text.soul.culture: a podcast from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology

“To what extent do we think that God actually took on our humanity?”   -Dr. Chelle Stearns   In this episode of the text.soul.culture podcast, Dr. J. Derek McNeil sits down for a conversation with Dr. Chelle Stearns about the intersection of theology and trauma, and the ways we can integrate these two, seemingly disparate topics in our everyday lives. Today is a day many across the country are remembering the trauma of September 11 and the lives that were lost. It was, and continues to be, a collective trauma we feel as a country in TO BE CONTINUED

“How is the world prepared for you, what story has the world created for you already and would you claim that as your story or not?” A few months ago, our president, Dr. J. Derek McNeil, sat down for a live conversation with one of his friends, Dr. Howard Stevenson—a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and resilience and their impact on African-American men and boys. Listen to their conversation today.

Dr. J. Derek McNeil, Acting President and Provost, talks with Dr. Roy Barsness, Professor of Counseling Psychology, about his experience as a therapist and what has led to his development of a unique, relationally focused modality of psychodynamic therapy.

Shauna Gauthier hosts a conversation with Annie Mesaros about Christianity's impact on American politics, and about Annie's theological podcast God Help Us.

Heather Abbott shares about her journey with stage 4 cancer and the relentless, hope-filled joy that she found even in the midst of great suffering.

Dr. J. Derek McNeil talks with Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek about delight in a traumatized world, how we know what we know, and why it matters.

Kate Davis and Laura Wade Shirley share about the stories and experiences that inform their work of helping leaders deepen their resilience.

This week on text.soul.culture, Nicole Greenwald, Shauna Gauthier, and Dr. J. Derek McNeil talk about the changes coming in Season Three, and about their continued hope of fostering faithful dialogue.

This week on text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil, Senior Vice President of Academics, talks with Dr. Craig Detweiler about his first six months as President of The Seattle School. Derek and Craig reflect on the institution's upcoming 21st birthday, and they wonder together about what it means to make a home—individually and collectively—in the midst of chaos.

This week on text.soul.culture, Shauna Gauthier (MA in Counseling Psychology, ‘10), Alumni Outreach Coordinator, shares a “From the Field” conversation with Jeremy Dew (MACP, ‘10), who talks about how his growth as a therapist is connected to his growth as a man, a friend, a father, and a husband.

Today on text.soul.culture, the students and alumni who participated in the 2018 Artist Residency reflect on what it was like to spend a week painting, drawing, and creating in The Seattle School's red brick building.

This week on text.soul.culture, Shauna Gauthier gets to know artist, attorney, and community organizer Nikkita Oliver. Nikkita shares about her family of origin, the stories we choose to tell, and the difference between between natural resilience and forced resilience.

This week on text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil sits down for a conversation with psychiatrist and author Dr. Curt Thompson about the spirituality and science behind resilience, integration, and human flourishing.

Today on text.soul.culture, we're spending a few minutes with the question, “What does it feel like to be heard?” Alumni, students, and staff share responses that, for such a short question, are surprisingly thought-provoking.

This week on text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil is joined by Dr. Dwight Friesen, Associate Professor of Practical Theology, to talk about fostering a more holistic form of education and sharing his deep passion for the movement of God in the particularity of place.

This week on text.soul.culture, Shauna Gauthier (MA in Counseling Psychology, ‘10), Alumni Outreach Coordinator, sits down for our first “From the Field” episode with Smruti Desai, who graduated from The Seattle School with an MA in Counseling Psychology in 2009. Smruti shares about her work as a therapist of color working primarily with clients of color, and she reflects on the decision to take what she learned in Seattle back to her home state of Georgia.

This week on text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil sits down with Shauna Gauthier, Alumni Outreach Coordinator and our new co-host for this podcast. Derek and Shauna talk about how the intimate format of a podcast invites us to slow down and engage in the sort of listening that fosters transformation.

This week on text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil sits down with The Seattle School's new president, Dr. Craig Detweiler, to talk about his journey to Seattle. Craig shares about some of his formative experiences and reflects on what drew him to The Seattle School.

For the first minisode of the text.soul.culture podcast, we wandered our building to ask faculty, staff, students, and alumni a simple question: What does the season of Lent mean to you?

What does it mean to listen deeply and dream boldly in a time of division and turmoil? In the first episode of our new season, Dr. Derek McNeil and Nicole Greenwald look back on Season One, talk about how this podcast is evolving, and reflect on the thoughtful discourse that is at the heart of text.soul.culture.

This week, Dan concludes our Advent series discussing how the songs that both Mary and Zechariah sing express the tension and anticipation of the reversal that Jesus' birth brings. He invites us to live into the artistry of that tension this Christmas, growing the ability to hold heartache and anticipate the goodness that is to come. From all of us at The Allender Center, may you have a very Merry Christmas.

How is lamenting alongside people with different cultural backgrounds than our own transformative? What is consequence of avoiding lament in our culture and in our churches? How might communal lament draw us toward a truer understanding of the kingdom of God? In episode 11 of text.soul.culture, Dr. Soong-Chan Rah joins Dr. J. Derek McNeil to discuss these questions and more. Dr. Rah is the Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary and the author of several books. His life work has revolved around theology, lament, and racial reconciliation.

How might we be called into purpose by our community? What is the why and how of justice? In what places of our lives might we have opportunity to learn from targeted practical application or from thought-provoking education that gives us a wider lens? In

What might be revealed through our loss of connectedness to the environment around us? Where do we find harmful deterioration in our world as well as hope for the future of our major ecological systems? How does Scripture address ecology? In episode 9 of text.soul.culture, Dr. Steven Bouma-Prediger joins Dr. J. Derek McNeil to consider these questions as the two discuss ecological homelessness and degradation. Dr. Bouma-Prediger is Professor of Religion and Director of Environmental Studies at Hope College. In 2016, he visited The Seattle School as our featured speaker for our annual Stanley Grenz Lecture Series.

What does music reveal about the nature of integration? Why does the conversation between theology and psychology require such deeply personal work? How can we continue to be rooted in our theological traditions and identities while still letting down our walls and inviting other voices to our table? In episode 8 of text.soul.culture, Dr. Chelle Stearns—Associate Professor of Theology at The Seattle School—joins Dr. J. Derek McNeil to discuss her own integrative instinct and the ways in which she has more fully found herself and the presence of the Spirit within the space of dissonance.

What if we reimagined businesses as living systems within the greater living system of the planet? What if the Church re-examined the words of Christ within the framework of a creation given and a desire for shalom? In episode 7 of the text.soul.culture podcast, Pamela Wilhelms joins Dr. J. Derek McNeil to discuss the intersection of systems in a world so often governed by single transactions and linear thinking.

What does it mean to truly listen to and read culture? What can an ethnographic perspective teach us about where the church is headed? Join Dr. J. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean and host of text.soul.culture and Dr. Forrest Inslee, Professor at Northwest University and Adjunct Faculty Member at The Seattle School for a conversation about Forrest's work as an ethnographer and the value of deep listening and meaning making.

Dr. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean at The Seattle School and host of text.soul.culture, is joined by Dr. Caprice Hollins, affiliate faculty member at The Seattle School and co-founder of Cultures Connecting. Dr. Hollins reflects on her unique teaching style, the journey of exploring her own racial identity, and her love for engaging students.

Dr. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean at The Seattle School and host of text.soul.culture, is joined by Dr. Stephanie Neill, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology, to talk about integrative psychological education and the deep, ongoing journey toward wholeness.

Dr. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean at The Seattle School and host of text.soul.culture, is joined by Dr. Angela Parker, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, to talk about what has formed her as a Biblical scholar and about her unique role at The Seattle School.

Dr. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean at The Seattle School and host of text.soul.culture, is joined by Jimmy McGee, President of the Impact Movement, for a discussion about the need for holistic learning that guides transformation, sharpens the lens through which we view the world, and drives us to action. Jimmy and Derek talk about the difference between charity and justice, the false dichotomy between spirituality and social reality, and both the priestly and prophetic identities of the people of God.

On this first episode of text.soul.culture, Dr. Derek McNeil, Academic Dean, and Nicole Greenwald, Director of Enrollment, reflect on the vision behind The Seattle School's new podcast and on the need for thoughtful discourse and engaged wisdom in the midst of a rapidly changing world and a political climate that breeds reactivity.