Just finished up a live interview in which I joined Myles Werntz to talk to Bonnie Kristian’s forthcoming book In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response To Its Cultured Despisers.

The book isn’t out yet, so be sure to pre-order your copy.

Note: Sorry for my garbled image. The travails of Airbnb internet connections! I even used an ethernet cord 😩

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Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

What are we supposed to do with those who experience madness in the local church? Cody Bivins-Starr wants to suggest that maybe just asking the question that way starts us off on the wrong foot.

Pastoral Theology is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Here’s what he says: stop trying to control people who manifest mental illness. And stop abandoning them. Those are the two routine (and unchristian!) responses Cody has seen in the church and in society. We need a third option, which isn’t really an option at all if we’re going to witness to the presence of Christ in our worship.

Cody Bivins-Starr is like a brother to me, so it was particularly exciting to hear about his work and the ways in which our ministry together fed his theological imagination. This interview is the sum of his recently-completed thesis at the University of Aberdeen under Prof. Brian Brock.

Give it a listen, give it a share.

and STAY BLESSED ✌️

Thanks for reading Pastoral Theology! This post is public so feel free to share it.

The Sahel of West Africa is one of the harshest places on earth to live: desertification, food and water scarcity, malaria and dysentery, and political upheaval.

That’s where my parents became missionaries in the early 90s. And it’s where I grew up running the streets, slingshotting lizards, and playing soccer until I dropped from dehydration.

Thanks for …

Hello everyone, my name is Joseph Lear, and this is Pastoral Theology.

I’m a pastor, theologian, and professor bringing theology into the local church and the local church into theology because they belong together.

In today’s episode I host Matthew Erickson, author of The Pastor as Gardener. Matt is pastor at Eastbrook Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

His book is all about how the pastoral life needs to be reframed as gardening. Pastors should believe that we plant, we water, we hope, but God causes the growth. Matt provides a vision not only for the pastor, but also the church. He touches on theology, culture, philosophy, and above all else, the biblical basis for his vision.

Give it a listen, give it a share.

👉 Here is the FULL review I wrote a couple weeks ago 👇

And here's the discount code:

🚨 Exclusive to Pastoral Theology with Joseph Lear: Readers get a limited time 40% discount on Erickson’s book at the Eerdman’s website. Discount code is valid through May 31, 2026.

Discount code is GARDENER40

Thanks for reading Pastoral Theology! This post is public so feel free to share it.

What if the way evangelicals learned to defend the Bible actually corrupted the way we read it?

That’s not a hostile question from a skeptic on the outside. That’s the argument my friend, Tyler Bream, makes from inside the tradition — carefully, historically, and, dare I say, convincingly. He wrote about this at Regent University tracing how evangelical hermeneutics developed, and his conclusion is a little uncomfortable: that in borrowing the tools of the Enlightenment to defeat the Enlightenment, evangelicals accidentally absorbed its assumptions too. And those assumptions have been quietly distorting the way we interpret Scripture ever since.

It’s a historical argument, but it’s not just an academic one. Because if he’s right, it has real implications for how the church reads Scripture today — and what a healthier path forward might actually look like.

I think you’re really going to enjoy this one.

Note: please forgive the bad video quality. Substack studio gave no indication there were network issues, so I’m not sure what happened.

I had the incredible privilege of interviewing Dr. Josh Brahinsky about his forthcoming book, Tongues of Fire: How Charismatic Prayer Changes Evangelical Brains and Inspires Spirit-Filled Activism.

Josh is in the department of Religious Studies at Stanford University and the department of Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill University and Sir Mortimer B Davis Jewish General Hospital—Which makes him a distinguished researcher in the fields of neuro-anthropology and religious studies. His unique perspective combines academic inquiry with a deep appreciation for the spiritual experiences of Pentecostals and charismatics.

Join us for a thrill ride about how speaking in tongues has changed the 🌍, how it can change your brain 🧠, and why we talk about psychedelics (😵‍💫) and tongues in the same podcast!

Share 🤲 this with someone who’s been skeptical about speaking in tongues: Dr. Brahinsky says no one is faking it.

Give it a listen, give it a watch. And be sure to let me know what you think about all of it in the comments 👇

Here is Josh’s book. We recorded this on February 26, but his book is officially out TODAY. So go get your copy.

* Click here to order from Bookshop.org

* Click here to order from Amazon

I’m not a fan of trying to argue people into the kingdom of God. But neither do I think becoming a Christian is a leap into the irrational abyss of faith.

So what the alternative? Peter’s Pentecost sermon is a great place to start.

In this vid, I talk a little about my creative process, and then try to do what Peter did by preaching Mark 2.

Give it a watch, give it a listen, and let me know what you think.

✌️✌️✌️

I’m writing a book about Pentecostal proclamation in the 21st century, and I’m sharing the process with you. The working title is Tongue On Fire: Pentecostal Proclamation in the 21st Century. It’s coming out with Logion soon-ish 😅.

In my last post about the book (which is somewhat embarrasingly from October) I sermonized about seeing Jesus without seeing him.

This video follows on that, but with a new direction into apocalyptic sight 🤩.

The chapter title is “Don’t Forget to Prophesy,” which comes from a thing I used to say to a teenager every Sunday when I’d see her in the sanctuary. I’m all about reminding women and men, and even kids (!), that the Spirit of God is always the Spirit of prophecy.

The homily in the video is about a prophet from 1 Kings 22 named Micaiah the son of Imlah. I think the church needs to prophesy like he did.

Give it a watch.

Give it a listen.

Give it a share.

I’ve been heading up a project to get Chris EW Green’s Surprised by God: How and Why What We Think About the Divine Matters translated into Spanish.

Both the English and Spanish versions are 50% off with free media mail right now with the code CONFSHIP on the Wipf and Stock website.

Theology en Español

This is all in service of Evangel’s brand spankin’ new Spanish theology initiative. We’ve got a Spanish credentialing certificate for meeting the educational requirements for ordination in the Assemblies of God at a price and quality

you.

won’t.

believe.

→Next up: We’re doing a FULL Spanish undergraduate theology degree, so get excited←

THANK YOU THANK YOU // GRACIAS GRACIAS

* Thank you Chris and Wipf and Stock for making this happen.

* Gracias Stephen DiTrolio for you hecka good translation skillzzz

* Gracias Brian Roden for your exacting editing

* Thank you North Little Rock First and Randy Jumper for your support

* Thank you Joy Qualls for your support

* Thank you Brenton Fessler for your support

* annnnnnnndddddd GRACIAS Sergio Navarette for everything!!!

If you want to talk more about Evangel’s credentialing certificate en Español or in English reach out.

If you want to talk about partnerships reach out!

Here’s another bit about my forthcoming book on Pentecostal preaching 🤓

In the first part, I talk for 2-3 mins about mechanical and stylistic matters—like how I’ve manuscripted most of my sermons over the last 10 years, and how I always try to preach for the ear 👂.

In the second part, I preach a short sermon on Jesus—specifically, how we see him when we can’t see him. The chapter draft I just finished is all about how every sermon must be Christological through and through. Hopefully that’s an obvious claim to make. 😇 And hopefully I talk about it in a fresh and inspiring way.

If you want to skip ahead to the homily, go to 4:50.

Finally, I welcome your comments and thoughts about preaching generally and how you all think Jesus should make his appearance in the homiletical art.

STAY BLESSED EVERYONE and I’d of course appreciate a share 🤝