Theology on Mission

New season! New co-host! Mike Moore joins Dave Fitch to talk about the B-I-B-L-E. How do we appeal to the Bible in midst of conflict? How does a pastor steward their leadership position? And where the heck did Holsclaw go?

When a leader falls, whose fault is it? Is it the leaders character? Is it the institutional pressures? And what can the church learn from it? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the huge leadership failings and transitions happening at Willowcreek Community Church, and discuss what it means for leadership in the church at large. And Geoff shares some big news about taking a pastoral positio...

Why are we so anxious and depressed? Is it us or is it our culture? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw conclude season 3 by talking about the recent celebrity suicides, and what it says about our culture that demand our happiness but still judges us as failures. You can find the House Gathering resource here on our FB page—and please like the page if you haven't already (https://www.facebook.com/Theol...

Does Pentecost overcome Babel? Does baptism in Jesus obliterate all distinctions? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." They ask if there is a better way of understanding this text in light of Babel and Pentecost. And Geoff is wearing his crazy tongues...

Is the church being feminized? Is that a mark of decline? Or of revival? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw jump into another episode talking about the supposed feminization of the church and what it means for you. Resources: God and Men and Jordon Peterson: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/31/opinion/god-jordan-peterson.html The Feminization (and Decline) of Religion: http://www.theamericanconservativ...

If God is so powerful, why does God need witnesses? What kind of God needs others to speak for him? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw jump in again by tackling the question, "Why does God entrust the future of the world to human messengers?" Also, check out the Theology and Mission Lectureship: http://www.seminary.edu/onmission18/

Make people feel guilty for only showing up twice a year? Put Jesus up on the cross again? What else should we avoid when it comes to Easter Sunday? In this zany & serious episode, Geoff Holsclaw—joined by Matt Tebbe and Ben Sternke—talk about how not to ruin Easter. And they accidentally start a new segment about what they'd being doing 500 years ago (you'll want to hear what they say about F...

Do we still need the 10 Commandments? Ancient relic? Oppressive degrees? Are they even really commandments? Geoff Holsclaw—and special guest Nathan Clair—discuss the relevance of the 10 Commandments for our lives. They talk about the mission of the 10 Commandments to free us to love one another, and not be enslaved once again. For more see The 10 Forgotten Words of Freedom: http://geoffreyholsclaw...

You move into a new neighborhood. Now what? How would you go about discern God in that place? What do you look for? Who do you talk to? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the 7 P's of cultural engagement (and yes, there are a couple of jokes along the way).

Do you love the place you live? Can you see God's mission before you? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw duck out of a meeting in order to talk about the particularity of place, God's mission, and the call on all of our lives. Mentioned book: Why Place Matters ~ McClay and McAllister No Home Like Place ~ Hjalmarson Where Mortals Dwell ~ Bartholomew Spaces for the Sacred ~ Sheldrake

How you do you know yourself? Is your "self" a combination of all your relationships? And what might Lent teach us about these things? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about Jesus' healing of the leper in Mark 1:40-45, and what this might tell us about ourselves, our relationships with others, and faith in Jesus (oh, and we talk about "La La Land.")

How do you know the difference between good and evil, right and wrong? And why should we keep reading the OT when Jesus is the updated version? Today we are encouraged to follow our feelings to determine what is right and wrong. We are called to be authentic in deciding what is good and evil, even if—especially if—it conflicts with traditional religious norms. But is that such a good idea? Geoff H...

How do you judge the size of your church? How do you know if your church is healthy? Dave and Geoff talk about what makes for a church, how to count it, and what impact that might have on faithful mission. It's another one of those episodes where they don't quite agree.

How does God work to change the world? How individuals and communities help God's kingdom come? (If we are interested in this episode, then check out the FREE WEBINAR Dave and Geoff are hosting on this topic: http://www.seminary.edu/free-webinar-how-does-god-change-the-world/) Dave Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss a provocative tweet by Tim Keller which started a storm of comments. Keller said, "J...

Can sex ever really be safe? What do we mean when we give consent? Can we do better to protect women? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw jump into the thick of things as they discuss the "humiliation of Aziz Ansari and the future of safe sex. They discuss issues of sexual power, mutuality, and intimacy. Is their view on sex retrograde or radical? You decide. Articles mentioned: Sexuality and Consent:...

Why was Jesus baptized? And what is sin, really? And what is sin nature vs. sin nurture? Geoff Holsclaw, along with special guest Scott Kent Jones, talk about the baptism of Jesus (Fitch is out teaching his week-long intensive for his DMIN cohort—detail below). They discuss how Jesus takes on not only human NATURE but also how he endures human NURTURE, with a little detour on original sin. Fitch i...

Should we strive to be hero-makers? Should we just be side-kicks? And are Dave and Geoff just being too picky about stuff? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the importance of language when it comes to leadership in the church? Here is the article they were riffing off of: Young Leaders Embrace the Idea of Hero Making (https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/december/young-leaders-...

What do you think about when you think about Advent. It is probably the most important thing about Christmas. Dave and Geoff discuss the place of Advent in our lives as we run up to Christmas (sorry about the poor audio, they weren't in the normal studio).

Are sacraments for everyone? Are sacraments for those coming in or going out? Can something that's not a sacrament be sacramental? Ranging across topics, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw have two guests on—Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe of Gravity Leadership—to talk about the role of sacraments in mission. And be sure to listen all the way to the end. Check out what Matt and Ben are up to at gravitylead...

APEST: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. But do these functions or callings go even deeper than personal calling and church organization? David Fitch talks with Alan Hirsch about Hirsch's new book, 5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ. Learn more at https://5qcentral.com/.

Ever been corrected for saying the wrong thing? Ever been confused that what you said was so offensive? Ever felt like you were speaking a different language while speaking English? Well, get used to it. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw take a deep-dive into the linguistic turn in philosophy, how we police each other's language about gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, and how this is an opportunity f...

In this cross-over episode with "New Persuasive Words" we have a conversation with Scott Jones and Bill Borror about the legacy of the Reformation and what it means today.

How clear should your church be about stances on sexuality? Is the search for clarity an attempt to follow Jesus on behalf of the weak and vulnerable? Is the search for clarity just another power play? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the new website called Church Clarity (https://www.churchclarity.org/). In this wide-ranging episode you will probably find much to disagree with and maybe...

Why is your church here? What are you doing? How are you moving forward? The answer to these questions is often based on your assumptions about the church's place in culture. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw investigate the 3 streams of church planting over the last 50+ years to help sort out the contemporary American faithscape. Also listen to David Fitch talk more about the mission of preaching an...

"Many deny that God created human beings for his glory..." This comes from the preamble of the Nashville Statement. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about what being "created for God's glory" might mean for pastors, for mission, and for handling contentious topics.