory, primarily non-polemically. In this episode, Carl walks us through the key figures and orienting ideas of Frankfurt School and Critical Theory. What is the connection between Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory? How can pastors steward the church's confession as they help congregations navigate their contexts which may be influenced by these ideas? This and more on today's episode.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Aaron Friesen joins the podcast today to share his story of becoming a pastor theologian. Aaron describes how, in part though his seminary education at Fuller, he developed a vision and sense of calling for integrating theological education and service to the local church within his pentecostal tradition. Today, Aaron serves at CitySalt church in Eugene, OR and teaches in an adjunct capacity.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Today we are joined on the podcast by Rhys Laverty as we discuss Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis’s Ransom Trilogy (Davenant Institute, 2024). This volume, edited by Laverty, is a collection of essays highlighting Lewis's insights on topics such as gender, contraception, bureaucracy, and transhumanism, as he wove them into the Ransom Trilogy. What questions does Lewis explore in his fiction that are pastorally relevant in our context today? How can the Ransom Trilogy continue to inform Christian living? This and more on today's podcasts!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Jon English Lee joins the podcast today to discuss his book, There Remains a Sabbath Rest for the People of God: A Biblical, Theological, & Historical Defense of Sabbath Rest as a Creation Ordinance. What is the theological significance of rest in Scripture? What does it mean for a pastor to lead from a restful soul? This and more on today's podcast episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Jennifer Powell McNutt joins the podcast once again to discuss her recent book, The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (Brazos Press 2024). Mary Magdalene's story has often been undervalued and confused, in part due to what Jennifer calls the "muddle of Marys" in the Gospels. What can we gain by a more careful analysis of Mary's story? How can we be served by approaching the biblical text with a "hermeneutic of surprise"? How can Mary Magdalene serve as a model for Christian discipleship today? This and more on today's podcast.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Matthew LaPine joins the podcast to share his journey of faith through mental health challenges in his family and more. How can "playing the long game" shape our perspective as we navigate life's challenges? This and more on today’s episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Charles (Chad) Kim joins the podcast to talk about his book, The Way of Humility: St. Augustine’s Theology of Preaching. How is Augustine’s theology and specifically the virtue of humility reflected in Augustine’s Sermon? Hear this and more on today’s episode.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Ryan joins the podcast today to share his story, including his background in the Pentecostal tradition. Find out how that tradition has shaped him as a pastor theologian. Further, how can we learn from themes of doubt, deconstruction, and anti-intellectualism? How do we think about these themes as ministry leaders? All this and more on today’s podcast.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
As we wrap up 2024, in this episode the CPT staff reflects on the past year, and looks ahead to what the Lord might do through our ministry in 2025.
Jonathan Huggins joins us on the podcast today with a sermon for the season of Advent reflecting on peace. How does the Gospel redefine shalom—peace—with God, within ourselves, and with others? How can we maintain relational and psychological rest in our souls when facing the anxiety-producing situations of our modern world?
Living Church - Awe and Presence
For our December episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading (and, on this occasion, watching):
- JRR Tolkien, Return of the King, (1955)
- Mark A. Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1995)
- Stephen King, Carrie (1974)
- Cormac McCarthy, The Border Trilogy, (1999)
- Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Idea, 2011
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. (2024)
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Today, Chris Ganski shares a sermon on Acts 17:1-9. In the wake of the 2024 election, the book of Acts can be an excellent resource to consider the relationship between church and politics. In the context of Acts 17, does Caesar have anything to fear from the church? What is the church, and what does it mean to belong to the church? How does the church’s identity influence our understanding of the gospel as political? This and more on today’s podcast.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Pastor Caleb Campbell joins the podcast to discuss how pastors might guide their congregations through the results of the 2024 election, drawing from his experience pastoring in Phoenix, AZ. He also discusses his book "Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor." How can we helpfully engage those in their community who align with combative political perspectives? How can pastors support members who are struggling to have conversations with family members, or for whom the election stirs up difficult emotions? This and more on today's episode.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Douglas Estes joins the podcast once again to discuss the second volume of a collection of essays he edited on theology in the works and worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien. We talk about the role of narrative fiction in shaping pastoral theology and how works like The Lord of the Rings can serve those who lead the church in the present day.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Kevin Vanhoozer joins us on the podcast this week to discuss his recent book, Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically. Christians across traditions and vocations have wondered what it means to read Scripture faithfully. Are there essential principles for reading the Bible as Scripture everywhere, at all times? What does it mean to read the Bible “literally”, or to interpret the text theologically? How do we enter the presence of God as we read? All this and more on today's episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
For our November episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
- Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (2021)
- James Davison Hunter, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis (2024)
- Yuval Noah Harari, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (2024)
- Kelly Kapic, You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News
Living Church - Awe and Presence
We are joined on the podcast today by Justin Allison. Justin shares his story of faith and how the Lord has worked through different seasons in his life, from a bout with illness as a child, to serving as a hospital chaplain, and now in his current ministry context.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
This week, Gavin Ortlund joins us to discuss his recent book “What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church.” Many evangelicals have recently begun to explore more sacramental and liturgical church traditions, such as Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. What underlying desires drive this renewed interest? Can these desires only be met outside of Protestantism? How can the strengths of historical Protestantism aid us when wrestling with issues like the authority of Scripture? What role do platforms like YouTube play in these conversations? All this and more in this week’s episode!
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Cory Wilson joins the podcast to tell his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He shares about his work as a missionary in West Africa and how that significantly shaped the trajectory of his life and ministry. What is the nature of theology? Why do we pursue it? And why does it find its home in the church?
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Nathan Chang joins the podcast to tell his story about becoming a Pastor Theologian. Nathan shares about his experiencing growing up with deaf parents and in a deaf church and the impact that had on his vision of and for the church. He explains his journey of faith, his passion for the word of God, and his journey of education and ministry.
Living Church - Awe and Presence
Collin Hansen, Editor-in-Chief of the Gospel Coalition, reflects on the political vision and legacy of Tim Keller. Politics is not the first subject anyone would associate with the life and work of pastor Tim Keller. And yet when you review his teaching, you find someone who may have written more deeply and insightfully about politics than any other contemporary pastor. In this session, Hansen explains what Keller believed the American church should do as politics increasingly shift from ideology to identity politics.
This is the first talk from the CPT's 2024 conference Kingdom Politics.
Ryan Fields joins the podcast again to share a sermon he preached on 1 Peter 2:12, calling the church to pursue commendable conduct "among the Gentiles" in the turmoil of a divisive moment in America's public and ecclesial life. What does God call us, the church, to pursue, both among fellow believers and in the public sphere?
Chris Ganski shares his story of faith and ministry in one of our Becoming a Pastor Theologian episodes. He shares how his journey has been a series of continuing conversions towards deeper faith and how the Lord worked through various experiences to lead him to the pastorate. How does a PhD relate to pastoral ministry? How can a liberal academic context help to foster faithful evangelical witness? What does it look like to preach faithfully in a politically divided age? All this and more on this new episode.
Coleman Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite join the podcast to discuss their recently published book Ancient Wisdom and the Care of Souls: Learning the Art of Pastoral Ministry from the Church Fathers(Crossway, 2024). They talk about why the wrote the book and the need that it meets for busy pastors today. Why should we learn the art of soul care from the church Fathers? What corrections can they bring to contemporary models of pastoral ministry? What does riding a bike have to do with this conversation? All this and more on this week's new episode!
Carmen Joy Imes joins the podcast to discuss her books Bearing God's Nameand Being God's Image, as well as previewing what she will be talking about at this year's CPT conference Kingdom Politics. Carmen shares her story of faith, ministry, and education, as well as her heart to serve the church. What does it mean to be made as his image? What does it mean to bear his name? What might that mean for theology, ethics, politics? All this and more on this fascinating episode!
Jack Franicevich, a parish priest in the Anglican Church of North America, joins the podcast to discuss his book, Sunday: Keeping Christian Time (Athanasius Press, 2023), that focuses on the nature of the Sabbath, what it means in the biblical narrative, and how the social imaginary of Christians might be formed by a deep understanding of the Sabbath. What does the Sabbath mean for rest? For the hope of Christians? For the rebuke of anti-God powers? All this and more on this new episode.
Dan Brendsel joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Answering Speech: The Life of Prayer as Response to God(Crossway, 2023). Paul commands the church to "pray without ceasing." What does that mean? In what ways do we misunderstand prayer? How might reframing prayer as a whole-life response reform and renew the lives of the saints and the life the church? All this and more on this new episode.
Joel is joined by Brad Gray, CEO of Walking the Text, a non-profit organization that specalizes in helping pastors and Christians understand the cultural, linguistic, and literary context of the Bible. What are the "lenses of context" for reading scripture? How does understanding this context correctly enable Christians to live out the vision of scripture and be conformed to Christ?
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For our July episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
- Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness(2024)
- Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot (1975)
- Cynthia L. Haven, Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard (2018)
Kaitlyn Schiess joins the podcast to talk about her recent book The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here (Brazos, 2023). She shares her background of education and how she began interacting with the question of the relationship between church and state, Christians and the politics of the world. What makes America a "Bible haunted nation"? Should Christians think of their nation as a "city on a hill"? What gifts can careful readers of Scripture offer to the contemporary political realm? All this on more on this new episode!
This episode sponsored by The After Party.
Russell Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today, joins the podcast to talk about his journey of faith, major influences on his faith, and current reflections on the state of American Evangelicalism. Why is fiction so profoundly impactful on his thinking? Why is the American church prone to cultural nominalism and pragmatism? What does the American church need to repent of and convert to? What is the biblical meaning of hope? All this and more on this new episode!
Ryan Fields, senior pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church, joins the podcast to tell his story of coming to faith and his journey of education and ministry.
Matt O'Reilly joins the podcast to discuss and share the presentation he gave at the Reconstructing Methodism conference earlier this spring, explaining why the new Global Methodist church needs to be firmly planted on strong theological rock, with pastor theologians doing the necessary hard building work. In his presentation he focuses on why the task of preaching is necessarily theological, challenging pastors to lead their congregations from the pulpit with theological depth and conviction.
Richard Lints joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Uncommon Unity: Wisdom for the Church in an Age of Division (Lexham 2022). Pressing into the given difference that exists, he argues for a deeper unity funded by the inclusion narrative of the gospel. Lints calls for a renewed unity that doesn't march according to the orders of the cultural calls for unity that prevail today. What kind of unity does the gospel achieve? Why do cultural calls for unity so often fail? Where should the church look as it seeks to navigate the exclusion and inclusion narratives of the present day? All this and more on this episode.
Gregg Allison joins the podcast to talk about his journey of faith and ministry and his theological work on the Holy Spirit. He discusses common misperceptions about the Holy Spirit, encouraging believers to think about the Spirit as the greatest gift God gives to his children. In what ways do we make the Spirit the potentiator of our own works? How can we listen to the guidance of the Spirit? What does it mean to preach in step with the Spirit? All this and more on this new episode.
Preston Sprinkle joins the podcast to talk about his recent book Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire, to discuss a biblical theology of Christian engagement with politics, and to preview his upcoming contribution to the CPT conference. Why is it so easy to mingle ecclesiology and politics? Why is this a matter for Christian discipleship? What does it mean for the church to be a political identity? What is the posture of "submissive resistance" that might help the church think about its role in the world? All this on more on this new episode!
Chris Bruno joins the podcast to share his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He talks about his journey of faith the path the Lord led him on to pursue higher education, as well as sharing about the current work he is doing to train pastors on the Hawaiian Islands through Training Leaders International and Oahu Theological Seminary.
Dr. Dan Treier, Gunther H. Knoedler Professor of Theology at Wheaton College, joins the podcast to discuss his recent book on Christology, Lord Jesus Christ. In this conversation, we dig into questions of methodology, pastoral theology, and the strengths and weaknesses of evangelical understandings of Jesus. What does faith seeking understanding mean? How can we recover deep, biblical understandings of Jesus as our Lord and Christ? What is "theodramatic ontology"? All this and more on this new episode!
"In order to understand the third commandment, we have to understand how it relates to the greatest commandment." Josh Stone shares a sermon he recently preached on Exodus 20:7: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." He unpacks what it means to take his name in vain, showing that when we relate to God as means to an end, not as an end himself, we use the name of Lord in vain.
Why are is the CPT hosting a conference on Kingdom Politics this September? Joel Lawrence and Zach Wagner preview the 2024 CPT conference, explaining why creating space for intentional conversations about the church and politics fits within the mission of the CPT to equip pastors to be theologians for today's complex world. What will the conference be about? What will it not be about? Why should you plan to attend? All this more on this special episode!
Josh Stone joins the podcast to tell his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He discusses the influence of significant medical diagnoses in his family, his journey of education, his studies in gender, and what it means to be a pastor theologian. Some of the questions we discuss are how does a PhD help serve the pastorate? What are unique challenges and opportunities in multi-site ministry? Why is Cleveland becoming a central location for working out the pastor theologian vision?
The text of Genesis 1 helps us understand who God is, who we are, and what our purpose in the world is. In this sermon, Charles Anderson explains the structure and purpose of Genesis 1 to help us understand how God is purposefully at work in creation and in our lives, even the midst of seeming chaos.
Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), joins the podcast to discuss the mission of the church in the present political climate. Along the way, he shares about his journey of faith and call to ministry, the work of the NAE, and how Deuteronomy can inform a holistic vision for church discipleship and engagement with the world. He and Joel discuss questions like, How does the mission of the church relate to civil government? In what ways has the evangelical church fallen prey to anti-gospel ideologies? What can churches do to develop holistic discipleship programs? All this and more on this episode!
David and Jennifer McNutt join the podcast to discuss their recent book Know the Theologians, an introduction for the church to theologians who have had a significant impact in the history of the church. In our conversation we cover such questions as: Who were these theologians? Why do they matter in church history and for the present? How big is the family of God? All this and more on this episode.
Paul Morrison and Cory Wilson join the podcast to talk about ecclesial theology and an exciting new degree program at Emmaus Theological Seminary. In partnership with the CPT, Emmaus is launching a ThD in Ecclesial Theology which will provide pastors and church leaders with academically rigorous training informed by an understanding of theology in service of the church. What is a ThD in Ecclesial Theology? Why the focus on church-based theological education? How does rigorous theological training serve the church? All this and more on this latest episode!
Andrew Wilson, pastor at King's Church, London, joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West. In this book, Wilson argues that 1776 is a pivotal year for the WEIRDER (contemporary Western) world. But this is something which we often forget, and that forgetfulness has consequences. Join to hear more about why understanding our history and conditionality matters as we seek to navigate the world in a manner that remains faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ today.
Chris Watkin joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Biblical Critical Theory, winner of Christianity Today's Book of the Year Award. He shares about the vision behind his recent book, the journey of faith and study that led to it, and how Christians can take up the same project as they work to interact with, critique, and call to repentance the world around them. Along the way Chris and Joel discuss Augustine's City of God, numerous biblical texts, current political questions, and much more!
Charles Anderson shares his story of faith and calling as a pastor theologian, reminding us all that God is the providential giver of our lives and vocations. He talks about the various influences and experiences God gave to lead him towards a PhD and then full time pastoral ministry. His story shows us that God's providence, like the Hebrew language, is best read backwards.
Chris Castaldo and Brad Littlejohn join the podcast to discuss their recent book Why Protestants Convert. In this conversation we talk about the reasons why many Christians, particularly in the contemporary evangelical church, feel both pushed and pulled towards a conversion to Roman Catholicism. Along the way we talk about the historic Christian moral theology, smoke machines, the place of evangelism and catechesis in the Christian faith, and especially why there is a rich historic heritage available to Protestants within their own tradition.
Books we're reading in February 2024:
- Stephen H. Travis, Christ and the Judgement of God: The Limits of Divine Retribution in New Testament Thought, 2nd ed. (Baker Academic, 2009)
- Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies(Mariner, 2019)
- William T. Cavanaugh, The Uses of Idolatry(Oxford University Press, 2024)
Coleman Ford joins the podcast to talk about his story of coming to faith and how the Lord led him to academic ministry. He also talks about his recent book on discipleship, Formed in His Image. During this conversation we cover everything from the power of narratives (especially in movie form), the trinitarian aim of discipleship, the necessity of the church for forming people into the image of Christ, and much more!
In a new format for our podcast, we hear a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Cole Hartin preached on Epiphany Sunday in which he calls us to look beyond the ordinary and mundane of the every day to see the mysterious and miraculous work of the triune God who calls and sanctifies his church. We hear from Cole about a theology of liturgy, the role of the sermon in the liturgy of the Episcopal church, the power of baptism, and more!
Douglas Estes joins the podcast to discuss a collection of essays he edited on theology in the works and worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien. We talk about the role of narrative fiction in shaping pastoral theology and how works like The Lord of the Rings can serve those who lead the church in the present day, as well as other topics like why Tolkien disliked allegory, the loss of deep friendships, how Eugene Peterson is like Treebeard, and more!
Kimlyn Bender joins the podcast to discuss the theology of the word and preaching that has formed the context for the Fellowship gatherings of CPT Fellows. We talk about the nature of the word of God and how that relates to preaching, particularly within the context of evangelicalism’s focus on the text of Scripture, expanding particularly on the statement in the Second Helvetic Confession of Faith that the preaching of the word of God is the word of God. Our conversation touches on Karl Barth, Martin Luther, Søren Kierkegaard, authority in the pulpit, the presence of the risen Christ, and more!
Karen Swallow Prior joins the podcast to discuss her recent book The Evangelical Imagination. We discuss the role the imagination—both of the individual and the society at large (i.e. the social imaginary—plays in shaping the church, the difference between worldview and imagination, what it means for us to be enculturated Christians, modernity, literature, and much more!
Collin Hansen joins the podcast to discuss his unique biography of Tim Keller, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. We dig deeper into the sources behind Hansen’s biography, the role of biography and scholarship in shaping Keller, his relationship with his wife Kathy, and the particular way Tim lived out the calling of a pastor theologian. All this and much more!
Obbie Tyler Todd joins Joel Lawrence and Zach Wagner to tell his story of how he became a pastor theologian. Along the way he shares his story of coming to faith in Christ, his educational path, and how his training has helped him serve the church. He also discusses issues of the church and state, difficult decisions in the church, and the opportunities and challenges presented pastors in this day and age.
For our December episode on books we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
- Aldous Huxley – Brave New World (1932)
- Johann Hari – Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention — and How to Think Deeply Again (2022)
- Jim Davis and Michael Graham – The Great DeChurching: Who’s Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?(2023)
- P. D. James – The Children of Men (1992)
- Leif Enger – Peace Like a River (2002)
- Chaim Potok – The Gift of Asher Lev (1990)
- Joseph Minich – Bulwarks of Unbelief: Atheism and Divine Absence in a Secular Age (2023)
- Patrick J. Deneen – Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future (2023)
- Rory Stewart – How Not to Be a Politician: A Memoir (2023)
Preaching is an instance of “speaking into the air” (i.e., oral communication), but how effectual is this form of the ministry of the Word? In this 2023 CPT conference message, Dr. Vanhoozer begins by contrasting bully pulpits (an influential public platform from which to persuade) and “kata-pulpits” (speaking “in accordance with” Scripture) and commends the metaphor of the preacher as curator: one who uses the pulpit as a place to exhibit (to preserve, present, and promote) Scripture as the word of God, taking as his “text” Heinrich Bullinger’s claim in the Second Helvetic Confession that “the preaching of the word of God is the word of God.”
Ernest Gray tells his story of growing up in the church and coming to faith as a college student. He shares about the moment he knew the gospel was true, lessons he has learned about discerning the call to ministry, and the path the Lord has led him on since then. Along the way, he discusses anti-intellectualism in the church, the importance of 1 Peter and how this book has particularly shaped his life, the inconvenient nature of the pastorate, lessons from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and much more!
Josh Chatraw joins the podcast to discuss two recent books: The Augustine Way and Surprised by Doubt. Josh talks about how questions from church members led him towards apologetics as a pastor and explains why the pastor theologian Augustine of Hippo provides a helpful model for reframing and pursuing the apologetic task today. Listen now to hear a discussion about such questions as: How does narrative and story help frame apologetics? Why is a robust theological anthropology important for the apologetic task? What do Charles Taylor, Peter Berger, Augustine, and Herman Bavinck have in common? How can an Augustinian apologetic help people navigate deconstruction?
Joel Lawrence and Zach Wagner host Jim Samra as he tells his story of becoming a pastor theologian. Jim tells the story of his conversion to Christ and how the Lord led him through a series of unique and critical moments in his life to direct him to pursue a PhD at Oxford and eventually the pastorate.
Mike Cosper joins the podcast to refresh and expand on conversations from the 2023 CPT Conference about the nature of pastoral authority and how that authority can be abused. During the show, Cosper offers a definition of authority that highlights the locus of authority in relationship, encouraging pastors not to view themselves as inaccessible shepherds but as pastors of the people. Mike covers topics from mega churches to Mark Driscoll to Hannah Arendt.
Todd Wilson, Joel Lawrence, and Gerald Hiestand discuss the origins and history of the Center for Pastor Theologians, how the vision has developed and clarified over time, and what the future might hold. They also discuss the recent transition, with Joel stepping in as the new president and Todd's plans for the future.
In this plenary message from the 2023 CPT Conference, Power and the Pulpit, Matthew Kim asks us to consider whether our preaching embodies a contemporary pursuit of power or a Pauline theology of weakness. Reflecting on the examples of Jesus, Paul, and his own on personal history, Matthew Kim challenges preachers to lead the church from a posture of humble weakness that depends on the power of Christ.
Jennifer Powell McNutt joins the podcast to discuss the role of preaching in the church, how the practice of lectio continua shaped preaching during the Reformation, and how churches today can benefit (and potentially abuse) this practice. Along the way, Jennifer shares some of the story of her call to ministry and her personal formation as well as offering an encouragement to listeners to join the upcoming CPT conference. Listen now to gain a better historical perspective on the centrality of the preached word in the life of the body.
Jeremy Treat, pastor of Reality LA and a CPT Fellow, joins the podcast to discuss his most recent book The Atonement: An Introductionas well as his role in the upcoming CPT Conference on preaching. He discusses his contribution to atonement theology, which focuses on how the cross fits into the story of the kingdom and how the notion of theories of the atonement can detract from the multi-dimensional nature of Christ's work on the cross. He also explains how a rich theology of the atonement fuels the weekly work of shepherding through proclamation. Listen now for answers to such questions as: Who has been most influential in his understanding of the atonement? How does atonement theology transform preaching? What is the role of preaching in the church? How can one preach effectively in diverse settings? Where does atonement fit in the gospel? And much more!
Author and speaker Iain Provan joins the podcast to discuss his recent book, Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human. Contemporary Western culture offers up various visions of what it means to be human, visions that many within the church have unknowingly adopted yet which contrast sharply with biblical revelation. Like the murderous offspring of the cuckoo bird, once these ideas take root, they drive out biblical assumptions of anthropology, even while masquerading as Christian. In this episode, Iain highlights three of these “cuckoos” and explains their effects on Christian thinking, addressing such questions as: What is the relationship between science and faith? What are the origins of current ideas about the self? Which sources should Christians consider authoritative? How does culture catechize the church? How can the church identify and dethrone the cuckoos that have already taken hold?
Author Katelyn Beaty joins the podcast to discuss her recent book, Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Profits, and Platforms are Hurting the Church.We discuss the history of evangelicalism as it relates to the use of mass media, as well as how the wider cultural phenomenon of celebrity relates to the evangelical movement. How has celebrity shaped pastors' sense of vocation? What are the dangers associated with the megachurch movement and famous pastors? This and much more on this episode.
CPT fellow Danny Houck joins for a conversation about original sin from his research of Thomas Aquinas' theological anthropology. What is the relationship between philosophy and theology? How does Thomas Aquinas help us navigate this tension? Danny also traces the history of the doctrine of original sin from Augustine to Aquinas, showing that the story of this doctrine in not as simple or clear cut as is often assumed.
Our May episode on books we, the CPT staff, have been reading.
- Richard V. Reeves – Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It (2022)
- Cormac McCarthy – The Road (2006)
- Jim Belcher – Cold Civil War: Overcoming Polarization, Discovering Unity, and Healing the Nation (2022)
- Angela Dienhary Hancock – Karl Barth's Emergency Homiletic, 1932-1933: A Summons to Prophetic Witness at the Dawn of the Third Reich (2013)
Why do so many seminary grads have a hard time retaining their knowledge of the biblical languages? What are some of the shortcomings of traditional language learning models and how can we improve upon them? Biblingo co-founder Nick Messmer joins Zach Wagner to discuss the difference between a grammar and translation method and a reading fluency method for language acquisition. What are the advantages of language fluency for pastoral ministry?
Professor Kimlyn Bender joins the podcast to share share about his farmers' town upbringing, how he first became interested in studying Karl Barth, and the importance of ecclesiology working out the tension between the academy and the church. Dr. Bender argues that Barth is the most important Protestant theologian to engage from the 20th century and that central to Barth's intent for the Dogmaticswas that it would be a resource for pastors. With particular emphasis on volume of Church Dogmatics, Dr. Bender describes his project of helping pastors engage Barth and his work's relevance for the church today.
CPT fellow Dillon Thornton joins the podcast to discuss his story of life, faith, education, and ministry. How does a young calling into ministry unfold over the years of young adulthood? Why is it important for scholars and pastors to study the Pastoral Epistles? How can pastors deal with struggling to find time for writing projects they'd like to pursue? All this and more on this episode.
On this episode the CPT staff discusses a new grant initiative from the CPT in partnership with the Lilly Foundation. We discuss the evangelical theology of preaching, the place of the sermon in ecclesial theology, and a preview of what we'll be up to at the CPT for the next three years.
Joel Lawrence and Felicia Wu Song discuss the sociological, cultural, and theological issues around technology and spiritual formation in the 21st century. What fractures in our society were revealed by Covid? How has the pandemic shifted our thinking around community and embodiment? How does the pervasive presence of technology re-arranged our pastoral and discipleship priorities?
This conversation is occasioned by the release of the CPT's new edited volume Techne: Christian Visions of Technology and Song's Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age.
CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence interviews Dr. Justin Bailey, Professor of Theology at Dordt University. They discuss Dr. Bailey's story of faith, education, and ministry. They also discuss his new book Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology and Culture. How do we define culture? What are shortcomings of existing book-treatments? What does non-anxious cultural engagement look like? All this and more on this episode.
On this week's episode, Zach Wagner is joined by Gerald Hiestand and Eric Redmond to discuss their contributions to a newly published volume of essays on racial injustice. These chapters were adapted from the presentations at the CPT's 2021 theology conference.
The book can be purchased here:
https://wipfandstock.com/9781666737349/confronting-racial-injustice/
And here:
https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Racial-Injustice-Theory-Theologians/dp/1666737348
On our final episode of 2022 the CPT staff has an extended conversation about some of our top books from our reading in the past year.
For this Advent/Christmas episode, we are featuring a sermon given by CPT fellow Cory Wilson at the beginning of the season of Advent. Merry Christmas, everyone!
CPT fellow Cory Wilson joins the podcast to share a bit about his life and ministry. At City Church, a diverse and eclectic congregation on the east side of Cleveland, he and his ministry team have sought to use liturgical and church calendar rhythms in service of congregants' formation into Christlikeness for the sake of others. How can Christian traditions learn from one another? What is the significance of liturgical practices during the season of Advent? All this and more in this episode.
CPT Fellow Neil Martin rejoins the podcast to discuss his newly release book Galatians Reconsidered: Jews, Gentiles, and Justification in the First and Twenty-First Centuries. This conversation also includes an overview survey of trends in Pauline scholarship over the past 50-plus years. What was the key insight Luther offered about Paul's gospel? What things might have been skewed in Luther's perspective? How does understanding Paul's 1st-century pagan context help pastors minister in the 21st century?
We are joined on this episode by Rev. Dr. Neal Presa, who is a member of the CPT's St. Augustine Fellowship. We hear from Neal about his life of faith, education, and how he discerned a call to ministry as he grew and matured. Neal also shares about his ministry experiences and his current work with the World Council of Churches, including how the evangelical church can engage in and learn from ecumenical movements for the good of the world.
How does the incarnation relate to our theology of gender? What does it mean that we describe God as "Father" and "Son"? What significance, if any, do we assign to Jesus' maleness? How should orthodox Christians engage with critical and post-Christian feminist scholarship? What can we learn about masculinity and femininity from the biblical narrative?
Amy Peeler joins the podcast again, this time with Gerald Hiestand, to discuss her new book Women and the Gender of God.
CPT fellow Doug O'Donnell joins for the second half of his story of faith, education, and ministry calling. What are the differences and similarities between academic and pastoral ministry vocations? Is the pastoral calling a lifelong calling? How do denominational structures and personal wiring relate to our sense of calling and vocation? All this and more in this wide ranging conversation.
In this episode we are joined by CPT fellow Douglas Sean O'Donnell. Doug serves as senior vice president of Bible editorial at Crossway. In this conversation, he shares the first part of his story of faith, family, and education. Doug grew up Irish Catholic and had multiple dramatic life events that set him on a path towards a dramatic conversion experience as a young person. He describes his first experiences in low-church evangelicalism and how he fell in love with preaching, the Bible, and the life of the mind.
CPT Fellow Dan Brendsel joins the podcast to discuss his story of faith and education. How do the pastors we sit under shape our vision for the life of the mind? How can we stay connected and engaged in the life of the local church while studying theology academically? How does the life of the church shape theological reflection? Dan traces his journey from Minnesota to Moody, to Gordon Conwell, to Wheaton, and back to Minnesota.
CPT Fellow Amy Peeler returns to the podcast to discuss some of her journey of faith and education. Dr. Peeler recounts her experiences as a spiritually earnest child who involved herself in ministry opportunities from a young age. She goes on to describe her own wrestlings with biblical texts as a college student. Finally, she shares on some of the theological vision for female identity from her new book Women and the Gender of God.
Author and Journalist Bonnie Kristian joins the podcast to talk about her new book, Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (Brazos, 2022). What are the fractures caused in society by our information overload and our consistent use of social media? How has a crisis of authority contributed to these fractures? What is the connection between Libertarian politics and Anabaptist theology? All this and more in this conversation.
Our September episode on books we, the CPT staff, have been reading.
- Robert H. Bork – The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law(1990)
- Sinclair Lewis – Elmer Gantry(1927)
- Charles Marsh – Evangelical Anxiety: A Memoir(2022)
- Crawford Gribben – Survival and Resistance in American Evangelicalism: Christian Reconstruction in the Pacific Northwest (2021)
CPT Fellow Laurie Norris joins the podcast to discuss her story of life, faith, education, and ministry as a Professor at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. What is it like to grow up and commend the gospel in un-churched communities and regions of the country? How do we integrate multiple spheres of learning in our thinking, theology, and preaching? Laurie also shares the vision behind One-Volume Seminary, which she co-edited with colleagues at MBI.
The Supreme Court of the United States has overturned Roe v. Wade. What’s next for our nation and our churches? How do pastors approach ongoing differences of opinion on the decision itself and the means by which it came about? How can pastors commend holistic visions of justice and exhort their congregations toward Christian unity in an increasingly fractured society?
Our June episode on books we're reading. We are joined by CPT fellow Paul Morrison. We discuss the following:
- Scot McKnight & B.J. Oropeza, eds. – Perspectives on Paul (2020)
- St. Augustine – City of God (early 5th century)
- Graham Greene – The Power and the Glory (1940)
- Francis Fukuyama – Liberalism and Its Discontents (2022)
How does technology relate to our human desire for connection and relationship? What types of technology extend our human capacities and creativity? What types of technologies limit and compromise our humanity? How does this relate to the new world that God is making in Christ? We are joined on this episode by Andy Crouch to discuss his new book – The Life We're Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World.
CPT Fellow and Souther Baptist pastor Danny Slavich joins the podcast to discuss recent events and turmoil in the Southern Baptist Convention. We begin by discussing some of Danny's story of faith, education, and ministry, including his time serving as a pastor at a majority black church and the formative impact this had on him. We then pivot to discuss the recent report on sexual abuse and cover up in the Southern Baptist Convention. Danny helps us understand the mechanics of church polity in the SBC and where the institution has fractured and caused these grievous failures. Danny also offers some reason to hope for the future of the largest Protestant denomination in America.
What can pastors in America and in the West learn from house church pastors in China? What place does the sermon hold in the history of theological reflection? What are the unique challenges and opportunities of ministry in the Chinese setting? Hannah Nation serves as the Managing Director of the Center for House Church Theology, an organization that publishes pastors and leaders in China’s urban house churches for the benefit of the global church. Hannah shares on this episode a bit about her story and how she became passionate about this work.
How is God at work in our stories and our suffering? How does human will relate to divine will? Dr. Mark Talbot, Professor of Philosophy at Wheaton College, joins the podcast to share his story, including suffering a major, paralyzing accident as a young man and going on to study philosophy as a Christian. Dr. Talbot also discusses his book When the Stars Disappear,the first in a four-book series on suffering and the Christian life.
On this episode we are joined by Steven Sandage, Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology at the Boston University School of Theology. Dr. Sandage consulted with the CPT for a meeting of one of our ecclesial theologian fellowships on virtue formation and hope. In this conversation we discuss the relationship between hope, lament, and pastoral ministry.
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Neil Martin, picking up with his DPhil research at the University of Oxford. What was the Apostle Paul's attitude towards the Torah, paganism, and the differences and similarities between Jews and Gentiles? Neil's research seeks to reconcile and integrate emphases of traditional Protestant readings and the so-called New Perspective on Paul.
We're joined on this episode by CPT Fellow Neil Martin, who serves as Ministry Assistant at Oxford Presbyterian Church and as the Director of B Less Oxford. Neil tells the story of growing up, studying at Cambridge, and beginning a promising career in marketing design in London. A sudden, unexplained illness debilitated Neil, setting him on a new trajectory for his life.
We continue our conversation about Herman Bavinck with Gayle Doornbos and Gray Sutanto. How did Bavinck's intellectual curiosity show in his writing? How did he work to produce and rearticulate Reformed theology for his own context? How did he wed orthodox theological confession with modernist and scientific movements of his day? What can pastors and theologians learn from how Bavinck on how to engage with others' ideas and writing? How can pastors unfamiliar with Bavinck's work begin to explore what he's written?
Our March bonus episode on books we're reading. We are joined by CPT fellow Paul Morrison. We discuss the following:
- Dale Allison – The Resurrection of Jesus (2021)
- Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart (1958)
- Adonis Vidu – The Same God Who Works All Things(2021)
- Michael Budde – Foolishness to Gentiles (2022)
We discuss the life and thought of Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck in part 1 of this conversation with CPT fellows Gayle Doornbos and Gray Sutanto. What was Bavinck's ecclesial context? How did political dynamics in the Netherlands influence his life, and how do these movements related to the broader Reformed movement, Calvinism, and its popular understanding within American evangelicalism? Gayle serves on the faculty of Dordt University and Gray serves on the Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary.
We are joined on this episode by Dr. Preston Hill, Assistant Professor of Integrated Theology at Richmont Graduate University. Preston discusses his work on trauma, abuse, and trinitarian theology, as well as his soon-to-release co-authored book, Dawn of Sunday. How is the Trinity foundational for our understanding of human relationality? How can pastors create trauma-safe spaces for community and healing in their congregations? All this and much more on this week's episode.
We are joined on this episode by Dr. Emily Beth Hill, who serves in the ministry of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. She tells the story of switching careers after working for 10 years in business marketing and analysis. What are the theological assumptions about human beings built into capitalistic marketing strategies? What things should churches consider when having conversations about branding? How do market-based approaches to ministry subtly put our faith in things other than the Spirit's work among God's people?
On this episode we hear CPT fellow Andrew Ray Williams's story of becoming a pastor theologian. Growing up in a Foursquare pentecostal tradition provided Andrew with unique challenges and opportunities in his theological journey. What is the theological identity of pentecostalism? What should a pentecostal view of the sacraments look like? What is the relationship our experience of God and our theology and ministry practice? All this and more on this week's episode.
We are joined this week by on the podcast by Dr. Michael Bird, a Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. We discuss how Dr. Bird selects and pursues his various research interests. He also shares his thoughts on how American evangelicalism is distinct from global expressions of evangelical Christian faith. What is the influence, for better or worse, of American evangelicalism on the rest of the world? How can American Christians benefit from expanding their perspective beyond their borders?
Our February bonus episode on books we're reading. We are joined by CPT co-founder Gerald Hiestand. We discuss the following:
- Krister Stendahl: Paul Among Jews and Gentiles (1976)
- John Meyendorff: Christ in Eastern Christian Thought (1975)
- Colson Whitehead: The Underground Railroad (2017)
- Eric Nelson: The Theology of Liberalism: Political Philosophy and the Justice of God (2019)
Historian and author Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins the podcast to talk about her book, Jesus and John Wayne. How have books shaped our theological and ecclesial imagination in American Evangelicalism? What is the proper relationship and distinction between pastoral ministry and the academic discipline of history? How do the idiosyncrasies of the subculture we inhabit create challenges for discipleship and pastoral ministry?
CPT Fellow Dave Morlan joins the podcast to tell his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He recounts his journey of growing up as a pastor's kid in an impoverished neighborhood in Oklahoma City. He also describes his memory of the Oklahoma City Bombing during his senior year in high school. Dave went on to serve as an apartment complex chaplain with the LGBT community during seminary. Finally, he tells the story of his PhD research at Durham on conversion, as well as his current ministry in Denver, CO.
This week on the podcast we're sharing a presentation from our 2021 theology conference, Confronting Racial Injustice: Theory and Praxis for the Church. This talk was given by Raymond Chang, President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative and a Ministry Associate for Discipleship at Wheaton College.
Visit https://www.pastortheologians.com/conference-media to access this and other presentations from our 2021 conference.
The CPT staff discuss some books we're reading and why we read the books we do. This conversation features CPT President Todd Wilson, Executive Director Joel Lawrence, Managing Director Rae Paul, and Editorial Director Zach Wagner. We discuss books by Michael Sandel, Eugene McCarraher, Andrew Peterson, and Kazuo Ishiguro.
CPT fellow Gavin Ortlund returns to the podcast to discuss his new book Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism.We discuss why Gavin became interested in apologetics. What are different kinds of faith crises and unique situations that bring various people to a place where they might find a work of apologetics helpful. What is the role of beauty in apologetics? How can we use our desires and intuitions around transcendence be used in "abductive" arguments for the faith?
We also touch on recent discussions around the term "deconstruction." When can deconstruction be a good thing? When is it not? How does diversity of experience factor into these conversations?
We are joined by CPT fellow Jay Thomas for a conversation about preaching, deconstruction, and the season of Advent. Jay gives a look into his weekly rhythm of preaching preparation, as well as how he anticipates preaching through the season of Advent. We discuss contextualizing the sermon for the season in the life of the church and for individual hearers. We also discuss how theological truth conveyed to the congregation through worship and liturgy. Finally, Jay discusses how he stays pastorally sensitive to those in the audience who feel themselves drifting from their faith or are undergoing a process of "deconstruction."
In this episode we continue our conversation with therapist and author Diane Langberg. How can pastors cultivate a healthy habit of self-examination and holistic moral purity? How do pastor cope with their need for relationship and renewal will managing the pressure that ministry systems put them under? What does the church need to rethink to address the abuses of power in our systems and church communities?
We're joined in this episode by Dr. Diane Langberg, author of Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. She discusses her work with both pastors and trauma survivors, and her realization that these worlds sometimes overlap in alarming ways. What are different types of power? How do these relate to pastors and systems of churches and ministries? How can we draw attention to the way systems of power often misdirect and corrupt us and our ministries?
We continue our conversation with Doug Sweeney about his theological education and ongoing teaching, writing, and research. How can we expand our perspective in theological education beyond distinctly Western voices? What ways can professors and students use their gifts to serve people in local church? What are the dangers in using the term "evangelical" in our current cultural moment? All this and more in this far-reaching conversation.
Doug Sweeney, Dean of Beeson Divinity School, joins the podcast as this week's guest. Doug is a Jonathan Edwards scholar who serves as a theological mentor and sits on the board of the CPT. He discusses some of his story and how he came to worship in the Lutheran tradition and how he has navigated ongoing theological tensions as an evangelical in historic Protestant denominations.
In part 2 of our conversation with Erin Heim (Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University), we conclude our conversation about adoption in the Apostle Paul. We then pivot to discussing Dr. Heim's paper on the connections between the #metoo Movement and the death and resurrection of Christ. How did sexual humiliation play a part in Christ's torture and crucifixion? What are the implications of this for the female human experience? How does the New Testament reorient our conversations on sexual violence?
Those looking to listen to Dr. Heim's Paper in its entirety can find it read in two parts on the OnScript podcast: here and here.
We are joined on this episode by Dr. Erin Heim, a Tutor in Biblical Studies at Wycliffe Hall at the University of Oxford. We discuss her life of faith, training in music, and decision to pursue biblical scholarship. We also discuss Erin's research on metaphors of adoption in the letters of the Apostle Paul. Her research is informed by her own experience as an adoptee, and she argues that many of the ways contemporary Christians talk about adoption in Paul can be painful for adoptees and ironically not very closely related to what Paul actually meant in context.
This week we’re sharing a conversation with the CPT staff on why we decided to host a conference on racial injustice this October. Hear Todd Wilson, Joel Lawrence, and Zach Wagner discuss their hope for the gathering in Chicago on October 18–20, 2021.
Find more info at www.cptconference.com
This episode features a presentation from our 2018 conference on spiritual formation, given by Dr. Vincent Bacote of Wheaton College. What can the broader church learn from the experiences and theological emphases of the African American Church? How has the Black experience in America shaped the approach to spiritual formation in these contexts? How can White Christians listen and learn from the wisdom of these communities' shared experience?
What is the relationship between theology and the life and worship of the church? CPT Fellow Marcus Johnson discusses his call to ministry and his most recent book (co-authored with John Clark). A Call to Christian Formation: How Theology Makes Sense of the World explores the definition and formative power of theology. How is the church a theological community? How does theology move and transform us?
We are joined on this episode by CPT fellow Marcus Johnson, who serves as a theology professor at the Moody Bible Institute as well as an associate rector at St. Mark's Church in Geneva, IL. Marcus explores his story of faith and theological education, including falling in love with theology and navigating God's calling on his life, particularly his journey to see the life of the church as central to the discipline.
What is the connection between Mark 10 and Ephesians 5? How do interpretations of these passages make a similar category error around power and authority? What implications do our reflections on power and the pastorate have for church leadership structures and accountability? What is the appropriate relationship between ecclesiology and missiology? All this and more in this episode as we continue our conversation with CPT fellows Joel Lawrence and Mickey Klink.
In Mark 10 Jesus makes a distinction between the way the Gentiles exercise authority and the way the greatest among Jesus' disciples must become servants. How does this passage relate to a Christian concept of authority? CPT fellows Joel Lawrence and Mickey Klink explore this and related questions in light of the current crisis of authority in the evangelical church.
Is there such a thing as "Patriarchal Feminism"? This apparent contradiction in terms is at the center of a paper written by CPT fellow and co-founder Gerald Hiestand. Gerald joins our podcast along with CPT fellow Amy Peeler to discuss these ideas. How does Christianity enter into and redeem the "toxic masculinity" that has characterized so many human societies throughout history? How does this relate to contemporary debates between complementarians and egalitarians and, specifically, the question of women's ordination?
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Ben White about his PhD research. Ben reflects on how growing up in Canada shapes theological vocation. We also discuss the unique opportunities of teaching at a small evangelical college in New York City. Finally, Ben comments on how a Pauline view of power transforms our conception of power in light of the current crisis of power and abuses of it in evangelicalism.
On today's episode we are joined by CPT fellow Ben White. We discuss Ben's story of education and faith, and his calling to become a pastor theologian.
This week on the podcast is part 2 of a conversation between CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence is joined by Winn Collier, Director of The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination & Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. In this conversation, Joe and Winn dig into Collier’s biography of Eugene Peterson, A Burning in My Bones, discussing Peterson’s family story, his imagination and how that shaped his pastoral vocation, and what Peterson might say to pastors today.
This week on the podcast, CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence is joined by Winn Collier, Director of The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination & Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and author of A Burning in My Bones, the official biography of Eugene Peterson. In part 1, we talk about Winn’s journey in faith, his pastoral ministry, and how he got connected to Eugene Peterson.
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Nathan Chambers on his story of life, education, and ministry. Nathan discusses the relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament, his doctoral research in Genesis 1, and encouragement for those pursuing Old Testament studies.
On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by CPT fellow Nathan Chambers, pastor of Wiser Lake Chapel in Lynden, WA. Nathan earned his MCS in Old Testament at Regent College and his PhD in Biblical Studies from Durham University. In the first part of our conversation, Nathan shares about archetypes of evangelicalism, growing up in the faith, and his educational path through philosophy and Old Testament studies.
How has theological education served to denigrate the African American preaching tradition? What is the distinction between the style and theory of preaching? How does an emphasis on disenfranchisement, hope, and the practical immediacy of the text make Black preaching unique? We continue our conversation with CPT Fellow Eric Redmond as he discusses the history of expository preaching in the African American Church church.
CPT Fellow Eric Redmond rejoins the podcast to discuss the recent guilty verdict rendered against Derek Chauvin in the George Flloyd murder trial. We discuss the response of conservative evangelicals, as well as the different historical perspectives of white and black Christians on police violence. What are the biblical and theological dynamics at play in these discussions? How do we as Christians cultivate our integrity in the way we engage social issues, avoiding selectivity and fearful self-protection?
This episode features a presentation from our 2019 conference on technology, given by CPT Fellow Dan Brendsel. Dan joins Zach Wagner to reflect on his talk in a now post-Covid world. Technology is like a road, a tool that is formed with pre-determined purpose and utility that separates us from something naturally vital to reality. A path on the other hand is different. A path is a way of moving through the world that does not view the environment around it as something to be used and torn through. The church is to be a path, a distinct culture that orients itself around creation rather than technology. The technology of the church, its liturgy, should not resist its context but cultivate its sense of place. How does the liturgical "technology" of bread and wine inform the way we as Christians view technology in general?
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Paul Morrison, a pastor in the Cleveland area who holds a PhD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Paul reflects on the history of race and racism in the Southern Baptist Convention and reflects on its implications for contemporary tensions and debates. We go on to discuss the work of the Ohio Theological Institute, an exciting and innovative institution of theological education offering robust, flexible, and accessible theological education for Christians, including aspiring and established church leaders and theologians.
CPT fellow Paul Morrison joins the podcast to discuss his story of life, education, and becoming a pastor theologian. Paul serves as a Pastor at the Church at West Creek in Ohio and is a co-founder of the Ohio Theological Institute.
CPT co-founder and board chair Gerald Hiestand joins the podcast to discuss some of the recent history of the CPT and how his transition from an associate pastor to senior pastor role affected his research and theological reflection. What are the challenges and advantages of doing theology from a pastoral post? Is it possible to live out the historic vision of the pastor theologian in today's cultural and church climate? How does the pastoral vocation tend towards simplicity but not "dumbing it down" in theological reflection?
In this episode, we continue our conversation with award-winning author Carolyn Weber. We discuss her story of life and her academic career, including balancing her witness while engaging fruitfully in her discipline. How should Christians and aspiring pastors think of cultivating their writing and word-craft? How can faithful Christian thinkers maintain a posture of humility and openness to new ideas and thinkers that challenge them?
We are joined on this episode by Carolyn Weber, professor of English and the award-winning author of Surprised by Oxford and Sex and the City of God. We talk with Dr. Weber about her story of life and faith, including her conversion while studying English literature at the University of Oxford.
Beginning in Fall 2021, the CPT will partner with the Wheaton College Graduate School in offering an M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Ecclesial Theology. This program is designed for students interested in studying theology with a specific orientation toward ministry in the local church. On this episode, CPT staff are joined by Marc Cortez, a Professor of Theology at Wheaton, to discuss this new program, its unique value for students, and how you can find out more and apply.
Is there a liturgical renewal movement in low-church evangelicalism? How can pastors and worship ministers rehearse the story of redemption through the liturgy of worship every week? How can we view music and preaching not as separate parts of the worship service, but as synchronized ways of embedding the gospel in our hearts? Listen now to our interview with Paul van der Bijl, Director of Worship and Music at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Chicago.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with CPT President Todd Wilson about his new book, The Enneagram Goes to Church: Wisdom for Leadership, Worship, and Congregational Life.How can the Enneagram help us cultivate pastoral wisdom and relational, emotional intelligence? What self-knowledge can it offer pastors? What insight can it give in to the insecurities and compulsions that drive us to protect ourselves from shame, fear, or our own anger? How can Christ work in our hearts and minds through a tool like the Enneagram?
Why did a trained New Testament scholar and longtime pastor become so interested in the enneagram? On today's episode, CPT President Todd Wilson shares his journey of discovering the enneagram and discusses many of the common objections and questions about it within evangelical circles. What are the theological convictions undergirding its "appropriation" for pastoral and formational use in the church? Todd's new book, The Enneagram Goes to Church: Wisdom for Leadership, Worship, and Church Life, releases on March 16, 2021 (Intervarsity Press).
On today's episode, we are joined by CPT Fellow Jennifer Powell McNutt. She serves as the Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and is an ordained minister in the PCUSA. We discuss her story of family, faith, and education, including discerning a call to ministry as a woman. We also explore some of her research on the Enlightenment, Calvin, and Reformed tradition's legacy of the pastor theologians in Calvin's Geneva.
What are some of the distinctives of Anglican worship forms? What does a liturgy that is both historically rooted and culturally and linguistically responsive serve God's people? What are the advantages and disadvantages of these forms? This week, we continue our conversation with CPT Fellow, John Yates. We discuss these and other questions, including what to make of the recent trend towards more "liturgical" forms of worship and the future direction of the Anglican Communion.
We begin our conversation with CPT Fellow John Yates, who serves as the Rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Raleigh, NC. In this episode, we discuss growing up in a ministry home, and John's story of education, including his experience serving as a study assistant for John Stott in London.
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Trygve Johnson on pastoring in an academic institution and corporate spiritual formation. What are the key issues and challenges facing college-age Christians? How do liturgical rhythms form us into competent Christians, able to move out into the world on mission, empowered by the truth of the Gospel?
Why is the call to leadership in Christian institutions so important? How have our institutions fallen into neglect in recent history? What are the modernist assumptions that underlie our mistrust of institutions? Listen to part 1 of our interview with CPT fellow Trygve Johnson, Dean of Chapel at Hope College in Holland, MI.
This episode features a conference talk by CPT Theological Mentor Kevin Vanhoozer. The public theologian ministers the reality of the gospel to the time and place of their congregational life. Pastors work in a place, a particular community making disciples and teaching them how to live out the life and work of God in them as citizens in the city of God. How does the act of preaching relate to the pastor's work as a public theologian?
As the pandemic continues, how can pastors and Christians cope with the feelings of weariness, isolation, and depression in these unique circumstances? What challenges has the length of the crisis raised for pastors and churches? How can we be attuned to our embodiment and the ordinary means of grace as we tend to our emotional and spiritual health? CPT fellow Ryan Davidson joins again for this episode.
Podcast host and CPT President Todd Wilson is joined by Zachary Wagner and Joel Lawrence to discuss the fallout from recent events at the US Capitol. What has gone wrong in the church and in our nation to lead to such a deep ideological divide? Where do we go from here?
On a special midweek episode, we share a sermon by CPT co-founder and board chair Gerald Hiestand. This sermon was preached at Calvary Memorial Church outside Chicago on Sunday, January 10, 2021, in response to the deadly assault on the US Capitol by pro-Trump conservatives.
CPT Podcast co-hosts Todd Wilson and Zachary Wagner are joined by CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence. We discuss the year that was and what its implications are for pastoral ministry and the role of theology in the local church. Join us as we look back on some of the most listened to moments from the podcast in 2020.
How can parents and pastors find a balance between emphasizing the theological significance of Christmas alongside the cultural trappings associated with the holiday? How can this season be an opportunity for discipleship and catechism of children? On this episode, we are joined by CPT fellow Dillon Thornton, author of Give Them Jesus: Raising Our Children on the Core Truths of the Christian Faith.
Is Advent merely an extended Christmas season? What is the function of this season in the liturgical calendar? What is lost when we rush past the penitential season of Advent into the celebratory season of Christmas? CPT fellow Benj Petroelje joins the podcast to discuss the significance of the season of Advent in the church's life – particularly in a year like 2020. How can pastors make the most of this time of year for their congregation?
We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Tim Fox on his story of life, education, and ministry. Tim discusses ministry in obscurity, avoiding pastoral burnout, reading widely, and the story the the birth of his daughter and her diagnosis with downs syndrome.
CPT fellow Tim Fox joins the podcast to share his story of becoming a pastor theologian. Tim Pastor of Christ the King Presbyterian in Austin, TX. We discuss the importance of focused research on the biblical text, the way a love of reading connects to a love of theology, and the significance of staying connected with a local church during academic studies. Tim earned his PhD in New Testament from the University of St Andrews.
How has the Christian faith and its virtue tradition influenced the science of positive psychology and virtue research? Many social scientists acknowledge that virtue reaches its full expression when embedded in a tradition, such as the Christian tradition. Gratitude, for instance, involves the realization that the good that comes to us in our lives often comes from a source outside of ourselves, which Christians often associate with God. We discuss these and other questions, including how pastors and Christians can cultivate the virtue of gratitude.
[This episode was recorded on Thursday, November 5, before the election was called by media outlets in favor of Joe Biden.]
Now what? What is the significance of the 2020 election going forward? How can the church be a witness for the gospel in a divided age? Todd Wilson and Joel Lawrence discuss division, unity, and hope in the church.
With the 2020 presidential election now upon us, we take some time to slow down and reflect on our spiritual lives. Love desires the good of and union with the other. How does this relate to our calling in Christ in a polarized election and a fractured society? We are joined for this conversation by Eric Johnson, Professor of Christian Psychology at Houston Baptist University.
Listen now to part two of our conversation with IX Marks Editorial Director, Jonathan Leeman. We discuss a recent lawsuit involving the city of Washington D.C., COVID restrictions, and Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Jonathan also expands further on his political vision for the church, including how to process the 2020 election and considerations for a Christian approach to voting.
How has the cultural situation related to justice, religion, and politics change since the founding of the United States? How should the church engage in politics? How should individual Christians think about their political allegiances? These questions and more are explored as we are joined by Jonathan Leeman, Editorial Director of IX Marks and the author of How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Politics in a Divided Age (Zondervan, 2018).
How does our spiritual formation relate to our political engagement? How can our spiritual practices and liturgies be both an inward and outward engagement with the world? Kaitlyn Schiess joins the podcast to discuss her new book, The Liturgy of Politics: Spiritual Formation for the Sake of Our Neighbor.
Are there legitimate "conservative" and "liberal" impulses in the Christian faith? How does personality and temperament relate to political affiliation for church leaders and congregants? How can pastors shepherd their congregations well during a time of heightened political polarization? We discuss these and other questions with CPT Co-founder Gerald Hiestand, who serves as the Senior Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church, a politically diverse congregation in the near west suburbs of Chicago.
What do apologetic discussions look like in a post-Christian age? How can pastors prepare to answer the apologetic questions raised by contemporary culture and the individuals in their congregations? All humans think in stories and narratives. What is the Christian story? What are the contemporary stories being told in our culture? CPT fellow Josh Chatraw joins the podcast to his unique angle on the task of apologetics and to discuss his new book Telling a Better Story: How to Talk about God in a Skeptical Age.
Part 2 of 2: What is the connection between gnosticism, the incarnation, and contemporary controversies related to race and racial injustice? Cherith Fee Nordling joins the podcast to discuss this question, the over-individualization of Christianity, and the tension of living in the radical middle.
Part 1 of 2: What is the connection between gnosticism, the incarnation, and contemporary controversies related to race and racial injustice? Cherith Fee Nordling joins the podcast to discuss this question, the over-individualization of Christianity, and the tension of living in the radical middle.
What factors go into deciding to apply for a PhD program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of part-time/remote programs versus full-time/residency programs? What family considerations should be taken into account? Listen now to part 3 of CPT Podcast co-host Zachary Wagner’s story of preparing to transition to the UK for full-time study at Oxford.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an M.A. (in either theology or biblical studies) or an M.Div? How does a degree in theology supplement skills in biblical interpretation? We discuss these and other questions on this episode as co-hosts Todd Wilson and Zach Wagner continue to discuss Zach's story of education thus far.
CPT Podcast host Todd Wilson and co-host Zachary Wagner discuss Zach's journey of faith and education so far. How does the so-called "anti-intellectualism" of evangelicalism manifest in local churches? Is this a fair characterization of this Christian tradition? What are the strengths and drawbacks of both Bible college education and a liberal arts education for Christians? Zachary Wagner is the Managing Director of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
CPT fellow Gavin Ortlund joins the podcast gain to discuss his habits of study and writing, as well as his recently published Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation: Ancient Wisdom for Current Controversy(IVP Academic, 2020). What were the important emphases of Augustine's doctrine of creation and view of what we would call "science"? What can we learn from this church father on humility? In what other surprising ways is Augustine's surprisingly relevant for theological controversies related to evolution, animal death, and creation ex nihilo?
CPT fellow JT English joins the podcast again to share the story of how he gave up his “dream job” at the Village Church in Dallas to accept a call as Lead Pastor of Storyline Fellowship in Colorado. Listen now to this amazing story of God’s provision and guidance.
Listen now to part 2 of our conversation with CPT fellow Rachel Stahle. Rachel shares how she processed her own conversion experience and her call to theological study and pastoral ministry. We discuss Jonathan Edwards on religious experience and the Trinity, as well as perceptions of women pastors in both conservative and progressive theological traditions.
How should Christians and pastors approach the 2020 election? How have the two major political parties changed in recent years? How can Christian leaders influence politicians rather than being influenced by politicians? Karen Swallow Prior joins the podcast do discuss her approach to voting, political parties, and the importance of character when Christians engage in politics.
On this episode of the podcast we are joined by CPT fellow Rachel Stahle. Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Towanda, PA. Rachel shares her story of life, education, and conversion, which involved a unique and dramatic experience where Jesus appeared to her during college.
What makes the pastor theologian different from the academic theologian? What types of theological reflection is the pastor particularly well-positioned to engage? What has been lost as the theological task has moved away from the church and into the academy? This episode features a conference lecture from Dr. Gerald Hiestand, co-founder of the CPT.
What are the good works that God has prepared for the church to do in 2020? How can white pastors love their black congregants well? What does it look like for Christians as individuals and the church as a whole to reckon with hard questions about politics and faith? On this episode we are joined by Dr. Vincent Bacote, Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics.
On Part 2 of our conversation with CPT fellow Matthew Wilcoxen we discuss his interest in Evangelical Anglicanism and his PhD research on divine humility. Matthew also shares some tips for how pastors can prioritize reading, research, and writing.
For the Summer of 2020, we will be releasing midweek episodes with special focus on theology and politics. How can Christians engage in politics and public witness while remaining faithful to the lordship of Christ? On this first episode we are joined by Kristen Deede Johnson, a professor of theology at Western Theological Seminary. She tells us her story of becoming interested in the intersection between theology and politics––and shares what insight we can gain from St. Augustine with regard to our own political moment.
We are joined by CPT fellow Matthew Wilcoxen as he tells his story of his education and call to ministry. On this episode Matthew discusses the unique challenges of ministering in Washington DC, his conversion experience as a young person, as well his pursuit and development of his intellectual gifts.
How should Christians think about the over-politicization of our culture? What is the theological significance of this cultural trend? How does the Gospel teach us a counter-narrative to the power politics of our day? On this episode, Todd Wilson shares how pastors and Christians can put politics in its proper place within the good world God created.
“Such a cry as ‘I can’t breathe’ is not merely anthropological, but it is theological. The problem with White supremacy – killing Black women and Black men in America – is an error of theology. It is a failure of the White mind and the White power structure to remember from where breath really comes.”
On a special episode of the CPT Podcast, we share a sermon given by Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates, Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. This sermon was given on Sunday, May 31, 2020 – in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
CPT fellow Dr. Eric Redmond joins the podcast to discuss his experience as an African American man, father, and pastor in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. We lament and discuss how it feels to be a black American and a black evangelical at this historical moment. What can pastors, particularly white pastors, do to lead their congregations toward repentance and care for those of African descent in their communities. Dr. Redmond is a professor of New Testament at the Moody Bible Institute and an associate pastor at Calvary Memorial Church in Chicago.
How do times of scarcity expose the idolatry of the human heart? What do we learn about ourselves, our vulnerabilities, and our identities during a season of wilderness wandering? CPT fellow Chris Ganski joins the podcast to discuss and share a sermon on surviving in the wilderness. Listen now as Chris notes how God, in Christ, is faithful to sustain us and be present to us during our testing.
What does Jesus' ascension mean and why does it matter? What is the theological significance of the human Messiah's return to heaven? With Ascension Thursday this week, we are sharing a conversation with and a sermon from CPT fellow Donnie Berry.
How can pastors be attuned to the mental health needs of their congregants? What responsibility does the pastor have to be aware of contemporary psychological research and brain science? What theologicalresources do we have as Christians for understanding and addressing mental health? We discuss these questions and more in our conversation with CPT fellow Ryan Davidson.
In this episode we continue our conversation with CPT fellow Stephen Witmer on small-town ministry. We discuss the theological underpinning of gospel witness in forgotten places, being open to a call to rural ministry, and how small communities are struggling during a global pandemic.
We are joined on the podcast by CPT fellow Stephen Witmer, who serves as the Lead Pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, MA. In this episode we discuss Stephen's life story, his call to ministry, and education. We also hear about Stephen's recent book, A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters.
What is God doing in/with/through this global crisis? In this episode we are joined by CPT fellow Jim Samra, Senior Pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, MI. We explore difficult and complex questions related to how Christians should think and speak of the activity of God in moments of crisis and suffering. How do we prepare God’s people for suffering and uncertainty? Once the a season of suffering has arrived, what is the pastor’s role in encouraging, supporting, and shepherding the sufferer?
In this episode we are joined by CPT fellow Jarrod Longbons, Senior Minister of Peachtree Christian Church in Atlanta, GA. Jarrod discusses the history of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement in the United States. He also explores how he and his congregation are ministering to the people in their church and in their community through connection and ministries of mercy during a national shutdown.
CPT fellow Jon English Lee, Pastor of Discipleship at Morningview Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. Jon English discusses his life of faith, his ministry training, and his doctoral research. How does the biblical Sabbath mandate relate to creation? How does it relate to the coming of Christ? How can those who no longer work or who are unable to work in their present circumstances participate in the rest that God commands?
Our culture shelters us from death. But the reality of our own fragility and mortality has been placed at the forefront of our attention during a global pandemic. CPT fellows Chris Ganski and Benj Petroelje discuss how pastors can lead and prepare their people to come face to face with death in their own lives and in society. How can Christians acknowledge the reality of death and hold it in tension with the hope that we have in Christ?
The COVID-19 crisis has quickly and urgently raised many theological questions for pastors and congregations. Should find ways to celebrate the Lord's Supper while the church can only gather via livestream? What should worship look like under these circumstances? CPT fellows Chris Ganski and Benj Petroelje join the podcast for a conversation on worship and sacrament in unique circumstances.
Listen to part 2 of our conversation with CPT fellow Nathan Barczi. Nathan tells the story of his move from New York to Boston and from economics to pastoral ministry. We discuss studying part-time for a degree in theology, as well as Nathan's studies for his first career as a professional economist. Nathan concludes by discussing the unique function of theological education in the local church in the Boston area––including his involvement in our local and student fellowships here at the CPT.
How should students and young pastors think about celebrity preachers? What is the relationship between homiletics and other pastoral disciplines like biblical and theological studies? How does the pastoral call to discipleship interface with the call of preaching? These questions and more in part two of our interview with Matthew Kim, Associate Professor of Preaching and Ministry at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
Rev. Dr. Matthew Kim joins the podcast to share his story and talk about a new book he has published with IVP Academic. Matthew is an Associate Professor for Preaching & Ministry and Director of the Haddon Robinson Center for Preaching at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He shares his story of discerning a call to ministry, his doctoral work, and the role that mentorship relationships have played in his life. Matthew also discusses how his Asian-American background and shy personality have shaped him as a preacher. A Little Book for New Preachers is available now from IVP Academic.
In this episode, Gerald Hiestand explores and explains his PhD research on the church father, Irenaeus of Lyons. What implications do Irenaeus' unique cosmology and origin narrative for the Devil have for the doctrines of sin, salvation, and creation? Was the occasion for Satan's fall pride (as in the traditional narrative popularized by Origen and Augustine) or envy against humanity? What is the biblical support for this narrative?
How can pastors establish habits for study that will lead to success in PhD research? What are the advantages and disadvantages to pursuing a degree while serving as a pastor in a local church? What are challenges related to life, family, and finances that should be taken into account when considering part-time study? How can you evaluate whether your internal motivation will sustain you during a long research process?
Should pastors pursue PhD research? What are the differences between the American and European systems for PhD programs? What should you keep in mind when reaching out to a potential advisors? How developed should my research proposal be when applying for programs? CPT co-founder Gerald Hiestand shares his story of studying for a PhD while serving as a full-time pastor at Calvary Memorial Church outside Chicago.
PART 2: How does the pastoral vocation shape our theological reflection? The life and work of a pastor is embedded in the life of the worshipping community. As such, pastors share in the joys and the pains of people in the congregation. CPT President Todd Wilson shares how the suffering-shaped life of the pastor uniquely positions them for speaking and writing of the mysteries of Christ crucified.
How does the pastoral vocation shape our theological reflection? The life and work of a pastor is embedded in the life of the worshipping community. As such, pastors share in the joys and the pains of people in the congregation. CPT President Todd Wilson shares how the suffering-shaped life of the pastor uniquely positions them for speaking and writing of the mysteries of Christ crucified.
CPT Director of Fellowships, Jameson Ross, joins the podcast again to discuss his PhD research on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and theological interpretation of scripture. In this episode we explore Bonhoeffer's hermeneutical approach, the relationship between the church and biblical interpretation, and the logical and pedagogical ordering of theological reflection.
CPT fellow Chris Castaldo, Lead Pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, IL, joins the podcast. Chris tells his story of growing up as an Italian Catholic in New York and his eventual conversion to Protestantism. Chris goes on to tell his story of education and training for pastoral ministry.
This episode features two short presentations from CPT fellows at our 2019 theology conference. The first presentation, "Every Sermon Should Answer: Why?" was given by Matt O'Reilly, Pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church. The second presentation, "Are We Present in the Church?" was given by Chris Bruno, Professor of New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary.
Part 2 of Felicia Wu Song's presentation from our 2019 conference on a theology of technology. Song is a professor of sociology at Westmont College. In this episode she outlines how the gospel's economy of abundance can serve as a counter-narrative to the economy of scarcity present in our digital ecologies. How can the liturgies of the Christian faith serve as counter-liturgies to the formation of our digital age?
In a presentation from our 2019 theology conference, Dr. Felicia Wu Song shares a talk entitled, "Digital Life as Secular Liturgy: A Matter of Christian Formation." Dr. Song is a professor of sociology at Westmont College. What is the social imaginary implied in our modern secular life? What effects does social life have on our embodied relationships? How should our Christian faith commitments affect the way we think about social media, constant social stimulation, and the omnipresence of devices in our digital ecology? Dr. Song explores these and other questions in the first half of her presentation.
CPT fellow Nick Ellis talks about the crisis in global theological education. How does technology help and hinder education and formation? How does and should education form us as persons? What role does community play in education? How can Christians address the rising costs and ongoing decentralization of education? Nick explores these and other questions while sharing about his current ministry and kingdom initiatives.
CPT fellow Nick Ellis shares his story of growing up as a missionary kid, his family's Mennonite background, and his call to scholarship, theological training, and the mission field. Nick is himself a kingdom-building entrepreneur and churchman and holds a PhD from Oxford University. This episode contains part one of our conversation with Nick.
Part two of our conversation with Gavin Ortlund, a CPT fellow and Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Of Ojai, CA. Gavin discusses the concept and methodology of theological retrieval and how the theological questions that animated past generations of the Christians can grant fresh insights for Christians today. Gavin's book on theological retrieval releases October 29, 2019.
Gavin Ortlund, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Of Ojai, CA joins the podcast. Gavin is a CPT fellow and a member of the St. Anselm Fellowship. Gavin discusses his life growing up as the son of a prominent pastor and seminary professor, as well as discerning his own call to ministry, training, and PhD studies.
Before part 2 of his talk, Todd joins the podcast to briefly discuss how he came up with idea for "mere sexuality" and how its these may be even more relevant in 2019 than it was in 2016. CPT President Todd Wilson gave this lecture at the 2016 national conference of the CPT: Beauty, Order, and Mystery – A Christian Vision of Sexuality. According to Dr. Wilson, there is a need for Christians to reclaim what he calls "Mere Sexuality," the historic Christian consensus regarding gender and human sexuality that existed virtually unchallenged for the first two millennia of the church's existence. This can be attributed to two primary factors, argues Wilson: 1) the fracturing of functional biblical authority and 2) the reshaping of moral intuitions in modern Western culture.
CPT President Todd Wilson gave this lecture at the 2016 national conference of the CPT: Beauty, Order, and Mystery – A Christian Vision of Sexuality. According to Dr. Wilson, there is a need for Christians to reclaim what he calls "Mere Sexuality," the historic Christian consensus regarding gender and human sexuality that existed virtually unchallenged for the first two millennia of the church's existence. This can be attributed to two primary factors, argues Wilson: 1) the fracturing of functional biblical authority and 2) the reshaping of moral intuitions in modern Western culture.
Paul Taylor, Teaching Pastor and Elder at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of theology and technology. How should the church respond as technological advance continues and accelerates? How does the Christian theological narrative interact advances in artificial intelligence and the philosophies of post-humanism?
Paul Taylor, Teaching Pastor and Elder at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of theology and technology. Paul tells the story of his call to ministry, theological training, and his early career as a software engineer. Paul also discusses the unique challenges and opportunities of working and doing ministry in the San Francisco Bay Area, arguably the technological center of the world.
How can Christians and pastors benefit from literary reading? Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Professor of English at Liberty University, joins the podcast. In these episodes she discusses her childhood fascination with reading. She also talks about her career as a professor and the distinction between fiction, non-fiction, literary and non-literary writings. She also discusses her recent book on virtue, literature, and the good life––as well as ways that pastors and churches can benefit from exploring literary reading and writing.
How can Christians and pastors benefit from literary reading? Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well and Professor of English at Liberty University, joins the podcast. In these episodes she discusses her childhood fascination with reading. She also talks about her career as a professor and the distinction between fiction, non-fiction, literary and non-literary writings. She also discusses her recent book on virtue, literature, and the good life––as well as ways that pastors and churches can benefit from exploring literary reading and writing.
Eric Johnson, professor of Christian psychology at Houston Baptist University, joins the podcast to discuss the integration of scripture, theology, and psychology. In this segment of the conversation Eric discusses further the integration of biblical wisdom and psychological science, pastoral counseling, and how ministers can better serve their congregants and their spiritual formation.
Eric Johnson, professor of Christian psychology at Houston Baptist University, joins the podcast to discuss the integration of scripture, theology, and psychology. In this segment of the conversation Eric discusses his own experience in counseling and therapy, trinitarian theology, the enneagram, and a survey of Christian psychological methodologies.
Eric Johnson, professor of Christian psychology at Houston Baptist University, joins the podcast to discuss the integration of scripture, theology, and psychology. How should Christians think about the scientific conclusions of secular disciplines governed by naturalistic worldviews? What are the philosophical and methodological concerns when relating biblical wisdom with scientific inquiry?
Part 2 of our conversation with CPT fellow Dr. Edward "Mickey" Klink, Senior Pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, IL. Mickey joins the podcast to tell the story of how he transitioned from his role as a professor at Talbot Theological Seminary to the senior pastorate of a church in northern Illinois. In this episode Mickey discusses the process of decide to transition to full-time ministry and how his academic training as an exegete has served his pastoral ministry.
Part 1 of our conversation with CPT fellow Dr. Edward "Mickey" Klink, Senior Pastor of Hope Evangelical Free Church in Roscoe, IL. Mickey joins the podcast to tell the story of how he transitioned from his role as a professor at Talbot Theological Seminary to the senior pastorate of a church in northern Illinois. In this episode Mickey discusses the discipleship experiences that were meaningful to him as a young man in school and during his ministry training.
Part 2 of our conversation with Owen Strachan, Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, to discuss his upcoming book Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind (B&H Academic). Owen argues that the nature of human beings is and will continue to be one of the most pressing questions not only in the church but in the Western culture as a whole in the 21st century. He hopes that the book will help fill what he sees as a shortage of quality theological texts on theological anthropology. The book will release on August 1, 2019.
Owen Strachan, Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, joins the podcast to discuss his upcoming book Reenchanting Humanity: A Theology of Mankind (B&H Academic). Owen argues that the nature of human beings is and will continue to be one of the most pressing questions not only in the church but in the Western culture as a whole in the 21st century. He hopes that the book will help fill what he sees as a shortage of quality theological texts on theological anthropology. The book will release on August 1, 2019.
Gerald Hiestand, Senior Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church and Co-Founder of the CPT, joins the podcast again to discuss the inception of the CPT as an organization. What was its original vision for the organization and what is the vision for its future? What opportunities are there for those who love theological scholarship but do not have opportunity or feel called to the academy?
Dr. Beth Felker Jones outlines a theological vision of sexuality and gender through the lens of our created embodiment. This conference lecture was given at the CPT's 2016 theology conference on human sexuality, Beauty, Order, and Mystery: A Christian Vision of Sexuality. Dr. Jones is a professor of theology at Wheaton College. You can view video of this entire talk, including Q&A at www.pastortheologians.com.
Jeremy Treat, Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Reality LA, joins our host Todd Wilson to discuss his story of church planting, pastoring, and studying theology. How does the discipline of theological study interface with youth ministry? Preaching? Contextual ministry? (Part 2 of 2)
Jeremy Treat, Pastor for Preaching and Vision at Reality LA, joins our host Todd Wilson to discuss his story of church planting, pastoring, and studying theology. How does the discipline of theological study interface with youth ministry? Preaching? Contextual ministry? (Part 1 of 2)
Joel Lawrence, a CPT Fellow, joins the podcast again to discuss the man he studied as a PhD student, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a pastor as well as a gifted theologian from German who lived during the first half of the 20th century before he was ultimately martyred at the hands of the Third Reich in a concentration camp in 1945.
Joel Lawrence, a CPT Fellow, joins the podcast again to discuss the man he studied as a PhD student, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer was a pastor as well as a gifted theologian from German who lived during the first half of the 20th century before he was ultimately martyred at the hands of the Third Reich in a concentration camp in 1945.
Pastor Joel Lawrence, a CPT fellow, shares his story of coming to faith, theological education, and calling to pastoral ministry. Joel serves as the Senior Pastor of the Central Baptist Church in St. Paul, MN. This is the second episode of its type, featuring interviews with CPT fellows and other pastors on their story, their call to ministry, and how they have lived into the call of pastoring as a theologian.
Part 2 of CPT President Todd Wilson's plenary address from the 2018 CPT conference on spiritual formation. How is it that pastors can so often be both godly and deeply dysfunctional? This message is entitled, "The Integrated Pastor: Towards an Embodied and Embedded Spiritual Formation." Todd Wilson served for 10 years as the Senior Pastor at Calvary Memorial Church outside Chicago before transitioning to full-time leadership of the Center for Pastor Theologians in 2018.
Part 1 of CPT President Todd Wilson's plenary address from the 2018 CPT conference on spiritual formation. How is it that pastors can so often be both godly and deeply dysfunctional? This message is entitled, "The Integrated Pastor: Towards an Embodied and Embedded Spiritual Formation." Todd Wilson served for 10 years as the Senior Pastor at Calvary Memorial Church outside Chicago before transitioning to full-time leadership of the Center for Pastor Theologians in 2018.
Part 2 of our conversation with CPT Fellow Amy Peeler. Amy is a New Testament professor at Wheaton College as well as Associate Rector at St. Mark Episcopal Church in Geneva, IL. Our second guest on this episode is Gerald Hiestand, co-founder of the CPT, and Senior Pastor at Calvary Memorial Church. On this episode we discuss the New Testament Book of Hebrews, issues with its background and interpretation, as well as some of the opportunities and challenges associated with preaching this text in the local church.
Part 1 of our conversation with CPT Fellow Amy Peeler. Amy is a New Testament professor at Wheaton College as well as Associate Rector at St. Mark Episcopal Church in Geneva, IL. Our second guest on this episode is Gerald Hiestand, co-founder of the CPT, and Senior Pastor at Calvary Memorial Church. On this episode we discuss the New Testament Book of Hebrews, issues with its background and interpretation, as well as some of the opportunities and challenges associated with preaching this text in the local church.
Part 2 of our conversation with CPT Fellow Matt O'Reilly. Matt is a United Methodist pastor at Hope Hull UMC in AL. On this Episode Matt discusses ecclesial dynamics in the United Methodist Church, its recent decision at the 2019 General Conference in St. Louis, and practical and pastoral reflections for formation and discipleship related to sexual ethics in the church.
Part 1 of our conversation with CPT Fellow Matt O'Reilly. Matt is a United Methodist pastor at Hope Hull UMC in AL. On this Episode Matt discusses the history of the United Methodist Church, its recent decision at the 2019 General Conference in St. Louis, and inter-cultural dynamics between progressive, conservative, Western, and non-Western Christian in the UMC.
Part 2 of our conversation with CPT Fellow JT English. JT serves as the Institute Pastor of the Village Church in Flower Mound, TX. On this Episode JT discusses his PhD studies, work rhythms, and the model for adult education at his own church.
Pastor JT English, a CPT fellow, shares his story of coming to faith, theological education, and calling to pastoral ministry. JT serves as the Institute Pastor of the Village Church in Flower Mound, TX. This is the first of what we hope will be many episodes featuring interviews with CPT fellows and other pastors on their story, their call to ministry, and how they have lived into the call of pastoring as a theologian.
Gerald Hiestand, Senior Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church, joins the podcast to discuss the theme/concept of the pastor theologian. What is ecclesial theology? What are different types of pastor theologians? What has caused the church to lose its theological moorings? What is the relationship between pastors and biblical and theological scholars? These questions and more on our first ever episode of the Pastor Theologians Podcast.
What is the Pastor Theologians podcast? Our host Dr. Todd Wilson, the President of the Center for Pastor Theologians (CPT) introduces the show alongside co-host Zachary Wagner, the CPT’s Managing Director. Why start another theology podcast? Who should listen? What topics will be discussed?