The Pastor In Training Podcast

In this episode of the Pastor in Training Podcast , Jeff White sits down with Rev. Sam Houser —writer, artist, and minister—for an honest conversation about faith, belonging, creativity, and the courage to embrace change. Together, they explore what it means to move beyond living on autopilot, how our understanding of God can evolve over time, and why belonging is one of our deepest spiritual need...

What does it look like to hold onto faith when the church has made belonging feel conditional? In this episode of the Pastor In Training Podcast , Jeff White sits down with Rev. Timoth Sylvia for an honest conversation about queer faith, religious trauma, toxic theology, and the kind of church people actually need right now. Rev. Timoth shares his journey into ministry, what it has meant to live o...

On this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast, I sit down for a minute to recap my week at 8ers Camp 2026 at Camp Gonzo at Disciple Oaks Camp and Retreat. This was an amazing experience for me and I am so glad that I said yes to the email. Had I said no they would not have been able to hold camp this year and we all would have missed out on the wonderful experiences. The highlight of my week w...

What happens when a pastor realizes the faith they inherited may not be the whole story? In this episode of Pastor In Training , I sit down with Rev. Fred Harrell—pastor, spiritual director, and founder of Cultivate Pastors and Churches—to talk about faith, Scripture, LGBTQ inclusion, and the courage it takes to change your mind publicly. We talk about what prompted Fred to reexamine his beliefs,...

What if love wasn’t just one topic in theology—but the center of everything? In this episode, we sit down with theologian Thomas Jay Oord to discuss his new book A Systematic Theology of Love: God and Creation . Oord argues that if Christians truly believe “God is love,” then love should shape how we understand God, creation, evil, and the future. We talk about why love has rarely been the organiz...

In this short video I provide a brief exegetical look at the Christ Hymn in Philippians chapter 2 verses 1-11. We dive into the context, the language and the scholarly views and commentary on this passage.

What if being faithful means being disruptive? In this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast , Jeffery White sits down with Mark Sandlin — Presbyterian minister, co-founder of The Christian Left , and President & Co-Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org . Mark has spent years challenging toxic theology and championing a faith that is courageous, inclusive, and rooted in the tea...

What if being faithful means being disruptive? In this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast , Jeffery White sits down with Mark Sandlin — Presbyterian minister, co-founder of The Christian Left , and President & Co-Executive Director of ProgressiveChristianity.org . Mark has spent years challenging toxic theology and championing a faith that is courageous, inclusive, and rooted in the tea...

What does it mean to be the church in a digital world? In this episode, Jeffery White sits down with Rev. Anne Russ — pastor, digital disrupter, and sacred agitator — to talk about the evolving landscape of ministry beyond the pulpit. From TikTok theology to online community care, Anne brings wisdom, wit, and a prophetic voice to the conversation. We cover: How to build authentic spiritual communi...

What does it mean to be the church in a digital world? In this episode, Jeffery White sits down with Rev. Anne Russ — pastor, digital disrupter, and sacred agitator — to talk about the evolving landscape of ministry beyond the pulpit. From TikTok theology to online community care, Anne brings wisdom, wit, and a prophetic voice to the conversation. We cover: How to build authentic spiritual communi...

🎙️ Is God Violent? A Conversation with Greg Boyd If God commanded genocide in the Old Testament but told us to love our enemies in the New… what kind of God are we actually worshiping? In this episode, I sit down with theologian and author Greg Boyd ( The Crucifixion of the Warrior God ) to talk about: Cruciform theology and reading the Bible through the lens of the cross How to make sense of divi...

🎙️ Is God Violent? A Conversation with Greg Boyd If God commanded genocide in the Old Testament but told us to love our enemies in the New… what kind of God are we actually worshiping? In this episode, I sit down with theologian and author Greg Boyd ( The Crucifixion of the Warrior God ) to talk about: Cruciform theology and reading the Bible through the lens of the cross How to make sense of divi...

In this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast , I’m joined by theologian, philosopher, and author Dr. Thomas Jay Oord for a conversation that just might shift the way you see God forever. We dive into open and relational theology—a view of God that centers love over control. Dr. Oord unpacks why he believes God can’t single-handedly stop evil, how divine love really works, and what it means to...

In this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast , I’m joined by theologian, philosopher, and author Dr. Thomas Jay Oord for a conversation that just might shift the way you see God forever. We dive into open and relational theology—a view of God that centers love over control. Dr. Oord unpacks why he believes God can’t single-handedly stop evil, how divine love really works, and what it means to...

In this episode, we take a bold and unflinching look at the current political moment through the lens of the Hebrew prophets and the radical love of Jesus. From Amos to Ezekiel, from Micah to Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4—we confront the blatant disregard for justice, the erosion of truth, and the abuse of power happening right now in our nation. As Christian Universalists, we believe no one...

In this episode, we take a bold and unflinching look at the current political moment through the lens of the Hebrew prophets and the radical love of Jesus. From Amos to Ezekiel, from Micah to Jesus’ mission statement in Luke 4—we confront the blatant disregard for justice, the erosion of truth, and the abuse of power happening right now in our nation. As Christian Universalists, we believe no one...

In this episode, I sit down with pastor, author, and activist Brandan Robertson to talk about his new book Queer and Christian: A Memoir . We dive into Brandan’s journey of embracing both his faith and identity, the challenges he faced from the church, and how he’s found hope, purpose, and belonging as a queer follower of Jesus. This is a powerful conversation about authenticity, resilience, and r...

In this episode, I sit down with pastor, author, and activist Brandan Robertson to talk about his new book Queer and Christian: A Memoir . We dive into Brandan’s journey of embracing both his faith and identity, the challenges he faced from the church, and how he’s found hope, purpose, and belonging as a queer follower of Jesus. This is a powerful conversation about authenticity, resilience, and r...

🎙️ New Episode: My Discovery Weekend at Austin Seminary! This week, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my Discovery Weekend experience at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ! 🏛️✨ From incredible conversations with professors and students to moments of deep reflection about calling, ministry, and the future — I’m sharing it all. If you’ve ever wondered what seminary life is really like, or...

🎙️ New Episode: My Discovery Weekend at Austin Seminary! This week, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my Discovery Weekend experience at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary ! 🏛️✨ From incredible conversations with professors and students to moments of deep reflection about calling, ministry, and the future — I’m sharing it all. If you’ve ever wondered what seminary life is really like, or...

On this episode of the Pastor In Training Podcast, I sit down for a chat with my good friend Rick Lannoye to talk about what the Bible really is. What is the Bible, really? A rulebook? A love letter? A divinely inspired library? In this first episode of [Podcast Name], we break down the basics of the Bible—what it is, how it’s structured, who wrote it, and how it came together over time. We’ll als...

On this episode of the Pastor In Training Podcast, I sit down for a chat with my good friend Rick Lannoye to talk about what the Bible really is. What is the Bible, really? A rulebook? A love letter? A divinely inspired library? In this first episode of [Podcast Name], we break down the basics of the Bible—what it is, how it’s structured, who wrote it, and how it came together over time. We’ll als...

On this episode of The Pastor In Training Podcast, I sit down for a chat with my good friend, author, and theologian Rick Lannoye to talk about the Lent season in the liturgical church calendar. We will dive into the history and traditions of lent as well as talk about the symbolism and our own personal experiences.

On this episode of The Pastor In Training Podcast, I sit down for a chat with my good friend, author, and theologian Rick Lannoye to talk about the Lent season in the liturgical church calendar. We will dive into the history and traditions of lent as well as talk about the symbolism and our own personal experiences.

On this episode of The Pastor in Training Podcast we will sit down for a chat with Zach W. Lambert to talk about his new book better ways to read the Bible. Zach Lambert has seen the Bible used countless times as something far from the "Good Book"--both in his own life and in the experiences of others. He has seen the Bible weaponized to subjugate women, justify racism, bash LGBTQ+ peopl...