Dr. Brian Fikkert is a Professor of Economics and Community Development and the Founder and President of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College. He is coauthor of the best-selling book When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself as well as Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions, Helping Without Hurting in Church Benevolence, and From Dependence to Dignity: How to Alleviate Poverty Through Church-Centered Microfinance. Dr. F...
Dec 15, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 1034
Karen González is a writer, speaker, and immigrant advocate who emigrated from Guatemala as a child. She attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology, and she has worked in the nonprofit sector for thirteen years. In addition to her first book, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong, she has written for Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and the Baltimore Sun. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland. In this conversation, we...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 1033
My Patreon supports send in a pile of solid questions, some of which I address on this Q & A podcast. What’s the historic Christian view of the end times? Did Priscilla write Hebrews? Can Christians get married in the church without being recognized by the State? Should we screen organizations we give money to before we give? How to talk to your elders about addressing LGBTQ related questions? Did I misrepresent Alisa Childers? What do I think about the World Mag’s critical article about Rev...
Dec 08, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 1032
Michelle T. Sanchez has an MDiv and ThM from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and spiritual direction training at Boston College and field studies on the life and times of Jesus at Jerusalem University College. Michelle serves as executive minister of make and deepen disciples for the Evangelical Covenant Church, a multiethnic denomination of over 900 congregations throughout North America. Michelle is the author of Color-Courageous Discipleship (2022) and the picture book God’s Beloved Commu...
Dec 05, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 1031
Dr. O. Alan Noble is Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, editor-in-chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and author of numerous articles. His most recent book is You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World and his forthcoming book (April 2023) is On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living. In this conversation, we talk about lots of different things including the book Blood Meridian, which Alan wrote his master’s thesis on, the author Cormac McCarth...
Dec 01, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 1030
Doug Smith is a passionate voice in the epic battle against screen addictions, especially through his award-winning book (and audiobook), [Un]Intentional: How Screens Secretly Shape Your Desires, and How You Can Break Free (https://unintentionalbook.com). Doug offers an insider's perspective on the power of technology, informed by over two decades of software development experience and a lifetime of Bible study. He also brings the practical experience of a dad of four grown daughters and a man w...
Nov 28, 2022•59 min•Season 2Ep. 1029
If you would like to support Theology in the Raw, please visit patreon.com/theologyintheraw for more information! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 24, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 2Ep. 1028
Alex co-founded Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem (yes, that one) and served as a professor and dean of students for many years. Alex received his MA in Missiology (1989) from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore KY; MA in Education (1976) from N. Georgia University in Dahlonega GA; BS in Secondary Education (1973) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN; BA in Biblical Education (1970) from Lee University in Cleveland, TN. He has also been a pastor and missionary for the United Methodist Chur...
Nov 21, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 1027
Josh is the lead pastor of Van City Church in Vancouver, WA. He’s also the lead singer of the punk rock band Showbread and is an author and creative prophet. Honestly friends, he’s one of the most theologically sophisticated yet creatively gifted humans I’ve ever met. He’s a provocative prophet who’s not afraid to challenge the status quo and yet, to some people’s chagrin, he’s passionately committed to historic orthodoxy and the authority of Scripture. He doesn’t fit into any single box. He’s a...
Nov 18, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Season 2Ep. 1026
Preston is back from sabbatical and fields a ton of questions from his Patreon supporters. All the ones listed in the title of this episode is just a sampling of the questions he addresses.If you would like to join the Theology in the Raw Patreon community, go to patreon.com/theologyintheraw and support this ministry for as little as $5/month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 1025
Jon Tyson is a Pastor and Church Planter in New York City. Originally from Adelaide, Australia, Jon moved to the United States twenty years ago with a passion to seek and cultivate renewal in the Western Church. He is the author of Sacred Roots, A Creative Minority, and The Burden is Light. Jon lives in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan with his wife and two children. He serves as the Lead Pastor of Church of the City New York. This podcast episode is a recording of a talk Jon gave at...
Nov 10, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 1024
Mike began vocational ministry in 1999 as a student ministries and college pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif and currently serves a teaching pastor at Journey Church in Nashville, TN. Mike also taught at Rock Harbor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Mariners’ Mission Viejo, Calif. campus. He served as the senior Pastor at EV Free Fullerton and founded the VOX Community and podcast (now Voxology). Mike has published five books: The Jesus of Suburbia (2006), Why Guys Need God (2008), Death By Chur...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 1023
Lucas Pulley is an executive director of the Tampa Underground Network, a network of around 100 micro-churches in the Tampa Bay area. Lucas has a master’s degree from Fuller Theological seminary. In this episode, we discuss all the ins and outs of the Tampa Underground–the pros, the cons, the challenges, and wins. https://www.lucaspulley.com If you would like to support Theology in the Raw, please visit patreon.com/theologyintheraw for more information! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...
Nov 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 1022
Okay, so this is a different sort of podcast episode. Here’s the backstory. My third daughter, Josie, is an Enneagram 5 and always has LISTS (like, very long lists) of questions about the Bible, God, Christianity, and Religion. And they are always very difficult and thoughtful questions. So, every couple of weeks, we have this tradition where we’ll go out to chips and salsa and work through her questions. One day, I suggested: “hey, we should record this on the podcast?!” And she said, “Um, no?!...
Oct 31, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 1021
Lou Phillips is the Director of Church Relations for The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. Before working for The Center, Lou was a highly sought after speaker on apologetics on college campuses and largely focused on questions about seuxuality. In this conversation, Lou and I talk about younger Christians and how they are wrestling with questions related to seuxality and gender. We also get into some broader questions related to the veracity of Christianity. If you would like to support...
Oct 27, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 1020
Chris joins me in the basement to banter around about all the stuff–and more–listed in the title of this podcast. We hope we don’t offend too many people. If you would like to support Theology in the Raw, please visit patreon.com/theologyintheraw for more information! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 24, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 1019
Lynn is one of my favorite New Testament scholars! She serves as Provost and Dean of Academic Affairs of Northern Seminary in Lisle, Illinois. She also teaches New Testament and leads the development of DMin and MA programs in women's studies, and the Women's Center for Leadership at Northern Seminary. Lynn received her bachelor’s degree from Messiah College in Grantham, PA, and my Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. She’s written...
Oct 20, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 1018
Tony is a pastor, church planter, author of a killer book on deconstruction called Regenerate, but most of all, Tony is an amazing Christian and a good friend. In this podcast episode, we talk about his story of deconstruction and reconstruction, why he became disenchanted with progressive Christianity, and some of the key values he’s pursuing in his current church plant in Springfield, OR. Oh, and I sort of think out loud (probably too much) about some (probably unrealistic) ideas I have about ...
Oct 17, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 1017
Branson and Jeff have been involved in theological education for several years and recently launched an innovative church-based organization for theological education. It’s called The Foundry. Their mission is to strengthen and support church leaders at every level with biblical and practical training. Branson also just released an outstanding book on a theology of the body and sexual ethics called Every Body’s Story: 6 Myths about Sex and the Gospel Truth about Marriage and Singleness. If you w...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 1016
Patrick and Keith just released their book Truth Over Tribe: Pledging Allegiance to a Lamb, not a Donkey or an Elephant. They also co-host a fantastic podcast called “Truth Over Tribe” and they are pastors at The Crossing church in Columbia, MO. We had a wonderful conversation about politics, tribalism, the kingdom of God, and whether Christians or churches should be politically invovled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 1015
Dr. Dan Wallace is a world renowned expert of New Testament Greek and the author of the highly acclaimed textbook: Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, which is the standard textbook used in most second year Greek courses. Dr. Wallace has a ThM and PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary and has engaged in Post-doctoral studies at Cambridge University, University of Münster, and Tübingen University. He currently serves as Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 1014
Amy Peeler is a rock star New Testament scholar with a Ph.D from Princeton and who’s been teaching at Wheaton college for over 10 years. Amy is also the author of several scholarly books including You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews (2014), Hebrews: An Introduction and Study Guide (2020), and the forthcoming Women and the Gender of God (Oct 2022). In this conversation, we talk about her book Women and the Gender of God, wrestling with questions related to God’s non-se...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 1013
Dr. Cynthia Long Westfall is Associate Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College and is the author of the highly acclaimed book Paul and Gender, which has been hailed as one of, if not the, best biblical defenses of the egalitarian view of women in leadership. In this podcast conversation we talk about what led Cynthia to write the book and we work through a few key passages, such as Ephesians 5:21-33, 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, and 1 Timothy 2-3. If you've enjoyed this content, please...
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 1012
Dr. James Merritt (Ph.D. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a pastor, writer, and speaker. He’s the founding and lead pastor of Crosspointe Church in Duluth, GA and has served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention. He’s written several books including his recently released How to Deal with How You Feel. In this podcast conversation, we talk about this book and many other things related to what it’s like pastoring an SBC church through the last couple of years. If you would l...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 1010
The Theory of Racelessness argues that Race does not exist in nature. Race does not exist as a social construction. Everyone is raceless. Racism includes the belief in race as biological or a construction and the practice of racialization. Racism is not everywhere and is not the cause for every perceived “racial” disparity or negative interaction. Racism can be overcome. The Theory of Racelessness is the brain child of scholar, teacher, and writer Dr. Sheena Mason, who earned her Ph.D. in Englis...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 1009
Hey, friends. Today we're going to do something special. What you're about to hear is an episode from a podcast that we absolutely love over here at Theology in the Raw. It's called The Pour Over Podcast. This is a genuinely nonpartisan, Christ-centered news podcast. So I want you to give it a listen. And if you want to hear more episodes and you can just search The Pour Over wherever you listen to podcasts and please hit subscribe. Stay informed while focusing on Christ at The Pour Over. Learn ...
Sep 17, 2022•8 min
A 2004 Christianity Today article dubbed Max Lucado as “America’s Pastor.” Max has been a pastor for over four decades and has written over 50 books that have sold millions and millions of copies worldwide. Naturally, I was a bit floored when Max reached out to me and wanted to know if he’d be willing to talk with me on my podcast. Of course I said yes! We talked about lots of things related to the current state of the church, how to cultivate longevity and vibrancy in ministry, doing ministry i...
Sep 15, 2022•51 min•Season 2Ep. 1008
Ryan is a teacher, theologian, and the founder of Kairos Classroom. He received his MDiv from Beeson Divinity School and taught Theology and Biblical Studies at the Christian Bilingual University of Congo. Courtney received her MDiv from Beeson Divinity School where she received the William M. Todd Award for Biblical Languages. Kairos Classroom is a place where people can learn the original languages of Scripture through live, online instruction at an affordable price. –––––– PROMOS Save 10% on ...
Sep 12, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 1007
Jeremy Stephens is one of the founding leaders of Tampa Underground, a gospel-centered ecclesiological network that’s home to over 100 microchurches (small missional communities) in the Tampa Bay area and 15 city-wide sister movements across the world. Currently, Jeremy is the director of the Underground's International Department. He previously has been a missionary with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the Associate Director for the Underground in Tampa. Jeremy resides in the inner-city o...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 1006
My patreon supporters sent in a ton of questions for me to address on the podcast. I responded to ½ of them here and the other ½ I’ll address in a private, Patreon-only Q & A podcast. If you’d like to support Theology in the Raw and become a member of the community, please visit: patreon.com/theologyintheraw.com. –––––– PROMOS Save 10% on courses with Kairos Classroom using code TITR at kairosclassroom.com! –––––– Sign up with Faithful Counseling today to save 10% off of your first month at ...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 1005