Christian Century Interviews

Shortly after the killing of George Floyd, Parker Palmer hosts a conversation with the authors of Another Way about their book and how it speaks to this time of multigenerational rage, holy listening, and the unveiling of new possibilities.

Fleming Rutledge reads her Christian Century article "Divine absence and the light inaccessible," excerpted from her forthcoming book, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ (Eerdmans).

“We live differently than we say we live," the columnist tells Matt Fitzgerald. "There’s moral judgment all around.”

Matt talks with his parishioners Lovely Carter, Steve Peterson, and Rachel Adams about the expectations listeners bring to sermons, how God might do something good through bad preaching, and the ways religions are like street gangs.

Matt talks with Marlin Lavanhar, senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, about how a group of Pentecostal Universalist Christians changed his preaching, the postliberal critique of Unitarianism, and preaching “belief” to rationally-minded people.

Matt talks with Ken Samuel, the founding pastor of Victory for the World Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, about journeying toward megachurch ministry, insisting on LGBTQ equality as a Southern Baptist pastor, and rebuilding his church after losing thousands of members.

Matt talks with Vince Amlin, copastor of Bethany United Church of Christ and the new church-start Gilead (both in Chicago), about preaching as an associate pastor, why preaching at weddings can feel pointless, and an intense life experience that reshaped Vince’s faith.

Matt talks with Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan, about “white flight” and her childhood church in Chicago, preachers and social media, and how the church/world relationship plays out in her diverse congregation.

Matt talks with Cornelius Plantinga Jr., the former president of Calvin Theological Seminary, about miracles, the collapse of the sacred/secular distinction when “every square inch of creation belongs to Jesus Christ,” and why preachers should read more fiction.

This episode consists of some of our favorite moments from episodes 14-33, which aired during our second season in the winter and spring of 2016.

Preachers on Preaching editor Neil Ellingson, also co-founder of Root and Branch Church in Chicago, interviews Preachers on Preaching host Matt Fitzgerald about the reasons he started the podcast and what he's learned so far, his own self-contradictory preaching approach, and how grace might come inside rising soap bubbles.

This week Matt talks with Liz Goodman, minister of the United Church of Christ in Monterey, Massachusetts, about the value of ferocity in relationships, being perceived by small-town folks as provocative, and the freedom that comes from being in a pulpit for 15 years.

Matt talks to Emily McGinley, site pastor at Urban Village Church Hyde Park-Woodlawn in Chicago, about planting a church for LGBTQ people of color and allies, her own circuitous spiritual journey, and integrating preaching with the congregation’s testimony.

Matt talks to Brad Braxton, Founding Senior Pastor of The Open Church in Baltimore, Maryland, about his twin calling as professor and preacher, planting a church of diverse identities and beliefs, and why God might cause fumbles in the pulpit.

Matt talks to David Bartlett, American Baptist pastor and coeditor of “Feasting on the Word,” about the necessity of his first call, balancing church and academy, and an approach to scripture that is seen as both dangerous and quaint.

Matt talks to Jennifer Morrow, pastor of Rowayton United Methodist Church in Rowayton, Connecticut, and Timothy Ross, pastor of Hopwood Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, about their weekly sermon collaboration, editing each other's work, and listening for God’s movement in each other’s congregation.

Matt talks to Paul Scott Wilson, who teaches homiletics at the University of Toronto, about the importance of doctrinal clarity in preaching, why God should be the subject of a sermon's verbs, and how preachers can make that happen.

Matt talks to Tony Robinson, pastor and consultant, about the myth of the “perfect church,” preaching through fallow periods, and congregations sustaining preachers’ faith.

Matt talks to Nadia Bolz-Weber, pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints, about preaching to oneself to benefit others, certitude's roots in fear, and balancing authenticity with orthodoxy.

Matt talks to the pastor of First Grace UMC in New Orleans about merging a black church and a white church together, preaching in a racially diverse congregation, and how context informs mission.

Matt talks to Julian DeShazier, pastor and hip-hop emcee J.Kwest, about being an artist-preacher, churches nurturing their youth’s talents, and the pastor as custodian.

Matt talks to Doug Pagitt, founder of Solomon’s Porch, about embracing contemporary culture, participatory approaches to preaching, and everyone acting like pastors.

Matt talks to Bill Borden, who teaches psychiatry at the University of Chicago, about transference, unintentional provocations, and Donald Winnicott’s wisdom for preachers.

Matt talks to Emily Scott, pastor of Saint Lydia's church in Brooklyn, about dinner table liturgy, the immediacy of homiletic dialogue, and writing sermons to elicit storytelling.

Matt talks to the Union Theological Seminary president about the church and Trump, "unending" sermon endings, and her book "Trauma and Grace."

Matt talks to the pastor of Hope CRC in Oak Forest, Illinois, about writing sermons as a person with ADD, being a theological outlier, and deep personal loss.

Matt talks to the chair of homiletics at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago about homiletical theory, teaching preaching as a preacher, and whether or not some students are "naturals."

Matt talks to the pastor of Riverside Church in Webster Groves, Missouri, about liberal-conservative distinctions, using failure well, and growing slower.

Matt talks to the senior minister of The Table UCC in La Mesa about being a black woman in a predominantly white congregation, owning guns and preaching against them, and the influence of standup comedy.

Matt talks to the senior minister of Tenth Church in Vancouver about Canadian evangelicalism, becoming a preacher, and swimming as sermon prep.

This episode consists of some of our favorite moments from the first 12 episodes, which aired in the fall of 2015. Matt will be back with new interviews with preachers starting next week.

Matt talks to the senior pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist in Philadelphia about being the first female pastor there, the clash between her Pentecostal background and her religious studies education, and the false choice between good news and lament.

Matt talks to the pastor of Arbor Dale Presbyterian in Banner Elk, North Carolina, about weekly preaching, the preaching persona, and Tee’s unique method of sermon prep.

Matt talks to the president of Sojourners about radical student politics, preaching at Davos, and activism as a form of proclamation.

Matt talks to the McCormick Theological Seminary professor about liberationist preaching, being a missionary in the U.S., and prophetic preaching vs. moralistic finger-wagging.

Matt talks to the founder of Mishkan Chicago about Protestant vs. Jewish preaching, how to avoid a cult of personality, and what churches can learn from a Jewish faith community’s success.

Matt talks to the writer and Yale Divinity School faculty member about poetry in preaching, whether scripture has unique revelatory power, naming the despair of churchgoers, and the centrality of Christ.

Matt talks to the Judson Memorial Church pastor about her childhood in the LCMS, the unique challenges of preaching in New York, and instances when a pastoral care matter makes it straight into a sermon.

Matt talks to the Duke professor and former UMC bishop about resisting the temptation to close the gap between the Bible’s strange claims and a congregation’s expectations, and about following a really good preacher into a new church.

Matt talks to the cofounder of Chicago's Urban Village UMC about the blessings and dangers of charisma, the gifts people in 12-step recovery bring to the pulpit, and what happens when your parents want you to be a doctor and God wants you to be a preacher.

Matt talks to the retired pastor and professor about Catholic perspectives in Protestant pulpits, moralistic preaching from the left, and what happens when Godzilla shows up in the manger.

Matt talks to the pastor of Trinity UCC in Chicago about preaching with his father, succeeding Jeremiah Wright, and the church and mental health.

Matt talks to the pastor of Fourth Presbyterian in Chicago about pastoral transition, being a post-liberal among liberals, and her crash course in the Cubs.