The Pastor Theologians Podcast

CPT Fellow Dave Morlan joins the podcast to tell his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He recounts his journey of growing up as a pastor's kid in an impoverished neighborhood in Oklahoma City. He also describes his memory of the Oklahoma City Bombing during his senior year in high school. Dave went on to serve as an apartment complex chaplain with the LGBT community during seminary. Fina...

This week on the podcast we're sharing a presentation from our 2021 theology conference, Confronting Racial Injustice: Theory and Praxis for the Church. This talk was given by Raymond Chang, President of the Asian American Christian Collaborative and a Ministry Associate for Discipleship at Wheaton College. Visit https://www.pastortheologians.com/conference-media  to access this and other pre...

The CPT staff discuss some books we're reading and why we read the books we do. This conversation features CPT President Todd Wilson, Executive Director Joel Lawrence, Managing Director Rae Paul, and Editorial Director Zach Wagner.  We discuss books by Michael Sandel, Eugene McCarraher, Andrew Peterson, and Kazuo Ishiguro. Join us at the CPT Conference

CPT fellow Gavin Ortlund returns to the podcast to discuss his new book  Why God Makes Sense in a World  That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism.  We discuss why Gavin became interested in apologetics. What are different kinds of faith crises and unique situations that bring various people to a place where they might find a work of apologetics helpful. What is the role of beauty in apolo...

We are joined by CPT fellow Jay Thomas for a conversation about preaching, deconstruction, and the season of Advent. Jay gives a look into his weekly rhythm of preaching preparation, as well as how he anticipates preaching through the season of Advent. We discuss contextualizing the sermon for the season in the life of the church and for individual hearers. We also discuss how theological truth co...

In this episode we continue our conversation with therapist and author Diane Langberg. How can pastors cultivate a healthy habit of self-examination and holistic moral purity? How do pastor cope with their need for relationship and renewal will managing the pressure that  ministry systems put them under? What does the church need to rethink to address the abuses of power in our systems and church...

We're joined in this episode by Dr. Diane Langberg, author of Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. She discusses her work with both pastors and trauma survivors, and her realization that these worlds sometimes overlap in alarming ways. What are different types of power? How do these relate to pastors and systems of churches and ministries? How can we draw attentio...

We continue our conversation with Doug Sweeney about his theological education and ongoing teaching, writing, and research. How can we expand our perspective in theological education beyond distinctly Western voices? What ways can professors and students use their gifts to serve people in local church? What are the dangers in using the term "evangelical" in our current cultural moment? A...

Doug Sweeney, Dean of Beeson Divinity School, joins the podcast as this week's guest. Doug is a Jonathan Edwards scholar who serves as a theological mentor and sits on the board of the CPT.  He discusses some of his story and how he came to worship in the Lutheran tradition and how he has navigated ongoing theological tensions as an evangelical in historic Protestant denominations. Join us at...

In part 2 of our conversation with Erin Heim (Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University), we conclude our conversation about adoption in the Apostle Paul. We then pivot to discussing Dr. Heim's paper on the connections between the #metoo Movement and the death and resurrection of Christ. How did sexual humiliation play a part in Christ's torture and crucifixion? What...

We are joined on this episode by Dr. Erin Heim, a Tutor in Biblical Studies at Wycliffe Hall at the University of Oxford. We discuss her life of faith, training in music, and decision to pursue biblical scholarship. We also discuss Erin's research on metaphors of adoption in the letters of the Apostle Paul. Her research is informed by her own experience as an adoptee, and she argues that many...

This week we’re sharing a conversation with the CPT staff on why we decided to host a conference on racial injustice this October. Hear Todd Wilson, Joel Lawrence, and Zach Wagner discuss their hope for the gathering in Chicago on October 18–20, 2021. Find more info at www.cptconference.com Join us at the CPT Conference

This episode features a presentation from our 2018 conference on spiritual formation, given by Dr. Vincent Bacote of Wheaton College. What can the broader church learn from the experiences and theological emphases of the African American Church? How has the Black experience in America shaped the approach to spiritual formation in these contexts? How can White Christians listen and learn from the w...

What is the relationship between theology and the life and worship of the church? CPT Fellow Marcus Johnson  discusses his call to ministry and his most recent book (co-authored with John Clark). A Call to Christian Formation: How Theology Makes Sense of the World explores the definition and formative power of theology. How is the church a theological community? How does theology move and transfor...

We are joined on this episode by CPT fellow Marcus Johnson, who serves as a theology professor at the Moody Bible Institute as well as an associate rector at St. Mark's Church in Geneva, IL. Marcus explores his story of faith and theological education, including falling in love with theology and navigating God's calling on his life, particularly his journey to see the life of the church...

What is the connection between Mark 10 and Ephesians 5? How do interpretations of these passages make a similar category error around power and authority? What implications do our reflections on power and the pastorate have for church leadership structures and accountability? What is the appropriate relationship between ecclesiology and missiology? All this and more in this episode as we continue...

In Mark 10 Jesus makes a distinction between the way the Gentiles exercise authority and the way the greatest among Jesus' disciples must become servants. How does this passage relate to a Christian concept of authority?  CPT fellows Joel Lawrence and Mickey Klink explore this and related questions in light of the current crisis of authority in the evangelical church. Join us at the CPT Confe...

Is there such a thing as "Patriarchal Feminism"? This apparent contradiction in terms is at the center of a paper written by CPT fellow and co-founder Gerald Hiestand. Gerald joins our podcast along with CPT fellow Amy Peeler to discuss these ideas. How does Christianity enter into and redeem the "toxic masculinity" that has characterized so many human societies throughout hist...

We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Ben White about his PhD research. Ben reflects on how growing up in Canada shapes theological vocation. We also discuss the unique opportunities of teaching at a small evangelical college in New York City. Finally, Ben comments on how a Pauline view of power transforms our conception of power in light of the current crisis of power and abuses of it in e...

On today's episode we are joined by CPT fellow Ben White. We discuss Ben's story of education and faith, and his calling to become a pastor theologian. Join us at the CPT Conference

This week on the podcast is part 2 of a conversation between CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence is joined by Winn Collier, Director of The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination & Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. In this conversation, Joe and Winn dig into Collier’s biography of Eugene Peterson,...

This week on the podcast, CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence is joined by Winn Collier, Director of The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination & Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and author of A Burning in My Bones , the official biography of Eugene Peterson. In part 1, we talk about Winn’s journ...

We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Nathan Chambers on his story of life, education, and ministry. Nathan discusses the relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament, his doctoral research in Genesis 1, and encouragement for those pursuing Old Testament studies.  Join us at the CPT Conference

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by CPT fellow Nathan Chambers, pastor of Wiser Lake Chapel in Lynden, WA. Nathan earned his MCS in Old Testament at Regent College and his PhD in Biblical Studies from Durham University. In the first part of our conversation, Nathan shares about archetypes of evangelicalism, growing up in the faith, and his educational path through philosophy and Old T...

How has theological education served to denigrate the African American preaching tradition? What is the distinction between the style and theory of preaching? How does an emphasis on disenfranchisement, hope, and the practical immediacy of the text make Black preaching unique? We continue our conversation with CPT Fellow Eric Redmond as he discusses the history of expository preaching in the Afric...