Faith Seeking Understanding: A Podcast on Christian Faith and 21st Century Life

In this first of fifteen episodes on the life and witness of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Allan and Dr. Pidge Bannin discuss the reasons for the rise of Hitler and the Nazis after the First World War (1914-1918), and why Bonhoeffer was able to recognize the threat while many other Christians were not.

On this episode of Word Revisited, Allan interviews Dr. David W. Baker, Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. The conversation centers around the minor prophets. Why are they referred to as minor? What are the major themes of these twelve preachers? What is their relevance for us today?

Dr. Baker is the author and editor of numerous books on the Old Testament which can be found on his Amazon author page.

On the episode of The Wesleyan Way, Allan interviews Paul Chilcote, Wesleyan historian and theologian on how a Wesleyan theological perspective can help us avoid the dangerous ideologies of legalism, nationalism, dispensationalism, and antinomianism.

On this episode of Calmly Considered, Michael and Allan discuss the growing global population, its implications for the future and why it's important for the followers of Jesus.

On this episode of "Seeing Is Believing," Allan interviews Stanley Hauerwas on his book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson. Among the topics discussed, Stanley wonders if Protestantism still makes sense, and he asks Allan why he remains a United Methodist.

On this episode of Calmly Considered, Michael and Allan discuss the sustainability of Social Security and the necessity of seeking the common good.

On this episode of The Wesleyan Way, Allan interviews Rev. Dr. Ben Witherington III on the phenomenon of religious revival and specifically the 2023 awakening taking place at Asbury University in Wilmore, KY.  What is revival? Is it something to take seriously as a movement of the Holy Spirit, or should it be dismissed as emotional hype?

Rev. Dr. Ben Witherington III is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. He is the author of over sixty book and many, many essays and articles. One of his most recent works is Who God Is: Meditations on the Character of Our God.

In this episode of "Calmly Considered," Allan converses with Joy Moore and Michael Gorman on the subject of abortion. How can Christians offer a more robust understanding of abortion that moves beyond the pitting of rights against each other? How does Christian doctrine inform the discussion? If the church is an alternative to the way of society, how do Christians utilize their unique witness to be an incarnational presence to women in difficult pregnancies and the unborn children they carry? How does abortion affect ethnic minorities?

Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and is the Professor of Biblical Preaching at  Luther Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota. She participates in two weekly podcasts: "Sermon Brainwave," a conversation on the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the coming Sunday and "I Love to Tell the Story," a conversation on the Narrative Lectionary readings for the coming Sunday.

Dr. Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. He has written many books including Reading Revelation Responsibly and Paul, a New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology. His Amazon author page has a full listing of his publications.

In this episode of "Calmly Considered," Michael and Allan discuss the rise of betting on sports in America and gambling in general. Does legalized gambling boost the economy? What are the challenges gambling presents to communities? Is it appropriate for Christians to gamble?

In this episode of "The Wesleyan Way," we interview Rev. Dr. Donna L. Fowler-Marchant on her book Mothers in Israel: Methodist Beginnings Through the Eyes of Women. Rev. Fowler has done Methodism a great service in writing this book. She demonstrates that women were indeed the backbone of the earliest Methodist movement. These Mothers in Israel as they were called (if you want to know why, read the book) from Suzanna Wesley, the mother of John and Charles to Sarah Crosby and others had a formative impact on the first generation of Methodists. Their influence is seen to this day.