The Pastor Theologians Podcast

Today on the podcast we are joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Niebauer as he shares about his recent book, Four Mountains: Encountering God in the Bible from Eden to Zion. How can Christians encounter Jesus on every page of the Bible? What can we learn from how the earliest Christians read Scripture, and connect seemingly disparate stories in the text? What is distinct about this style of reading as opposed, for example, to 6-week Bible studies or academic study? This and more on today's episode!

Jason Meyer, lead pastor of Urban Refuge Church in Minneapolis, MN, joins the podcast today to tell us about his journey towards becoming a pastor theologian. After serving eight years as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist, Jason shares what he learned about his own calling, and the identity of a "pastor." This and more on today's episode!

CPT board member Doug Sweeney joins the podcast today. He previews his topic for the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. What are good Christian pastors supposed to be like? On the other hand, what malformative models of pastoral identity are common in our culture today? Doug also tells us about his 2024 book, Substance of Our Faith: Foundations for the History of Christian Doctrine. Check it out on today's episode!

Casey Hough joins us to talk about his recent book,When Poets Were Warriors: Retrieving a Biblical Vision of Masculinity (B&H Publishing, 2025).  “Masculinity” is an increasingly popular subject for public discourse. Drawing on his experiences as a pastor and father, Hough argues that Christians ought to return to the complex and challenging example of Jesus, instead of relying on cultural stereotypes, to form our vision of masculinity. If we consider Jesus Christ to be a model for masculinity, how do we then think about femininity, and any differences or similarities between the two? What should pastors consider as they shape their discipleship ministries? This and more on today's episode! 

What is culture, and what is our relationship to it as Christians? Dennis Greeson joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book The Way of Christ in Culture: A Vision for All of Life (Lifeway 2024), coauthored with Benjamin T. Quinn. In the book, the authors provide a framework for knowing one's time in God's story, one's place in creation, and following wisdom. He also shares about the Alexandrian Institute, a cohort-based model for theological education focused on engaging Scripture and confessional traditions and the wisdom of previous generations of Christians, and sending students to engage their context. 

This week, James Arcadi joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, Holiness: Divine and Human (2023). He also shares about his dual calling to both pastoral ministry as a full-time Anglican rector, and to academic theology as a guest professor at Wheaton College. What is the relationship between abstract ideas and practical application? What does it mean for something to be "consecrated" or "holy"?  This and more on today's podcast!

On the podcast this week, Adam Copenhaver shares with us about his early ministry caring for an older congregation, and his education and research on Colossians. He also tells us about his current pastoral context leading a church in a small, migrant farm town which had previously been led by an abusive pastor. He previews the breakout topic he will lead at the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. How can our churches become both helpful and welcoming to those who are suffering abuse or oppression? How can pastors identify and eliminate harmful tendencies in themselves that could lead to abuse later? 

This week we are joined by CTP Fellow Ben Burkholder. Ben shares how he developed an interest in learning how people grow as disciples. Reflecting on his time as a student, Ben also shares insights about the relationship between psychology and spiritual formation. This and more on today's podcast! 

Join us this week as we get to know Eric Rivera. Eric will be a plenary speaker at the 2025 Pastor Theologians Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. On this episode, Eric talks about how his story shaped his interests and calling in church history and pastoral ministry. Drawing from his context as a pastor at a multi-ethnic church in the greater Chicago area, he also shares what he has learned it means to be a Good Shepherd in the 21st Century. 

Samuel Parkison joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book, To Gaze upon God: The Beatific Vision in Doctrine, Tradition, and Practice (InterVarsity Press 2024.) He also shares with us his story and calling to academic ministry at the Abu Dhabi Extension Site at Gulf Theological Seminary in the United Arab Emirates. What is the beatific vision? What does the beatific vision have to do with this moment in history for the church? This and more on today's podcast? Exiles in Babylon

For our April episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:CR Wiley, In the House of Tom Bombadil (2021)Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way (2014)Percival Everett, James (2024)Harold Netland, Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God (2022)Exiles in Babylon

Nadya Williams joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity (IVP Academic, 2024.) How do our attitudes towards motherhood reflect either a commodification of human life or, by contrast, a rich affirmation of the imago dei? This and more on today's podcast! Exiles in Babylon

Stephen Campbell joins us today on the CPT podcast. Stephen tells us about witnessing his family's ministry through his childhood. He also shares how the Lord prepared him for his current context pastoring in Germany, and his research on the book of Deuteronomy. This and more on today's podcast!Exiles in Babylon

Matt O'Reilly joins us today to talk about his recent book Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification.  What does the Bible teach us about holiness? How can the broader Evangelical community learn from historically Methodist theologies of sanctification? How can ecclesial styles of theological writing serve pastors and congregations as they work through topics like this one? This and more on today's podcast!Exiles in Babylon

Brad Littlejohn joins the podcast today to talk about his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License. What is human "freedom"? Where do American theological, moral, and political concepts of freedom and liberty come from? How do Scripture and our culture view "freedom" differently, and how can pastors help the Church's ability to think Biblically about "freedom"? This and more on today's podcast!Exiles in Babylon

Steve Turnbull joins the podcast to share his journey of becoming a pastor and Biblical scholar. As a pastor theologian, Steve has worked to develop a rich Biblical narrative imagination. Today, he serves as a senior pastor of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Ohio, as well as the provost and professor of New Testament at The Master's Institute in Minnesota. Exiles in Babylon

We are excited to have Carl Trueman on the podcast today. Carl discusses his some of his recent books, including To Change All Worlds: Critical Theory from Marx to Marcuse, which provides an introductory intellectual history of Critical Theory, primarily non-polemically. In this episode, Carl walks us through the key figures and orienting ideas of Frankfurt School and Critical Theory. What is the connection between Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory? How can pastors steward the church's confession as they help congregations navigate their contexts which may be influenced by these ideas? This and more on today's episode. Exiles in Babylon

Aaron Friesen joins the podcast today to share his story of becoming a pastor theologian. Aaron describes how, in part though his seminary education at Fuller, he developed a vision and sense of calling for integrating theological education and service to the local church within his pentecostal tradition. Today, Aaron serves at CitySalt church in Eugene, OR and teaches in an adjunct capacity. 

Today we are joined on the podcast by Ryhs Laverty as we discuss Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy  (Davenant Institute, 2024). This volume, edited by Laverty, is a collection of essays highlighting Lewis's insights on topics such as gender, contraception, bureaucracy, and transhumanism, as he wove them into the Ransom Trilogy. What questions does Lewis explore in his fiction that are pastorally relevant in our context today? How can the Ransom Trilogy continue to inform Christian living? This and more on today's podcasts!

Jennifer Powell McNutt joins the podcast once again to discuss her recent book, The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (Brazos Press 2024). Mary Magdalene's story has often been undervalued and confused, in part due to what Jennifer calls the "muddle of Marys" in the Gospels. What can we gain by a more careful analysis of Mary's story? How can we be served by approaching the biblical text with a "hermeneutic of surprise"? How can Mary Magdalene serve as a model for Christian discipleship today? This and more on today's podcast. 

Matthew LaPine joins the podcast to share his journey of faith through mental health challenges in his family and more. How can "playing the long game" shape our perspective as we navigate life's challenges? This and more on today's episode!

Charles (Chad) Kim joins the podcast to talk about his book, The Way of Humility: St. Augustine's Theology of Preaching. How is Augustine's theology and specifically the virtue of humility reflected in Augustine's Sermon? Hear this and more on today's episode.  

Ryan joins the podcast today to share his story, including his background in the Pentecostal tradition. Find out how that tradition has shaped him as a pastor theologian. Further, how can we learn from themes of doubt, deconstruction, and anti-intellectualism? How do we think about these themes as ministry leaders? All this and more on today's podcast. 

Jonathan Huggins joins us on the podcast today with a sermon for the season of Advent reflecting on peace. How does the Gospel redefine shalom—peace—with God, within ourselves, and with others? How can we maintain relational and psychological rest in our souls when facing the anxiety-producing situations of our modern world? 

For our December episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading (and, on this occasion, watching):JRR Tolkien, Return of the King, (1955)Mark A. Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1995)Stephen King, Carrie (1974)Cormac McCarthy, The Border Trilogy, (1999)Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen, American Nietzsche: A History of an Icon and His Idea, 2011Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. (2024)

Today, Chris Ganski shares a sermon on Acts 17:1-9. In the wake of the 2024 election, the book of Acts can be an excellent resource to consider the relationship between church and politics. In the context of Acts 17, does Caesar have anything to fear from the church? What is the church, and what does it mean to belong to the church? How does the church's identity influence our understanding of the gospel as political? This and more on today's podcast. 

Pastor Caleb Campbell joins the podcast to discuss how pastors might guide their congregations through the results of the 2024 election, drawing from his experience pastoring in Phoenix, AZ. He also discusses his book "Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor." How can we helpfully engage those in their community who align with combative political perspectives? How can pastors support members who are struggling to have conversations with family members, or for whom the election stirs up difficult emotions? This and more on today's episode. 

Kevin Vanhoozer joins us on the podcast this week to discuss his recent book, Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically. Christians across traditions and vocations have wondered what it means to read Scripture faithfully. Are there essential principles for reading the Bible as Scripture everywhere, at all times?  What does it mean to read the Bible “literally”, or to interpret the text theologically? How do we enter the presence of God as we read? All this and more on today's episode!

For our November episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (2021)James Davison Hunter, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America's Political Crisis (2024)Yuval Noah Harari, Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (2024)Kelly Kapic, You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News

We are joined on the podcast today by Justin Allison. Justin shares his story of faith and how the Lord has worked through different seasons in his life, from a bout with illness as a child, to serving as a hospital chaplain, and now in his current ministry context.  

This week, Gavin Ortlund joins us to discuss his recent book “What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church.”  Many evangelicals have recently begun to explore more sacramental and liturgical church traditions, such as Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. What underlying desires drive this renewed interest? Can these desires only be met outside of Protestantism? How can the strengths of historical Protestantism aid us when wrestling with issues like the authority of Scripture? What role do platforms like YouTube play in these conversations? All this and more in this week's episode!

Cory Wilson joins the podcast to tell his story of becoming a pastor theologian. He shares about his work as a missionary in West Africa and how that significantly shaped the trajectory of his life and ministry. What is the nature of theology? Why do we pursue it? And why does it find its home in the church?

Nathan Chang joins the podcast to tell his story about becoming a Pastor Theologian. Nathan shares about his experiencing growing up with deaf parents and in a deaf church and the impact that had on his vision of and for the church. He explains his journey of faith, his passion for the word of God, and his journey of education and ministry. 

Collin Hansen, Editor-in-Chief of the Gospel Coalition, reflects on the political vision and legacy of Tim Keller. Politics is not the first subject anyone would associate with the life and work of pastor Tim Keller. And yet when you review his teaching, you find someone who may have written more deeply and insightfully about politics than any other contemporary pastor. In this session, Hansen explains what Keller believed the American church should do as politics increasingly shift from ideology to identity politics.This is the first talk from the CPT's 2024 conference Kingdom Politics.

Ryan Fields joins the podcast again to share a sermon he preached on 1 Peter 2:12, calling the church to pursue commendable conduct "among the Gentiles" in the turmoil of a divisive moment in America's public and ecclesial life. What does God call us, the church, to pursue, both among fellow believers and in the public sphere?

Chris Ganski shares his story of faith and ministry in one of our Becoming a Pastor Theologian episodes. He shares how his journey has been a series of continuing conversions towards deeper faith and how the Lord worked through various experiences to lead him to the pastorate. How does a PhD relate to pastoral ministry? How can a liberal academic context help to foster faithful evangelical witness? What does it look like to preach faithfully in a politically divided age? All this and more on this new episode.

Coleman Ford and Shawn J. Wilhite join the podcast to discuss their recently published book Ancient Wisdom and the Care of Souls: Learning the Art of Pastoral Ministry from the Church Fathers (Crossway, 2024). They talk about why the wrote the book and the need that it meets for busy pastors today. Why should we learn the art of soul care from the church Fathers? What corrections can they bring to contemporary models of pastoral ministry? What does riding a bike have to do with this conversation? All this and more on this week's new episode!

Carmen Joy Imes joins the podcast to discuss her books Bearing God's Name and Being God's Image, as well as previewing what she will be talking about at this year's CPT conference Kingdom Politics. Carmen shares her story of faith, ministry, and education, as well as her heart to serve the church. What does it mean to be made as his image? What does it mean to bear his name? What might that mean for theology, ethics, politics? All this and more on this fascinating episode!

Jack Franicevich, a parish priest in the Anglican Church of North America, joins the podcast to discuss his book, Sunday: Keeping Christian Time (Athanasius Press, 2023), that focuses on the nature of the Sabbath, what it means in the biblical narrative, and how the social imaginary of Christians might be formed by a deep understanding of the Sabbath. What does the Sabbath mean for rest? For the hope of Christians? For the rebuke of anti-God powers? All this and more on this new episode.

Dan Brendsel joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Answering Speech: The Life of Prayer as Response to God (Crossway, 2023). Paul commands the church to "pray without ceasing." What does that mean? In what ways do we misunderstand prayer? How might reframing prayer as a whole-life response reform and renew the lives of the saints and the life the church? All this and more on this new episode.

Joel is joined by Brad Gray, CEO of Walking the Text, a non-profit organization that specalizes in helping pastors and Christians understand the cultural, linguistic, and literary context of the Bible. What are the "lenses of context" for reading scripture? How does understanding this context correctly enable Christians to live out the vision of scripture and be conformed to Christ?SPONSOR: The Living Church, The Human Pilgrimage Conferencelivingchurch.org/eventsUse code "CPT" for 10% registration.

For our July episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (2024)Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot (1975)Cynthia L. Haven, Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard (2018)

Kaitlyn Schiess joins the podcast to talk about her recent book The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here (Brazos, 2023). She shares her background of education and how she began interacting with the question of the relationship between church and state, Christians and the politics of the world. What makes America a "Bible haunted nation"? Should Christians think of their nation as a "city on a hill"? What gifts can careful readers of Scripture offer to the contemporary political realm? All this on more on this new episode!This episode sponsored by The After Party.

Russell Moore, Editor-in-Chief of Christianity Today, joins the podcast to talk about his journey of faith, major influences on his faith, and current reflections on the state of American Evangelicalism. Why is fiction so profoundly impactful on his thinking? Why is the American church prone to cultural nominalism and pragmatism? What does the American church need to repent of and convert to? What is the biblical meaning of hope? All this and more on this new episode!

Ryan Fields, senior pastor of Faith Evangelical Free Church, joins the podcast to tell his story of coming to faith and his journey of education and ministry. 

Matt O'Reilly joins the podcast to discuss and share the presentation he gave at the Reconstructing Methodism conference earlier this spring, explaining why the new Global Methodist church needs to be firmly planted on strong theological rock, with pastor theologians doing the necessary hard building work. In his presentation he focuses on why the task of preaching is necessarily theological, challenging pastors to lead their congregations from the pulpit with theological depth and conviction.

Richard Lints joins the podcast to discuss his recent book Uncommon Unity: Wisdom for the Church in an Age of Division (Lexham 2022). Pressing into the given difference that exists, he argues for a deeper unity funded by the inclusion narrative of the gospel. Lints calls for a renewed unity that doesn't march according to the orders of the cultural calls for unity that prevail today. What kind of unity does the gospel achieve? Why do cultural calls for unity so often fail? Where should the church look as it seeks to navigate the exclusion and inclusion narratives of the present day? All this and more on this episode.

Gregg Allison joins the podcast to talk about his journey of faith and ministry and his theological work on the Holy Spirit. He discusses common misperceptions about the Holy Spirit, encouraging believers to think about the Spirit as the greatest gift God gives to his children. In what ways do we make the Spirit the potentiator of our own works? How can we listen to the guidance of the Spirit? What does it mean to preach in step with the Spirit? All this and more on this new episode.