Today I had the great pleasure of talking with one of my favorite YouTubers, Sam of the channel Master Samwise. He is an insightful film and TV critic, and has created several video essays on the virtuous masculinity of some of my favorite fictional characters: Aragorn and Samwise Gamgee of The Lord of the Rings and Iroh of the Fire Nation from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

You can find Master Samwise's channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@master_samwise

And check out this one on General Iroh: https://youtu.be/IzINu0wezWU?si=8qDO-oYY1Fp3DruJ

We referenced this video early on in the interview: Why Men Need Male Heroes: https://youtu.be/DkKcc-71fIU?si=vWYi3CQQ61wQglxC

Dr. Steve Cloer joins me today to talk about a new and exciting Memphis-based venture with Harding University, the Center for Church and City Engagement. Steve's extensive urban ministry experience and his work with Harding School of Theology's Doctor of Ministry program provide the ideal combination for raising the next generation of city-based ministry.

Do the gospels really contradict each other? What does it mean for the Bible to be "inspired"? Michael Licona joins me again on the podcast to talk about these issues and his new book Jesus, Contradicted: Why the Gospels Tell the Same Story Differently (Zondervan Academic, 2024).

You can find Mike's personal ministry Risen Jesus here: https://www.risenjesus.com/

Mike's new book Jesus, Contradicted is available from Zondervan Academic: https://zondervanacademic.com/products/jesus-contradicted

Or you can find Mike's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0darIKx

Joining me again on the podcast is Smith Hopkins, a longtime friend and a church planter in the University district of Memphis, Tennessee. Smith works with Oikos Church, a church plant in partnership with Highland Church of Christ in Cordova, TN (greater Memphis area). Smith and I talk about the challenges of church planting in an urban area, and what he has learned in almost three years of working with a church plant. It was a joy to catch up with Smith and to hear about the good things God is doing with Oikos.

You can find more about Oikos Church here: https://www.oikosmemphis.org/

Joining me on the podcast is Dr. Benjamin Shaw, President of CORE Apologetics and Adjunct Professor for Liberty University and Colorado Christian University. Today Ben and I talk about his interest and work in apologetics, a Christian ministry dedicated to helping others find meaningful answers to their questions about faith, God, Jesus, evil, reality, and so much more.

CORE Apologetics, https://www.coreapologetics.com/

Ben has several publications to his name which are linked below.

Coming July 30, 2024 from InterVarsity Press, Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament, https://a.co/d/29ZJd1z

For more of Ben's work, you can follow him and his associates here, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Benjamin-Shaw-3

In February of 2023, something extraordinary happened at Asbury University: worshippers stayed in the Hughes Auditorium, and students began to sing and pray non-stop for the next few weeks. Timothy Tennent, President of Asbury Theological Seminary, wrote of the events while they were taking place: “Several people have commented on some of the differences between these sacred days and the more well-known outpouring which took place in February of 1970.  A lot has been said about the impact of social media in telling the story, or about the focus on worship.  However, a deeper look at this outpouring reveals that it has the same elements which are found in any authentic revival:  people repenting of their sins; people being filled with the Holy Spirit; men and women finding reconciliation with God and their neighbor; people capturing a renewed love for Jesus, the gospel and the Holy Scriptures.  All of the above has been happening here day after day.” (http://timothytennent.com/thoughts-on-the-asbury-awakening/)

On the one-year anniversary of the 2023 #AsburyRevival, I speak with Timothy Tennent to ask him to reflect on last year’s outpouring and to comment on what fruit has come in the year that followed. He spoke of many students’ repentance, as well as the deep prayer life that many have developed since then. 

Four years ago, an EF 4 tornado devastated the I-40 corridor from Nashville, TN and eastward. While the physical damage was largely contained to Middle Tennessee, the loss of life was felt the world over. Four year old Hattie Jo Collins passed away when the tornado swept through Cookeville, TN. In the aftermath, Matt and Macy Collins began The Magnolia Foundation, a non-profit organization for helping families who have lost children.

You can find The Magnolia Foundation here: https://www.themagnoliafoundation.com

In September 2023, I had the great honor of speaking at the Neller Preachers’ Workshop during Harding University’s Centennial Lectureship, and today I’m sharing part one of the series of lectures I gave on the book of Colossians. The workshop is named after the late Ken Neller who served as a Professor of New Testament at Harding for many years—I took Greek 3 and 4 with him during the 2006-07 school year.

My first lecture, entitled “The Supremacy of Christ,” covers Colossians 1:1-23. In this opening chapter, Paul introduces the major themes the he will develop throughout the letter: Jesus’s supremacy over all as the enthroned Messiah, and the importance of the Colossians’ growth in the knowledge of Jesus.

Evertt Huffard joins me on the podcast today to share his unique perspective on the conflict in #Gaza. Having grown up in #Jerusalem and later worked in #Nazareth, Evertt has spent years working with church leaders and serving churches in #Israel. From the experience, he brings a careful, compassionate, and nuanced view to the Gaza conflict, and he urges us to “resist the impulse” to lose hope for peace.

You can find Evertt’s article in the Christian Chronicle here: “Resist the Impulse” https://christianchronicle.org/resist-the-impulse/

Does God transform us through travel? Jeremy Daggett, missionary in Peru and director of Harding University's Latin America international program thinks so. Join me and Jeremy as we talk about "intercultural spiritual formation" through travel, and how God uses these experiences to help us grow in love for others.

In our episode, Jeremy mentioned the following resources:

Michael Frost's book, Surprise the World: https://mikefrost.net/books/surprise-the-world/

Jonathan Sacks's book, The Dignity of Difference: https://www.rabbisacks.org/books/the-dignity-of-difference/

Willie James Jennings's commentary on Acts: https://a.co/d/dL7Syl5