Helping believers think Christianly about theological and cultural issues by engaging in curious conversations with a diverse range of thoughtful people.
#785 - Rethinking Church: A Conversation with D...
Preston sits down with his good friend and fellow Boise resident John Whittaker to talk about all things related to the church. Church structure, the role of the Sunday gathering, how preaching needs to change, the heightened need for discipleship, and why the LDS church might be on to something when it comes to Ecclesiology.
70 min
252
#784 - Still a Christian: A Conversation with J...
Justin Brierley is the host of the very popular radio show (and podcast) Unbelievable. He’s interviewed many scholars, theologians, apologists, and atheists. He’s also hosted many debates between Christians and non-Christians--and he’s still a Christian. In this show, Preston and Justin talk about Christianity, defending the fact, the best arguments against Christianity, the problem of evil, atheism, and many other things related to Justin’s very interesting space in Christianity.
49 min
253
#783 - Trinitarianism Versus Unitarianism? A Co...
In this different sort of podcast, Preston moderates a discussion between Chris Date (Trinitarian) and Sam Adams (Unitarian) about whether God is three in one or just one. Sam argues that there’s one God and Jesus and the Spirit are not that God, while Chris Date believes that God is Trinity--three persons of one divine essence. And both argue from the text of Scripture for their view.
129 min
254
Old Testament in the Raw Week 6: Genesis 12-22
This week in OT in the Raw, Preston discusses the Abrahamic Covenant and how it relates to the gospel, Abraham’s fragile faith, the weird covenant ceremony of Genesis 15, and the startling incident of Genesis 22--“go kill your son.
62 min
255
#782 - Gay Christian, Celibacy, and the Lord's ...
Preston sits down with one of his "mentors from a distance"--the one and only, Wes Hill. Wes is a celibate gay Christian (or a Christian who happens to be attracted to the same sex and not the opposite sex) and a biblical scholar. Wes and Preston talk a lot about the phrase "gay Christian" and why it's become so volatile in some evangelical circles. They also talk about Wes' most recent book "The Lord's Prayer" and what the prayer means in the context of Matthew's gospel.
46 min
256
Old Testament in the Raw Week 5: Genesis 6-9
This week, we dive into the flood of Genesis 6-9, God’s covenant with Noah, the shady stuff that went on with Noah and his son Ham, and God’s promised seed of redemption named Abram.
55 min
257
#781 - People of Color and Women in Evangelical...
Preston reconnects with an old friend from his Ph.D. days in the U.K. Nijay has quickly become a leading N.T. scholar and, as a person of color, is alert to the white-dominated culture of American evangelicalism, especially in the academy. Nijay and Preston also talk about various other scholarly N.T. interests.
53 min
258
Old Testament in the Raw Week 4: Genesis 3:15
This week in OT in the Raw, we continue looking at the fall in Genesis 3, God’s promise of redemption in 3:15, how this promise works itself out through genealogical lines, the story of Cain and Able, and other figures like Lamech, Enoch, and Noah. Oh, and we also talk about angels having sex with women to make huge giants.
65 min
259
#780 - Born Again This Way: Rachel Gilson
Rachel has a fascinating story and a witty pen. She's the director of theological development for the northeast for CRU and is the author of the forthcoming book "Born Again This Way." She's attracted to women, married to a man, and a loves studying and writing about Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. We talked a lot about her interesting journey to faith and how she's wrestled with her faith and her sexuality.
63 min
260
#779 - Is Technology Enslaving Us? Jay Kim
Preston talks with his friend Jay Kim, who’s a pastor at Vintage Church in Santa Cruz, CA, and the author of the forthcoming book Analogy Church. Jay has been rethinking how we go about using technology in church and how we can break free from being enslaved to technology. Jay and Preston also talk about the unique, post-Christian, hyper progressive context of Santa Cruz and the challenges and opportunities his church faces in this context.
58 min
261
#778 - Annihilation View of Hell: Q & A
69 min
262
Old Testament in the Raw Week 3: Genesis 2-3
This week in Old Testament in the Raw (formerly known as OT Dive), Preston and his class dive into Genesis 2-3. We begin by looking at all the ways that Genesis 2 emphasizing the intimacy or imminence of God. Then we discuss the location and theological significance of the garden of Eden. Finally, we look at the Fall of Adam and Even and some relevant aspects of their sin that we can use to consider our own “fall into sin” that happens all the time.
71 min
263
#777 - Kanye, White Evangelicalism, and Racial ...
Preston is joined again by his friend Steve Patton to talk about the Kanye's conversion and white evangelicalism's response. And yes, Steve has some critical thoughts on the whole ordeal. Steve and Preston talk quite a bit about Kanye, then they banter around about the meaning of "white evangelicalism," then get sidetracked into a related conversation about racial reconciliation and what this should really look like.
74 min
264
Old Testament in the Raw Dive: Week 2
This week in Old Testament dive, Preston digs deep into Genesis 1 and draws out the main theological theme of the transcendence of God. This theme is correlated with the theme of God’s immanence in Genesis 2. Both themes—transcendence and immanence—forge a robust and complimentary portrait of God that’s fundamental for a Christian worldview. Oh, and we do get into the whole debate about the age of the earth.
68 min
265
#776 - Effective Communication, the Seventh Day...
Heather is a communications professor at Colorado Christian University and a member of the Seventh Day Adventist church. Her and Preston talk a lot about her church, communication, politics, college students, and much more
56 min
266
#775 - The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: John ...
Back by popular demand, pastor and writer John Mark Comer joins Preston to talk about his latest book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. They also talk about many other things like parenting in a post-Christian world, ministry in an urban context, where culture is headed, the Benedict option, and many other things.
63 min
267
Old Testament in the Raw: Week 1
Preston started teaching an Old Testament course at an adult Sunday school class at his church and is going to be releasing these talks on this podcast. In this introductory lecture, Preston discusses how to read the Old Testament, the nature of divine inspiration, and gives an overview of OT history.
68 min
268
#774 - Israel Trip, Global Generosity, and Beco...
Preston sits down with his friend Addison Bevere to talk about the ministry of Messenger International, a global ministry with a massive reach and a generous heart. Addison also just wrote a book called "Saints: Becoming More than Christians," which comes out on Jan 21. The book discusses what it means to be called "Saints"--a term used WAY MORE than the term Christian in the Bible.
44 min
269
#773 - The Annihilation View of Hell. Part 2
Preston continues his conversation about the annihilation view hell. In this podcast, he goes through the Old Testament, Early Judaism, and the New Testament, showing that there is a good deal of biblical support for annihilation. Preston then addresses some of the common pushbacks for this view.
82 min
270
#772 - The Annihilation View of Hell. Part 1
Preston explains his journey with the doctrine of hell, from thinking that annihilation was heresy and that John Stott must have lost his faith for believing it, to writing Erasing Hell and still leaning toward the traditional view, to continuing to rethink the biblical legitimacy of the annihilation view.
49 min
271
#771 - Acts, the Church, and Women in Ministry:...
Preston and Ozzie did their Ph.D.’s together at Aberdeen University, where Ozzie wrote a brilliant dissertation on the role that speeches from non-Christians play in the book of Acts. Fast forward several years and Ozzie is teaching at Beeson Divinity School in Alabama and meets his (now) wife, Kristen, who was finishing her M.Div. Both Kristen and Ozzie are writers, leaders, and passionate about ministry. Both grew up believing that only men can be church leaders/preachers, but have both shifted their view. This podcast explores why.
81 min
272
#770 Life of a Pastor’s Kid: Barnabas Piper
Preston sits down with Barnabas Piper (John’s son) to talk about the pros and cons of growing up in the fishbowl of a pastor’s family. Barnabas has been through a lot and is super honest and raw about his journey. He’s wrestled with his faith, found his own theological journey, been through a divorce, worked for a conservative Christian organization, and now serves on staff at a church in Nashville. And he’s written a few books in the midst of it all.
55 min
273
#769 - Beating Guns and Killing Death: Shane Cl...
Preston and Shane sit down for the first time on Theology in the Raw to talk about Christianity, the church, Mother Theresa, guns, gun violence, when he’s getting his dreads back, conservatism and progressivism, and many other topics.
60 min
274
#768 - Where Should Trans Students Sleep at Sum...
Questions, questions, questions. Preston is taking another week to address some super interesting questions sent in from his listeners. Where should trans-identified students sleep at summer camp? With the boys or with the girls? Should Christians watch movies with sex and nudity? How should Christian institutions frame their sexuality and gender statements? And much, much more.
55 min
275
#767 - Politics & the Bible, Hell and Nonviolen...
After doing loads of interviews this Fall, Preston is back to responding to some questions sent in by his listeners. Is the Bible political? What’s the difference between being political and partisan? Do we throw away books written by Christians after they’ve slept with their secretary? How can Christians who believe in nonviolence also believe in hell? And many other questions.