O Ye of Middle Faith

Andy Crouch joins us to remind us that both form and function are critical for the Church and Christ's followers. When both form and function align with the mind/heart of Christ, we catch a glimpse of glory. We talk about this in light of technology, how churches disciple during COVID, and more. 

As Christians, should we abstain from tech, or engage it? We chat these two extremes with cultural sociologist Felicia Wu Song, Professor of Sociology at Westmont College and author of "Virtual Communities: Bowling Alone, Online Together". 

Mark Galli joins us to discuss his book, "When Did We Start Forgetting God?", and we explore Christian Nationalism, the sway of politics in the American church, and ultimately the balance between the left and right within the church.  You can find Mark at markgalli.com

On this episode, we chat about Facebook and social media's role in our life, as well as in the church. We welcome Wendy back from more of her world travels. Then, Patrick chats with Dr. Greg Nelson about taking strategic, intentional stops. 

Jason and Patrick are reunited in nature. Actually, we're just socially distancing! We chat Liberty University, their underground LGBTQ group and implications of sexual identity as part of the whole individual. Then, we welcome Chris Gehrz, author of The Pietist Option, on the show to chat about Pietism, and ultimately hope. 

We've been on lockdown. For a long time. During this COVID-19 episode, we sit down with Dustin White, author of "The Five Spaces". Dustin gives us hope for the time to come - when we can leave our home and inhabit other places again. You can follow Dustin on social media: @dustinjameswhite. Buy his book here: https://bit.ly/3clnTeN

"We want confidence and certainty". In this episode, Jason interviews Howard Walters, a world-renowned expert in applied statistics, and a man of deep faith. Which is an interesting intersection, isn't it? They talk about faith, certainty, and COVID-19. 

During this strange and weird time of COVID-19, Jason is sitting down with known theologians and having conversations. This week, it's Dr. Michael Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, MD. 

The most alliterative of episodes! We find out that Wende is a "social dancer". We also discuss Christian colleges, and whether sending your kids to faith-based education helps keep their faith. Then, we chat with Carlos Campo, President of Ashland University about the matter. 

We chat Jason's thighs and hands. Thankfully, CRISPR is working, and might fix those for him soon. Counties in Virginia (and maybe Jerry Falwell) are jumping ship. That's OK, because maps may not be that accurate anyway, and your GPS is dumb. If that's got you down, it's for good reason: there are plagues on the way! Then we chat with Enneagram expert and author, pastor and consultant Nate Bebout about his new book, "More than a Number". You can learn more at enneagramassessment.com or natebebout.com

Either you're a dog person or a cat person. Apparently that gives some indication about your faith as well; we'll discuss. Crop dusting a town with holy water, and Microsoft is sneaking work in to your Facebook feed. Then, Fuller VP and author Tod Bolsinger joins us to talk about how to lead in completely uncharted territory. Hint: it's not easy. 

Wende returns from paradise. Is the Force the same as the Holy Spirit? Pope Francis slaps a woman, then kisses a nun. Also, can Christians plagiarize freely?  Then, Rick Lawrence joins us from Group Publishing and talks about the state of youth ministry and discipleship. Rick shares a TON of resources with us that can be found here:  Youth Ministry Local Training for 2019: youthministrylocaltraining.com Youth Ministry Reboot Event (Feb 19-21, 2020): group.com/reboot LIVE Curriculum: livecurriculum.com Group U (Online Youth Ministry Certification Courses): groupu.group.com Jesus-Centered Youth Ministry (Book): https://tinyurl.com/y22qn7oh The Jesus-Centered Life (Book): https://tinyurl.com/y5axkgtl Spiritual Grit (Book): https://tinyurl.com/y3ydnhnl The God Who Fights for You (Book): https://tinyurl.com/y5scrq9q

Dave Elshaug joins to talk about when God calls us to hard places. Dave is the founder of LovingUtah, a Christian church planting network in the intermountain west region of the United States.  We also discuss the end of 2019, the future of faith in America, bank robberies and more. Wende has left us for some tropical paradise. 

Robots respond to tough love, SpaceX can launch a rocket, but can't quite stick the landing, and we talk about women in ministry with Karoline Lewis.  Karoline teaches Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary, writes for Working Preacher, and is an all-around rockstar leader. If you've ever been in a context that didn't feel like it was fully realizing the power of women in the family of God, this is worth your listen! Follow Karoline on Twitter: @karoline_lewis Follow us on Twitter: @yemiddle Get Karoline's book here: https://amzn.to/2YhB4HU

Are the Amish the key to republicans holding the Whitehouse in 2020? Maybe! We chat LatinX's evangelizing America, Amish outreach, Child sponsorship and more.  Get the resources Matt mentioned, including bible studies and videos here: http://evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/ and here: https://worldrelief.org/welcoming-the-stranger You can follow Matt on Twitter: @matthewsoerens Get his book here: https://amzn.to/2O34Cpp

In this episode, we cover tithing, church maintenance, and poop emojis. Should churches pay for your rent? We'll look at one instance that does.  Wende continues to see the deepest goodness in everything, as she aptly notes the ice-cream like structure of the famous poop emoji. It's also important to note that while she may not sentence you to hell for stealing her air conditioner, Jason may.  In the interview segment, we welcome old testament economist Roger Nam. Roger Nam (PhD, UCLA) serves as the dean of Portland Seminary and professor of biblical studies. Nam’s work is primarily on understanding the nature of the economy in the ancient Near East, as reflected in biblical and extra-biblical texts. His first book, Portrayals of Exchange in the Book of Kings https://amzn.to/34z00N4 (Brill, 2012), examines the social structures that undergird the economy of ancient Israel. He is presently completing The Theology of the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah (Cambridge University Press) as well as a technical commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah for the Old Testament Library (Westminster John Knox). Nam is coediting The Oxford Handbook for Wealth and Poverty in the Biblical World (Oxford University Press), and he co-chairs the steering committee for Economics in the Biblical World for the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meetings. Nam is a grant principal for Theologia, The Institute for Pastoral Thriving, and he oversees the Kern 3-2 Grant Program, set to launch in the fall of 2019. He is a contributor to Working Preacher, and a frequent collaborator with the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning. Nam previously worked as a pastor in Seoul, Korea, and as a financial analyst in the Silicon Valley. Despite Roger's extensive academic prowess, we love that he brought an incredibly personable, fun, and dare we say the humorous approach to applying biblical ethics and over our economic systems. Challenging and awesome stuff. 

In our inaugural episode, Jason, Patrick and Wende cover the Pastafarian prayer in Alaska, as well as Ellen and having a beer with George W. Bush. We talk about the recent news out of the Amber Geiger trial - specifically around the judge handing her a bible. Facebook is also trying to help you use your computer with your mind. That's not terrifying at all, right? Author and theologian David Fitch joins us on the program this week. David is a former Wall Street trader, church planter, and pastor. He serves currently as B. R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary Chicago, IL. David's most recent book, "The Church of Us vs Them: Freedom From a Faith that Feeds on Making Enemies" dives right into exactly what this podcast is all about. There are ideologies that culture is feeding us, in and outside of the church, and they tear us apart. Jesus invites us into a blessed third way, that draws us closer into community, and into the way of the Father.  You can pick up his book here: https://amzn.to/33UadDB (affiliate link; costs the same to you, supports our show!)      

An all-new podcast called "O Ye of Middle Faith". Patrick Sprague, Jason Barnhart and (sometimes) Wende Lance tackle the extreme polarization and binaries of church, culture, and the public square. We're searching out that "blessed middle way" of Jesus, and we have an awesome cast of guests joining us to wrestle it out. The first season features episodes with Matt Soerens (World Relief), Roger Nam (Portland Seminary), Karoline Lewis (Luther Seminary), Dr. Greg Nelson, Tod Bolsinger, David Fitch (Northern Seminary) and so many more! Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/yemiddle