The Faith Chair

This episode's conversation stems from the podcast "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" by Christianity Today, which took the nation by storm over the last couple months. Both Pastors Tommy and Jesse listened to the podcast for separate reasons and agreed there were many takeaways relevant to the questions that arise at the intersection of faith and culture - including what is our culpability in today...

The Faith Chair team, pastors Tommy & Jesse, are back for Season 3! This episode catches us up with what's been going on in their lives, including discussions about the nature of discipleship, how to obey God, and the things that can hold us back from stepping out in faith. This episode also launches a new feature for Season 3 - highlighting local Christian artists. This episode features the p...

In this episode, The Faith Chair duo is excited and honored to share a conversation with Sister Helen Prejean, author of the book that inspired the movie "Dead Man Walking." The conversation ranges from justice and the death penalty to systemic racism and how we can fulfill God's mission for us to love the "other," those who are not like us, both neighbor and enemy. Join us for this incredible dis...

The Faith Chair squad gets into a controversial topic, a topic that for many Christians is simply taboo - Israel. What is Israel? What is the biblical, New Covenant, Christian view of Israel? Are we meant to always and without question stand with Israel on the world stage? This and so much more with Pastors Tommy and Jesse in the second-to-last episode of Season 2! Enjoy!

The Faith Chair team is joined by Pastor Roy Dockery as they discuss the issues of drugs, addiction, and substance abuse in the life of a believer. Can we drink alcohol? Can we smoke weed? What if we're addicted to something that is legal? These questions and more in this conversation!

We wanted to re-release our all-time most popular episode from the show, from way back in Episode 2 of Season 1, where Pastors Tommy and Jesse discussed the question of whether God is in control of everything? What does it mean if He is? If He isn't? What is the role of our free will in the discussion of God's sovereignty? That and more in this best of!

In this episode, The Faith Chair team is joined by Pastor and Christian writer, Calum Samuelson, to journey together in confronting the heritage of "white theology." How are our modern failures in things like racism, slavery, violence, sexuality, and even politics stem from our European theological origins? Did racism start in Genesis? Did modern slavery begin in Islam? What do we do wit...

The Faith Chair duo is joined once again by Pastor Stephen Francis Jr, host of the Humble & Honest Podcast as they discuss past, present and future seasons of the H&H podcast, how to address doubts and questions, thoughts surrounding the Equality Act and much much more!

Does it matter what we say when  we praise God? Is praise the same as worship? Why is truth in music important to God? To our faith? In this episode, pastors Tommy & Jesse are joined by worship leader Genesis Parker as they address these questions and much more!

Should Christians own and use weapons? Is there a justification for violence in the life of Jesus and the New Covenant? What about Self-Defense or defending the helpless? Pastors Tommy & Jesse get into these questions and more in this episode!

In this episode, Pastors Tommy & Jesse dig into the origins of the Bible and why only reading, studying, and teaching from translations isn't enough. Did you know the Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic? Translations can carry implicit and explicit biases and always include judgment calls on the part of the translators. Only by studying the original language can we...

In this episode, Pastors Tommy & Jesse tackle the questions surrounding Easter and the confusing combination of natural, pagan and Christian symbolism. What are the origins? What does it really mean for the Church to incorporate them? Is it good or bad? What about similar holidays like Christmas or Halloween? This and more, so enjoy!

Pastors Tommy and Jesse are joined in this episode by scientist, teacher and youth leader, Ruthie Smith, to discuss how science interacts with faith. Is it really either/or? How can science inform and strengthen our faith? How is science actually theology? And some bonus discussions about the Covid-19 vaccines and how mRNA works! All that and more!

In this episode, Pastors Tommy & Jesse are joined once again by Jeff & Terra Mattson, counselors and life coaches, founders of Living Wholehearted, and authors of the new book, "Shrinking the Integrity Gap." In this episode, we dive a little deeper into the Core Values Index (CVI) and about how trauma impacts the mental health of leaders and organizations, but also how it impacts...

In this episode, pastors Tommy & Jesse tackle the question of congruency - do we live our lives at the same standard in every arena/environment we live in? Do we serve God and worship Him in our lives outside of church like we do inside the church? How might incongruency be the outcome of the church's focus on internal service vs external service? All this and more in Episode 7 of Season...

In this episode, pastors Tommy & Jesse are joined by Anne Crescini, a Christian American who has been living, teaching English, lecturing about linguistics and culture, and publishing on a variety of topics in Japan for the past 21 years. Anne shares her unique perspective of Christianity and the Western Church from the view of Japan, widely regarded as one of the most difficult regions to eva...

In this episode, Pastors Tommy and Jesse are joined by special guests, Jeff & Terra Mattson, founders of Living Wholehearted, authors of "Shrinking the Integrity Gap," and hosts of the Living Wholehearted Podcast. Together, they discuss how mental health impacts pastors and church leaders, why mental health issues continue to be problematic in the church, red flags to look for, and h...

In this episode, Pastors Tommy and Jesse are joined by lawyer and agnostic Jesse Hart to discuss the issues surrounding non-profit status for churches vs the constitution barring the government from establishing any one religion. Should churches have tax-exempt status? Can churches publicly advocate for specific political candidates? What are the rules vs the reality of the practices and how has t...

In this episode, we dive into the issue of false prophecy, made especially prominent during this past Presidential election. What is a false prophecy? What is a false prophet? How do discern and engage prophecy? This and more in Episode 3!

In this episode, we talk a little about our books, the process we've gone through in writing them and what that life of obedience to God looks like when it comes time for us to do specific things He has called, directed and created us to do. This is a great conversation for anyone stuck on the fence between security and purpose!

To kick off Season 2 of The Faith Chair, Pastors Tommy & Jesse discuss of the best and worst of 2020, what lessons were learned from it, and what to look forward to in 2021. We also want to let our listeners know, there will be a format change going forward. We did not set out intending to do a full year's worth of episodes in Season 1. So, each year will consist of two 17 episode seasons...

In the final episode of Season 1, Pastors Tommy & Jesse finish where they started, in the Faith Chair, and discuss the hope that we have that regardless of how things play out in these tumultuous times, the sun will rise tomorrow and we will all have to continue to be light in the darkness and work together for change.

In this episode, Pastors Tommy & Jesse are joined by Pastor Royce Wilson from Story Church in Bothell, WA as they discuss what 2020 has meant to the local church and the Church in the United States. Was 2020 a wake-up call? If so, a call to what? What shift is God calling His church to? How should we respond? How should we not respond? This was a fascinating conversation that we hope you will...

As we progress closer to one of the most contentious and religiously-charged Presidential elections in United States history, Pastors Tommy and Jesse continue a point made in Episode 49, asking the question, does the Constitution allow for the sentiment or practice that the US is a Christian nation? How do we stand for what our faith says is right while also respecting and protecting the right of...

In this episode, Pastors Tommy & Jesse are joined by attorney and community advocate Moriah Niblack to discuss the Church and politics - where should the Church stand? Is God for one party or the other? Is it right to say that Christians can only vote for one party or the other? What is the most important thing to consider when it comes to the Kingdom of God vs Politics? This and more in Episo...