Theology on Mission

In this episode of Theology on Mission , Dave Fitch and Mike Moore sit down again with Andy Crouch to dive deeper into the complexities of power in the Christian context. Building on themes from Crouch’s book Playing God , they explore the tension between creative and coercive power, framing the conversation around the story of Jesus washing his disciples' feet.  With lively debate and thoughtful...

How does God want His people to deal with power?  Andy Crouch & David Fitch have nuanced ways in which they see God’s invitation to embrace and use power in the world.   The discussion explores topics such as coercive versus creative power, idolatry and injustice, and the pervasive influence of systems like Mammon in modern Christian thought. This candid conversation over the implications of u...

Listen to The Pastor’s Table on your favorite platform: https://pod.link/1661366136   In a world where we can see the abuses of power everywhere. David Fitch & Mike Moore from The Theology on Mission Podcast join Mark and Tara Beth to discuss power dynamics in the church's life.  Church leaders must discern power and avoid its abuses and traumas. By learning from the church's historical pitfal...

Pastors face unexpected challenges all the time.   Tara Beth and Mark talk about the many active struggles of ministry. Antagonism and all sorts of sources have created a polarized world. Often this blows up in the church.  Mark and Tara Beth share their insights from mediating conflicts, understanding underlying issues, and knowing when it might be time to move on from a pastoral role.  Pastors f...

Palestine is the birthplace of Christianity.   Despite the generations-long crisis existing between Israel and Palestinian, there are followers of Jesus faithfully living out their faith. David Fitch and Mike Moore sit down with Reverend Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College and a native Palestinian pastor. They delve into the pressing issues Christians face on the ground in the Gaza cri...

Countless hurdles stand in the way of people encountering the gospel. The religious trauma faced by so many people is clearly one of the largest obstacles to even hearing the gospel.   Charles Kiser and Elanie Heath recover the God of love from the structures of hate that pervade Christian communities in America today. In their new guide, Elanie and Charles work toward bringing this reformation to...

The constraints of the spiritual life, practiced in the community, are what set us free. Practicing spiritual disciplines can seem difficult, especially when we undertake them as isolated individuals. But we were never meant to practice them alone. Jared Patrick Boyd reveals how the constraints practiced in Christian community shape us into the way of Christ. He re-anchors the practices of constra...

We aren't always honest about how difficult normal human life is. For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make―like the daily choice to get out of bed. In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble co...

What if we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values?  Politics are dividing our churches like never before. In his new book, Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire, Dr. Preston Sprinkle reminds us that the first-century church was not an apolitical gathering, where Christians left their Roman politics at the do...

How does God leverage power?   In David Fitch’s new book, Reckoning with Power , he unpacks the difference between worldly power, or power over others, and God's power, which engages not in coercion but in love, reconciliation, grace, forgiveness, and healing. On today’s podcast, Mike and Fitch focus on the power found at the very beginning of Genesis and how that sets the stage for how the church...

In this episode, our friend Dr. Al Tizon unpacks his fabulous new book, Christ Among the Classes . In this discussion we explore the countors of discipleship, money, and how Jesus is prophetically present in the economy of God's kingdom. Rev. Dr. Al Tizon is an Affiliate Associate Professor of Missional & Global Leadership at North Park Seminary. An ordained minister of the Evangelical Covenan...

We are honored to have our friend and colleague Dr. Ingrid Faro on the podcast to discuss the church, Augustine, power, sin, and more. Before you listen to the episode go and buy her new book with InterVarsity Press, Demystifying Evil. If you want to study with us at Northern and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Beth Jones, Nijay Gupta, Dave Fitch, Ingrid Faro, and visiting lectures from theologians...

After years of doing the podcast together Moore and Fitch finally have a good ole fashion debate. Who wins? You won't be surprised. If you want to study with us at Northern and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Nijay Gupta, Jeannine Brown, Ingrid Faro, and visiting lectures from theologians like Amos Yong, Jonathan Tran, then go to www.seminary.edu

In this episdoe our friend, Eun (E.K). Strawser joins us to talk about discpleship and local church life. Eun is the co-vocational lead pastor of  Ma Ke Alo o , non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu, Hawaii; a community physician at Ke Ola Pono; and an executive leader at the  V3 Movement . If you want to study with us at Northern and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Nijay...

Join us as we talk with Reverend Dr. Amy Peeler, Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Associate Rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Geneva, Ill. You can find out more about Amy and her work here: www.amypeeler.com If you want to study with us and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Nijay Gupta, Jeannine Brown, Ingrid Faro, and visiting lectures from theologians like Amos Yon...

Season 9! Back in the saddle. Fitch starts this season by provoking: THE SPIRITUAL FORMATION MOVEMENT IS IN NEED OF A CORRECTION if it is not to devolve into merely a discipleship program for affluent millennial Christians.

This year's Theology & Mission lecturer joined Fitch and Moore for a conversation just hours before the public lectures. If you want to study with us and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Nijay Gupta, Beth Jones, visiting professors like Jeannine Brown, Drew Hart, Jonathan Tran, check us out at  www.seminary.edu

How do we make sense of sexuality and discern attraction? Fitch and Moore explore the ways various sexualities have been constructed by cultural forces and how the church should discern a way forward. If you want to study with us and other scholars like Greg Boyd, Nijay Gupta, Beth Jones, visiting professors like Jeannine Brown, Drew Hart, Jonathan Tran, check us out at  www.seminary.edu

In this episode we welcome Brandan Robertson to the show to talk all things--sexual ethics, orthodoxy, scripture, and power. Rev. Brandan Robertson is a noted author, activist, and public theologian working at the intersections of spirituality, sexuality, and social renewal. Check out more of his work here: https://www.brandanrobertson.com/

Northern Seminary has been an unsettled place the last few weeks but we finally made it back into the studio. In light of recent events Fitch and Moore take on these questions: What happens to institutions, churches, and organizations when power goes off the rails? And how does the power of Jesus work differently to disrupt worldly power?  Remember to sign up for our Theology & Mission Lecture...

Note: there is an echo for the first 25 seconds of the podcast! We are back for 2023 and broadcasting from la la land. On this episode Moore and Fitch talk about what happens when a community turns inward and self-protected--the symptoms of what Fitch calls "communal narcissism." Remember to sign up for our Theology & Mission Lectures with Sarah Coakley. If you want to study with us and other...

Theology on Mission Podcast is announcing our speaker for the annual Theology and Mission Lectures! Rev. Dr. Sarah Coakley will be delivering the lectures and we have a limited number of spots for breakfast (50 spots...and dwindling) For listeners of the podcast we want to give you the inside scoop. Sign up here: https://www.seminary.edu/coakley/

Dr. Lisa Weaver Swartz has written a phenomenal ethnography that explores the interplay of gender and power within American evangelicalism. Dr. Weaver Swartz surveys the gender narratives at two evangelical seminaries--Southern Seminary and Asbury Seminary. She joins the podcast to talk about Reformed evangelicalism, Genesis 1-3, culture studies and more. Dr. Weaver Swartz is assistant professor o...

Who is one person we are consistently told should be on our show? Andrew Root! Andy joined us to talk about Charles Taylor, parenting, church planting and more. Andrew Root, PhD (Princeton Theological Seminary) is the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is most recently the author of four volume Ministry in a Secular Age series. If you want to learn f...

If you have listened to Theology on Mission you are well aware that there has been no greater influence on our show than Stanley Hauerwas. In this episode Stanley joins us to talk about the current state of the church in America--politics, abortion, friendship, and evangelicalism. Stanley Hauerwas was a longtime professor at Duke University, serving as the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological...