Theology Lab: Courage & Curiosity for Everyday Faith

This interview with Karen Keen, author of the Word of a Humble God (Eerdmans, 2022), explores topics around biblical interpretation, how to engage challenging parts of Scripture, stories about war and violence in the Bible, biblical interpretation methods. Karen's book has been described as a top resource for an introduction to the Bible (Scripture) and introduction to scriptural interpretation. H...

In this Theology Lab Kristin and Scott take up a big question: When and why did we change our mind on a deeply personal topic? This is a question that many of us ask, or are asking from time to time, in our faith. Here we ask about women in ministry or women serving in the highest levels of pastoral leadership. At one point both of us considered ourselves theological complementarians -- the idea t...

In this insightful Theology Lab conversation, historian and theologian Beth Allison Barr explores the Bible, women, and the role of women pastors in the church. We examine what Scripture really says about gender, leadership, and ministry, and how historical and cultural context shapes our understanding of these debated issues. Perfect for non-expert Christians, curious believers, and anyone still...

Video version: https://youtu.be/5PiffZEeBhk?si=2QWsXPEvv6m9MJzV What do Christians mean when we talk about evil, and how does the Bible shape our understanding of it? In this Theology Lab video with Willie Jennings (Yale Divinity School) and Janette Ok (Fuller Seminary), we explore the complex and often uncomfortable question: what do we call evil, and how do we recognize it in the world and in ou...

Want to watch the episode? https://youtu.be/J_V6uHYxnbY In this Theology Lab Conversations episode (episode #1!) Scott Rice and Greg Fung ask a big question: Is theology only for non-experts, or is it something every Christian is called to engage? This conversation explores the basics of theology, how ordinary believers can grow in their understanding of essentials, of interpreting the Bible, and...

Want to watch the episode? https://youtu.be/J_V6uHYxnbY In this episode of Conversations -- a new Theology Lab series! -- we explore foundational topics of Christian faith in an accessible, honest, and thoughtful way. Designed for ordinary Christians, for folks coming from evangelical backgrounds, post-evangelicals, folks who might identify as deconstructing faith but also just for who are curious...

In this interview, Sarah Shin (author, writer, theologian; Beyond Colorblind) and Shin Maeng (artist, illustrator, storyteller; shinhappens.com ) join Scott Rice for a discussion about their new children's story book, The Deliverer Has Come (Penguin Randomhouse). https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721873/the-deliverer-has-come-by-sarah-shin-illustrated-by-shin-maeng/ https://www.amazon.com/D...

In this Theology Lab conversation Scott talks to Amy Peeler again about the meaning of the virgin birth and what we miss when we look only at questions about whether or not it happened (apologetics). Amy directs us into some fascinating questions and considerations. What does it mean that when God enters the world, God does so through a female body, the virgin Mary's body, and a female body alone?...

In this Theology Lab podcast theologian and pastor (and long-time advocate of open theism) Greg Boyd challenges us to rethink passages on violence in the Bible and what they reveal about the character of God. Should Christians take depictions of divine violence at face value, or read them through the lens of Jesus and the cross? Boyd invites viewers to explore Scripture with honesty, humility, and...

In this Theology Lab conversation, Dr. Amy Peeler (Wheaton College), New Testament scholar and theologian, helps us explore what the Bible says about gendered language for God. Is God male? Does God transcend gender? How can Christians approach Scripture, theology, and gender with both faithfulness and curiosity? This video is perfect for those interested in Christian faith, theological learning,...

In this Theology Lab podcast, Drew Jackson, author of God Speaks Through Wombs and Touch the Earth (linked below) discusses his poetry and how to read the Bible. Drew's Theology Lab interview connects reading Scripture, interpreting the Bible, and theological insights into poetry with the questions that many are asking about God and living faith. How does God show up in surprising places? How is i...

In this Theology Lab episode Greg and Scott talk to Brad East, theology professor at Abilene Christian University. Brad recently published (September/October 2025) an article in Christianity Today called 'The Way We Debate Atonement Is a Mess.' It tracks why some people love penal substitutionary atonement (PSA), why some are harshly critical of this idea of salvation, and then steps back and asks...

In this Scripture & Tradition Theology Lab episode (podcast version only!), Theology Lab's host Scott Rice shares a sermon relevant to this series. The sermon is on engaging the challenging parts of the book of Revelation, Scripture's final book that contains images of wild beasts, great destruction and cosmic warfare. Perhaps more difficult than some of this imagery is the portrayal of retrib...

In this Theology Lab podcast Bible scholar, author of Reading While Black, and Holy Post podcast host Esau McCaulley invites us to read the Bible through the lens of ethnic and cultural diversity, showing how Scripture speaks powerfully into today’s conversations on race, identity, and justice. What does it mean to bring your whole cultural self to the task of Bible interpretation? McCaulley invit...

Here's the introduction episode, with some exciting teasers, from Theology Lab's Scripture and Tradition series. Episodes will come out at least every other week. This series is meant to help us think about how we approach the Bible, deal with challenges in Scripture reflect on questions like ethnicity, race, sexuality and gender, and more when it comes to reading the Bible and thinking theologica...

Theology Lab's 2025/26 discussion series! Learn more/Register: Deliver Us From Evil: Faith In the Face of Human Suffering https://www.highrock.org/theologylab/theology-lab-2025?mc_cid=aba046ddd1&mc_eid=30ec3d28f8 This year’s Theology Lab – Deliver Us From Evil – features Dominique Gilliard, Tim Mackie, Nicholas Kristof, Kaitlyn Scheiss, Russell Moore, Janette Ok, Willie Jennings, Munther Isaac...

💬 Faith and Family Conflict: Patriarchy, Guns, and more with Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley College, author of We Refuse) & Edward Jackson (instructor and owner of 333 Jiu Jitsu). In this honest and powerful conversation, Kellie Carter Jackson and Edward Jackson (brother-and-sister-in-law) dive into the real-life tensions many Christians face around faith and family conflict. From disagreem...

How should Christians engage with the pro-life and pro-choice conversation in a way that reflects both faith and reason alongside reference to the Bible and theology? In this video, we explore different Christian perspectives on this deeply personal and ethical issue, considering how Scripture, theology, and science shape beliefs. Rather than reinforcing division, we seek a thoughtful, compassiona...

This Theology Lab video looks at what it means to be Gay and Christian from two different views. Moreover, it considers what friendship and church looks like across differences. In this respectful and thoughtful conversation, authors and faith leaders Sally Gary and Gregory Coles share two distinct perspectives on LGBTQ+ identity, Christian faith, and the Bible. This video is ideal for those explo...

In this Theology Lab conversation with author and activist Shane Claiborne (Red Letter Christians) looks at the Bible explores the tensions between Christian faith, war, politics, and justice and more. What does it mean to follow Jesus and engage the Christian scriptures in a world of violence and division? Can Christians support peace while engaging in public life? This video is perfect for those...

Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim is the president of the Evangelical Covenant Church. In this Theology Lab interview she answers questions about how she navigates conflict within her leadership role, how she works to build trust amidst conflict and challenging relationships. She also reflects on other pressing questions, like how to respond to the rise in Christian Nationalism and how this church tradit...

In this Theology Lab video podcast with Matthew Soerens of World Relief, we look at how Christian faith, the Bible, and public policy intersect in the ongoing immigration debate. What does the Bible say about welcoming the stranger? How should followers of Jesus engage immigration with both truth, justice and compassion? This conversation is ideal for those interested in theological learning, curi...

This is the second installment in Theology Lab's Critical Conversations series. In this session, Lanhee Chen (fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, former chief policy advisor for Mit Romney's 2012 presidential campaign, and former member of the George W. Bush administration) and Yi-An Huang (the City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts, engage in a conversation about politics,...

The YouTube version (with subtitles) of this interview with Stanley Hauerwas and Jonathan Tran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbJaZ5B9Iug In this interview with Stanley Hauerwas, named by Time Magainze as "the best theologian" in America, and Jonathan Tran, author of Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism, two theologians offer their perspectives on how Christians engage in politica...

Welcome to a new season of Theology Lab: Critical Conversations - Conflict, Disagreement & Christ-centered Community. This series explores topics that tend to divide Christians, like abortion, LGBTQ+ and same-sex relationships and the church, politics and family dynamics. We have guests like Shane Claiborne, Stanley Hauerwas, Sally Gary, Kellie Carter Jackson and many more! #theology #scriptur...