A Matter of Faith: A Presby Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Ben Daniel, Author of Grace Over Guns & Pastor at Montclair Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA Question of the Week: We often hear about debates between military force ocassionally being justified compared to true, full pacifism. How are we to navigate this debate as Christians? Grace Over Guns For Listening Guides, click here! Got a question for us? Send them to...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Author of Dangerous Songs: The Psalms and a Gloriously Disrupted Life & Director of Spiritual Formation at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minnesota Question of the Week: People often view the Psalms as scriptures for comfort and consolation. But the Psalms are so much more complex. What do we miss by failing to recognize th...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Sarah K. Butterfield, Author, Podcaster & Ministry Director Question of the Week: Life is so busy for parents, and especially for moms and maternal figures. What does it look like to cultivate spiritual practices in the middle of busy “mom life”? How can spouses and partners support moms so they have time for their own spirituality? Sarah's Instagram Sarah&...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Rick Hamlin, Author of Everlasting Jesus: 40 Days of Timeless Wisdom for Modern Living Question of the Week: In today’s busy world full of news and noise, it can be a challenge to actually sit down and read scripture. Then when we finally do, we feel compelled to “get through” the reading to get on to the next thing, without actually absorbing any of Jesus’ teaching...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Richard Beck, Author of The Book of Love: A Better Way to Read the Bible & Professor of Psychology at Abilene Christian University Question of the Week: In a polarized and politicized society, people hold very strongly what they believe is "right" or "the truth" when it comes to understanding and interpreting scripture. How can we read script...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Rev. William H. Lamar IV, Author of Ancestors: Those Who Bless Us, Curse Us, and Hold Us   Question of the Week: In a challenging and polarized world, it is easy to focus only on moving forward and not reflect on our own past and history. What do we miss when we forget to acknowledge and understand our ancestors? How does understanding our ancestors impact how see o...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Warren Throckmorton, Author of The Christian Past That Wasn’t: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History Question of the Week: What are the myths that Christian nationalism perpetuates? Who do they empower and how do they misrepresent history and scripture? How can we counter this narrative? T he Christian Past That Wasn't Debunking the Chri...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Aaron Cline Hanbury, Author of Wired for Wonder: Dispatches on Technology, Culture, God, and Self Question of the Week: As technology advances, our world and our lives become more technology driven. Is this a “good” thing in terms of how we interact with the world, each other, and how we understand God and the divine? Wired for Wonder: Dispatches on Technology, Cult...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Jeffrey Overstreet, Author of Lost & Found in the Cathedral of Cinema and Through a Screen Darkly and The Auralia Thread series, Professor of Film and Creative Writing at Seattle Pacific University Question of the Week: We hear that you can experience and find God in the arts. But we also hear how some mediums such as film are more about entertainment or escapis...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Mihee Kim-Kort, Author of Seeing and Being Jesus in the World: How to Live God’s Radical Welcome as a Family Question of the Week: It’s hard to be a parent. Our kids and families have so much going on, it is hard to keep track of all the activities. Amidst the busyness, how can parents find the time to engage their children about justice issues in ways that are age...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Rev. Stephanie Spellers, Episcopal Priest in New York City & Author of Church Tomorrow?: What the 'Nones' and 'Dones' Teach Us About the Future of Faith  Question of the Week: We hear a lot about denominational decline and how the "church is dying" because young people are not going to church. But the response often makes it seem li...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Author of Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging Question of the Week: How can progressive churches counteract the harm being perpetuated by conservative church culture around conversion therapy and disaffirmation of queer Christians? Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging  For Listenin...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Ragan Sutterfield, Author of Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice Question of the Week: We’ve heard the phrase “finding God in nature.” What are ways that we can connect with God and grow our spirituality that are unique to bird watching? Watch and Wonder: Birding as a Spiritual Practice For Listening Guides, click here! Got a question for us? Send them...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Kristin T. Lee, Author of We Mend with Gold: An Immigrant Daughter's Reckoning with American Christianity Question of the Week: Immigrant families may (understandably) focus on “fitting in” with the culture, values, or expectations of the country they move to. But what is lost in the process of trying to fit in and “make it” with the new culture in terms of fai...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: John Ghazvinian, Author, Historian and Former journalist Question of the Week: Considering the recent attacks on Iran by the US and Israel, so much misunderstanding and misinformation is flooding our news and social media feeds. How are we to understand what exactly is happening and what is the historical context that surrounds this devastating event? And how are pe...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: John Lewis, Author of Discernment in the Early Church and Today: Reclaiming Paul's Vision for Formation and Community Building Question of the Week: Today’s world and church seem very polarized. But this is not the first time there have been disagreements, tensions, and distrust in our faith communities. What can we learn from early Christian communities and ho...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: John Wrory Ficklin, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs & Author of An Unusual Path: Three Generations From Slavery to the White House Question of the Week: Your book chronicles your family’s history which includes slavery as well as serving in the White House across multiple generations in different capacities such as ranging from t...

Send us Fan Mail Shelby Forsythia, Author of Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving  | What does it mean to really sit alongside someone in grief and mourning? When talking with someone who is grieving, we hear that people worry about saying the “wrong” thing. Others speak too quickly and fall back on language referencing God or the Bible that could...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Cody Sanders, Author of A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth, Updated Edition Question of the Week: How can and should churches be responding to the attack on diversity and transgender rights in the current political context? A Brief Guide to Ministry with LGBTQIA Youth, Updated Edition Cripping Youth Ministry For Listening Guides, click here! Got a question...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Brandon Grafius, Academic Dean & Professor of Biblical Studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary, and Author of Scared by the Bible: The Roots of Horror in Scripture Question of the Week: We often skip the more horrific and scary parts of the Bible to focus on the “good” and uplifting parts. What do we miss out on by doing this? What do the scarier aspects of s...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Doug Basler, Author of All Swirling and Weaving: Reflections on Reading Fiction and Growing in Faith Question of the Week: Christian literature is often focused on academic, intellectual, and non-fiction reading. But how can our faith grow and be challenged through fiction? All Swirling and Weaving: Reflections on Reading Fiction and Growing in Faith For Listening G...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Britney Winn Lee, Author of Sacred Curiosity: Wondering Our Way Toward Wholeness Question of the Week: Today’s society is very busy and also very polarized. How do we maintain spiritual and intellectual curiosity in dark times or amidst busy schedules? Sacred Curiosity: Wondering Our Way Toward Wholeness  For Listening Guides, click here! Got a question for us? Send...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Rev. Dr. Andrew Hale, Author of Mending the Fracturing Church: How to Navigate Conflict and Build Trust for Thriving Communities Question of the Week: How can churches and faith communities healthily navigate conflict and tension in this time of polarization? Further, why does conflict in our churches feel so much more personal than conflicts with other members of o...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Betsy Shirley, Editor-in-Chief of Sojourners. Sojourners is publishing Light for the Way: Seeking Simplicity, Connection, and Repair in a Broken World Question of the Week: What does it mean to be spiritually resilient when facing major issues in today’s world, such as division, climate change, and Christian nationalism? How do we become resilient and also share tha...

Send us Fan Mail Special Guest: Lisa Colón DeLay, Author of The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today Question of the Week: Ancient Christians lived and journeyed through deserts, a context that many Christians today do not have. How did the desert inform ancient Christians understanding of faith and God and how can their perspective help us today? The Wa...