“From what I gather, you fit the bill of the kind of person I have in mind.  Raised in the orbit of the church.  Not unfamiliar with Jesus or Scripture.  Not skeptical of them either.  But untutored…”

The above is a brief & early description of the idealized pen-pal (or, “interlocutor”, if you’re nasty/fancy) that Brad East had in mind when writing his new book, Letters To A Future Saint. In this conversation we dig into the book, his motivations for writing it, his hopes for its use, and his preacher-level-passion regarding baptism. We also get a sneak peak at his current work on wrestling with the ramifications of digital technologies on the church (spoiler alert: not all good). This conversation… it’s a doozie!

Brad is an associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University. He writes widely on Christianity, theology, culture, and politics for a variety of publications including The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Comment, Commonweal, First Things, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Point. He’s been interviewed on a number of podcasts including The London Lyceum, The Christian Chronicle, and Curiously, Kaitlyn.

Thanks for reading Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts)! This post is public so feel free to share it.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction and Background

06:30 - Sabbatical and Writing Projects

10:20 - Digital Technology in Ministry

14:30 - Teaching and Student Engagement

18:30 - The Rise of the Nones

22:30 - Literacy and Biblical Knowledge

26:10 - Catechesis and Its Importance

30:40 - Baptism: Understanding Its Significance

34:20 - The Role of the Church

38:30 - Baptism and Personal Experience

42:30 - The Nature of Sacraments

46:20 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

KEYWORDS:

Brad East, Letters to a Future Saint, baptism, catechesis, technology, biblical literacy, Christian community, faith, church history, spiritual growth

Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts) at marcjolicoeur.substack.com/subscribe