The Gospel Coalition’s Foundation Documents include a “ theological vision for ministry ,” originally drafted by Tim Keller. I had never heard of theological vision before I read this statement in 2007. Soon I learned that the concept originated by Richard Lints in his book The Fabric of Theology . Theological vision is the space between your doctrinal beliefs and your ministry programs. Theological vision helps you adapt your ministry to changing conditions while keeping centered on the unchang...
Mar 21, 2023•34 min•Ep. 106
Bill Edgar began his career as professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1989 and retired last year in 2022. But his Westminster roots run even deeper than his 33-year tenure. Edgar’s great-great-grandfather, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in New York City, helped endow Princeton Seminary in 1811. In 1929, Westminster was founded in response to Princeton’s liberal drift. By 2017, Princeton Seminary had drifted so far that the school revoked Tim Keller’s Kuyper Prize ...
Mar 07, 2023•46 min•Ep. 105
“When it comes to theologians that contemporary church leaders should be reading, I don’t know of a more important one than Herman Bavinck.” So says Timothy Keller in his endorsement of James Eglinton’s 2020 book Bavinck: A Critical Biography . Keller first read Bavinck some 50 years ago in class with Roger Nicole at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. But not much of Bavinck’s voluminous work has been translated until recent years. So, we live in a renaissance of appreciation for this Dutch th...
Feb 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 104
In their booklet “ Gospel-Centered Ministry ,” TGC cofounders Don Carson and Tim Keller describe how the redemptive story of Scripture, or biblical theology, culminates in Jesus Christ and his gospel. And from Christ, that gospel then guides us in how we live every aspect of our lives. I’ve never seen a book do this work more effectively than Christopher Watkin’s Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life . It’s simply one of the best books I’ve ever rea...
Feb 07, 2023•50 min•Ep. 103
In his forthcoming book, Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation, Collin Hansen aims to add to our understanding of evangelical history in the second half of the 20th century into the early 21st century. Keller’s life spans and intersects with many of the most significant people, events, and trends within Christianity during the last 75 years. The same can be said of John Piper, who along with Keller is a founding Council member of The Gospel Coalition. Piper is nearly five year...
Jan 24, 2023•43 min•Ep. 102
In this unique episode of Gospelbound, pastor Jim Davis from Orlando Grace Church invites Collin Hansen into the interview spotlight to go behind the scenes of writing Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. Jim Davis says, "Five hundred years from now, maybe two pastors or theologians will be remembered. I believe that Tim Keller will be one of them." Keller's influence comes from his sermons, books, and teaching as well as founding Redeemer Presbyterian Church, The Gospel Coa...
Jan 10, 2023•40 min•Ep. 101
In this special edition episode of Gospelbound, Collin Hansen is joined by Melissa Kruger as they look back on the big stories and trends of 2022, discuss how God has moved in and through their ministries, and share books that have stuck with them. They also take some time to thank you, their listeners, for encouraging them in the work of Gospelbound and Let's Talk . We discuss: Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen, and the idea of self-forgetfulness (5:36) H...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 37 min
Jen Pollock Michel offers eight habits for reimagining productivity, resisting hurry, and practicing peace in her latest book, In Good Time . She invites us to seek wisdom that is more concerned with ethical practice than Type-A respectability. She helps us recognize that we detest waiting because we have to believe that God is acting when we are not. On this 100th episode of the Gospelbound podcast, Collin Hansen and Jen Pollock Michel discuss why we should redefine busyness and how to say yes ...
Dec 06, 2022•33 min•Ep. 100
“We would rather have a leader who will beat up our enemies than one who will tenderly care for the sheep,” Michael Kruger writes in his new book, Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church , published by Zondervan. Spiritual abuse is a relatively new and amorphous concept. Kruger defines it this way: Spiritual abuse is when a spiritual leader—such as a pastor, elder, or head of a Christian organization—wields his position of spiritual authority in such a way that he ...
Nov 29, 2022•51 min•Ep. 99
In his new book, The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith , Trevin Wax writes, “The thrill of orthodoxy lies in its challenge. We are called to become not merely nice neighbors who are kind and polite, but holy people who look more and more like Jesus.” Trevin Wax joined Collin Hansen on this episode of Gospelbound to discuss why heresy hunters turn out to be heretics, how we can know if something is orthodox, and why he’s confident the future belongs to the orthod...
Nov 15, 2022•40 min•Ep. 98
Thomas Jefferson, whose lofty writings on freedom when compared to his practice of slaveholding are part of the real “wall of separation” in American politics and religion. These contradictions make him the subject of many biographies, including the most recent from Thomas Kidd: Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh . Dr. Kidd is research professor of church history at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City and the author of many outstanding works. Thomas Kidd joins C...
Nov 08, 2022•38 min•Ep. 97
In the digital age, it feels like life moves too far, too fast. That’s why we need wise guides such as Jay K. Kim, author of Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age . Jay writes, “This is where we are in the digital age, existing in an untenable state of unceasing connection to the curated lives of others—all of their highlights, none of their low-lights.” Perhaps the simple solution would be to spend more time offline. But our colorful smartphones ma...
Nov 01, 2022•40 min•Ep. 96
His latest book, Where the Light Fell: A Memoir , is the culmination of more than 50 years for Philip Yancey as a Christian writer. In it, you’ll see a clear display of his two life themes—suffering and grace—which characterize all his books. Where the Light Fell is remarkably honest as Yancey draws inspiration from God’s Word. He writes, “I know of no more real or honest book than the Bible, which hides none of its characters’ flaws.” Yancey joined Collin Hansen on Gospelbound to discuss the hi...
Oct 25, 2022•38 min•Ep. 95
In the new book, Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church , Hannah Nation and co-editor, Simon Liu, offer a perspective of what we can learn from Chinese pastors who are facing persecution. Nation says, “We descendants of Christendom fear cultural marginalization, but let us remember that those on the margins often preach the gospel more boldly, fearlessly, and humbly than those at the center, for they have nothing to lose and no stakeholders to upset.” Hannah Nation...
Oct 18, 2022•31 min•Ep. 94
There is almost nothing so beautiful as forgiveness—but, must we choose between forgiveness and justice? Does forgiveness merely empower abusers? Enter Tim Keller in his latest book, Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I? The bestselling author and co-founder of The Gospel Coalition doesn’t neglect the cost of forgiveness. He writes, “Forgiveness is always a form of voluntary suffering that brings about a greater good.” Sometimes that greater good accrues to the one who forgives. It may feel like ...
Oct 11, 2022•38 min•Ep. 93
In Jesus through the Eyes of Women: How the First Female Disciples Help Us Know and Love the Lord , published by The Gospel Coalition, Rebecca McLaughlin explores the life-changing accounts of women who met the Lord. By entering the stories of the named and unnamed women in the Gospels, this book gives readers a unique lens to see Jesus as these women did and marvel at how he loved them in return. Rebecca McLaughlin joins Collin Hansen on this episode of Gospelbound to discuss the Gnostic Gospel...
Oct 04, 2022•42 min•Ep. 92
In 2009, around 25 percent of American high school students said they had “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” By 2021, it was up to 44 percent, the highest level of teenage sadness ever recorded. For girls, the number was even higher: 57 percent. What could account for such a dramatic change between 2009 and today? If you looked at a group of teenagers then and now, the main difference you’d see is the modern teens hunched over their smartphones. These stats come from an episode of...
Sep 27, 2022•28 min•Ep. 91
You are not in control. You never have been. You never will be. That fact of life is tough for many of us to swallow. “The cultural air I breathe has trained me to think that life should be more carefree, predictable, and in control than it is,” Scott Sauls writes in his new book, Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen: How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear in the Making of Better Humans , (Zondervan). Scott Sauls is senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and author of...
Sep 20, 2022•30 min•Ep. 90
“We are all like Job,” write Bill Kynes and Will Kynes in their new book, Wrestling with Job: Defiant Faith in the Face of Sufferin g (IVP Academic). We are “engaged in a mysterious cosmic battle, as every day our faith is put to the test, and God himself is honored when we trust, obey, and worship him as the great and glorious God that he is.” In this book, Bill and Will Kynes find in Job real faith that holds us together when it feels like our world is falling apart. Defiant faith in the face ...
Sep 13, 2022•38 min•Ep. 89
In his book, Everything Sad Is Untrue , Daniel Nayeri offers readers a refugee’s inside look at religion and geo-politics through his personal tale of a boy separated from his father and the only world he knew and loved. A world that he’s not even sure he can remember. But it’s Daniel’s mother who is the hero of this book, which released in 2020 and was named a book of the year by The New York Times , NPR, and The Wall Street Journal . Her conversion was a death sentence in Iran, so the family f...
Sep 06, 2022•37 min•Ep. 88
As Christ's church continues to expand across the world, so does persecution. In this episode of Gospelbound from TGCW22, Collin Hansen talks with Karen Ellis and Kori Porter about how God's people fight for faith when it can cost their lives. Through this discussion, we'll learn how other Christians can support the persecuted church in prayer and advocacy.
Jul 26, 2022•47 min
On today’s bonus episode of Gospelbound, we’re featuring a selection from TGC’s narrative podcast, Recorded . In "Escape from Kabul", TGC senior writer Sarah Zylstra tells the story of God's dramatic work through the underground church in Afghanistan. To hear the full episode, subscribe to Recorded on Apple Podcasts .
May 31, 2022•22 min
In her book, Find Your People: Building Deep Community in a Lonely World , bestselling author Jennie Allen describes our problem today like this: “We fill a small, little crevice called home with everything we could possibly need, we keep our doors locked tight, and we feel all safe and sound. But we’ve completely cut ourselves off from people outside our little self-protective world.” Jennie Allen joins Collin Hansen on Gospelbound to discuss the difference between complaining and vulnerability...
May 24, 2022•34 min•Ep. 87
In his book, Rembrandt Is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith , Russ Ramsey helps his readers learn how to appreciate art without needing to be an expert. “If you have not yet learned to love beauty,” he writes, “learn to love it late.” We’re made to achieve perfection, at least on the other side of glory, he says. Beauty is glimpsing a preview of that perfection in what we make here and now of goodness and truth. God didn’t need to make this world beautiful. He didn’t ne...
May 17, 2022•40 min•Ep. 86
If you live in the West, in much of Europe or North America or Australia, you don’t know the world apart from Christianity. It’s the water you swim in, the air you breathe. That’s the main point of Glen Scrivener’s new book, The Air We Breathe: How We All Came to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality , published by The Good Book Company. Glen is an ordained Church of England minister and evangelist who preaches Christ through writing, speaking, and online media. Glen Scrivener joi...
May 10, 2022•48 min•Ep. 85
Starting May 4, The Gospel Coalition is releasing a five-part video debate series called the " Good Faith Debates ", featuring prominent Christian thinkers discussing some of the most divisive issues facing the church today—ranging from gun control to woke churches to abortion to racial injustice to evangelical self-identity. When we keep the gospel central, we can disagree on lesser but still important matters in good faith. In the Good Faith Debates, we hope to model this—showing that it’s pos...
May 03, 2022•44 min•Ep. 84
What happens when you get diagnosed in April 2021 at age 33 with a rare form of cancer—so rare, in fact, that the odds of contracting it are 25 million to 1? What happens when the doctors can’t tell you if you have five months or five years to live? And what happens with your son, born at the end of March 2020 at the outset of a global pandemic? That’s the story of Jonathan Tjarks, who has covered basketball for The Ringer since 2016 and is a host on The Ringer NBA Show . He loves Jesus and Dall...
Apr 26, 2022•43 min•Ep. 83
In singer-songwriter Sandra McCracken’s new book, “Send Out Your Light: The Illuminating Power of Scripture and Song”, you’ll find the same depth of spiritual insight and emotion that characterize her songs. She writes, “If we sing songs with thin ideas, superficial hopes, and more hype than authenticity, we will find ourselves depleted in the times when we need some truth to fall back on. We need songs sturdy enough to sing at the bedside of a dying friend.” Sandra joins Collin Hansen on this e...
Apr 19, 2022•27 min•Ep. 82
In his latest book, Recovering Our Sanity: How the Fear of God Conquers the Fears that Divide Us , Michael Horton argues that we can only conquer the wrong kinds of fear by embracing the right kind of fear, and that’s what he means by sanity. For Horton, revival breaks out when Christians show up to church and hear from God and his Word. It’s so simple, and that’s his point. We don’t need spectacular miracles—we need basic obedience. Michael Horton joins Collin Hansen on Gospelbound to discuss p...
Apr 12, 2022•41 min•Ep. 81
Did education give you a love of learning and a desire to cultivate your mind over a lifetime? Or did you learn how to pass tests to graduate and get a job? These goals don’t need to be mutually exclusive, but they are for many of us. Any serious attempt at reforming Christian political witness must include a vision for education. Jake Meador offers such a classical vision for education but also ventures into sex, race, technology, family, the environment, and more in his new book, What Are Chri...
Apr 05, 2022•42 min•Ep. 80
