Rethinking Faith

Guess who's back, back again... Prop is back! Tell yo' friends.  In Propaganda's latest book, "Terraform", he looks at the ways in which our world is broken. Using the metaphor of terraforming—creating a livable world out of an inhospitable one—he shows how we can begin to reshape our homes, friendships, communities, and politics. In this transformative time—when we are redefining what a truly just and equitable world looks like, and reflecting on the work that needs to be done both in our spiritual and secular lives—Propaganda rallies us to create that just world. He sheds light on how nefarious origin stories have skewed our views of ourselves and others and allowed gross injustices, and demonstrates how great storytelling and excellent art can create and shape new perspectives of the world and make all of us better. Enjoy! RESOURCES: Terraform: Building a Better World (book) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Rachel Pieh Jones moved from Minnesota to rural Somalia with her husband and twin toddlers eighteen years ago, she was secure in a faith that defined who was right and who was wrong, who was saved and who needed saving. She had been taught that Islam was evil, full of lies and darkness, and that the world would be better without it. Luckily, locals show compassion for Jones who can’t keep her headscarf on or her toddlers from tripping over AK-47s. After the murder of several foreigners forces them to evacuate, the Joneses resettle in nearby Djibouti. Jones recounts the personal encounters and growing friendships that gradually dismantle her unspoken fears and prejudices and deepen her appreciation for Islam. Unexpectedly, along the way she also gains a far richer understanding of her own Christian faith. Enjoy! RESOURCES: Pillars: How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus (book)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Terence Lester joins the show for the second time! It's easy to feel overwhelmed by all of the injustices that we see in the world. We don't know what to do and might think that we don't have anything to offer. But by using our gifts in collaboration with others, we can do more together than we ever could on our own. Mobilizing and acting together empowers us to do what we can't do as isolated individuals. Lester looks at the obstacles that prevent us from getting involved, and he offers practical ways that we can accomplish things together as groups, families, churches, and communities. Togetherness and community give visible testimony of the power of the gospel. In this broken world, the body of Christ can transform society―when we stand together. Enjoy! RESOURCES: When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together (Book) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Ben Kirby joined us to discuss the ideas in his new book "PreachersNSneakers: Authenticity in an Age of For-Profit Faith and (Wannabe) Celebrities". What started as a joke account on Instagram has turned into a movement. Through this provocative project, the Ben is helping thousands of Jesus followers wrestle with the inevitable dilemmas created by a culture obsessed with image and entertainment: pastors wearing Gucci sneakers and carrying Louis Vuitton bags while their churches grow more and more obsessed with celebrity and fame. Enjoy! RESOURCES: PreacnersNSneakers (Book) PreachersNSneakers.Com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Gabriel Gordon helps us to (re)think our ideas around biblical inspiration. We explore a number of problematic issues facing popular notions of Inspiration today. Gordon applies the idea of Essential Kenosis to the inspiration of scripture and reveals how it provides a better theological basis for developing a doctrine of Biblical Inspiration. If God cannot control the biblical authors, then what they produce as the biblical text is not revelation in and of itself, but a contextualized human response to that revelation. With the rising popularity of Essential Kenosis, the dismantling of popular notions of inspiration through historical criticism, and a reclaiming of the interpretative methods of the early church, God Speaks puts forth a doctrine of inspiration and revelation that better accounts for these realities while more faithfully securing our allegiance to Christ. Enjoy! RESOURCES: God Speaks: A Participatory Theology of Biblical Inspiration (Book)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we were joined by our friend Fr. Nebojsa Pantic. Fr. Nebojsa is a Greek Orthodox priest and he joined us to share about his faith tradition. What is the history of the Orthodox Church? What does it even mean to be Orthodox? What are some of the theological distinctions?  Our hope is that this episode will help to widen your perspective on the Christian Faith and help you to celebrate the beautiful diversity present within the tradition. Enjoy!  Resources: Email Fr. Nebo: frnebojsa@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we had the opportunity to sit down with JC Groves from the Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast. We had a really fun conversation about JC's time growing up in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist tradition and what it has looked like for him to (re)think his faith and move away from that denomination. Enjoy! Resources: The Recovering Fundamentalist Podcast  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we had the privilege of being joined by our new friend Meghan Tschanz. We had a really great conversation around the ideas present in Meghan's new book "Women Rising".  Women Rising is Meghan Tschanz's personal journey of transformation. But it's also a Christian blueprint for anyone wanting to confront injustice against women while pointing to a biblical standard for gender equality. With humility and grit, Meghan calls Christian women to amplify their voices for righteousness—and she calls the church to listen. Enjoy! Resources: Women Rising: Learning to Listen, Reclaiming Our Voice Faith and Feminism Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we had the privilege of being joined by bible scholar and theologian, Scot McKnight. McKnight recently released a new book, "A Church Called Tov: Forming A Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing."  Tragically, in recent years, Christians have gotten used to revelations of abuses of many kinds in our most respected churches―from Willow Creek to Harvest, from Southern Baptist pastors to Sovereign Grace churches. We need a better way. The sad truth is that churches of all shapes and sizes are susceptible to abuses of power, sexual abuse, and spiritual abuse. Abuses occur most frequently when Christians neglect to create a culture that resists abuse and promotes healing, safety, and spiritual growth. McKnight offers us a way forward and helps us to (re)think what a Church called Tov could look like in the future. Enjoy! Resources: A Church Called Tov (book) Scot McKnight Northern Seminary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Julien Smith helps us to (re)think Paul’s vision for the life of human flourishing under the reign of Jesus. Smith places Paul’s letters in conversation with both ancient virtue ethics and kingship discourse, Smith outlines the Apostle’s christologically shaped understanding of the good life. Salvation and human flourishing―a life marked by fulfillment and well-being―have often been divorced in the thinking and practice of the church. For the apostle Paul, however, the two were inseparable in the vision for the good life. Paul’s conviction of Jesus’ universal Lordship emboldened him to imagine not just another world, but this world as it might be when transformed. Enjoy! RESOURCES: Paul and the Good Life (book) Celebration of Discipline (book)   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices