Seminary Dropout

By Shane Blackshear: Interviews with N.T. Wright, Christena Cleveland, Greg Boyd & More!Religion & Spirituality Christianity Religion

Seminary Dropout episodes

July 14, 2017 165 – Seminary Dropout LIVE! Andrea Lucado, Author of ‘English Lessons’ Talks about Doubt and Being Her Own Person
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Andrea Lucado is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. The daughter of the best selling author and pastor, Max Lucado. She inherited an obsession with words and their arrangement. She has a masters in English Literature from Oxford Brooks University and contributes regularly to online and print publications such as Relevant Magazine, and SheReadsTruth.com. When she’s not conducting interviews and writing stories, you’ll find her laughing with friends at a coffee shop or running in the Texas hill country.

It wasn’t long after arriving in Oxford for graduate school that twenty-two-year-old Andrea Lucado – preacher’s daughter from Texas – faced not only culture shock, a severe lack of coffee, but also some unexpected hard questions: Who am I? Who is God? Why do I believe what I believe?

“So many nights in Oxford, I felt like the details of my faiths were getting fuzzier. Nights turned restless with the questions and the thoughts. I questioned God’s existence and the doubt, it was getting into my bones….”

In this engaging memoir, Andrea speaks to all of us who wrestle with faith, doubt, and spiritual identity. Join Andrea as she navigates the Thames River, the Oxford Atheist Society, romance in ancient pubs—and a new perspective on who God is. As Andrea learned, sometimes it takes letting go of old ideas to discover lasting truth. – From the Publisher
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MATTHEW 7:21-29 (SERMON 2017.06.25)
Seminary Dropout 027: Greg Boyd on Doubt, Anti-Intellectualism & Open Theism
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55 min
July 07, 2017164 – Mary Demuth Talks Celebrity Christianity and Finding Her Voice
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Mary DeMuth is a writer and speaker who loves to help people live re-storied lives. Author of more than 30 books, including parenting books, Southern fiction, and a memoir entitled Thin Places, Mary speaks around the country and the world. She is the wife of Patrick and the mom of three adult children.
Restore your past. See your past in light of God’s healing. (Find practical ways to truly find the healing you’ve been longing for).
Realize your worth. Understand that you are worth loving, and your life is worth living. (Uncover the lies that undermine your worth and be set free by God’s beautiful truth about your worth).
Reframe your relationships. Deal with bitterness, unforgiveness, and heartache. (Learn how to live with joy despite the decisions of others.)
Restory your future. Discover the “So what” to your story. (Now that God has restored you, you understand your worth, and you have a healthy perspective on your relationships, learn how will God use your story to change the world.) Valium is a prescription https://www.therapyheals.ca/valium-10mg/ drug used by doctors to treat symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Click here for more info
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7154 – Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel on the Church’s Problems with Power
144: Ann Voskamp on her new book “The Broken Way: A Daring Path Into the Abundant Life”
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38 min
June 16, 2017 163 – Charles Moore, Author of ‘Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for His People’
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Charles E. Moore is a member of the Bruderhof community and teaches at the Mount Academy in New York. He writes for Plough Quarterly and has compiled and edited several acclaimed books, including Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard, Everyone Belongs to God: Discovering the Hidden Christ, and Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyrdom and Costly Discipleship.
• Gold Medal Winner, 2017 Illumination Book Awards, Christian Living
• Silver Medal Winner, 2017 Benjamin Franklin Award in Religion from Independent Book Publishers Association
Why, in an age of connectivity, are our lives more isolated and fragmented than ever? And what can be done about it? The answer lies in the hands of God’s people. Increasingly, today’s Christians want to be the church, to follow Christ together in daily life. From every corner of society, they are daring to step away from the status quo and respond to Christ’s call to share their lives more fully with one another and with others. As they take the plunge, they are discovering the rich, meaningful life that Jesus has in mind for all people, and pointing the church back to its original calling: to be a gathered, united community that demonstrates the transforming love of God.
Of course, such a life together with others isn’t easy. The selections in this volume are, by and large, written by practitioners – people who have pioneered life in intentional community and have discovered in the nitty-gritty of daily life what it takes to establish, nurture, and sustain a Christian community over the long haul.
Whether you have just begun thinking about communal living, are already embarking on a shared life with others, or have been part of a community for many years, the pieces in this collection will encourage, challenge, and strengthen you. The book’s fifty-two chapters can be read one a week to ignite meaningful group discussion. -From the Publisher
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73: David Jenzen, Author of ‘The Intentional Christian Community Handbook’
161 – Tsh Oxenreider, Author of At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe
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37 min
June 14, 2017 162 – Alan Hirsch, Author of ‘5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ’
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Alan Hirsch is the founding director of Forge Mission Training Network, 100Movements, The 5Q Collective, and Future Travelers. All these are focussed on developing missional leadership and movemental organization. Known for his innovative approach to mission, Alan is considered to be a thought-leader and key mission strategist for churches across the Western world. Hirsch is the author of The Forgotten Ways; 5Q; The Shaping of Things to Come, ReJesus, and The Faith of Leap (with Michael Frost); Untamed (with Debra Hirsch); Right Here, Right Now (with Lance Ford), and On the Verge (with Dave Ferguson).
Alan is co-founder and adjunct faculty for the M.A. in Missional Church Movements at Wheaton College (Illinois). He is also adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary, George Fox Seminary, among others, and he lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the United States. He is series editor for Baker Books’ Shapevine series , IVP’s Forge line, and an associate editor of Leadership Journal.
His experience in leadership includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized as well as heading up the Mission and Revitalization work of his denomination. He has been on leadership team with Christian Associates, a mission agency planting churches throughout Europe. Alan is adjunct professor at Fuller Seminary and lectures frequently throughout Australia, Europe, and the U.S.
In the pages of this book, Alan Hirsch takes us on a really deep dive into the fivefold (APEST) typology of ministry as articulated in Ephesians 4:1-16, but he takes us to a depth and scope that few (if any) have ventured before. By laying out the most comprehensive model of APEST to date–one that incorporates deep theology as well as innovative practice–Hirsch once again demonstrates an almost uncanny capacity to change not only the nature and content of conversation itself, but also the scorecard on how we understand calling, church, leadership, and organization.
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153: David Fitch Author of ‘Faithful Presence: Seven Disciplines that Shape the Church for Mission’
115: Natasha Sistrunk Robinson “When We Measure the Church by American Standards… …We Strangle the Beauty of the Cross.”
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50 min
June 02, 2017 161 – Tsh Oxenreider, Author of At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Tsh Oxenreider is the founder and main voice of The Art of Simple, a community site that celebrates living slow with passion, and is the host of the top-ranked podcast The Simple Show. She’s the author of At Home in the World, Notes from a Blue Bike, One Bite at a Time, and Organized Simplicity, and she thinks a library card, a Netflix subscription, and a passport are some of the greatest parenting tools in the universe.
Tsh and her vagabonding family once traveled around the world for a school year, and they love exploring new cultures together. They currently live in Central Texas, near Austin, but several dots around the globe have also been called home (and she dreams of one day living in Stars Hollow). Together, they love to travel, read books, go camping, and make homemade pizza for family movie night.
Her passion—besides writing, of course—is to create space in life for the stuff that matters, to make globally-minded choices, and to live unconventionally—and then help others do the same. She also loves coffee and hates wearing socks.
Tsh’s writing has been featured in Real Simple magazine, CNN, Washington Post, CNBC, and more, and has been mentioned on Apartment Therapy, HGTV, Better Homes and Gardens, Food Network, NPR, Parents magazine, and more.
The wide world is calling.
Americans Tsh and Kyle met and married in Kosovo. They lived as expats for most of a decade. They’ve been back in the States—now with three kids under ten—for four years, and while home is nice, they are filled with wanderlust and long to answer the call.
Why not? The kids are all old enough to carry their own backpacks but still young enough to be uprooted, so a trip—a nine-months-long trip—is planned.
At Home in the World follows their journey from China to New Zealand, Ethiopia to England, and more. They traverse bumpy roads, stand in awe before a waterfall that feels like the edge of the earth, and chase each other through three-foot-wide passageways in Venice. And all the while Tsh grapples with the concept of home, as she learns what it means to be lost—yet at home—in the world. -From the Publisher
Find Tsh:
• Blog: theartofsimple.net
• Podcast: thesimpleshow.com
• Twitter: @tsh
• Facebook: theartofsimple
• Instagram: tshoxenreider

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156 – Traveling to Sri Lanka with Compassion International
155 – Esther Emery: What Happens When You Give Up the Internet For a Year
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46 min
May 27, 2017 160 – Karen Swallow Prior: Abortion in the USA
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Karen Swallow Prior is professor of English at Liberty University, Research Fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States, and a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics. Her most recent book is Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More: Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist.

Some questions discussed in this episode…
When does life begin?
How many abortions happen every year in the United States?
When is abortion legal and illegal?
What does Planned Parenthood do?
Do tax dollars fund abortions?
What are productive ways for Christians to respond to abortion?
Mentioned in this episode…
–Crisis Pregnancy Centers
-For the stats mentioned, Karen recommends visiting the research arm of Planned Parenthood, The Guttmacher Institute and The National Health Institute
– Gosnell: The Untold Story of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer
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148: Shane Claiborne Talks “Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why it’s Killing Us”
44: Preston Sprinkle, Author of Fight: A Christian Case for Nonviolence
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1 hr 1 min
May 22, 2017 159 – Efrem Smith, Author of “Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God”
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Efrem Smith’s personal and professional story paints a compelling picture of an urban church leader of deep faith who has managed leaders and budgets, transforming people and ministry wherever he has served. His track record in leading Christian Community Development efforts, serving as a Pastor, Church Planter and leader of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, have prepared him for this moment. Throughout his career, Efrem has had a passion for the urban poor, theological education, and training indigenous leaders for service in the Kingdom.
As a preacher, motivational speaker, and author, Efrem Smith is internationally recognized for his passion to see lasting life transformations, communities revitalized to reach the marginalized, and further Kingdom advancement within our churches.
Serving as founding pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant Church, a multi-ethnic church in Minneapolis, MN, Efrem also co-founded and was President for The Sanctuary Community Development Corporation. In his previous role, Efrem was the Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, providing leadership to 160 churches within California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and Utah.
As an itinerant speaker and preacher with Kingdom Building Ministries and the Evangelical Covenant Church, he has been a keynote speaker for such events as Athletes in Action, Campus Crusade for Christ, Youth Specialties, Compassion International, Thrive and CHIC. He is the author of Raising Up Young other Heroes, The Hip Hop Church, and Jump. Efrem’s latest book, The Post-Black and Post-White Church, was released in August of 2012.
Efrem is a graduate of Saint John’s University and Luther Theological Seminary. He is currently seeking his doctorate in Church Leadership from Bethel Seminary in Minneapolis, MN. He and his wife Donecia, along with their two children, Jeada and Mireya, live in the San Francisco Bay Area. Efrem has received many awards such as the Role Model Award from the Hennepin County Community Coalition and the Community Service Award from Saint John’s University.
The Christian life is actually a kind of death. We die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Dying in Christ, however, is an opportunity—to experience the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit as we spread the Good News of a God who loves us enough to save us and remake us in his image.
Efrem Smith helps us see that Christian discipleship is a counterintuitive life. In a world turned upside down by sin, God carefully and lovingly strips us of worldly values and turns us right-side up as good citizens and ambassadors of his Kingdom. -From the Publisher
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Seminary Dropout 41: Bruxy Cavey
147: N.T. Wright Talks about The Day the Revolution Began
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37 min
May 15, 2017 158 – David P. Leong, Author of “Race and Place: How Urban Geography Shapes the Journey to Reconciliation”
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
David P. Leong (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of missiology at Seattle Pacific University and Seminary, where he also serves as the director of the Global and Urban Ministry minor. He previously served in churches in urban Seattle through ministries focused on community groups and neighborhood involvement. As a scholar and practitioner, Leong examines the theological meaning of the city in an increasingly globalized and urbanized world. At the intersection of intercultural and missiological discourse, he sees the city as a rich context for theological reflection about topics ranging from hip hop and the built environment to multiculturalism and missional ecclesiology. He is the author of Street Signs: Toward a Missional Theology of Urban Cultural Engagement, and he lives in Seattle’s Rainier Valley with his wife and two sons.
We long for diverse, thriving neighborhoods and churches, yet racial injustices persist. Why? Because geographic structures and systems create barriers to reconciliation and prevent the flourishing of our communities.
Race and Place pharmacy reveals the profound ways in which these geographic forces and structures sustain the divisions among us. Urban missiologist David Leong, who resides in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country, unpacks the systemic challenges that are rarely addressed in the conversation about racial justice.
The evening news may deliver story after story that causes us to despair. But Leong envisions a future of belonging and hope in our streets, towns, cities, and churches. A discussion about race needs to go hand in hand with a discussion about place. This book is a welcome addition to a conversation that needs to include both. -From the Publisher
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121: Shawn Duncan, on Truly Helping those in Poverty, Gentrification, and the Role of the Church
137: Chris Marlow, Author of ” Doing Good is Simple: Make a Difference Right Where You Are”
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55 min
May 09, 2017 157- Tish Harrison Warren & Jonathan Warren: A Biblical, Historical, and Pastoral Defense of Women in Ministry
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
Tish Harrison Warren & Jonathan Warren talking about women in ministry and ordination.
William Witt’s articles on women and holy orders: http://willgwitt.org/category/theology/womens-ordination
William Webb, Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals
Ben Witherington, Women in the Earliest Christian Churches
NT Wright’s essay on women in holy orders: http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/07/12/womens-service-in-the-church-the-biblical-basis/
Kevin Madigan, Ordained Women in the Early Church
Gary Macy’s Hidden History of Women’s Ordination
Gordon Hugenberger’s ‘Women in Church Office’ essay.
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Seminary Dropout 99: Jackie Roese on Reshaping Our View of Women in the Church
Seminary Dropout 89: Carolyn Custis James, Author of Malestrom: Manhood Swept Into the Currents of a Changing World
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1 hr 42 min
April 22, 2017156 – Traveling to Sri Lanka with Compassion International
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our sponsor: Compassion International
Check out the new(ish) podcast OnRamp
In this very special episode, Sam Hoover from Compassion International sits down with me to discuss our recent trip to Sri Lanka.

Compassion International on Social Media
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If you liked this episode then you might also like…
Seminary Dropout 137: Chris Marlow, Author of ” Doing Good is Simple: Make a Difference Right Where You Are”
Seminary Dropout 35: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor & Yourself – Brian Fikkert
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49 min