Podcasts about Beeson Divinity School

Send us Fan MailIdolatry is one of those Bible words that can feel obvious until you try to use it carefully. We live far from Baal temples, yet we still talk about idols constantly and sometimes we label everything as an idol until the word loses its bite. Derek and Alastair slow down and rebuild the category from the ground up, starting where Scripture starts: the Ten Commandments, the golden calf, and the question of what it means to worship the true God rather than a controllable substitute.—Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Classical Theism: A Christian Introduction, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelityApply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship. https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships

Send us Fan MailKelly Kapic's The Christian Life — the newest volume in the New Studies in Dogmatics series — frames Christian living as a response to divine love, arguing that human agency is always Christological and ecclesial before it is personal. With Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and James Wood.—Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Classical Theism: A Christian Introduction, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelityApply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship. https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships—00:48A Summit Work04:01False Dichotomies in Evangelical Thought08:19Anthropology and Life11:33A Little Summa12:32What's New About the Christian Life?14:35Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation15:42The Response to the Love of God19:20Christ's Vicarious Love and Agency24:44Understanding the Law and Gospel Distinction29:58Capital 'S' Sin37:11Obedience to the law41:38The Role of Liturgy in Corporate Worship49:42Living Out the Christian Life in Community

Carl Trueman joins Mere Fidelity to discuss his book The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity. They examine why "desecration" captures something "disenchantment" misses — the frenzied, ecstatic violation of what is still recognized as sacred — and trace its implications for abortion, gender, technology, and end-of-life ethics. Trueman argues the church's answer is consecration: creed, worship, and a code of hospitality that restores genuine personhood. With Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts. — Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Classical Theism: A Christian Introduction, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship. https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 01:10 - Why "Desecration" and Not Just "Disenchantment" 06:16 - The Pleasure of Desecration and Alternative Sacralizing 10:07 - Is This a Perennial Problem or Something New? 14:27 - Power, Impotence, and Promethean Shame 17:35 - Dizziness, AI, and the Nothingness of Radical Freedom 22:41 - Nietzsche, Nature, and the Denial of the Given 28:42 - Consecration as Response: Creed, Cult, and Code 33:14 - The Church and End-of-Life Ethics 39:18 - Vitalism, False Friends, and the Logic of the Cross 45:38 - Two Cheers for Christianity and the Opportunity Before Us 48:51 - Freedom, Belonging, and the Gospel

Was the Apostle Paul Torah-observant — not just before the Damascus road, but throughout his apostleship to the nations? Brad East stakes out a thesis drawn from Messianic Judaism and the Paul Within Judaism school: that Acts 21 should be read straight, that James is telling the truth about Paul, and that Genesis 12 and 17 still bind Jewish believers. Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts push back hard, working through Galatians 2, 1 Corinthians 9, and the question of whether the law's force after Christ is divine command or Hookerian adiaphora — with the future of Jewish identity in the church in view. — Get the free ebook Spiritual Formation for the Family at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv (or M.Div., your choice) and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Chapters 00:00 - Welcome and the Disclaimer 01:00 - The Thesis: Paul Remained Torah-Observant 01:34 - Messianic Judaism and Paul Within Judaism 04:29 - Acts 21: Is Paul Lying or Walking the Law? 08:04 - Alastair's First Move: Affirming, Not Practicing 10:33 - A Law You Need Not Obey Is Not a Law 12:17 - Law as Covenant vs. Law as Instruction 15:34 - Circumcision as the Test Case 16:13 - Adiaphora, Hooker, and Binding Authority 17:40 - 1 Corinthians 9 Enters the Conversation 18:08 - The Halakhic Question: Should Elders Discipline? 21:11 - Acts 15 and Internally Differentiated Norms 23:13 - Alastair on Existing Authorities and Custom 26:36 - The Canonical Vision: Revelation 7 29:50 - Adiaphora's Sociological Problem 33:22 - Galatians 2: What Was Peter Doing? 38:18 - Permission vs. Prohibition 41:04 - Why Reduce Genesis 12–17 to Local Custom? 44:02 - Baptism, Circumcision, and Covenant Signs 47:55 - Does God Want Jews in the World? 50:10 - Providence and the Future Conversion 56:42 - One Body in Christ and the Complementarian Parallel 57:08 - Reinterpreting "Under the Law" 1:01:18 - Difference Without Division 1:04:13 - The Empirical Problem for Both Views 1:07:51 - Reading Our Situation Back into Paul 1:10:46 - Closing

How do we hold together confidence before God and a proper sense of his holiness? Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and Joe Minich take up a pastoral question at the heart of Christian worship and prayer. Working from the Lord's Prayer, the Psalms, Job, and John 8, they discuss the dangers of both presumption and paralyzing anxiety, the relationship between knowledge of God and knowledge of self, and why assurance is less a fact we verify than a relation we inhabit. Along the way: Isaiah's vision, Calvin on "stupid" prayer, and what Alcoholics Anonymous teaches about showing up. — Spiritual Formation for the Family ebook: http://mereorthodoxy.com/family Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv (or M.Div., your choice) and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — 00:00 - Introduction 01:17 - Confidence and holiness: the central tension 02:52 - The Lord's Prayer and the dynamic of approach 04:48 - The honesty of the Psalms and Job 09:16 - Boldness in prayer: the unjust judge and friend at midnight 11:11 - Hebrews and the two mountains 13:45 - Name-it-and-claim-it vs. petitionary prayer 14:45 - Being seen by God rather than seeing God 16:50 - John 8 and the woman caught in adultery 19:50 - Owen, Calvin, and "hard thoughts about God" 23:51 - "There is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared" 24:34 - Judgment and absolution in forgiveness 29:13 - The joy of approach and the glory of God 31:13 - Calvin, Isaiah, and the knowledge of God and self 33:58 - The erasure of sin in Waugh and Eliot 36:25 - Assurance as relation, not calculation 39:13 - Adoption, marriage, and secure identity 41:11 - Two kinds of self-absorption 45:48 - Alcoholics Anonymous and staying in the game 50:10 - Distorting the game itself: Jeremiah and the den of thieves 52:30 - Pastoral wisdom: who needs what 55:05 - Closing

On this episode of Mere Fidelity, historian of history Paul Gutacker joins Matt, Derek, and Alastair to talk about the changing and sometimes fraught relationship that Protestants have had with the notions of "history" and "tradition." Paul's book, The Old Faith in a New Nation, particularly examines how nineteenth century debates about slavery, etc., influenced our ideas about the roles of Scripture and Church in regard to history.  — Get the free ebook Spiritual Formation for the Family at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv (or M.Div., your choice) and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Timestamps: Neo-Calvinism [0:30] My Fellow Subjects [2:08] Meta-history [3:22] What is Biblicism? [4:37] Misusing History [9:54] Scripture's Changing Role [14:42] Tradition or History [18:41] Church Disputes [23:36] Foreigners [27:06] Spirit and Letter [29:35] Hermeneutical Precedent [42:42] How should pastors use history? [46:05]

Derek Rishmawy, James Wood, and Joe Minick trace the nature-grace debate from de Lubac's challenge to neoscholastic "pure nature" through Blondel, Bavinck, and Betz's Christ the Logos of Creation — asking what's actually at stake: the gratuity of grace, the coherence of theological anthropology, and the twin dangers of secular dualism and pantheist collapse. — Get Spiritual Formation for the Family ebook for free at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonPhD — Chapters 00:00 - Introduction: Why Nature and Grace? 02:30 - The Debate in Context: Neo-Calvinism, Catholic-Protestant Dialogue, and David Bentley Hart 05:00 - James on De Lubac: Challenging Pure Nature and Extrinsicism 08:30 - Blondel, Desire, and the Political Consequences of Separation 11:30 - Derek's Five-Year-Old Explanation: What Is Actually at Issue 13:30 - Joe: Natural Ends, Supernatural Ends, and the Beatific Vision 16:00 - Steel-Manning the Two-Tier View: Gratuity of Grace 18:30 - Bavinck, the Donum Superadditum, and Terminological Convergence 22:00 - The Neo-Calvinist Peril: Immanentizing the Eschaton 24:00 - Reception History: Did De Lubac Get Thomas Right? 27:00 - Betz, Chavarra, and Philosophy's Openness to Theology 31:00 - Participatory Metaphysics and Non-Competitive Freedom 33:30 - Derek's Worry: The Pantheist Ditch 36:00 - Horton's Trilogy and the Irenaean/Origenist Distinction 39:00 - The Two Ditches: Extrinsic Dualism vs. Pantheistic Monism 43:00 - Desire, Idolatry, and the Hook Into the Real 47:00 - Was the Incarnation Part of the Plan? Creation in Christ 50:00 - Closing Thoughts: Bavinck's Affirmations and Where to Go Next

What if death's presence in the cosmos is not native to creation but a wound running all the way down to its foundations, inflicted before Adam ever reached for the fruit? Philip Porter joins Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and Brad East to discuss his new book, which retrieves Augustine, Aquinas, Milton, and Tolkien to argue that the angelic fall precedes and precipitates every other form of evil, and that contemporary theology has been too quick to make peace with death. —— Hosts: Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, Brad East Guest: Philip Porter, assistant professor of theology at Saint Louis University (Madrid) and author of Unnatural Death: Creation, Sin, and the Angelic Fall. He completed his doctoral work under Paul Griffiths at Duke Divinity School. —— Get the free ebook Spiritual Formation for the Family at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonPhD —— Timestamps 0:00 - Intro 3:50 - Porter's thesis: why death as enemy matters and what contemporary theology gets wrong 8:40 - Augustine's rationes seminales: the seed-like reasons at the heart of creation 10:15 - Angels as administrators of creation and how their fall wounds the cosmos 13:30 - Tolkien's Silmarillion, Melkor's discord, and the felix culpa logic 17:30 - The conditio and administratio: God's atemporal creation vs. its unfolding in time 20:00 - Three false paths: Kelsey, McCabe, and Darwin 27:00 - Does scripture naturalize death? The grain of wheat, 1 Corinthians 15, and Alastair's question 39:10 - The double fall: Romans 5, the angelic fall, and how they fit together 42:00 - Satan's envy of the hypostatic union: what Lucifer saw and why he turned 52:00 - Refracted and diffracted light: a metaphor for holy and fallen angels 1:01:40 - Deep time, hominins, and what it means for Adam to be unfallen in a devastated cosmos 1:05:05 - The Johannine thread: destroying the works of the devil and what the devil actually wants 1:12:30 - Universalism, David Bentley Hart, and the problem the angelic fall poses for it 1:20:35 - Supralapsarianism and the incarnation-anyway position Books Mentioned Philip Porter, Unnatural Death: Creation, Sin, and the Angelic Fall Paul Griffiths, Decreation David Kelsey, Eccentric Existence J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion David Bentley Hart, That All Shall Be Well Ambrose of Milan, On the Good of Death

Derek Rishmawy, James Wood, and Alastair Roberts welcome Dr. Lyndon Jost, author of Transfiguring Headship: A Figural Theology of Gender. Jost argues that headship is rooted in Old Testament figural theology rather than Greco-Roman culture, that it fundamentally means representation rather than authority, and that this reframes debates between complementarians and egalitarians alike.  — Get your copy of our free ebook, Spiritual Formation for the Family, at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonPhD — Chapters 01:15 - Overview of Transfiguring Headship 03:06 - Headship as Representation, Not Authority 06:09 - Critiquing Complementarian and Egalitarian Readings 10:32 - Figural Theology and the Fourfold Senses of Scripture 17:05 - Against Greco-Roman Readings of Headship 20:13 - 1 Corinthians 11:3 and Trinitarian Headship 25:35 - Ivan Illich, Gender vs. Sex, and Vernacular Gender 32:48 - Headship, Marriage, and the One-Flesh Union 43:23 - Essentialism, Gender Realism, and Minimalist Claims 50:36 - Headship as Unity, Not Opposition 55:59 - Male Responsibility and the Final Account 58:28 - Headship, Creation Order, and External Representation 01:02:14 - Closing Remarks  

Dean Douglas Sweeney talks with pastor Adam Dooley, who will be one of the speakers at this summer's preaching conference.

How does God reveal Himself in the Old Testament to us? And where does His Son Jesus peer through?John 1:18 tells us, "No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known."So Jesus, who is the Word, makes visible that which is not visible. We cannot see God in His essence. We would be consumed by that. But what is the Son's unique role? The Son's role is to mediate for us, the Father by the Spirit, so that we can see the unseeable. So that we can know and relate to that which appears to be unknowable. >>Watch on YouTubeDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts explore the Ten Commandments — their structure, their two tables, the bookending parallel between the first and tenth commandments, and how the law is always oriented toward delight rather than mere prohibition. The law shapes the Christian life, testifies to Christ, and reflects the character of God. — Get the free ebook, Spiritual Formation for the Family, at http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, Keeping Kids Christian: Recovering A Biblical Vision For Lifelong Discipleship, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv (or M.Div., your choice) and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship.: https://bit.ly/OurRisenLord   —   Chapters 00:00 Exploring the Ten Commandments 04:48 The Structure and Order of the Commandments 08:35 The Heart of the Commandments: Internal Motivation 12:38 Positive and Negative Aspects of the Law 18:08 The Law as a Source of Delight 23:03 The Law in the Context of Freedom 29:51 Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Ministry 32:10 Understanding the Nature of God's Law 36:07 The Role of the Ten Commandments 40:20 The Law as a Reflection of Christ 44:45 The Law and Holiness in Christian Life 46:50 Delighting in the Law of God

Dean Douglas Sweeney talks with Beeson professor Reginald Calvert, who also serves as pastor of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama.

Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, and Brad East consider what Christian theology actually has to say about aliens — from the populated Christian cosmos to the angelic fall, demonic deception, and the Christological anthropocentrism that runs through Lewis, Edwards, and Aquinas. Are UFO encounters spiritual phenomena in disguise? And does any of this unsettle orthodox faith? — Get the ebook, Spiritual Formation for the Family, by going to http://mereorthodoxy.com/family. Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, R30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for Beeson Divinity School's Ph.D program by April 1 for Fall 2026 admission here: https://bit.ly/BeesonPhD — Chapters 00:00 Aliens Are In The Air 06:38 What Counts As Alien? 12:22 The Nature of Alien Phenomena 19:08 Close Encounters of the Heavenly Kind 25:40 Lewis vs. L'Engle 32:52 Testimony 39:37 The Uniqueness of the Incarnation 45:30 Angels, Humanity, and Salvation 50:48 Christological Considerations 53:07 Be Fruitful and Explore Space!

Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts take up the problem of Christian doomerism in an age of AI development, geopolitical instability, and algorithmic anxiety — diagnosing why our moment feels uniquely threatening, then building a theology and practice of realistic hope from the Sermon on the Mount, the Psalms, eschatology, and the concrete habits (prayer, scripture, crocheting) that keep despair at bay. — Get your copy of Mere Orthodoxy's ebook, Spiritual Formation for the Family, by going to http://mereorthodoxy.com/family Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, R30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for fall 2026 admission to Beeson Divinity School's MDiv (or M.Div., your choice) and be considered for a full-tuition scholarship: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Chapters 00:00 – The Problem of Living in Interesting Times 05:05 – I Call All Times Interesting 11:52 – Agency 17:34 – Hope at Rock Bottom 28:03 – The Benefits of Apocalypse 32:39 – Eschatology 36:13 – Practically Constructing Hope 42:03 – Investing in Future Generations 49:06 – Back to Basics  

Dean Douglas Sweeney talks with Master of Arts in Christian Counseling student Hila Grace Allman about her time at Beeson.

What is the purpose for the season of Lent? Jesus taught that man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man, as a gift for us. The Sabbath creates rhythms that allow us to break away from the normal routines of life and work so that we can enter into worship and enter into praise. This rest is a kindness of God to humanity. It's not meant to be a burden.The practice of observing Lent is similar. We are not made for Lent. Lent was made for us - it is a season to be a gift to you and to me.Psalm 32:1-2 tells us, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." ⁠>>Watch on YouTube⁠Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

In this Replay episode, Matthew Lee Anderson, Derek Rishmawy, and Alistair Roberts are joined by Andy Crouch — Partner for Theology and Culture at Praxis — to examine what the data on social media and video games reveals about the diverging formation of young men and women. The conversation turns on a pointed question: what happens when the skills adolescence develops are simulations rather than realities? And what does that mean for formative communities — home, school, and church — that bear responsibility for shaping persons, not just managing behaviors? - Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, R30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships - Chapters 2:00 — Guest Introduction: Andy Crouch 3:00 — The Tweet: Social Media, Video Games, and Diverging Outcomes 5:30 — Why We Now Have Reliable Data 7:00 — Social Media's Harm to Girls 8:30 — Why Boys Seem Fine (At First) 11:00 — The Idolatry Framework: Things That Work at First 17:00 — Pornography as Formation Failure 19:00 — The Feminization of Internet Culture 25:00 — The Algorithmic Turn: From Chronological to Algorithmic Feeds 31:00 — The Algorithm Catches You at Your Worst 33:00 — Mobile Devices and the End of Distance 36:00 — Practical Applications: Give Resistors an Off-Ramp 40:00 — Banning Phones in Schools: A Framework 44:00 — "But They Need to Prepare for the Real World" 46:00 — Instruments vs. Devices: A Distinction 48:00 — Closing & Patron Teaser

Dean Douglas Sweeney talks with Alton Hardy, lead pastor and founder of Urban Hope Community Church in Fairfield, Alabama.

Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts host Jake Meador for a wide-ranging conversation on why evangelical institutions struggle with leadership transitions and long-term succession. They explore how evangelicalism's emphasis on discontinuity, charismatic personality-driven leadership, and brand-over-institution thinking undermines durability. The discussion touches on the boomer generational bottleneck, the producer-consumer framework shaped by technology, and what healthier models—like RTS or long-tenured churches—might teach us about building things that outlast their founders. — Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, R30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Chapters 00:00 – Introduction & Framing the Problem 02:48 – Evangelicalism's Built-In Bias Toward Discontinuity 06:34 – Charisma, Personality, and the Exoskeleton Problem 08:46 – Brands vs. Institutions 11:22 – RTS as a Positive Case Study 15:24 – Market Forces and Media Adaptability 17:33 – Long-Tenured Churches and the Mold vs. Platform Distinction 24:18 – The Boomer Generational Cliff 30:16 – Carson, Piper, Keller, and Golden Age Expectations 39:23 – Evangelical Anxiety About Institutional Betrayal 43:31 – Technology, Formation, and the Performing Self 51:26 – Birth Rates, Legacy, and Thinking About Succession

Dean Douglas Sweeney sits down with Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, Brad East, and James Wood trace the evangelical spiritual formation movement from Richard Foster through Dallas Willard to John Mark Comer. They explore why disciplines resonate today amid technological distraction and desire for embodied faith, while navigating tensions between individual and communal formation, liturgy's role, and concerns about practices becoming self-optimization divorced from gospel foundations. — Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership. Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to  Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships — Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:06 – Tracing the Spiritual Formation Movement 08:35 – Why Spiritual Disciplines Resonate Today 19:45 – Technology, Attention, and the Appeal of Forms 25:00 – Critiques: Self-Optimization and Theological Drift 33:12 – The Role of Set Prayers and Liturgy 44:50 – Inhabiting Forms vs. Formalism 53:00 – Suffering as Spiritual Formation 58:47 – The Danger of Christian Elitism 01:12:54 – The Parable of the Three Bricklayers

Dean Douglas Sweeney sits down with ThM students Daniel Lee and Jonathan Fletcher. Jonathan also serves as the program assistant for Beeson's Global Center, while Daniel serves as the program manager for Samford's Center for Worship and the Arts.

How do we understand Jesus Christ in relationship to the Old Testament?Two points to remember about Jesus:We properly understand Jesus of Nazareth as the author of the Old Testament. He is the primary agent of writing and giving the scriptures of Israel. John 1:1 tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is the author.Not only is Christ revealed in the Old Testament, Jesus Christ is the revealer of the Old Testament. Luke 24:27 tells us, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He (Jesus) explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself."Jesus is describing Himself in the law, the prophets and the writings of the Old Testament, and He's inviting you into that act of discovery yourself. Jesus doesn't tell us exactly where to go—He simply lets us know that He is everywhere. He is the reason for life. He is tell us, "Pursue me and follow me there." >>Watch on YouTubeDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

We are honored to welcome Dr. Robert Smith, Jr. as our Guest Speaker, a distinguished professor, award-winning author, and internationally respected preacher. Known for his passion-filled, Christ-centered preaching, Dr. Smith brings decades of pastoral, academic, and global ministry experience. Dr. Smith currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University where he previously served as Professor of Christian Preaching and held the Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity. Join us for an inspiring luncheon as he shares wisdom shaped by faith, scholarship, and a life devoted to the Word of God.

In this week’s episode, Dr. Robert Smith Jr. and I discuss “Preaching through Personal Pain.” Robert Smith Jr. serves as Distinguished Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School. Before Smith The post Preaching through Personal Pain appeared first on Preaching and Preachers Institute.

What happens when the church no longer sits at the center of culture? How do we make sense of a world where millions are leaving the pews, yet traces of Christianity still shape the very stories people tell about meaning, beauty, and truth? Beneath the surface of shifting cultural narratives lies a deeper question: how can we reawaken the memory of Christianity in hearts that no longer know its hope? This is where cultural apologetics steps in. Our guest today is Collin Hansen. Collin serves as vice president for content and editor-in-chief of The Gospel Coalition. He hosts the Gospelbound podcast and has written and contributed to many books, including Timothy Keller: His Spiritual & Intellectual Formation and Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ Is Essential. He is a member of Iron City Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and he is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School, where he also co-chairs the advisory board. Please send us your feedback and questions to: podcast@summit.org  

Dean Douglas Sweeney sits down with SGA President JT Reeves.

Welcome to The Weekly, produced by TAB Media Group, which publishes The Alabama Baptist and The Baptist Paper. Each episode features news headlines read by TAB Media Group staff and volunteers. New episodes are released weekly on Wednesday mornings. Articles featured in this episode: Most popular Bible app verses of 2025 Thanks to Beeson Divinity School for sponsoring this week's TAB edition! ALCAP Prayer Rally First person: Could calmness, intentionality and awareness be the key? 'Prayer in pain': Vroegop teaches students about power of lament Senior project turned into worship ministry, debut album Retired worship pastor leverages gifts to invest in others with Worship Practice Alabama pastor finds way to reach nonbelievers as a chaplain Largest faith-based foster care provider in Alabama ready to expand, and 'everyone can do something' 'Anchors in My Sea' shares a story of faith through struggles, tragedy Explore the Bible and Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Lessons Brandon Heath's new album reaching out to Deaf community Visit TAB Media HERE Subscribe on iTunes HERE

Dean Douglas A. Sweeney sits down with Blake and Erin Dean, both of whom graduated with their MDiv in fall 2025. Blake now serves as Beeson's recruitment coordinator and alumni relations officer, while Erin serves as director of children's ministry at St. Peter's Anglican Church.

Dean Douglas A. Sweeney sits down with Blake and Erin Dean, both of whom graduated with their MDiv in fall 2025. Blake now serves as Beeson's recruitment coordinator and alumni relations officer, while Erin serves as director of children's ministry at St. Peter's Anglican Church.

"Send us a message! (questions, feedback, etc.)"RE-RELEASE. This episode originally released July 22, 2024.For men and women seeking recovery from unwanted sexual behavior, few people have been as influential or helpful as Michael John Cusick. Michael is a therapist,  author, and Founder/CEO of Restoring the Soul, a counseling practice that provides opportunities for life-changing breakthrough with licensed and experienced therapists. Their holistic approach creates an atmosphere of safety and grace where people can explore their relationships, identity, emotions, and spirituality.In 2012 Michael released the book Surfing For God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggles. It, along with Jay Stringer's book Unwanted, has been extraordinarily powerful in helping people discover what needs they are actually trying to meet when pursuing broken behavior. The book contains a story (that Greg and Michael talk about) that's part of the reason for our podcast's name!In early 2025 Michael released his second book, Sacred Attachment: Escaping Spiritual Exhaustion and Trusting in Divine Love. This book explores how an understanding of attachment theory can help tired and wounded Christians get "unstuck" in our relationship with God and experience the closeness he intended us to have with him.Restoring the Soul offers individual and group intensive therapy experiences, as well as a blog, podcast, and other resources.Check out Michael's links below, and PLEASE give us 5-stars and write a positive review wherever you get your podcasts!Restoring the Soul websiteRestoring the Soul podcastSurfing For God and Sacred Attachment (on Amazon)Training Session at Beeson Divinity School (2014)#MichaelJohnCusick #RestoringTheSoul #SurfingForGod #SacredAttachment #attachmenttheory #counseling #therapy #gospel #recove Support the showAwaken websiteRoots Retreat Men's IntensiveRoots Retreat Women's WorkshopAwaken Men & Women's support meeting info (including virtual)

Today's episode is a very special Christmas episode featuring the topic of Andrew Gerow Hodges Chapel at Beeson Divinity School. Our guests, Timothy George and Stefana Dan Laing, teach us about the history, art and theology of the chapel.

What truly satisfies us? Today we are looking into the book of Psalms. We can find in the Psalms the reality of our human fallenness, our human fickleness, our sinfulness, our need for redemption, and God's offer of love and forgiveness.The Psalms are like a mountain range–they are the heights. The Psalms are also a valley–they are the depths. In the Psalms you can be met in both places. The book of Psalms is waiting to meet you in the instability and the unfixed character of your own life.Of all the major themes of the Bible, here in the Psalms you can find the revelation of God and His goodness.John Donne, the great 17th century English preacher, poet and Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, famously said that the Psalms are manna for the soul.For us to understand who we really are requires a knowledge of God and knowing who God is. This in turn sheds a spotlight on who we really are. Studying the Psalms gives this to us.Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Dean Sweeney sits down with Center for Pastor Theologians President Joel Lawrence, who recently preached at Beeson's fall commencement.

Dean Sweeney talks with fall 2025 graduates Nancy Hartin and Margot Cooney about their time at Beeson.

What is the season of advent? The season of advent is a season of waiting on the Lord. We're waiting. We recognize not everything is right, we're waiting for it to be reordered. And we find the people of God in Isaiah chapter 40 in a season of waiting. And what is it that they're having to wait for? Well, Isaiah tells us they're waiting for mishpat, a Hebrew word that means "judgment," or "law. They're waiting for justice, and they're waiting for the fulfillment of these promises that come in Isaiah 40:28-31Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. >>Watch on YouTubeDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Dean Sweeney talks with Beeson student Caroline Bass about her experience in Israel over the summer.

In what way does God exist and is He present in the book of Esther? And what does it mean to live life faithfully when God's absence seems to be real?When Esther has finally become the queen and the crisis is now emerging in the book, her Uncle Mordecai says to her, "Who knows Esther, maybe you became Queen for such a time as this."That is a claim about God's providence, God's ordering of creaturely human affairs towards His own ultimate redemptive purposes.Dr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Beeson's Methodist Chair of Divinity Tim Tennent talks with Carolyn Moore, a bishop in the Global Methodist Church.

Dean Sweeney sits down with highly-acclaimed author Christopher Watkin, who recently spent some time at Beeson to discuss an upcoming book on cultural apologetics he has contributed to.

Who or what are you trusting in? Today Mark is discussing Isaiah 13-39."Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it. For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host.... Strengthen the weak hands...say to those who have an anxious heart, 'Be strong; fear not!'... Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,.. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." —Taken from Isaiah 34:1-2; 35:3-5,10 >>Watch on YouTubeDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Dean Sweeney talks with this year's Reformation Heritage Lectures speaker, Ronald Rittgers of Duke University.

Vice President JD Vance comments about his interfaith marriage saying he hopes his wife becomes a Christian. Fighting in Nigeria continues, and President Trump remarks about possible intervention. Tucker Carlson hosts a friendly interview with alt-right Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts defends the interview and re-ups his support for Carlson. Mike Cosper and Clarissa Moll discuss these headlines, and Clarissa talks with Collin Hansen of The Gospel Coalition about cultural apologetics in our modern age.     REFERENCED IN THE EPISODE: -The Bulletin episode 213 - segment 2 about Nigerian Christians with Liam Karr -Jihadists Persecute Christians in Nigeria. Is It Genocide? by Emmanuel Nwachukwu -The Gospel After Christendom: An Introduction to Cultural Apologetics  GO DEEPER WITH THE BULLETIN:  -Join the conversation at our Substack.  -Find us on YouTube.  -Rate and review the show in your podcast app of choice.    ABOUT THE GUESTS:   Collin Hansen is the vice president for content and editor-in-chief of The Gospel Coalition and executive director of The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is an author, journalist, and podcast host known for books like Young, Restless, Reformed and Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. Hansen also hosts the Gospelbound podcast and is an adjunct professor at Beeson Divinity School.  ABOUT THE BULLETIN:  The Bulletin is a twice-weekly politics and current events show from Christianity Today moderated by Clarissa Moll, with senior commentary from Russell Moore (Christianity Today's editor-at-large and columnist) and Mike Cosper (senior contributor). Each week, the show explores current events and breaking news and shares a Christian perspective on issues that are shaping our world. We also offer special one-on-one conversations with writers, artists, and thought leaders whose impact on the world brings important significance to a Christian worldview, like Bono, Sharon McMahon, Harrison Scott Key, Frank Bruni, and more.    The Bulletin listeners get 25% off CT. Go to https://orderct.com/THEBULLETIN to learn more.    “The Bulletin” is a production of Christianity Today  Producer: Clarissa Moll  Associate Producer: Alexa Burke  Editing and Mix: Kevin Morris Graphic Design: Rick Szuecs Music: Dan Phelps  Executive Producers: Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper   Senior Producer: Matt Stevens Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dean Sweeney sits down with Derek Schuurman from Calvin University, where he chairs the departments of Computer Science and Faith and Technology. Dr. Schuurman spoke with our PhD students earlier in the semester about AI, the biblical story and rival stories.

Dean Sweeney sits down with Jonathan Linebaugh, Beeson's Anglican Chair of Divinity, for a conversation about his new book, "The Well That Washes What It Shows: An Invitation to Holy Scripture."

When crisis comes into your life, who do you turn to? Who do you trust?The question that God puts before His people again and again is, "Are you going to trust Me?" Where you going to put your hope and your trust when hardship comes? Psalm 4:35 says, "Some trust in horses, some trust in chariots, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." What does this mean? It's very easy for us to talk about trust in the abstract. Trust God. Put your confidence in God. But when crisis comes, whether it's small or big, our first instinct is usually to try to fix it on our own—in other words, "What can I do to fix this on my own?"That's the crisis that emerges here in chapters 7-9 of the book of Isaiah. >>Watch on YouTubeDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew. Mark also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Jonathan Fletcher, program assistant for the Global Center, talks with Brian Fikkert, this year's Go Global Week lecturer.

Dean Sweeney sits down for a conversation with Beeson alumnae and author Betsy Childs Howard to talk about her writing ministry.

Kelsi is joined by Jonathan Linebaugh to discuss his new book, The Well that Washes What it Shows: An Invitation to Holy Scripture. In the book and in this conversation, Jono describes Scripture as God's living and active word by which he does two works: reveals of our need for Jesus and gives us Jesus himself. Jonathan A. Linebaugh serves as Anglican Chair of Divinity and professor of New Testament and Christian theology at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University. He is the author or editor of several books, including The New Perspective on Grace, The Word of the Cross, and God's Two Words.Show Notes:Support 15171517 PodcastsThe 1517 Podcast Network on Apple Podcasts1517 on YoutubeMore from Kelsi:Kelsi KlembaraFollow Kelsi on InstagramFollow Kelsi on TwitterKelsi's NewsletterSubscribe to the Show:Apple PodcastsSpotifyYoutubeMore from Jono:Order The Well that Washes What it Shows