Jared C. Wilson is a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction. He is an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Spurgeon College and is an Author in Residence at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also services General Editor of For The Church.

Jared joins me to talk about his career in writing and pastoral ministry. We discuss the role of writers in the work of the church and how writers can sustain the work even against a complicated and overwhelming publishing process. 

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As a part of our summer reading series, Alisse Goldsmith-Wissman joined me to talk about her role at InterVarsity Press and some of their upcoming releases. In addition to new releases, Alisse also shares some of her favorite IVP books.

I've been extremely impressed with IVP's work and added several new books to my list based on this conversation.

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Tommy Brown is a pastor and a published author, having published the book, Seven Money Types, with Zondervan in 2017. Tommy joins me to talk about how his idea developed into a publishing contract and a best-selling book. 

If you have ever thought about publishing a book, there is a lot of helpful advice and perspective in this episode. We talk about the significance of a book's concept and how that concept can even help overcome a limited platform. Tommy was candid and honest about the process and it will be helpful for so many of you.

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Dr. Andrew Root is a professor at Luther Seminary since 2005. He is often mentioned as one of the leading scholars in youth ministry and practical theology in the world. His first book, Revisiting Relational Ministry (IVP, 2007) presented a new trajectory for youth ministry, offering the field one of the first robust theological projects. Since then, he has published sixteen books.

His latest project is a three-volume series with Baker Academic called “Ministry in a Secular Age.” Volume one was released as *Faith Formation in a Secular Age* in October 2017. Volume two, titled The Pastor in a Secular Age released this past Spring 2019, with volume three to follow.

In this series Dr. Root uses Charles Taylor’s thought to explore the challenges of ministry, offering a theological and ministerial response.

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Can you imagine Ron Swanson waking up to discover he was suddenly allergic to meat? No steaks, no brats, no bacon, no cheeseburgers. Can you imagine his reaction? It would have made a great episode, but maybe it sounds too far fetched. Believe it or not, a meat allergy is a real thing, and I was as horrified to discover I had it as Ron Swanson would have been.

Two years ago, I developed what I thought was strep throat. I found myself with a cough and having trouble swallowing. Quickly it worsened into headaches and then dizziness and then the hives—hives on my chest, back, arms, and face.

The doctor was confident it was an anaphylactic reaction, but we couldn’t determine to what. I had never been allergic to anything, not even poison ivy. I didn’t even know what hives looked liked until I had them. We tried everything. I changed soap, and laundry detergent, and vitamins, but for three weeks, I continued to deteriorate. Each afternoon I would lay under a fan in my underwear, dizzy, short of breath, and miserable with hives. But things would get much worse.

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Patrick Shcreiner teaches New Testament at Western Seminary in Portland Oregon. His Ph.D. work was on spatial theories and their relationship to the kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew.

In addition to his dissertation work, he is also the author of, The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross(A part of the crossway Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series), and the soon to be released Matthew, Disciple and Scribe: The First Gospel and Its Portrait of Jesus.

I was interested in talking with Patrick about ongoing study. How do pastors and writers continue to learn and study seriously outside of the seminary or academic setting?

We also discussed his writing process and how writers can find their own personal ways to stay organized, knock out drafts, and produce better edits.

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When C. S. Lewis was asked where he wished his book royalties to be paid upon his death, Lewis responded, "after I've been dead five years, no one will read anything I've written." For all Lewis got right, he predicted that one wrong. 

Lewis's impact has only continued to grow. It's hard for me to estimate just how influential Lewis has been on my faith and thinking. Gary S. Selby's new book on Lewis captures this deep love and respect for Lewis's writings. 

Pursuing and Earthy Spirituality is neither a biography nor an academic textbook, it reads as a friendly appreciation to Lewis's work and a deep dive into the major themes which drives Lewis's intellect and imagination.

If you have read Lewis or plan to, I think Selby's book should be a part of your approach. I can't recommend it highly enough. 

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This year’s debate between Jordan Peterson and Slavoj Žižek was marketed as one of the greatest intellectual debates of the century. At one point, tickets were being scalped for over $1,500 a seat. To many’s disappointment, but probably for the best, the event went off without the anticipated drama. Peterson and Žižek managed to find significant common ground.

The debate, which lasted over two and a half hours, has been watched online by more than 350,000 viewers. The interest in Peterson and Žižek represents a growing online audience who are routinely consuming multi-hour lectures and debates through youtube and podcasts. Figures like Žižek and Peterson are having a profound influence on, particularly, young men. While Peterson describes himself as a person who “lives as if there is a god,” his precise views on Christianity are complex and intentionally hard to categorize. Alternatively, Žižek describes himself as an atheist but provocatively contends that the only true path to atheism is through Christianity.

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As a part of our summer reading series, Jenaye White joined me to talk about her role at B&H Publishing and some of their upcoming releases. In addition to new releases, Jenaye also shares some of her favorite B&H books.

Her recommendations include non-fiction, memoir, children's, and even a cookbook. I hope a book catches your interest and might become a great summer read for that upcoming vacation.

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One of the greatest joys in life is finding a really really good book. That doesn’t happen nearly as often as I would like. But every once in a while, you come across a book, and something about it, usually it only 10 to 15 pages, you just know this book is going to impact your life.

Honestly, so much of my reading is just searching for that. To be fair, there is some reading you do just because you are trying to learn something about a particular topic. But everyone in a while you find one of those books.

So the real challenge is figuring out what to read next. That’s actually not an easy question. What’s selling isn’t always the right answer. Some books sell because the author has a big audience or they manage to capture a moment or a topic. But I’ve always been fascinated by books that manage to outlast the moment of attention.

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