The Apprenticeship Way with Marc Alan Schelske

Episode 062 – The Justice of Jesus (With Joash P. Thomas) Some Christians think Justice means that the guilty get their due. Other Christians think Justice is when everyone gets what they need. In a world that feels so unjust, why are we so divided on what Justice is? What would it mean for us to do justice Jesus’ way? Show Notes In this conversation, I get to chat with Joash Thomas ab...

Episode 061 – Six Weeks to Grow? Yes, Please! Journaling for Spiritual Growth, my book that teaches you a sustainable practice for spiritual and emotional growth, comes out this week. This is the 2nd edition, published with Whitaker House. Let’s browse through the book together! Show Notes In this episode, Marc discusses his new book, Journaling for Spiritual Growth (2nd ed.), explorin...

Episode 060 – Navigating Toward LGBTQ Affirmation (or How I became an Affirming Pastor) My journey from the Traditionalist view to becoming a fully Affirming pastor, with a perspective on a Gospel path to full Inclusion. This is a recorded version of the same presentation I gave at the Open Table Conference School of Theology in Sunriver in June of 2025. Show Notes In this episode, Marc Alan...

Episode 059 – How the Beatitudes Could Save the World and Us. (With Dr. Bradley Jersak) An offhand comment by Dr. Jersak prompted this conversation. “We’re pushing back against the construction of a Christianity that’s the opposite of the Beatitudes. For those who don’t want to be susceptible to the lure of power-over Christianity, I recommend praying the Beatitudes every day . . . it...

Episode 058 – Following Jesus in the Face of Political Panic, Christian Supremacy, and Creeping Fascism. (With Susan Carson, Bradley Jersak, and Brian Zahnd.) We stand in a dire historical moment, and one of the questions that is swirling for many of us is about what it means to be a Christian right now. There are folks wearing the label Christian, many in good faith, who are endorsing thing...

Episode 057 – Empathy Isn’t a Sin; It’s Holy Dynamite (With Felicia Murrell) Once again, influential Christian leaders are declaring empathy a sin. One influential Reformed theologian calls empathy “Counterfeit compassion” and names it “the greatest rhetorical tool of manipulation in the 21st century.” For people whose central ethic is to love the neighbor...

Episode 056 – When the Marginalized Are Our Prophets (With Jenai Auman) The person who truly understands “what’s going on” in any room is often not the one in charge. Instead, it’s usually those on the margins—individuals whose lives and survival depend on recognizing the hidden structures of power—who see things most clearly. In her new book, Jenai Auman shares her e...

Episode 054 – A Better Place Than Here (With Jennifer Knapp) What would you learn if you had the opportunity to go back and revisit your spiritual journey of twenty-five years ago? What if that experience happened in community, with folks who were there with you, when it happened? What would you learn? How are you different? What losses and what growth would you notice? The release of Kansas...

Episode 054 – Knowing the Past to Make a Better Future (With Sarah Sanderson) Do you know the hidden history of the place where you live? If we want to be part of God’s work of bringing restoration and liberation, we can’t ignore what’s happened in the past. Telling this truth is the only way to get to healing. Show Notes Get Sarah’s book: The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Lega...

Episode 053 – What if the Bible isn’t perfect? (With Zach Hunt) There are many debates and disagreements within Christianity. Behind most of these, you’ll find one very significant issue. How we read the Bible. The way we read the Bible and what we believe about how the Bible came to be directly gets at what we believe about God. Can Christianity work if the Bible isn’t perfect?...

Episode 052 – Childlike Faith vs. Childish Faith (With Pastor Mandy Smith) Often the church seems in a panic to avoid the influence of culture, but what if the church is already fully bought into the assumptions of culture? Western culture assumes that strength, leadership, and being right are the way of success. Does the way of Jesus calls us to something different?. Show Notes Get Mandy&#8...

Episode 051 – Faith when you don’t Feel Faithful (With Ben Stenke & Matt Tebbe) The life of a follower of Jesus is not about assent to an idea, or rigorous attention to a life of religious activity. Matt Tebbe says, “There aren’t two things: faith and action. There’s just one thing: Faithful Action.” We discuss. Show Notes Get the book: Having the Mind of Ch...

Episode 050 – Letting God Change Our Minds —or, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Devotional (With Jonathan Puddle) What do you do with an opportunity that comes your way that isn’t right for you? That happened for Jonathan Puddle, and he turned into something beautiful. Show Notes Jonathan’s new devotional: Mornings With God: Daily Bible Devotional for Men Jonathan’...

Episode 049 – Church, Stop Acting Like a Hot Topic—or, Building a Church People Actually Want To Go To (With Kevin Makins) Why would anyone bother to go to church? I don’t mean why would Christians bother. I mean, if someone outside of the church was thinking about getting involved, why would they? What might it look like to build a church that people attend because it’s meaningf...

Episode 048 – Empathy Is Not a Sin (With Becky Castle Miller) Recently a number of Christian leaders and teachers have been making waves saying that empathy is a sin–or at least something that good Christians need to be very careful with. Why would they say this? What do they get out of it? And why should you be concerned if you hear this line of thinking? Show Notes Following King Jes...

Episode 047 – Don’t Choose Shallow Formation (With Rich Vellodas) Does our faith enable us to be “a good gift” to our neighbors, even the neighbors we disagree with? Many Christians, it seems, are living in ways that contradict the core ethic of our faith loving our neighbors as ourselves. What is going on? It seems like we are witnessing a mass failure of discipleship. Why is this hap...

Episode 046 – A More Beautiful Deconstruction (With Dr. Bradley Jersak) Deconstruction is everywhere. People are doing it. Some leaders are fighting it. Some people are excited by it. Some people are terrified of it. Is it just a trendy new word for leaving the church? No. It’s a process that’s necessary for spiritual maturity–and how we think about it matters. Show Notes A...

Episode 045 – Let’s Normalize Being Wrong (With Matt Tebbe) I grew up in a faith tradition where being right was essential. It’s what kept us in community. It’s what we thought honored God. For many other reasons–temperament, trauma, and even privilege–being right became an identity issue for me. Then I heard Matt Tebbe suggest that we need to normalize being wr...

Episode 044 – Your Suffering is Sacred (With K.J. Ramsey) Are you allergic to happy clappy Christianity? There’s a good reason for thats. Churches that ignore suffering are ignoring Jesus. Many churches are not good at holding suffering. People who find themselves in extended suffering — maybe living with depression or anxiety, other mental health issues, or even invisible chronic illness —...

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.

I grew up in a church community where finding out God’s will was a big deal. Imagine the horror of living your whole life and then discovering you had missed God’s will? So, we spent a lot of time and energy trying to get clear on God’s will for us. I don’t think our urgency was warranted. Today I want to share with you my stress-free guide for finding God’s will.