Complex Creatures

What if the church's discipleship problem isn't new — and the answer has been hiding in plain sight for two thousand years?

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with theologian and educator Dr. Alex Fogleman — Associate Dean for Special Programs and Assistant Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary, founding director of the Catechesis Institute, and director of the Catechesis Task Force for the Anglican Church in North America — to explore his new book Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice (Eerdmans, 2025).

Catechesis — from the Greek katēcheō, meaning to instruct or resound — isn't just a category of religious education. It's a whole way of forming people into a way of life. Not just knowing, but becoming. And in a world where nominal Christianity is everywhere but deep formation is rare, Alex argues this ancient practice is exactly what the church needs to recover.

Together, Jarrod and Alex explore:

• Why catechesis is about becoming, not just knowing — and what we lose when we treat faith as information transfer
• How secularized contexts (like Vancouver, BC, where only 2% attend church) are actually forcing the church back to something essential
• What the early church got right about the "bridge" between pagan and Christian culture — and how it applies today
• Why AI might be able to teach content, but will never be able to catechize
• The hearth versus central air — why formation is always relational, never merely digital
• What it would look like for every church to take catechesis as seriously as worship

Alex's one-sentence definition of his own book says it all: catechesis is the basic but comprehensive instruction in what Christians believe, hope, and love.

That phrase alone is worth the conversation.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #AlexFogleman #MakingDisciples #Catechesis #SpiritualFormation #EarlyChurch #ChurchFathers #Discipleship #FaithAndLearning #TrinityAnglicanSeminary #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #RootedAndRenewed #AncientFaithNewLife #AnglicansOfInstagram

What if creativity isn't just something artists do — but something all of us are called to?

In this special episode of Complex Creatures, Alan Barnes turns the tables and interviews Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons about a subject close to both of their hearts: creativity as a spiritual posture. Rooted in the conviction that we bear the image of a creative God, the conversation ranges from Jarrod's early-morning writing practice to the theology of Fred Rogers, from the flow state to the hard, unglamorous discipline of showing up before the ideas arrive.

Together, Alan and Jarrod explore:

• What Jarrod has been writing — and why Mr. Rogers keeps showing up in a book about communicating the sacred
• How the practices of writing, drawing, and making can become genuine forms of prayer
• The flow state: what it is, where it comes from, and how to stop being precious about it
• Why creativity requires a willingness to be wrong — and how that's actually a theological virtue
• The difference between journaling and writing, and why it matters more than you think
• What our age of anxiety, algorithms, and authenticity demands of people who try to communicate sacred ideas

Whether you make things for a living, dabble on weekends, or have convinced yourself you're "not creative," this episode is an invitation to reconsider — and maybe to get up at four in the morning and find out what's waiting for you there.

Recommended reading: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott · Patience with God by Tomáš Halík · Surprised by Jesus Again by Jason Byassee

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #CreativityAndFaith #SpiritualPractice #MadeToMake #ImageOfGod #FlowState #WritingAsSpiritualPractice #FredRogers #SacredCommunication #ChristianCreativity #ArtAndFaith #SpiritualFormation #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch

What does it mean to leave everything behind — your country, your career plans, your language — and build a life somewhere else? And what happens when that life is suddenly torn away?

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with his friend Jonathan "Boo" Powell — Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF) and a former missionary who spent 22 years in Berdyansk, southeastern Ukraine, before the war with Russia forced him and his family home.

Boo's story is one of radical rootedness and repeated uprooting — from a Georgia Tech student who expected a career in business, to a missionary learning Russian in an immersive crash course with an unlikely teacher, to a man returning to America without a credit score and rediscovering his calling right back where it started.

Together, Jarrod and Boo explore:

• How a mission trip to Juárez, Mexico sparked a life-changing call
• The hard, beautiful years of learning language, culture, and belonging in a foreign land
• What struggling Ukrainian villages taught them about the raw, unadorned gospel
• The grief of exile — and the unexpected renewal that followed
• How God was already at work before the missionaries arrived
• What a generation of Georgia Tech students is teaching him about faith, mission, and fire

This is a conversation about the courage it takes to follow a calling — and the grace it takes to follow it again.

"I look up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord." — Psalm 121

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #MissionaryLife #UkraineMission #RootedAndRenewed #CampusMinistry #GeorgiaTech #GTCCF #FaithAndCalling #ChristianMission #CollegeMinistry #SpiritualFormation #CalledToGo #ChristianPodcast #FaithInAction #HomeComing

What would happen if we stopped reading the Bible alone—and started reading it with two thousand years of saints, mystics, and theologians by our side?

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with writer, pastor, and theologian Jason Byassee to explore his book Surprised by Jesus Again: Reading the Bible in Communion with the Saints. From the early church fathers to the Song of Solomon, from Mary's role as the first theologian to the dangerous comfort of hiding from God in your own church—this conversation is rich, playful, and profoundly challenging.

Together, Jarrod and Jason explore:

• Why being "surprised" by Jesus requires letting go of what we think we already know
• The difference between reading Scripture for information and reading it for transformation
• How God flirts, lures, and woos us through Scripture—and why that's not as strange as it sounds
• The allegorical imagination of the early Church, and what Protestants lose when we ignore it
• The global future of Christianity—from Indonesia to South Sudan—and what it means for the Church in the West
• Where hope lives in a world that's given up on it

Whether you're a lifelong churchgoer, a curious skeptic, or someone who finds the Bible more complicated than inspiring, this conversation offers a way back in—rooted in the ancient, renewed for today.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #SurprisedByJesusAgain #JasonByassee #BibleAndTradition #ChurchFathers #SpiritualFormation #FaithInASecularAge #RootedAndRenewed #ScriptureAndSaints #ChristianTheology #ReadingTheBible #AncientFaith #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch

“The Church isn’t dying—the voluntary association is.”

What happens when the institutions that once carried faith begin to collapse?

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons reflects on church decline, secularity, and the unraveling of America’s voluntary association culture. Rather than lamenting loss, he invites listeners to imagine the Church not as an institution to be maintained, but as a movement shaped by shared practices, shared mission, and shared life.

At the center of this vision is the Eucharist—not merely as ritual, but as a social and theological force that binds people together across difference, memory, and decline. This conversation explores loneliness, authenticity, belonging, and what it might mean for the Church to take its table into the world.

A thoughtful reflection for anyone wrestling with faith, community, and what comes next.

#ComplexCreatures#FaithInASeularAge#ChurchAndCulture#ChristianPodcast#EucharisticImagination#SpiritualCommunity#FaithAfterInstitutions#TheologyAndLife

Is the Enneagram just a personality test—or could it be a pathway to deeper faith?

In this rich and heartfelt episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons speaks with Rev. Jamie Butcher—Presbyterian minister and certified Enneagram coach—about how this ancient tool offers more than labels. Together, they explore how the Enneagram can lead us from self-protection to self-giving, from pigeonholing to spiritual compassion, and into the very presence of God.

Topics include:

• The Enneagram as a contemplative Christian practice

• Why Christians are drawn to typologies—and how to avoid the pitfalls

• How compassion begins with self-understanding

• Prayer postures, personality awareness, and spiritual growth

• Using the Enneagram in pastoral care, spiritual direction, and community life

Whether you're new to the Enneagram or a longtime student, this conversation invites you to move beyond “what number are you?” into a deeper life of reflection, grace, and love.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #EnneagramAndFaith #SpiritualFormation
#ChristianContemplation #JamieButcher #EnneagramWisdom
#BelovedNotBoxed #FaithAndPersonality #CompassionateLeadership
#SpiritualDirection #TemplarPath #ChristianPodcast

In this illuminating conversation, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with psychology professor and confessional Lutheran Dr. Jonathan Stadler to explore the timely intersection of faith, psychology, masculinity, and meaning. From behavioral neuroscience to the cultural impact of Jordan Peterson, from Stoicism and positive psychology to the beauty of carrying the fire in a broken world, this episode dives deep into the hopes and wounds of modern men—and how the Christian tradition can offer both healing and purpose.

Together, they explore:

• The psychological power of gratitude, humility, and relational living

• The role of The Road and apocalypse parenting in Christian manhood

• Why Gen Z is gravitating toward tradition

• The difference between faith formation and spiritual self-help

If you're navigating your own growth, longing for wholeness, or wondering what it means to be a man of faith in today’s world—this episode offers both challenge and comfort.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #FaithAndPsychology #ChristianMen
#MentalHealthAndFaith #JonathanStadler #MasculinityCrisis
#PositivePsychology #SpiritualFormation #JordanPeterson
#Stoicism #TheRoad #CarryTheFire #ChristianPodcast

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons welcomes Christi Heidt, Program Director at Peachtree Christian Health, for a powerful conversation on aging, dementia, and the sacred work of caregiving. Together, they explore what it means to hold memories for those who can no longer recall them, how community care fosters dignity and flourishing, and why humility and patience are essential as we face the realities of decline. Whether you’re a caregiver, a loved one, or someone seeking hope in the face of loss, this episode offers compassion, wisdom, and inspiration for the journey.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #SpiritualityAndCare #CognitiveHealth #AgingWithDignity #Caregiving #FaithAndCommunity #PeachtreeChristianHealth #MemoryAndHope

On this powerful episode of Complex Creatures, host Jarrod welcomes Tim Price—musician, recovery minister, and founder of Faith, Recovery, and Music. With stories shaped by addiction, grace, and gritty honesty, Tim shares how the 12 Steps and Christian faith saved his life and continue to fuel his ministry. From early trauma to building community in a reimagined flour mill, Tim’s testimony is as raw as it is redemptive. Whether you’re in recovery or simply seeking spiritual depth, this conversation offers wisdom, warmth, and hope.

#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #FaithRecoveryMusic #12Steps #AddictionRecovery #SpiritualAwakening #RecoveryJourney #ChristianRecovery #MentalHealthAwareness #TimPrice #HealingThroughFaith #MusicAndMinistry #SobrietyStories #AARecovery #LifeRecoveryBible #HopeAndHealing

In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Jarrod Longbons sits down with journalist and author Rebecca McCarthy to discuss her memoir-biography Norman Maclean: A Life of Letters and Rivers. What unfolds is a deep and personal conversation about storytelling, grief, spiritual mystery, and the search for meaning. From A River Runs Through It to personal memories of Hyde Park winters and crockpot stews, this episode dives into the beauty and tragedy of being human.

For anyone drawn to faith, writing, or the mystery of others—you’ll find something sacred here.

#ProjectUnity #ThatTheyMayBeOne #JesusPrayer #ChristianUnity #HeartOfGod #PeachtreeChristianChurch #RootedAndRenewed #DisciplesOfChrist #WorshipPodcast #FaithFormation #SpiritualGrowth #ChurchInAtlanta