Everyday Theology

There are a lot of things to be said about the state of the church in America, but what can be said by those who are both pastors and theologians? In this podcast, Aaron chats with Joseph Lear, a pastor and professor, about the church in America today, and where it is headed.

Return guest, Rev. Dr. Yoon Shin, and I sit down to talk about our academic and church life journeys. We talk about the good, bad, ugly, and holy of the academic and church worlds we have found ourselves in. We even get into whether or not we would start PhD's again, and what that process did within us.

A question has plagued Christianity for some time, what do we do with a loving God in the New Testament seen in Christ when we find a God who directs violence in the Old Testament? There are various answers and theories that have been deployed to answer this, and yet, is it even the right question to ask to begin with?

In this episode, Aaron sits down with friend of the podcast, Chris Green, to discuss his new book, The Fire and the Cloud: A Biblical Christology, and to dig to the heart of the matter at hand. Perhaps it is not the Christ who needs to be reconciled to the God of the Old Testament, but rather, it is our understanding of what reading the text is meant to do in the lives of Christians, and what God does through that text. Christ is not far from the Hebrew Scriptures when we begin to reframe the way we approach the text and when we ask better questions of it.

Have you ever wondered about the business of the church? Wondered where your donations or tithes have gone? Have you felt that there has been a lack in the accountability of how churches spend money, or where they put there money into?

Nate Apffel set out to understand the religion of business in his new series "Religion Business", coming out in the Fall ('24). Listen along as Aaron talks with Nate about the business of religion, the problems, and the potential solution (hint: it is not taxing churches!).

How should Christians vote? How do we engage in politics? What does it mean to be a Christian in a political world?

In this podcast, Aaron speaks with the Founder, President, and CEO of the Center for Christianity in Public Life, Michael Wear about the framework needed to answer those questions.

If you are looking for a podcast that says a Christian should vote for this candidate or that one, this is not that podcast. Rather, Aaron and Michael explore the framework for how Christians engage in political life. Michael's new book "The Spirit of our Politics" is out now, wherever books are sold.

It is easy, in polarized Christian contexts, let alone a polarized world, to be gracious, generous, and to express gratitude. Yet, according to Dr. Cornelius (Neal) Plantinga, gratitude not only is helpful for humans psychologically and spiritually, it can heal a host of other issues, including the polarized divide we find ourselves in.

This episode, Aaron speaks with Neal about his recently released book, Gratitude: Why Giving Thanks Is the Key to Our Well-Being, and how gratitude is an often forgotten yet incredibly important Christian attitude. This episode spans the range of a litany of topics, including ideas of soteriology and universal salvation.

With some ardent supporters, very vocal detractors, and many left in-between, the ideology of Christian nationalism has become a topic of much debate. Particularly within an election year, asking how Christian should engage within a political life, is the continued work of theological exploration. On today's podcast, Aaron discusses Christian nationalism, what it is, what is is not, and what it should not be for Christian, with Dr. Paul Miller.

From his Georgetown Bio: Dr. Miller is a political theorist and political scientist focusing on international affairs, the American experiment, and America's role in the world. He is a Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He serves as co-chair of the Global Politics and Security concentration in the MSFS program. He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

As a practitioner, Dr. Miller served as Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan on the National Security Council staff; worked as an intelligence analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency; and served as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.

His most recent book, The Religion of American Greatness: What's Wrong With Christian Nationalism, was published by IVP Academic in 2022. He is also the author of Just War and Ordered Liberty (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and American Power and Liberal Order (Georgetown University Press, 2016). Miller taught at The University of Texas at Austin and the National Defense University and worked at the RAND Corporation prior to his arrival at Georgetown.

There have been a lot of book about Jesus and movies, or Jesus and music, but have we ever stopped to ask questions about the engagement between the arts and the Spirit? In this episode, Drs. Chris Green and Robby Waddell join Aaron to discuss reflecting on the Spirit through the arts. We as the church might be surprised to find what we both understand about culture and about the Spirit when we find where the Spirit is moving within the arts.

It may sound odd to hear, but often theology has forgotten the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit, her work, and what it means for us as Christians in participating with the Spirit, has often been an after thoughts in the tomes of systematic theology.

In this epidote, Revd Dr Helen Collins joins Aaron to discuss her new book Charismatic Christianity: Introducing Its Theology Through the Gifts of the Spirit. Together, the two discuss what has gone awry in thinking about the Spirit in relation to theology and what comes from intentionally thinking about the work of the Spirit.