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.
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.
How do we think theologically about the persuasive aspects of Christian mission and evangelism? How can pastors avoid the manipulative tendencies that have characterized some preaching of the gospel? How can we seek excellence in Christian persuasion without buying into cultural values of growth and success? CPT fellow Mike Niebauer joins the podcast to talk about his new book Virtuous Persuasion, published with Lexham press.
What is leisure? What is the proper end of our intellectual pursuits and the life of the mind? What make the life of a scholar unique? How do intellectual pursuits relate to pastoral ministry? All this and more on this episode with CPT fellow Mickey Klink, featuring conversations on books by Zena Hitz and Luke Timothy Johnson.
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 Joey Sherrard. 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.
ARTICLE: Life Is Hard, Be Humble: Thomas Aquinas on Humility
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PODCAST: What We’re Reading — December 2024
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ARTICLE: Christians and the Virtues
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NEWS: Announcing Two New Learning Cohorts
CPT NEWS UPDATE
