In All Things Podcast

On this special 25th episode of the podcast, we collaborated with the hosts of Hallway Conversations podcast to produce a joint episode! Our conversation centers on *my* new book, Interpreting Your World: Five Lenses for Engaging Theology and Culture. Among the topics we discuss:  What it means to become incisive interpreters, not just of Scripture, but also of culture.  What it means to discern c...

On this episode of the podcast, Ruth Clark and I chat with Katelyn Beaty about her new book, Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits are Hurting the Church. Among the topics we discuss:  Why celebrity culture is a uniquely modern phenomenon. What it means to say that celebrity is a "feature, not a bug" of the evangelical movement, and the spiritual implications What it might me...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by returning guest co-host Kayt Frisch, and together we chat with Dr. Ethan Brue about his new co-authored book, A Christian Field Guide to Technology for Engineers and Designers. Among the topics we discuss:  - How we can place technology, engineering, and design in the wider Christian story - How technology tends to make itself "invisible" and the impl...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by Dr. Vince Bacote, a professor of theology and author. The conversation focuses on two recent pieces by Dr. Bacote: a chapter on Kuyper and Race in Calvinism for a Secular Age and a short book entitled Reckoning with Race and Performing the Good News . Among the topics we discuss: Dr. Bacote's testimony of his encounter with Abraham Kuyper's theology a...

On this episode of the podcast we are joined by professor and author Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, to talk about her new book, The Scandal of Holiness. Together we discuss how reading good books can renew our imagination, allowing us to keep company with "literary saints." Among the questions we discuss: What makes a character a literary saint, and why should we spend time in their company? Why do we...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by guest co-host Dr. Tara Boer (professor of social work). Together we interview Dr. Diane Langberg, an internationally recognized psychologist, counselor, and speaker, who is also the author of the book Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church (Brazos, 2020). Among the topics we discuss: How do we define power, vulnerability, and...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by guest co-host Dr. Jeff Ploegstra (professor of biology). Together we interview Dr. Josh Reeves, Director of the Samford Center for Science and Religion at Samford University, and author of the book Redeeming Expertise, Scientific Trust and the Future of the Church (Baylor, 2021). Among the topics we discuss: How to make sense of the crisis of expertis...

On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Jessica and Robert Joustra, about the new book they've coedited, Calvinism for a Secular Age: A Twenty-First Century Reading of Abraham Kuyper's Stone Lectures. Among the topics we discuss: – How can we distinguish between all the varieties of Calvinism and Neo-Calvinism? – Why should North Americans living in the 21st century be interested in lectures o...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by guest co-host Erin Olson, and together we talk with April Fiet about her new book, The Sacred Pulse: Holy Rhythms for Overwhelmed Souls (Broadleaf Books). Among the topics we discuss: – How those of us who are adept at "managing our time" may actually just be better at "hiding our weariness" – How we can find holy rhythms in the midst of a culture and...

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by guest co-host Kayt Frisch, and together we talk with sociologist Dr. Felicia Wu Song about her new book, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in a Digital Age. Among the topics we discuss: – How our devices (phones and computers) are more than mere tools, and what it means to evaluate them as cultural artifacts, the results of...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with theologian and historian Rev. Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt about the relationship between science and theology. Together we discuss: – How the narrative of a conflict between faith and science developed, and how this story of obscures important historical realities, especially during the Reformation – The relationship between science and theology as well...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with singer-songwriter, author-beekeeper Andrew Peterson, about his new book The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom . Together we discuss: – How the Covid-lockdown forced AP to put down roots after being on the road for the last 25 years, and the sort of creativity that being rooted in a physical place can produce. – Why trees...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Dan Stringer, a pastor and team leader for InterVarsity in Hawai'i. He is also the author of a new book, Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay. Together we discuss: How Dan's background as a "third culture kid" who lived in five countries on three continents + being a part of 9 (!) different denominations gave him...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Terry Wildman, founder of Rain ministries and head of the translation team for the First Nations Version, an indigenous translation of the New Testament that involved a council of 12 and over 50 representatives from the native peoples of North America. See the website here: https://firstnationsversion.com/ Order from IVP: https://www.ivpress.com/first-n...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Danté Stewart about his new book, Shoutin' in the Fire, a memoir about being Black and Christian in America. My guest co-host is Dr. Howard Schaap, professor of English at Dordt. Together we discuss:  What it means to "shout in the fire," holding onto an honest, vulnerable, and resilient faith amidst pain, anger, and despair. How his sense of the gospel...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with psychologist and researcher Elizabeth Hall about the psychology of doubt. This episode is in response to Dr. Hall's article, "Teaching Students to Doubt Well: The Roles of Intellectual Humility and Uncertainty Tolerance" (published in spring 2021 issue of Christian Scholar's Review). My co-host for this episode is Dr. Channon Visscher, professor of chem...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with theologians Richard Mouw and Matthew Kaemingk about a new book, edited by Matt and dedicated to Rich - Reformed Public Theology: A Global Vision for Life in the World (Baker Academic, 2021). The theme question of the episode: "why does theology matter for public life?" Some topics we discuss: What do you mean by "Reformed"? What is "public" theology? An...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her NYT bestselling book Jesus and John Wayne (Liveright, 2020). The theme question of the episode: "what have we lost in our desire to win?" Some topics we discuss: What surprised Kristin in her research and in the book's reception Who is an evangelical? Who gets to say what is mainstream to evangelicalism and what...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with J. Todd Billings, a theologian and author, about his book The End of the Christian Life (Brazos, 2020). Our theme question: what does it mean to embrace our mortality? Among the topics we discuss: On being immersed in the cancer community after a terminal cancer diagnosis How Western culture works to obscure the reality of our mortality  How we can live...

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Chandra Crane, a writer and leader in multiethnic ministry initiatives, about her new book Mixed Blessing (InterVarsity Press, 2020). Our theme question: what does it mean to see, steward, and celebrate multi-ethnicity? Among the topics we discuss: How multiethnic (mixed) people process questions like "where are you from?" and "what are you?"  The bless...

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by a guest host, Jeremy Perigo, and together we talk with Cory Willson about his new book (coauthored with Matthew Kaemingk) Work and Worship (Baker Academic). Our theme question: what does it mean to reconnect our worship to our work? Among the topics we discuss: If work and worship are meant to be connected, how did they get disconnected? What sort o...

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by a guest host, Gayle Doornbos, and together we talk with James Eglinton about his new biography of Dutch theologian and polymath Herman Bavinck. Our theme question: what does it mean to live with a faith that is rooted in the past, yet responsive to the challenges and questions of the present? Among the topics we discuss: How we remember the past: th...

On this episode of the podcast, we are talking to A.J. Swoboda, a pastor, professor, and writer, about his new book After Doubt. Our theme question for the episode: what does it mean to question our faith without losing it? Discerning between honest and dishonest questioning How to honor the communities that nurtured us while also acknowledging their limitations  Counsel for those who are doubting...

On this episode of the podcast, we have a feature conversation with acclaimed artist Makoto Fujimura about his new book, Art + Faith, and what he calls the "theology of making." Topics we discuss: The connections between creating art and the beauty of the gospel Why children seem to know how important creativity is, and what has gone wrong for the rest of us Why a liberal arts education matters mo...

On this inaugural episode of the podcast, we have a feature conversation with author Tish Harrison Warren about prayer and about waiting for God. We talk about "praying other people's prayers" and how being connected to the larger church offers us resources beyond ourselves. We also discuss quiet grief, and how being a believer changes the experience of waiting for God.  We also have a short chat...