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?
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)
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.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.
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