Outpost Theology

Gavin Ortlund (PhD, Fuller Seminary) is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Ojai, in California. He is also the founder of Truth Unites, which seeks to provide an irenic voice on theology, apologetics, and the Christian life.

In this interview, Josh and Gavin discuss Gavin's latest book, Why God Makes Sense in a World that Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism.

Gavin has established himself not only as a prolific author and theologian, but also as a gracious and thoughtful voice in the arena of apologetics.

Mike Tapper (PhD, Saint Paul University) is Chair of of the Religion Division and Associate Professor at Southern Wesleyan University.

Marc Jolicoeur is Worship & Creative Arts Pastor at Moncton Wesleyan Church in New Brunswick, Canada.

Together, Mike and Mark have contributed to articles in Christianity Today and Worship Leader magazine, in which they explore the shrinking lifespan of our worship songs, and what this means for Christian formation.

Rev. Amy Peeler (PhD Princeton) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College.

Amy's primary research centers in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which is why we took this chance to ask her about the famous "warning passages" which have raised both anxiety and questions for some readers (2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:19-39; 12:14-29).

For an accessible intro to these passages, see Amy's blog post, "It is a fearful thing to fall out of the hands of the church."

Hebrews articulates what Amy believes is true of all Scripture: it is living and active and sharp enough to penetrate our hearts, minds, and spirits. If we give it our attention and respect, God will reward that work. Consequently, she always discovers new insights into the character of God and his ways with the world as she explores the entire Bible with her classes, colleagues, fellow church members, and family. Her husband Lance, a church organist, and their children, Kate, Maxson, and Kindred serve as her most dear companions on this race of faith (Heb 12:1-2).

Roles reverse as editor David McNutt of IVP Academic interviews Josh McNall about Josh's new book, Perhaps: Reclaiming the Space between Doubt and Dogmatism. 

Topics include:

Is it possible to question your faith without losing it? 

In this episode, Josh interviews A. J. Swoboda about A. J.'s new book, After Doubt.

Topics include: causes of religious deconstruction amongst younger Christians, how to walk through seasons of doubt, and the kind of churches that can minister well in the wilderness of suffering and unanswered questions.

A. J. Swoboda (PhD, Birmingham) is assistant professor of Bible, theology, and World Christianity at Bushnell University. He also leads a Doctor of Ministry program around the Holy Spirit and Leadership at Fuller Seminary. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning Subversive Sabbath (Brazos) and the recently released After Doubt (Brazos). He is the co-host of the “In Faith and Doubt” podcast with Dr. Nijay Gupta. He lives in Eugene, Oregon with his wife Quinn, son Elliot, dog Diggory, and a coop full of emotionally unstable chickens. 

Aaron Perry is associate professor of pastoral theology and leadership at Wesley Seminary.

We discuss Aaron's new book on pastoral counseling, Kairos Care: A Process for Pastoral Counseling in the Office and in Everyday Encounters.

Are we more American than Christian?

That's the question asked by Drew Anderson in his book, No Longer Self Evident. 

Drew is lead pastor of Sumter Chapel, a Wesleyan church in Americus, Georgia. 

Without vilifying or baptizing American identity, Drew asks us to untangle those aspects of our Christianity that may be more informed by our national cultural than by the gospel itself.

Aimee Byrd is an author, speaker, and Christian thinker. 

Her latest book is Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: How the Church Needs to Rediscover her Purpose (Zondervan, 2020). 

Far from challenging Scripture, Byrd calls Christians back to the Bible and away from views of of masculinity and femininity that merely call themselves "biblical." In particular, her work questions some of the scriptural and trinitarian claims made by the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW). Byrd's book is a resource to help Christian leaders improve the culture of their church and disciple men and women to read, understand, and apply Scripture.

Follow Aimee's work on Twitter (here), and on her blog (here).

Drs. Tim Muehlhoff and Rick Langer teach at Biola University. 

They are the authors of Winsome Conviction: Disagreeing without Dividing the Church.

The Winsome Conviction Project was launched from a heartfelt concern for the toxic, polarized and simply unloving communication climate that is permeating our nation and penetrating the body of Christ. Rick and Tim believe that followers of Christ are obliged to communicate with others in loving ways that preserve human dignity, even as we engage in honest and passionate disagreement. They hope to foster conversations within the church and the broader culture that deepen relationships and enrich lives rather than tear us apart.

Matthew Y. Emerson (PhD) is Dean of Hobbs College of Theology and Ministry at Oklahoma Baptist University.

His book, He Descended to the Dead: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday, was winner of the 2020 CT book of the year in theology.

In this episode, we talk about:

This episode is sponsored by Oklahoma Wesleyan University.