Ministry Deep Dive

Travis welcomes Trevin Wax back to the show! Does orthodoxy matter anymore? Or is it only for theologians and academics to quibble over? What role does it play in the life of the everyday believer? Travis welcomes Trevin Wax back to the show as they delve into the subject of orthodoxy. Trevin shows us that rather than being a dry academic exercise, orthodoxy provides the lifeblood of truth and unity in the church that is essential for the church to carry forth its mission. However, there are always threats to orthodoxy and those threats demean not only theological truth but the very nature of who God is, His purposes, and our place within the world today. Check out Trevin's blog at the Gospel Coalition or sign up to be on his email list.Follow Trevin on Twitter or get his books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

On Good Friday there is so much to be said and so much not to be said. Take a moment to be quiet and reflect on what Jesus has done for you.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

With so much going on in Holy Week it's easy to get a bit of compassion fatigue. Take a moment to relax, breathe, and connect with Jesus. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Travis welcomes Eric Costanzo, Daniel Yang, & Matthew Soerens to the show to discuss their book, Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save The American Church. This is a conversation about biblical hope. Henry Blackaby once said, "Find out where God is working and join him there." That's what this is about. God is working in the nations in a way reminiscent of Revelation 7:9-10 kind of way, "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, 'Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!'”God has brought the nations to our shore in the West. And we need to ask ourselves, why? What is God doing and how can we join Him in that? Listen in and find out!Get the book.Read about Daniel.Read about Eric. Read more about Matt and get his book, Welcoming the Stranger.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

We welcome Jay Y. Kim back to the show to talk about his new book, Analog Christian. How do we cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in a digitized world? How is our technology forming us? Is it making our lives better or worse or a bit of both? Maybe we should go Amish? It's an entertaining conversation sure to enlighten, challenge, and give you hope. Jay serves as lead pastor of teaching at WestGate Church in the Silicon Valley of CA and teacher-in-residence at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. Some of his written work has been featured in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Relevant, Missio Alliance, Outreach, Pastor Resources, and other places.We previously spoke with Jay about his book Analog Church (InterVarsity Press, 2020). It's about the many challenges and opportunities churches face in the digital age, offering a new and hopeful way forward. You can learn more about Jay here. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

In the second part of our conversation where Travis and Mark continue their discussion of evangelicalism. What happens when what we claim we believe doesn’t match up with the way we live? When we claim to believe in a new birth through Christ but still cling to beliefs, ways of looking at the world and even actions that are a lot worse than problematic? What caused evangelicalism to become so politicized in the US? should we even call ourselves evangelicals anymore?If you thought part one of my conversation with Mark Noll was complicated, well, I hate to say it, but it’s going to get more complicated. We discuss evangelicalism, indigenous peoples, global evangelicalism, and a whole lot more! Mark is one of the leading church historians in the English-speaking world. Recently retired as the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and before that he served as Professor of History and Theological Studies at Wheaton College. His taught courses on American religious and intellectual history, the Reformation, world Christianity, and Canadian history. Dr. Noll has written and edited numerous books, most recently including Evangelicals: Who they Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be (with George Marsden and David Bebbington, Eerdmans, 2019), In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life (OUP, 2015), From Every Tribe and Nation: A Historian’s Discovery of the Global Christian Story (Baker Academic, 2014), Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Eerdmans, 2011), and Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia (co-written with Carolyn Nystrom, IVP, 2011). He has also served on the editorial boards for Books & Culture and Christian History, and as co-editor of Library of Religious Biography for Wm. B. Eerdmans. In 2006 he received the National Endowment for the Humanities medal at the White House. Dr. Noll currently lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Maggie.Check out Mark's books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

We welcome Mark Noll to the show! Travis and Mark discuss evangelicalism, what it is, who fits the label, and what the label means globally speaking. The term "evangelical" has become ubiquitous, with it being coopted by various groups and media to the point that some no longer want to use the term. Should we use it? What does it even mean? And what does it mean for us today? It would be lovely if the lines were nice and neat, but almost like everything else in our world today, it's complicated. Mark is one of the leading church historians in the English-speaking world. Recently retired as the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and before that he served as Professor of History and Theological Studies at Wheaton College. His taught courses on American religious and intellectual history, the Reformation, world Christianity, and Canadian history. Dr. Noll has written and edited numerous books, most recently including Evangelicals: Who they Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be (with George Marsden and David Bebbington, Eerdmans, 2019), In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life (OUP, 2015), From Every Tribe and Nation: A Historian’s Discovery of the Global Christian Story (Baker Academic, 2014), Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Eerdmans, 2011), and Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia (co-written with Carolyn Nystrom, IVP, 2011). He has also served on the editorial boards for Books & Culture and Christian History, and as co-editor of Library of Religious Biography for Wm. B. Eerdmans. In 2006 he received the National Endowment for the Humanities medal at the White House. Dr. Noll currently lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Maggie.Check out Mark's books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

As a follow-up to our episode with Collin Hansen on Tim Keller, we wanted to delve deeper into Keller's influence and how we have been influenced by him to water our worlds. Apollos Watered, audio engineer, Wayne Stender, joins Travis as we discuss Keller's influence and how it has influenced us at Apollos Watered. We each come from our own cultural vantage point and it's important for each of us, who are attempting to accomplish God's mission in our lives, to understand how the outworking of the mission can actually shift according to our specific cultural context. Get Collin's book on Keller.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

We welcome Collin Hansen to the show! Collin serves as vice president of content and editor-in-chief for The Gospel Coalition, hosts the Gospelbound podcast, and has written and edited many books. His most recent book is on Tim Keller, one of the early 21st-century cultural shepherds. Keller's life and work have influenced thousands if not millions. And this book is a look into the intellectual and spiritual influences that shaped him. It's an insightful and fun conversation that will inspire you, equip you, and make you laugh along the way. Collin and Travis talk about all things Keller: his home life, those who knew him in his formative years, and the authors, teachers, institutions, and leaders who influenced him. But this is not a conversation just about Tim, it's almost as much about Kathy. If that were all then it would be fantastic, but there is so much more! Tractors/tractor pulling, the Dakotas, failures in leadership, George W. Bush, Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Russian realist fiction!Get the book.Get some of Collin's other books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Part 2 of our conversation with British historian David Bebbington! Dr. Bebbington is a professor of History at the University of Stirling in Scotland and a distinguished visiting professor of history at Baylor University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Historical Society. In this second part of our conversation, David takes us on a journey of discovery of evangelicalism around the world. We discuss the difference between evangelicalism in the U.S. and the U.K., Shawnee Baptists in Oklahoma, and charismatics vs. Pentecostals. There is also some discussion on the monarchy and laments a lack of interest in theology in our current cultural moment. This conversation is one of hope. While geeky, it is a great and inspirational conversation. A truly must-listen. Get his biography written by his wife, Eileen Bebbington.Check out his Wikipedia bio.Get his book on Moody & Spurgeon.Check out some of his other books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!