Theology on Mission

Can we become more aware of God's presence? Why do we pray for God to come if God is already everywhere? And what do these questions have to do with mission? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw start season 3 off with a bang talking about why it is important to affirm both God's ubiquitous presence (omnipresence) and God's manifest presence. Follow them on twitter at @fitchest and @geoffholsclaw. And c...

Is Matthew 18 about Church Discipline, or something else? And is Church Discipline really about making people agree with you? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the (in)famous passage about talking to others about their sin. Join them for this special summer episode. And check out their new "Church Planting Institute" at http://www.seminary.edu/church-planting-institute/

David Fitch interviewing Stanley Hauerwas about life, ministry, and friendship (breakfast meeting at the 2017 THEOLOGY AND MISSION LECTURESHIP).

What do the issues of power, justice, culture, and Jesus have in common? They are all things that church needs to figure out how to relate to! Professors David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the 5 Challenges Facing the church as a sneak preview of the upcoming "Theology and Mission Lectures" with Stanley Hauerwas (WHICH YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS). Go to seminary.edu/onmission17

David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw (2 white guys) discussing the recent blow up about women bloggers. What could possibly go wrong?

Is Jesus' death a substitute for our penalty? Or does his substitution work in a different way? After David Fitch gets a little coffee (he needed it so bad he was stuttering), he and Geoff Holsclaw about the death of Jesus, the different ways of understanding it as a substitute, and what it means for the gospel. Don't miss this episode as you prepare for Easter.

Should Christians withdraw from a hostile culture? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss Rod Dreher's "Benedict Option" as a Christian response to American culture. While appreciative, Dave and Geoff offer points of concern and criticism.

Have we returned the favor and created God in our image? In Harlem, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was confronted with the reality that German Christians had fashioned Jesus in their own image, leading to the tragic rise of Hitler. What can we learn from this today? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus, a book by Reggie L. Williams. They discuss two pitfalls of the German Church...

Can we find peace in a polarizing world? Can we cultivate true dialogue in a defensive world? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about living on the thin line between stoking and reenforcing the cultural and political antagonisms of our day, and the need for staying alert to injustices in the world. What Ya Reading? The Souls of Black Folk ~ W.E.B. Du Bois Jesus and the Gospel in Africa ~ Kwame B...

How is joy a source of strength? Why was it joy for Jesus to endure the cross? Is joy just happy-clappy sentimentality? Mandy Smith and Scott Jones join Geoff Holsclaw to talk about the need to return to joy. Joy is not merely happiness connected to circumstances. Joy is connected to relationships. Beyond our politics that may seem hopeless, can we connect our longing and joy to the God who is alw...

Is our world hopeless? Is engaging in politics hopeless? Author Michael Wear joins David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw to talk about Christian engagement in the world. Michael, working in the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships in the Obama administration, calls us to hope in a world that often seems hopeless.

What does it mean to be subject to the government? What did Paul have in mind by that? And how does it fit with being submitted to Christ? After a long break, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw finally get together for another episode of Theology on Mission. They tackle the issue of how the church relates to government and what Romans 13 has to say about it. Quote of the episode: "I need music. Music...

Do you need a 1st Century Church Planting Manual? Or, What does 1 Peter teach us about being faithful to Jesus? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk with Dennis Edwards, a pastor and scholar, about exiles, the vocation of the church, and submitting to all human institutions (and what that might mean). They use Edwards' forthcoming commentary on 1 Peter as a springboard for their discussion.

Sometimes the best thing to do is listen. With so much going on in America, Geoff Holsclaw and David Fitch slow down and talk with two area ministers, Juliet Liu Waite and Greg Armstrong, about what they are seeing, feeling, and experiencing.

This Thanksgiving, what are you to do when your only relationship with someone is that they are your relative? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw offer three quick tips on how to bring Jesus into every Thanksgiving situation without being all religious. They are: 1) Be present to others, 2) Find the deeper common ground, and 3) submit to others (or even ask for forgiveness). No problem, right?

Breaking from their script, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw process their reactions to the election of Donald Trump. As two white males, nothing has changed about our lives, because we are privileged enough to be untouched by the recent events. But that is not true for so many people. As an extended “Fitch vs Fitch”, Dave reads through various posts he shot out on Facebook and Geoff responds. They...

Were you looking for a "Theology on Mission Voter Guide"? Well, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw are giving you one. They don't tell you who to vote for, but how to take a step back and really discern whether you should vote at all.

Is taking a walk part of God's mission? Could your commute be part of God's mission? Dan White Jr., author of "Subterranean: Why the Future of the Church is Rootedness" and co-author of "The Church as Movement", join Geoff and Dave to talk about what local neighborhood mission might look like.

This week David Fitch sits down with Scot McKnight to talk about some of the new projects they are working on. This is a crossover episode between Theology on Mission and Kingdom Roots.

What does the Kingdom have to do with Eschatology? Is the Kingdom coming only in the future? Is the Kingdom here in the present? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss how eschatology connects with mission, and how sometimes a proper balance is lost. They answer questions about whether 1) The Kingdom is about the future? or 2) Is the Kingdom coming in the present? and 3) Does the Church help bring...

When leaders of the Religious Right claim #Trump's misogynist and racists words are "no big deal", are they sharing in the sin of another? (1 Tim. 5:22) In this wide ranging episode, David Fitch, Geoff Holsclaw, and special guest Mandy Smith talk about the power of words, locker room talk, and the ways that religious conservatives claim that Trump's misogynist and racist words are no big deal. The...

Does Jesus seek Proselytes or Converts? And what is the difference? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss why the Apostle Paul was so angry with the Galatians, and whether we are called to renounce one cultural identity in favor of a new one (Proselyte Model) and or called to take up the same identity in a new way (Conversion Model).

Why do pastors burn out? And what can be done about it? Are you burning out? Is your church leading you to the brink? Like Pete Wilson or Perry Noble, pastors of churches of any size are constantly facing burning out. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw offer three pieces of advice to mega-church pastors, or any pastor, to help them not burn out (and it probably isn't the advice that you are thinking o...

Maybe the most important episode to date! Once evangelicals were on the frontline of social issues. Now the often take a backseat. What happened? And more importantly, from where might a renew of evangelicalism come? This episode offers an exclusive report from the Lausanne Young Leaders Gathering as part of a larger conversation about looking to world evangelicalism as a corrective to American ev...

Does systematic theology have a future? And if so, where should it start? And what does it matter? Geoff Holsclaw and regular guest Scott Jones (because Fitch is big-timing it in Pasadena) discuss the three major critiques of systematic theology and then talk about three possible ways to begin theology and how we need them all.