Re-integrate

We live in a culture infatuated with celebrity, which has infiltrated the evangelical Christian church. How? We look to Christian celebrities and cultural strongmen for leadership and validation. And we have seen many celebrity pastors, ministry leaders, and cultural icons fall from their lofty celebrity platforms because they didn’t have the needed spiritual maturity or accountability.  On this e...

Dr. Michael F. Bird is an Australian biblical scholar and Anglican priest who writes about the history of early Christianity, theology, and contemporary issues. He is Academic Dean and a lecturer at Ridley College in Melbourne. Check out his YouTube channel, Early Christian History with Michael Bird. He is the author of 30 books, including The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Sto...

How is art an inroad to our experience of God? How does making things give us a more tangible knowledge of the love of God and the joy of being a human in God’s image? What role do imagination and creativity have in a full-orbed theology? Our guest has some profound thoughts on these things. We are deeply honored to have renowned artist Makoto Fujimura on this episode of the Reintegrate Podcast. ...

The Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper famously said these words in a speech he gave when he opened a new university: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” Jessica Joustra and Robert Joustra are the editors of a new book titled Calvinism for a Secular Age: A Twenty-First-Century Reading of Abraham Kuyp...

According to recent research, our brains go to the path of least resistance when we engage people who are unlike us. We perceive anyone different from us as a threat. In other words, we all have preferences and even prejudices. The Bible says that in our fallenness, we sinfully show partiality toward people who resemble us; we play favorites. According to Rodger Woodworth, overcoming our prejudice...

Truth be told, most Christians, even many pastors, don’t really have a firm understanding of what heaven is.  Where is the final destiny of the believer? What will we be there and what will we do there?  In this episode of the Reintegrate Podcast, we invite an expert to share his insights. Dr. Michael Wittmer is Professor of Systematic & Historical Theology and the Director of the Center for Chris...

As we read the news, we are not just being in formed but we are being formed . Our news consumption easily shapes our sense of belonging and it can grind our minds into little bits as we are engulfed by so much information.  We certainly should know what’s going on around us and we should seek to know and understand the news. But how should a Christian do so? In a media world filled with pundits l...

What is God actually redeeming in us? What does it mean to be human? What is our mission in the world? Christians should seek the answers to these big questions. But we may lack the theological tools to answer. Our vision of the purpose of God and of us humans can be myopic because we haven’t steeped our minds in the truths about humanity found in the first chapter of Genesis, where it is revealed...

Whether we know it or not, our lives are formed by invisible habits, habits that create in us anxiety, frustration, depression, and exasperation. How do we lean into the promise of the gospel when we remain addicted to our technology, scrolling through our social media feeds, streaming tv and movies at any time and in any place, all the while hurrying to get our work done with increasing demands a...

Everything in Western society teaches us that we belong to nobody but ourselves. This sounds great! We can create our own identities, map out our own lives, and find our own significance. This means that we are entirely responsible for ourselves. But Alan Noble says this overwhelmingly burdens us to try to justify our existence and to create and express our own identities. And society is more than...

It has become vogue to deconstruct everything, especially Christianity, without any desire for the reconstruction of something that is closer to the real Jesus Christ and the way of life he offers us. Honest doubt about what we’ve been taught is a good thing. In fact, healthy deconstruction can create great spiritual growth. But doubt can also lead someone to lose their faith. Our guest says that...

What is a Christian’s role in making cultural change? What is a Christian’s role in a polarized political society? Does the gospel of Jesus Christ inform us on any of this? Dr. Bruce Ashford (Ph. D. in Theological Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an author, speaker, and columnist. He wrote or co-wrote nine books, including Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engage...

Yes, we can deepen our Christian discipleship by reintegrating faith, work, and economics. Our guest, Charlie Self, says that Christians have the means to bless their local economies in unique ways that can transform coworkers and neighbors as Christ is glorified. We discuss wholehearted discipleship that extends beyond our Sundays at church and into our workplaces the rest of the week.  Dr. Charl...

In a society fixated on anxiety, competition, and comparison Jesus Christ offers another path. He has told his followers that instead of living in constant striving and competition that each of us has equal dignity and worth. It's often assumed that the good life is only for the most wealthy, attractive, and powerful. Poor, sad, and suffering people are left out. But Jesus offers a ninefold path i...

The significance of the Bible’s extensive teaching about the natural world is easily overlooked by Christians accustomed to focusing only on what the Bible says about God’s interaction with human beings. Who cares about the creation? Well, God told us humans that we are supposed to care for the creation.  Jonathan A. Moo is associate professor of New Testament and environmental studies at Whitwort...

How does our faith inform our public life? We know it addresses our personal lives, our personal holiness, our families, our churches.  But does our faith inform our work? Our enjoyment of art? Of fashion? Of architecture?  Instead of simply relying on the political pundits on the cable news channels, do we have access to theologically shaped ideas to issues like political ideologies, immigration,...

Too many of us have experienced abuse of power from pastors in our churches. This happens in churches that have allowed for a culture of toxicity. To resist toxicity, we need to restore goodness in our churches. The Hebrew word translated “good” is tov .  Scot McKnight and his daughter Laura Barringer have written A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Pro...

How do we invite God into our everyday work lives? We spend most of our time not at church or in a quiet place, but at work ! How do we find God there? In a new book , Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work ( Hendrickson Publishers in partnership with the Theology of Work Project, 2019), co- authors Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker help us to create practices w...

Are you a recent college graduate, or an upper-classman in college, or have a loved one in that stage of life? It is an anxious time, transitioning out of college. New careers, new places to live, new relationships. A lot is changing. Today’s guest has lots of practical wisdom and tools to help with the transition. Erica Young Reitz is the principal and founder of After College Transition . She ha...

What does it take for Christians to pursue "shalom" in every corner of society? How can churches be a blessing to their communities in practical ways to actually make life better for those who live there? Our guest is Dr. Amy Sherman, the author of several books, manuals , and over 80 articles and essays. Her last book, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good from InterVarsity...

How do we actually reintegrate our faith with our work? Not just theologically or theoretically, but actually work in a way that is impacted by our faith? Is there no practical connection between Sunday worship and Monday work? Our guest is Dr. Matthew Kaemingk. His latest book, co-authored with Calvin Seminary professor Cory Willson, is Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy (Baker...

What does it look like to be a Christian at work? How can we be healthy and whole people who are better able to contribute? What is our mission in the workplace? How can we be agents of justice in and through our work? Our guest on this episode of the Reintegrate Podcast is Lisa Slayton. Lisa is the founder of Tamim Partners where she comes alongside leaders and their teams to grow in wholeness an...

What is the greatest need for Christians who have leadership roles in their companies or institutions? Our guest today is Suzi Lantz, a senior consultant with Giant Worldwide, training leaders to increase their leadership skills, communicate effectively, and excel at work (and life). Suzi believes that the greatest need is for leaders to become healthy themselves, to know themselves to lead themse...

Are you experiencing loneliness? We drive to work. We drive back home from work. We watch some TV. When we have some free time, we are scrolling through something on our smartphones. No wonder we’re so lonely! We’ve been set up to not be connected to our neighbors.  Today’s guest is author and pastor Eric O. Jacobsen. Eric is the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington, an...

How and why should we read the Bible? Why is evil a bad reason to not believe in God? Why is evil the best reason to believe in Jesus? What does the Bible teach about slavery? These are the questions we ask Dr. Michael Wittmer , Professor of Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at Cornerstone University. His latest book is The Bible Expla...