Cruciform Conversations

“You sure use the word cruciform a lot, Greg. Why? And also, what does it mean?” If you’ve ever had that thought as a reader of this Substack or podcast listener, here is a conversation for you! It was such a delight to sit down with Dr. Michael Gorman recently. Dr. Gorman’s work first introduced me to the idea of cruciformity (inspiring the name of this Substack and podcast), and his biblical sch...

(This podcast is produced in partnership with Future of Faith , where I contribute as the Ministry Practitioner Coordinator and as a Researcher. Please check out Future of Faith, follow the YouTube Channel , and sign up for the best newsletter around !) I want to be very distinct about what we’re seeing is not a movement away from faith. They’re believing in other things; they’re believing less, a...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) Episode Summary: In this insightful conversation, Dr. Courtney Skiera-Vaughn shares her extensive experience in cross-cultural trauma, human trafficking, and sexual ethics. She explores how cultural perspectives shape our understanding of tr...

In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with my dear friend Dr. Kelcie Vercel, searching for sociological insights into the lived sexual experiences of young adults. Connecting the methodology of sociology to the work of contextual theology, we dig into the research about the lived sexual experiences of young adult, how they are being educated, the social scripts they are learning, and how this...

A Cruciform Sexual Ethic must reflect the teachings and life of Jesus! It is a simple truth, but vital for our work in examining our own sexual ethics and understanding what is shaping us. In this conversation, I chat with my friend Dr. Ryan Huber to explore the complexities of sexual ethics through a cruciform lens, emphasizing the self-giving love of Christ. We discuss Jesus' creative interpreta...

In recent years, several T.V. shows have pulled back the curtain on a particular part of the evangelical church, a movement known as “ Quiver Full ”. This movement to have as many children as possible, to raise an army of culture warriors, was first encountered by many of us through the series 19 Kids and Counting . This series followed the Duggar family and shared their approach to family, marria...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) “Paul also uses the term ‘be fruitful and increase’ in Colossians 1:6. He’s talking to Gentiles, how they are included in the covenants of grace. And he says, hey, “This is it, you guys, the gospel is bearing fruit and increasing’. So he’s i...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) In this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Christian ethicist Dr. Hank Spauldin g for a conversation about the biggest questions we are asking about Christian Sexual Ethics in this cultural moment. Turns out, we were asking a lot of the...

“I’m thinking of a poem by Hafez that says, “How do I listen to others as if everyone were my beloved and speaking to me her cherished last words?”So there’s a sense of sacredness, I think, because listening comes from a place of love. To listen to someone, you at least have to enter into curiosity about the other and a sense of their sacredness, of their belovedness, that there is something alway...

This is the conclusion of my four-part series exploring Dr. Frank Woggon's book The Empathic God . In parts 1 , 2 , and 3 ,of this series, I dove into the need to discover a Gospel that addresses pain and suffering, and the good news for not only guilt but also for shame. This book, as an exploration of a clinical pastoral search for good news, is an incredibly helpful guide for discovering God’s...

In this episode of the Future of Faith podcast, host Greg Arthur engages with Nick Benoit, the creative director of Wonderhunt, a nonprofit dedicated to storytelling in faith. They explore Nick's journey from a creative child to a professional in ministry, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, listening, and creativity in faith practices. The conversation explores how stories can cultivate e...

This month, we are focused on the future of faith —and the Future of Faith is listening! Religious communities have a tremendous role to play in the formation of the next generation, and the transformation of their communities, simply through learning to listen to their neighbors well. Josh Packard, in his new book Faithful Futures , describes it this way. Historically, the relationship between co...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) In this episode of the podcast (in partnership with Future of Faith ), I engage in a deep conversation with Dr. Andy Fitzgerald, co-founder of Imagine Life Ministries . Our discussion focuses on listening to the Spirit, and Andy’s experience...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) “A lot of counterterrorism studies now will say, very few people are actually committing acts based on alignment with some kind of ideology alone. That is not the primary driver. It’d be really bad strategy to try to prevent violent extremism just b...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) “What we find as we dive in is that Jesus valued and cared for women deeply. He befriended women, he had disciples who were women, he listened to women, he sent women out to declare good news, and he even debated and was corrected by women....

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) In this episode of Cruciform Conversations (in partnership with Future of Faith ), I talk to theologian Dr. Vincent Bacote about what has given rise to the war on empathy, he implications of empathy in political and social discourse, the div...

(To stay up to date on the podcast, you can subscribe here on Substack or find us over on Spotify , Apple , or YouTube . Please subscribe and leave a review!) What we eventually found, and what we share in this book, is that spiritual pathways are connected to our relational and neural pathways, and these are shaped by our attachment relationships. ……..These four different attachment strategies -...

I am excited to share episode 1 of the new podcast, Cruciform Conversations. At the beginning of the podcast, I offer some insight into the podcast transition, the focus of the coming season, and my exciting partnership with Future of Faith! This fall, many of the podcast episodes will be cross-branded and produced in partnership with my friends at Future of Faith. I am hosting the second season o...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) “Money. Mammon. Riches. All names for the same rival god, the service of whom the Scriptures call greed. Mammon lies at the root of lynching, of racial violence, of racial capitalism, and ultimately of the very concept of race itself. The demonic cycle...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) Leviathan often recruits good people to accomplish its evil mission by presenting itself as a godly ally. In America this can be seen when influential leaders co-opt Christian rhetoric and icons, claiming to be advocates for Christian values to gain mo...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) In this conversation, Greg Arthur and Dr. Josh Packard explore the concept of sacred listening and its profound impact on faith formation, particularly among youth. They discuss the importance of relationships, empathy, and cultural competence in minis...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) “In the eagerness to find a way - the wa y- to be faithful amid a sinful society, many Christians have turned to sentimental visions of families past. But the good news of God’s kingdom won’t allow us to wrap ourselves in the warm blanket of maudlin id...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) “Sometimes I feel like a failure for this one reason: I didn’t adequately prepare people for the turmoil of 2020. Specifically, I didn’t adequately cultivate an allegiance to Jesus, his life, and his words that surpassed other traditional and cultural...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) “The world is a diverse, complex, and nonhomogeneous place. We need to embrace the diversity present around us and rejoice in it, because God certainly does. We must recognize how our understanding of God affects our worldview, our actions, and our Chr...

(Note - this post was created when I served as VP of Ideos Institute, which is now the Fuller Center for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation) Matthew 6:4 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (mammon).” Discipleship calls us to abandon all other gods that cal...