Firebrand Podcast

Lately there has been a lively (?) conversation in social media regarding women in ordained ministry and other forms of Christian ministry. In this episode we're joined by Dr. Bridget Witherspoon and Tesia Mallory to hash things out.

Note: this was recorded BEFORE we found out Amendment 1 to the United Methodist Constitution had been incorrectly worded as it went before annual conferences.

David recently attended a conference called Voice of the Prophets where he interviewed Dr. Randy Clark and Dr. Mark Chironna. Randy Clark is the founder of Global Awakening, an international charismatic ministry based out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Mark Chironna is the founder and senior pastor of Church on the Living Edge in Orlando, Florida. (And yes, there is a LOT more we could say about each of them.) After the interview the Plain Truth crew spends a few minutes reflecting on what we heard.

What do we mean when we talk about Christian unity? Do we all have to believe the same thing? How much do beliefs matter? These are important questions in The United Methodist Church today, and in many other traditions as well. Let us know what you think!

In this episode, Scott, Maggie, and David talk about the resurrection--both Christ's resurrection and our own. We look at evidence for the resurrection, its theological significance, and what it will mean for us to be raised in the age to come as Christ was raised 2000 years ago. Happy early Easter!

Scott's seventeen-year-old daughter, Susanna, one day asked her dad if the Bible is sexist. In response, he got the Plain Truth crew together, along with biblical scholar Dr. Vivian Johnson, and we had a (possibly) enlightening discussion about this complex question.

In this episode we talk with Pastor Rudy Rasmus about his journey into ministry, redemption, some of the challenges of ministry, and his prayers for what comes next.

Ken Fish of Kingdom Fire Ministries joins us to talk about spiritual warfare. This one is going to stretch some of our listeners (not that that's a bad thing!), so sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and prepare to be challenged. Let us know what you think! And if you like our podcast, please leave us a rating.

For the last three years, Marion Hayes has been working on a project at United Theological Seminary on how to pastor in the midst of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In her 20's, Marion was pastoring in Germany, and the church she was serving underwent a powerful Spirit-filled revival. Despite the many great things that happened, she ended up leaving the ministry. This week she shares her insights with us on what she learned from that experience and from her research over the last three years.

On this episode fellow podcasters and Methodist social media personalities extraordinaire Drew McIntyre and Evan Rohrs-Dodge join us for a wide ranging discussion of such topics as itinerancy, Christian authors, Moby Dick, seminary education, Western Protestantism, and the need for catechesis.

Maggie, Scott, and David welcome Pastor Amanda Moseng as she talks about some transformative encounters with the Holy Spirit she had while in seminary (seriously!). We also get into matters of spiritual authority, ordination, and creating a culture of expectation in the local church.