What do you do when the place meant to bring healing becomes a source of pain? In this episode of Faith (In)Forming, Travis Jamieson sits down with New Testament scholar Scot McKnight and licensed professional counselor Adrienne Gibson — co-authors of Traumatized Church: What Paul's Relationship with the Corinthian Church Teaches Us About Helping Those Who Are Hurting — to explore what trauma really is, how it shows up in the church, and what it looks like to build communities where people can actually heal.

They unpack:

• Why the Apostle Paul may be one of the most relatable trauma survivors in Scripture
• The difference between hyperarousal and hypoarousal — and what "fawning" actually means
• How even theological language (like calling God "Father") can trigger a trauma response
• The six pillars of trauma-informed care and how any church can begin applying them
• What pastors and church leaders need to hear — and do — first

Whether you've been hurt by a church, lead one, or simply want to love people better, this conversation is for you.

📖 Traumatized Church by Scot McKnight & Adrienne Gibson — available now wherever books are sold.

🎙️ Faith (In)Forming is the podcast that explores what informs our faith and how our faith forms us.

#TraumatizedChurch #ScotMcKnight #ChurchTrauma #FaithInForming #TraumaInformedCare #ChristianPodcast #MentalHealthAndFaith #AdrienneGibson

What if a 300-year-old satire about tiny people and giants is actually one of the most relevant books you can read right now?

In this episode, host Travis Jamieson sits down with author, professor, and Substack writer Karen Swallow Prior to unpack Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels — not the children's story you remember, but the fierce, theologically rich satire beneath it. From the dawn of the Enlightenment to the age of AI, Swift's insights about human pride, perspective, and the limits of reason feel more urgent than ever.

In this conversation:

• Why Gulliver's Travels is satire, not a novel — and why that matters
• How Swift's Christian faith shapes every voyage
• What Gulliver reveals about human perspective
• The scatological humor that is actually a profound theological argument
• Why the fourth voyage — the land of the Houyhnhnms — is a warning, not a utopia
• How Swift's critique of frictionless rationality connects to AI, disability, and the Incarnation

Karen Swallow Prior has written a free 16-part analysis of Gulliver's Travels on Substack — links below.

Karen's Substack

Tags: Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift, Christian literature, Karen Swallow Prior, classical books, satire, Enlightenment, theology, Christian podcast, great books, faith and culture, human nature, AI

Blaise Pascal — mathematician, physicist, inventor, and theologian — helped shape the modern world while offering one of its most penetrating critiques of it. In this episode, Travis Jamieson sits down with Graham Tomlin (Bishop of Kensington, author of Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World) to explore why a 17th-century genius feels urgently relevant today.

From the wristwatch to the computer to public transportation, Pascal's fingerprints are everywhere in modern life. But his deeper legacy may be his unflinching diagnosis of the human heart — our restlessness, our addiction to distraction, and our longing for something no screen or success can fill.

In this episode:

• Why Pascal is called "the first modern Christian"
• Pascal's Night of Fire — the hidden document sewn into his coat
• Faith vs. reason: what Pascal really believed
• Why Descartes' God was "uncertain and useless" to Pascal
• The hidden God of Jesus Christ vs. the God of the philosophers
• Pascal's diagnosis of distraction — and why it hits harder in 2025
• The infinite abyss and what can actually fill it

Keywords: Blaise Pascal, Christian apologetics, faith and reason, Pascal's Wager, Pascal's Night of Fire, Pensées, Graham Tomlin, Christian philosophy, theology podcast, distraction and the soul, hiddenness of God, Jansenism, modern Christianity, apologetics podcast, Christian faith podcast

🎧 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith, culture, and ideas. 📖 Get Graham's book: Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World 🌐 Explore Graham's work: seeeandunseen.com

What did it mean for John Calvin to be a refugee — and how did that shape everything he believed?

In this episode of the Faith Informing Podcast, host Travis Jamieson sits down with Dr. Kenneth Woo, Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of "John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile."

Dr. Woo unpacks how Calvin's experience as a political exile from France shaped his theology, his preaching, his pastoral care, and his reading of scripture.

🔑 TOPICS COVERED:
• Why Calvin is best understood as a refugee theologian
• The millions displaced during the Reformation era — and before it
• How Calvin built a mixed church in Geneva among refugees and native citizens
• Calvin's deeply personal identification with David as an exilic figure
• How predestination functioned as a doctrine of comfort for displaced people
• What Calvin's theology of spiritual exile says to Christians feeling politically homeless today
• Reimagining Reformed theology as a theology from the margins

📖 BOOK MENTIONED:
"John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile" by Dr. Kenneth Woo

👤 GUEST:
Dr. Kenneth Woo — P.C. Ross Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

🎙️ HOST: Travis Jamieson — Faith (In)forming Podcast

---
#JohnCalvin #ReformedTheology #ChurchHistory #Reformation #Refugees #Theology #CalvinismExplained #FaithInformingPodcast #ChristianPodcast #BiblicalExile

What if the key to spiritual growth isn't more information — but a transformed imagination? In this episode, Travis sits down with Dr. Lanta Davis, professor at the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University and author of Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation, to explore a neglected dimension of Christian discipleship.

They discuss how our imaginations are constantly being shaped — by advertising, social media, entertainment, and culture — and what the church has historically done to intentionally form believers through images, stories, and sacred spaces.

They also do a deep dive into Christian iconography, unpacking two iconic works: the ancient Christ Pantocrator icon from St. Catherine's Monastery and Rublev's Trinity icon — and what they reveal about the Incarnation, the dual nature of Christ, and our invitation into the life of God.

Topics covered:

• What is the sacramental imagination and why does it matter?
• How consumerism, Christian nationalism, and entertainment culture malform our faith
• What ancient Christians knew about training the soul through images
• A close look at the Christ Pantocrator — the eye of mercy vs. the eye of judgment
• The Trinity icon and the open seat at the table

🎙️ Guest: Dr. Lanta Davis | Author of Becoming by Beholding 📚 Learn more: [link to book] 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on faith, theology, and discipleship

#SpiritualFormation #ChristianPodcast #Theology #Discipleship #SacramentalImagination #ChristianIcons #FaithPodcast #ChurchHistory

What do Christians today misunderstand about the devil—and why does it matter for how we understand the gospel?

In this episode of The Faith (In)Forming Podcast, I sit down with theologian Philip Ziegler to explore a topic many churches avoid: the doctrine of the devil. Drawing from his book God’s Adversary and Ours, Ziegler offers a deeply biblical and theological framework for understanding Satan—not through speculation, but through the life and work of Jesus Christ.

Together, we discuss:

• Why modern Christians often ignore or misuse the idea of the devil
• How the Bible actually portrays Satan (hint: it’s about what he does, not what he is)
• Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and what it reveals about evil
• The meaning of exorcisms in the Gospels
• Why the cross can be understood as Christ’s ultimate victory over the powers of evil
• How ordinary Christian practices (prayer, worship, Scripture) are forms of spiritual resistance

This conversation will expand your understanding of the gospel—not just as personal salvation, but as a cosmic story of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• Is the devil real?
• What does the Bible actually teach about Satan?
• How should Christians think about spiritual warfare today?

This episode is for you.

If this conversation resonates, you may also enjoy my book, The Mystery of Faith, where I explore how the gospel is far bigger, deeper, and more transformative than we often imagine.

The Faith (In)Forming Podcast is a space for deep, thoughtful conversations on theology, culture, and the Christian life.

👉 Subscribe for more interviews with leading thinkers, pastors, and authors.

00:00 – Introduction: Why Talk About the Devil?
01:00 – What Led Philip Ziegler to Study This Topic
06:45 – Why the Church Stopped Talking About the Devil
14:50 – Avoidance vs. Weaponization
16:50 – Understanding the Devil Through Jesus
24:30 – The Temptation of Christ Explained
28:30 – Exorcism and the Meaning of “Life”
33:30 – Shalom, Chaos, and the Story of Scripture
35:20 – The Cross as the Ultimate Exorcism
40:00 – Expanding Our Vision of the Gospel
41:10 – What This Means for the Christian Life Today
49:00 – Ordinary Faith as Spiritual Resistance

theology of the devil, is the devil real, satan in the bible, spiritual warfare explained, christian theology podcast, philip ziegler, doctrine of satan, jesus temptation in the wilderness, exorcism in the bible, meaning of the cross, gospel explained, reformed theology, christian podcast 2026

What if pastoral ministry isn't about managing outcomes — but tending a garden?

In this episode of the Faith Informing Podcast, Travis Jamieson sits down with Matthew Erickson, senior pastor of Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee and author of the new book Pastor as Gardener. Drawing from Scripture, the writings of Eugene Peterson and Wendell Berry, and decades of hands-on ministry experience, Matt unpacks a vision of pastoral work that is patient, rooted, and deeply hopeful.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

Whether you're a pastor, church leader, seminary student, or simply someone who cares about the health of the local church, this episode will challenge you to slow down, tend the soil, and trust God for the growth.

📖 Pastor as Gardener by Matthew Erickson — available now 🌐 Eastbrook Church: eastbrook.org

Related searches: pastoral ministry, pastor burnout, healthy church leadership, Eugene Peterson, Wendell Berry faith, spiritual formation, local church, church leadership podcast, pastor as shepherd, Christian vocation

Subscribe to the Faith Informing Podcast for conversations at the intersection of theology and everyday ministry life.

In this episode of The Faith (In)Forming Podcast, I sit down with literary scholar Abram Van Engen to discuss his powerful new book, Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church.

Why does poetry captivate children but often intimidate adults? What would it look like for the Church to rediscover poetry—not as a niche art for experts—but as a shared, communal practice? And how might poetry help us name creation, tell the truth, and bear one another’s burdens?

In this rich and practical conversation, Abram shares:

What first made him fall in love with poetry

Why the Church needs to recover the role of the amateur poet

Why kids instinctively delight in poetry—and why adults tend to drift away

How poetry acts as an act of naming God’s world

Why poetry helps us tell the truth about suffering and joy

How poetic language fosters unity in the body of Christ

If you’re a pastor, teacher, parent, or simply someone who wants to deepen your faith and imagination, this episode will renew your vision for how poetry can shape Christian discipleship and church life.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations at the intersection of faith, theology, culture, and pastoral ministry.

#PoetryAndFaith #ChristianPoetry #AbramVanEngen #FaithAndCulture #ChurchLife #PastoralTheology #WordMadeFresh #ChristianPodcast

In this episode of The Faith (In)Forming Podcast, Travis Jamieson sits down with author and leadership mentor Jason Jensen to discuss his book Formed to Lead and the deeper calling of Christian leadership.

What if leadership is less about platform, personality, and performance — and more about humility, character, integrity, and spiritual discernment? This conversation explores how leaders are shaped through spiritual formation, the example of Jesus, and everyday practices of faithfulness.

We discuss:

Whether you’re a pastor, ministry leader, volunteer, or thoughtful Christian, this episode will help you rethink leadership through the lens of spiritual formation and discipleship.

Subscribe for more conversations on biblical theology, spiritual formation, and faithful witness in everyday life.

#ChristianLeadership #SpiritualFormation #PastoralLeadership #ChurchLeadership #Discipleship #FaithInForming #LeadershipDevelopment

In this episode of the Faith (In)Forming Podcast, Travis Jamieson sits down with theologian Ross Hastings for a rich and practical conversation on the ascension of Jesus Christ and why it matters for everyday Christian faith and discipleship. Too often overlooked, the ascension is not a minor doctrine — it reshapes how we understand Christ’s reign, the mission of the church, Christian hope, and how believers see the world.

Together, they explore what it means to develop a baptized imagination — learning to see reality through the lens of the gospel story — and how the ascended Christ transforms our worship, witness, leadership, and daily life. This episode connects biblical theology, spiritual formation, and pastoral practice in a way that is accessible and deeply encouraging.

Topics include:

Perfect for pastors, church leaders, theology students, and thoughtful Christians who want a deeper, more integrated faith.

Subscribe for more conversations on theology, spiritual formation, and the life of the church.