Jonathan Huggins

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? 

Peace JONATHAN HUGGINS
Center for Pastor Theologians
What We're Reading — December 2024

For our December episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading (and, on this occasion, watching):

What We're Reading — December 2024
Caleb Campbell
Church and Caesar in Acts 17 | Chris Ganski

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. 

Church and Caesar in Acts 17 | Chris Ganski
Caleb Campbell
Pastoring Post-Election | Caleb Campbell

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. 

Pastoring Post-Election | Caleb Campbell
Douglas Estes
On Tolkien and Theology | Part II | Douglas ...

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.

On Tolkien and Theology | Part II | Douglas Estes

Ballots, the Bible, and the Witness of the Church | Kaitlyn Schiess

Ballots, the Bible, and the Witness of the Church | Kaitlyn Schiess

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.

The American Church in Crisis | Russell Moore

The American Church in Crisis | Russell Moore

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!

Rock-bound Pulpits | Matt O'Reilly

Rock-bound Pulpits | Matt O'Reilly

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.

Unity in a Divisive Age | Richard Lints

Unity in a Divisive Age | Richard Lints

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.

The Holy Spirit and the Church | Gregg Allison

The Holy Spirit and the Church | Gregg Allison

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.

Tim Keller as Public Theologian | Collin Hansen

Tim Keller as Public Theologian | Collin Hansen

Collin Hansen joins the podcast to discuss Tim Keller's legacy as a public theologian and his work in New York City to both a modern and orthodox Christian, engaging the world and seeking the good of the city. We address such questions as the influences on Tim Keller's vision for public engagement, his drawing together of diverse traditions, and what pastors can learn today from his ministry.

Babylon, Politics, and the Church | Preston Sprinkle

Babylon, Politics, and the Church | Preston Sprinkle

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!

Engaging the World as Pilgrims | Gayle Doornbos

Engaging the World as Pilgrims | Gayle Doornbos

Gayle Doornbos joins the podcast to talk about her journey of faith, education, and current ministry at Dordt University.  Gayle brings us into conversation with Herman Bavinck and the importance of his work as a theologian who sits patiently with Scripture and the tradition as he works to apply theology to his own day, helping us learn what it means to live before the face of God. We discuss such questions as how might Neo-Calvinism help us navigate present questions of church and state? What does it mean for Christians to engage the world in the mode of pilgrims? How can we retrieve the tradition faithfully? All this and much more on this episode!