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.
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.
For our February episode on books we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
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. Along the way, the conversation touches such topics as pastoring in a hometown, Kentucky culture, missions in Uganda, studies in Jonathan Edwards, issues of the church and state, difficult decisions in the church, and the opportunities and challenges presented pastors in this day and age.
Obbie Tyler Todd (PhD, New Orleans Baptist University) is pastor of Third Baptist Church in Marion, IL, and adjunct professor of theology at Luther Rice College and Seminary. He is the author of four books, including Southern Edwardseans: The Southern Baptist Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2022) and Let Men Be Free: Baptist Politics in the Early United States (1776–1835) (Pickwick, 2022). He is a member of the St. Hildegard Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
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