Greg grew up as a gay atheist in DC area and converted to Christianity at UVA in 1990. He has a PhD in historical theology and serves as the lead pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church (PCA) in St. Louis. He’s also the author of the forthcoming book, Still Time to Care: What We Can Learn from the Church Failed Attempt to Cure Homosexuality (Zondervan, Sept 2021). Greg is 49 years old and has never touched another human in a romantic way, and yet he has been brought up on charges for being unfit ...
Jun 17, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 8Ep. 876
Dr. Heather Thompson Day is associate professor of communication at Colorado Christian University and an interdenominational speaker and contributor for Religion News Service, Newsweek , and the Barna Group. She runs an online community called I'm That Wife and is the author of six books, including Confessions of a Christian Wife , How to Feed the Mediavore , and the forthcoming It’s Not Your Turn . She resides in Littleton, Colorado, with her husband and their three children. In this episode, H...
Jun 14, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 8Ep. 875
In this invigorating conversation, Dr. Edwards discusses his views on race in the church, the pros and cons of how the church has handled this topic over the last year, and his mixed views on multi-ethnic churches. We then get into a discussion about slavery in the Bible and answer some difficult questions about a difficult topic. Dr. Edwards has long been inspired with a hunger to understand scripture. Growing up in NYC, Dr. Edwards attended a storefront church whose pastor was an earnest, fait...
Jun 10, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 8Ep. 874
Darren was a teaching pastor at Willow Creek, then decided to plant a church in Franklin, TN, which ended up growing into another Mega Church. In this episode, we talk about his interesting and unpredictable journey, what it’s like pastoring mega churches and planting churches, and how he navigated the very difficult year of 2020. Originally from Australia, Darren has lived in the United States for over 20 years. He earned his Masters in Ministry from Wesley Seminary and his Doctorate from Capit...
Jun 07, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 873
Eli is the real deal. He not only understands the race conversation. He embodies it. In this episode, we talk about all things related to race, ethnicity, the church, and America, and we also discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. Eli is an emerging leader in the Next Gen space. He serves several national networks in varied roles. He is the Next Gen Regional Co-Chair for North America with Empowered21, and he also fills the position of National Millennial Director for the N...
Jun 03, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 872
Darrin W. Snyder Belousek teaches philosophy and religion at Ohio Northern University. He has taught previously at various church-related colleges: Bluffton University, Louisburg College, Bethel College, Lithuania Christian College, Goshen College, and St. Mary's College. He received a Ph.D. in history and philosophy of science from the University of Notre Dame (1998) and a certificate of theological studies from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (2017). Dr. Belousek has written an outsstan...
May 31, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 871
Should Christians use a trans* identified person’s chosen pronouns (i.e. ones that don’t align with their biological sex)? I (Preston) have argued for “pronoun hospitality,” that Christians should use a person’s pronouns. And Julie generally agrees with this perspective, but she believes that it’s sometimes better for the long term well-being for trans* identified children and adolescents when their parents don’t use their chosen pronouns. In case you didn’t know, this is super controversial! Wh...
May 27, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 870
Caleb Kaltenbach has become a leading voice in the conversation about faith, sexualtiy, and gender, and he’s spent many hours researching the Equality Act. In this episode, we discuss what the Equality Act is, look at its historical roots, the content of the act, its implications for religious liberty, and what it means for churches and Christian non-profits. Caleb Kaltenbach is a pastor and founder of The Messy Grace Group where he helps churches love and foster community with LGBTQ individuals...
May 24, 2021•53 min•Ep. 869
Dr. McLaughlin has a Ph.D. in English Literature from Cambridge University (U.K.) and has become a premier apologist for a new generation. Her book Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion won Christianity Today’s book award for 2020 and her latest book The Secular Creed is bound to stir things up. In this episode, we talk about how most of the challenges to Christianity are more ethical in nature. People think Christianity can’t be true in light of its histor...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 868
Dr. Thornton recently finished her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where she currently serves as associate director of Ph.D. Studies and director of the Th.M program. Christy also served as a missionary in Morocco, which sparked her interested in the conversation about how best to reach Muslims (i.e. the C1-C6 spectrum). In this conversation, we discuss the C1-C6 spectrum, Moorocan culture, and missions, and then we discuss her shift from Missiology to ...
May 17, 2021•56 min•Ep. 867
Dr. Brooke Keels has Ph.D. in Psychological and over 10 years of counseling experience. She serves as the Executive Director of Counseling Services for Mercy Multiplied, nonprofit Christian organization that equips people to live free and stay free through Jesus Christ. In this episode, we talk about the rise in suicidality, anxiety, and depression especially among teens. We also discuss the widespread problem of sexual abuse and how people can find healing from trauma. Support Preston Support P...
May 13, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 866
I first met Bert in Fall 1997 when I transferred in as a Junior at The Master’s College (now University). Bert was one of my roomates and we quickly began a mentoring friendship. For the next 3-4 years, Bert poured into and helped lay some vital spiritual foundations in my life. He has been, quite simply, one the most influential persons in my life. But Bert has his own tumultuous story, which involved getting saved out of a gang culture and thrust into the Christian spotlight as a singer, preac...
May 10, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 865
Dr. Laidlaw is a board certified Endocrinologist with an MD in Endocrinology from USC. He’s been involved in the conversation surrounding trans* identified teens and the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones (CHT). In this conversation, Michael gives us the the honest facts about what we know and don’t know about short term and long term effects of blockers and CHT. Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Venmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1 Connect with Preston Twitter | @Preston...
May 06, 2021•57 min•Ep. 864
Aaron Keyes has been a worship pastor for over 20 years, currently serving as the worship pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, CO. Aaron is also the founder of Mere Worship , a network of worship pastors who are reimagining Christian worship, and the founder and director of 10,000 Fathers , a discipleship-orientated worship school. In this episode, we talk about all kinds of things related to Christian worship and worship leading, including the difference between subjective and objecti...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 863
Few people understand the intersection between faith and culture better than Gabe Lyons. In this conversation, we avoid all the easy topics and only discuss the highly controversial ones: Qideas (not Qanon), COVID vaccines, can we trust the government, how should we think through the “facts” about the pandemic, is censorship really happening, how to think through sexuality and gender questions, and much more. Gabe Lyons is the co-author of Good Faith (2016), unChristian (2007) and authored The N...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 862
Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church with more than seventy-five countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. Rich holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He enjoys reading widely, preaching and writing on contemplative spirituality, justice-related matters, and the art of preaching. He's been married to Rosie since 2006 and they have two beautiful children, Karis and Nathan. His first book, The Deeply Formed Life ...
Apr 26, 2021•55 min•Ep. 861
In this conversation, we talk about his remarkable encounter with Benny Hinn, his recent thoughts on church unity, how he’s revisited his beliefs about the Eucharist, and we reflect on the pros and cons of being educated at The Master’s College (now University) and Seminary. Francis Chan is a pastor, writer, speaker, missionary, and evangelist. Most of all--he’s a Christian who loves to spend time with. Francis has written many books, including Crazy Love , Erasing Hell , and the recently releas...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 860
Grant Skeldon is a leading expert in understanding GenZ and has spent the last several years of his life raising up and discipling GenZ leaders. In this podcast episode, Grant walks us through an indepth look at GenZ and corrects some wrong assumptions older people have about this vibrant generation. Grant started Initiative Network when he was 23 with the goal to develop young leaders into Christ-loving, city-changing, church-investing, disciple-making local missionaries. Initiative has united ...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 858
In this podcat episode, Preston and Lindsey talk about the beautiful complexity of female sexualtiiy and why so many teen girls today identify as bisexual (as opposed to lesbian or striaght). Lindsey is a a gay Christian woman committed to the historical biblical sexual ethic and is passionate about teaching the Church how to love and disciple LGBT+ people well. She is thrilled to get the opportunity to write content for EQUIP ministries, specifically for and about gay women . Lindsey graduated ...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 857
A. J. Swoboda (PhD, University of Birmingham) is assistant professor of Bible, theology, and world Christianity at Bushnell University. He also leads a Doctor of Ministry program around the Holy Spirit and leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning Subversive Sabbath . He is married to Quinn and is the proud father of Elliot. They live and work in Eugene, Oregon. In this podcast episode, we talk about his latest book After Doubt ...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 856
Josh Butler is a good friend and one of the most gifted, enjoyable, and all around brilliant dudes I’ve ever met. He’s a pastor, teacher, scholar, writer, and scandalous witness to the gospel of Christ. I could do ministry with this dude any day of the week. He’s written two incredible books: The Skeletons in God’s Closet and The Pursuing God --both are absolute gems. Josh also serves as a lead pastor at Redemption Church in Tempe, AZ, and served as a pastor for over 15 years at Imago Dei Church...
Apr 05, 2021•59 min•Ep. 855
Humans can live without sex, but we can’t live without love, intimacy, and community. So where does this leave Christian who are gay, who are also pursuing celibacy as a vocation? Pieter Valk helps us think through this question on a rich, theological, and practical level. Pieter graduated from Vanderbilt University with Highest Honors in Chemistry in 2013. After graduating, Pieter studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary for a year with a focus on Lay Leadership and Culture-making. Pieter...
Apr 01, 2021•55 min•Ep. 854
It makes sense. Illegal drugs should be criminalized. Period. The harsher a society is on drug use and drug dealing, the fewer problems it will have. Right? Not necessarily. As long as there are buyers, there will be producers. And as long as people experience pain and trauma, they will seek ways to numb it. Christina Dent is a politically conservative Christian who supported criminalizing drugs until she became a foster parent and saw the negative effects up close. She researched why drug-relat...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 853
Oftentimes, we don’t know what to do with the ascension. I mean, we believe in it, but we don’t often appreciate the theological necessity of it. Get your Bible’s out for this episode, because Patrick and I dance through various passages of Scripture to reconstruct the lost doctrine of the ascension of Christ. Patrick Schreiner is Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously taught at Western Seminary in Portland Oregon (201...
Mar 25, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 852
Is it possible for Christians to maintain unity when they are so divided over hot-button issues like politics, race, and points of doctrine? Do you have to sacrifice conviction for the sake of unity? Is it possible for a zealous Trump-supporter and an ardent Biden-supporter to worship together in the same church without thinking the other person is evil? There is no better person to help us navigate these issues than Dr. Tim Muehlhoff. Tim Muehlhoff (Ph.D., University of North Carolina) is the c...
Mar 22, 2021•52 min•Ep. 851
Dr. Sandy Richter is one of my favorite--and one of the most provocative--biblical scholars, and she comes back on Theology in the Raw for the second time in 10 months to help us think through this important question: should Christian care for the environment? The answer, of course--if you read the Bible--is yes. But why are so many Christians resistant to this question? (Pssst...it’s because we’re often shaped more by American political tribal identities than the actual Bible.) We also wrestle ...
Mar 18, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 850
Kurt is the author of the brand new book: Echoing Hope: How the Humanity of Jesus Redeems Our Pain ( https://www.amazon.com/Echoing-Hope-Humanity-Jesus-Redeems/dp/0593193504/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kurt+willems&qid=1613502655&sr=8-1 ) And his forms the bulk of our discussion. Do we believe Jesus was really human? Do we overemphasize his deity and therefore lose out on embracing the beauty of his humanity? When did Jesus realize he was God? Do his miracles prove his divinity or s...
Mar 15, 2021•59 min•Ep. 849
Clare De Graaf is a cancer survivor, sort of “retired” businessman, a friend, a mentor, the chairman of the board for The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender , founder of many Christian non-profit ministries, and one of the most zealous, faithful, wise Christian leaders I’ve ever met. In this conversation, Clare talks about his journey in the faith--which involves many twists and turns, ups and downs--and his contagious outlook on the kingdom of God. You can read more about Clare, his life ...
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 848
As the title suggests, this episode is all about the question of multi-ethnicity in the body of Christ. And Dr. Gray is the right person to challenge us in this conversation. Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, one of the largest multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped communities in the U.S., located in Indian Land, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy P...
Mar 08, 2021•47 min•Ep. 847
Ed Shaw is Associate Pastor at Emmanuel Bristol and part of the editorial team at Living Out . He loves his family and friends, church and city, gin and tonic, and music and books. He is the author of Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life (IVP) and the recently released Purposeful Sexuality: A Short Introduction (IVP). Ed is attracted to the same-sex and has committed his life to celibacy and the ministry of the gospel. In this episode, we talk abou...
Mar 04, 2021•49 min•Ep. 846
