Rethinking Faith

This week I got to hang out with my friend Annie DeRolf for a really fun conversation. Annie introduced me to the concept of anti-theodicy and I just had to have her on to talk about it. Theodicy for me has been a HUGE part of my theological development and one of the main reasons I have come to embrace Process-Relational thinking. The conversation we had pokes holes in my beloved philosophical /...

This week Jonny Morrison joins the podcast to talk about his new book "Prodigal Gospel: Getting Lost and Found Again in the Good News". Too often the Gospel is presented in ways that doesn't really sound like good news... Our gospel has become too small, looks nothing like Jesus, and for good reasons people are leaving the so called good news behind. Is there a better way to talk about the Gospel...

This week we are back at it again with another rendition of 20ish Q's. This time I was excited to have Jennifer Garcia Bashaw return to the podcast to play my silly game. We had a BLAST and Jennifer brought the fire. I wonder who she nominated to go next? Give it a listen and find out. Enjoy! RESOURCES: John for Normal People (Book) Scapegoats: The Gospel through the Eyes of Victims (Book) THEOLOG...

This week Dr. James F. McGrath returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, "Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist". Typically John the Baptist is treated as a mere footnote in the gospels... but what would happen if we took a closer look? James did just that, reconstructed the life of the Historical John the Baptist and it turns out he was a fascinating and influential religious leader in...

This week I was joined by not one, not two, but three guests to discuss their edited volume "Preaching the Uncontrolling Love of God". Nichole Torbitzky, Vikki Randall, & Jeff Wells join the show to get pragmatic and put Open & Relational Theology to work. What would it look like to apply Open & Relational thought to our Leadership, Preaching, and Pastoral care? Is it possible to find a church tha...

Happy Friday! Today I'm dropping a bonus episode for you all. Happy Hour(s) is a monthly Patreon exclusive episode format that is a lot of fun! This month I had a super fun talk with Sarey Martin Concepcion & Kristen Tideman. We initially set out to talk about Theology Beer Camp 2024... and we got there eventually, but we took a road much less traveled. Enjoy this edition of Happy Hour(s), join th...

This week I had the privilege of being joined by Diarmuid O'Murchu to discuss his newest book, "Ecological Spirituality". The changes that we must make to address the complex ecological crises today are unlikely to happen if we do not experience a spiritual revolution. In our conversation Diarmuid invites us to the revolutionary work of a life-promoting spirituality for our modern day. We discuss...

This week my friend, mentor, and overall awesome human being Dr. Thomas Jay Oord is back on the podcast. Tom has been handed charges by his denomination and faces trial for being fully LGBTQ+ affirming. We break down what the trial is, how its going to work, Tom's overall goals for the trial, and Tom's defense of the LGBTQ+ community. Enjoy! RESOURCES: My Defense: Responding to Charges that I Full...

This week I was joined by my new friend Liz Cooledge Jenkins to discuss her new book "Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women's Humanity from Evangelicalism". Even in the warmest and most welcoming evangelical churches, patriarchy looms as an ever-present force... Patriarchy isn't always in your face and Liz helps us take an unflinching look at the ways misogyny's subtler forms impact every aspe...

This week I was joined by my new friend Kate Common to discuss her new book "Undoing Conquest: Ancient Israel, the Bible and the Future of Christianity". We had a great conversation discussing a new understanding of the origins of the Hebrew people and how that can help churches recognize and take responsibility for a history of violence and conquest, make reparations, and seek reconciliation. Enj...

This week my friend Kenneth McIntosh is back on the podcast to discuss his new book "The Secret of the Green Man's Soul". This is a fun conversation where Kenneth invites us into the mysteries of the Green Man, something I knew very little about. We have a wide ranging conversation discussing the history of the Green Man, spirituality, the importance of symbols, nature, religious pluralism, and mo...

This week Jared Byas returns to the podcast to play a little game I like to call 20ish Q's. We had a great time, covered a lot of topics, and shared a lot of laughter! Enjoy. RESOURCES: The Bible for Normal People THEOLOGY BEER CAMP: Come hang out with Jared Byas, Pete Enns, and myself at Theology Beer Camp! Use promo code RETHINKINGBAGGINS for $50 off! *A special thanks to Josh Gilbert for managi...

This week Dr. Bradford McCall sat down with me to discuss his newest book, "Macroevolution, Contingency, and Divine Activity: Divine Involvement through Uncontrolling, Amorepotent Love in an Evolutionary World". How is the contingentist amorepotent and uncontrolling love of God understood as purposeful? If there is a laundry list of things an uncontrolling God CAN'T do... what CAN and uncontrollin...

This week Tony Jones sat down with me to have an honest and vulnerable conversation about his new book "The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors". Tony's book was both challenging and moving. I genuinely wrestled through some of the content and came out on the other side better for it. We discuss Tony's journey out of the church and into the woods, online controvers...

This week Hebrew Bible Scholar Dr. John H. Walton joins the show to discuss his new book, "The Lost World of the Prophets: Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Context". Walton claims that being responsive to God is at the heart of prophecy, but average readers of ancient prophecies and apocalyptic literature often come away thoroughly perplexed. Are the prophets speaking a...

Happy Friday! Today I have a surprise episode for you all that almost fell through the cracks! Many apologies to my friends over at Almost Heretical for the delay this episode experienced. This was a fun conversation both Nate and Shelby from the Almost Heretical Podcast. They were nominated by Kristen and Sarey to come on and play my 20ish Q's game and they did a great job! Enjoy. RESOURCES: Almo...

This week Dr. Kristy Whaley is back on the podcast to talk about her new book, "Wounded Images: Revisioning the Imago Dei through a Reading of Jean Rhys's Interwar Novels". Kristy walks us through deconstructing traditional models of the Imago Dei in search of a more inclusive understanding. She brings literature into conversation with Theology to help shine light on some important questions. She...

This week I step out of my comfort zone a bit for a fun conversation with Scott M. Coley. Coley's new book, "Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right" takes a deep dive into the fusion of Evangelicalism and Right-Wing Politics. We take a look at the rhetoric and proof-texting that support Christo-authoritarianism and presses Christian theology into the service...

This week Dr. Andre Rabe joins the podcast to discuss his latest book, "Processing Mimetic Reality: Harmonizing Alfred North Whitehead and Rene Girard". What, if anything, does Process Philosophy have in common with Mimetic theory? Rabe seeks to answer this question, not by collapsing the two schools of thought into one, but rather seeking to harmonize them. Dr. Rabe demonstrates that deep, broad,...

This week (Re)thinking Faith takes a quick trip to Denmark as Ulrick Dam joins show. We had a wonderful conversation around Dam's new book, "Building the Basileia: Moving the Church into the 22nd Century". What might it look like to apply an Open and Relational framework to our understanding of the Church? What might it look like to breathe new life into the Church that is shaped and focused not o...

This week I was very excited to be in conversation with Dr. John J. Thatamanil. In this conversation we discuss Dr. Thatamanil's book "Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity". Thatamanil builds a compelling case for Religious Pluralism that is deeply shaped by humility, hospitality, and mutual transformation. Christians do not have a monopoly on encounters with the Di...

ARE YOU LISTENING?!?!?!?! Thats right! I have teamed up with my good friend Jed Payne of "Church and Other Drugs" for a brand new, Patreon-Exclusive show called "The Emogelicals" This first episode is FREE, but after that, it'll all be on Patreon. You can listen to it on either of our Patreons... so if you like Jed better, throw the guy a few bones. If you still love me after hearing the beautiful...

This week I had the privilege of being joined by Susan M. Shaw & Grace Ji-Sun Kim to discuss their new book "Surviving God: A New Vision of God Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors". It is no secret that Sexual Abuse is a HUGE problem; not just in society as a whole, but within the doors of the Church as well. Grace and Susan both share their own experiences and the experiences of other surv...

This week I got to hang out with my favorite internet friend Jed Payne. Jed is an Addiction Councilor and hosts a podcast called "Church and Other Drugs". We had a fun time together as we both chased our ADHD train of thoughts. We discussed Jed's Philosophy class, certainty, past versions of our selves, never going full Rob Bell, the nature of addiction, time spent in prison, I taught Jed a new wo...

Yes, it is true... (Re)thinking Faith does in fact have a Patreon. For as little as $5 / month, you get access to fun exclusive episodes like this monthly Happy Hour(s) episode that I have with my friends. You also get access to all of the episodes form the main feed, but ADD FREE! If (Re)thinking Faith has been helpful or meaningful to you, would you consider becoming a monthly supporter? Thank y...