Seminary Dropout

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

Interviews with Christian authors, leaders, and thinkers.... more

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FAQs about Seminary Dropout:

How many episodes does Seminary Dropout have?

The podcast currently has 233 episodes available.

Seminary Dropout episodes:

September 29, 2017 173 – Dennis R. Edwards, Part 1: on the Struggles of Being a Black Person in a Predominantly White Seminary as a Student & Professor, and the Difficulties of Truly Multicultural Churches
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
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This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Dennis hails from New York City, by way of Washington, DC. He’s a learner and a teacher, a husband and a father, a pastor and servant. His BS degree is from Cornell (chemical engineering), his MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and both his MA and PhD (in Biblical Studies) are from The Catholic University of America. He has been in urban ministry for more than 2 decades, having started churches in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, DC and currently serving a congregation in Minneapolis, MN. He’s also been an adjunct seminary instructor for several years. Dennis is a Leading Voice for Missio Alliance. He likes to lift weights, ride his bicycle, play racquetball, play around on his saxophone and flute, eat, and read. And he has no witty thing to say as the final sentence of this bio.
Be sure to listen to part 2 next week as we talk about the commentary he’s authored, 1 Peter (The Story of God Bible Commentary).
If you liked this episode then you might also like…
Seminary Dropout 159 – Efrem Smith, Author of “Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God”
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20min
September 15, 2017 172 – Michelle Ferrigno Warren, Author of ‘The Power of Proximity: Moving Beyond Awareness to Action’
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsor:
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Michelle Ferrigno Warren is the advocacy and policy engagement director for the Christian Community Development Association. She is an immigration, education, and human service policy specialist and is an adjunct faculty member at Denver Seminary. With over twenty years experience working in Christian community development, Michelle is a part of the national Evangelical Immigration Table and helps consult for the National Immigration Forum. She is a founding staff member of Open Door Ministries, a large community development corporation. Michelle, her husband, David, and their three children live in an immigrant neighborhood in Denver, Colorado.
Noel Castellanos has worked in full-time ministry in Latino, urban communities since 1982, serving in youth ministry, church planting, advocacy and community development in San Francisco, San Jose and Chicago. He is chief executive officer of Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and was the founding pastor of Chicago’s La Villita Community Church. In addition to being a popular speaker, Castellanos mentors young leaders across the United States and directs the CCDA Institute, training emerging leaders in the Christian Community Development philosophy. He was appointed to serve on President Obama’s Council for Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships and has served as the chaplain for the Chicago Cubs. He has a deep passion to serve and invest in the lives of leaders committed to serving the poor. Noel is the coauthor of A Heart for the Community and New Models for Urban and Suburban Ministry and has contributed to various other books and publications including Deep Justice in a Broken World, A Heart for the City, and Crazy Enough to Care. He and his wife, Marianne, have three children and make their home in the barrio of La Villita in Chicago.
We can see evidence of injustice all around us, whether in continuing incidents of racial inequality or in the systemic forces that disenfranchise people and perpetuate poverty. It’s important to learn about the world’s inequities and to be a voice for the voiceless any way we can. But in an age of hashtag and armchair activism, merely raising awareness about injustice is not enough.
Michelle Warren knows what is needed. She and her family have chosen to live in communities where they are “proximate to the pain of the poor.” This makes all the difference in facing and overcoming injustice. When we build relationships where we live, we discover the complexities of standing with the vulnerable and the commitment needed for long-term change.
Proximity changes our perspective, compels our response, and keeps us committed to the journey of pursuing justice for all. Move beyond awareness and experience the power of proximity. -From the Publisher

If you liked this episode then you might also like…
Seminary Dropout 170 – Russell Jeung, Author of “At Home in Exile” on Living in Solidarity with the Poor and Taking his Children Along for the Ride
Seminary Dropout 158 – David P. Leong, Author of “Race and Place: How Urban Geography Shapes the Journey to Reconciliation”
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59min
September 08, 2017 171 – Mandy Smith, Author of ‘The Vulnerable Pastor’ and Director of SheLeads 2017
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsors:
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Originally from Australia, Mandy Smith is lead pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation with its own fair-trade café in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a regular contributor to Christianity Today publications, and the Missio Alliance blog, and the author of Making a Mess and Meeting God. Her latest book is The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry (IVP). Mandy and her husband Jamie, a New Testament professor at Cincinnati Christian University, live with their two kids in a little house where the teapot is always warm.
Often as pastors we feel like we need to project strength and competency in order to minister effectively. That’s why we go to conferences and emulate the latest superstars. But we know we can never live up to those images. Deep down, we know our own limitations, our weaknesses, our faults. We fear that if people knew who we really are, we’d be disqualified from ministry.
Not so. Mandy Smith unpacks the biblical paradox that God’s strength is revealed through our human weakness. Transparently describing her pastoral journey, Smith shows how vulnerability shapes ministry, through our spiritual practices and relationships, influencing our preaching, teaching and even the nuts and bolts of the daily schedule. Understanding our human constraints makes our ministry more sustainable and guards us against disillusionment and burnout.
We don’t have to have it all together. Recognizing our weakness makes us rely on God, so our weakness can become a ministry resource. God has called you to lead not as a demigod, but as a human, so the world can see that the church is a place for humans like them. -From the Publisher

Mandy is also the director of SheLeads.
Lead Together
It’s time for women and men together to rediscover God’s vision for shared leadership in the Church and Christian ministry.
When we lead together, we see the family of God restored.
When we lead together, we learn a new vocabulary for mission.
When we lead together, we better reflect the person of Christ.
When we lead together, we more fully embody Jesus’ gospel.
Out of these convictions, Missio Alliance has created the SheLeads Summit.
The Summit exists to encourage and equip our sisters and to welcome our brothers as we imagine together where God is leading His Church, for the blessing of the nations.
Will you join us for this honest, grace-filled and hopeful conversation?
Register Today!
If you liked this episode then you might also like…
Seminary Dropout 157- Tish Harrison Warren & Jonathan Warren: A Biblical, Historical, and Pastoral Defense of Women in Ministry
Seminary Dropout 150: #SheLeads: Reclaiming the Blessed Alliance for Faithful Mission – Austin Panel
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44min
September 06, 2017 170 – Russell Jeung, Author of “At Home in Exile” on Living in Solidarity with the Poor and Taking his Children Along for the Ride
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsors:
Arizona indie rock band WILD EARTH have just released their brand new full-length album HOLY FOOLS on August 11th. This sophomore album aims to unite pop, experimental alt-rock sounds with spiritual formation in Christ. Listen to the wild, vulnerable and contemplative journey of HOLY FOOLS, online now on your favorite digital streaming like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify or visit http://wildearthmusic.com
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…

Dr. Russell Jeung is a leading sociologist of Asian Americans, race, and religion. He is professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and author of Sustaining Faith Traditions: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion among the Latino and Asian American Second Generation (with Carolyn Chen) and Faithful Generations: Race, Religion, and Asian American Churches. Dr. Jeung is also executive producer of Prophetic Voices, a social media project addressing key social issues of the Asian American community within and in the public square. He serves as Board Chair of New Hope Covenant Church and lives with his family in East Oakland, CA. Along with his wife, Dr. Dr. Joan Jeung, they have two foster daughters from Burma and a son.
Russell Jeung’s spiritual memoir shares the joyful and occasionally harrowing stories of his life in East Oakland’s Murder Dubs neighborhood—including battling drug dealers who threatened him, exorcising a spirit possessing a teen, and winning a landmark housing settlement against slumlords with 200 of his closest Cambodian and Latino friends.
More poignantly, At Home in Exile weaves in narratives of longing and belonging as Jeung retraces the steps of his Chinese-Hakka family and his refugee neighbors. In the face of forced relocation and institutional discrimination, his family and friends resisted time and time again over six generations.
With humor and keen insight, At Home in Exile will help you see how living in exile will transform your faith. -From the Publisher
If you liked this episode then you might also like…
Seminary Dropout 121: Shawn Duncan, on Truly Helping those in Poverty, Gentrification, and the Role of the Church
167 – Ken Wytsma, Author of ‘The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege’
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53min
August 25, 2017 169 – Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Author of “When in Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel according to Paul”
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsors:
Arizona indie rock band WILD EARTH have just released their brand new full-length album HOLY FOOLS on August 11th. This sophomore album aims to unite pop, experimental alt-rock sounds with spiritual formation in Christ. Listen to the wild, vulnerable and contemplative journey of HOLY FOOLS, online now on your favorite digital streaming like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify or visit http://wildearthmusic.com
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Beverly Roberts Gaventa joined the Baylor faculty in 2013. She previously taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, Columbia Seminary, and Colgate Rochester Divinity School. She has been active in a number of professional societies, including Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the American Theological Association. She has served on a number of editorial boards and lectured widely in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa, and Australia.
When reading the book of Romans, we often focus on the quotable passages, making brief stopovers and not staying long enough to grasp some of the big ideas it contains. Instead of raiding Paul’s most famous letter for a passage here or a theme there, leading New Testament scholar Beverly Roberts Gaventa invites us to linger in Romans. She asks that we stay with the letter long enough to see how Romans reframes our tidy categories and dramatically enlarges our sense of the gospel.
Containing profound insights written in accessible prose and illuminating references to contemporary culture, this engaging book explores the cosmic dimensions of the gospel that we read about in Paul’s letter. Gaventa focuses on four key issues in Romans–salvation, identity, ethics, and community–that are crucial both for the first century and for our own. As she helps us navigate the book of Romans, she shows that the gospel is far larger, wilder, and more unsettling than we generally imagine it to be. -From the Publisher

If you liked this episode then you might also like…
147: N.T. Wright Talks about The Day the Revolution Began
72: Scot McKnight, Author of Kingdom Conspiracy
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29min
August 18, 2017 168 – Jared Patrick Boyd, Author of “Imaginative Prayer: A Yearlong Guide For Your Child’s Spiritual Formation”
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsors:
Arizona indie rock band WILD EARTH have just released their brand new full-length album HOLY FOOLS on August 11th. This sophomore album aims to unite pop, experimental alt-rock sounds with spiritual formation in Christ. Listen to the wild, vulnerable and contemplative journey of HOLY FOOLS, online now on your favorite digital streaming like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify or visit http://wildearthmusic.com
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Jared Patrick Boyd is a pastor (Vineyard USA), spiritual director, and founder of The Order of Sustainable Faith, a missional monastic order for the 21st century. He is the author of the new book Imaginative Prayer and also Invitations & Commitments: A Rule of Life. He and his wife have four daughters, and are planting Franklinton Abbey, a new faith community on the west side of Columbus, Ohio.
Follow him on Twitter: @BoydJared.
Visit imaginativeprayer.com to connect with Jared and view resources from the book.

How do we help our kids connect with God?
Most parents want their kids to learn to love God. But most of us struggle to facilitate real spiritual experiences. It’s hard enough to have a meaningful conversation with our kids about spiritual things, let alone help them experience true transformation in the presence of God.
Jared Patrick Boyd discovered that children’s spiritual formation is rooted in the imagination. When we lead our children through guided times of imaginative prayer, they can experience a connection with God that transcends mere Bible knowledge or doctrinal content. This unique resource provides six units of weekly guided imaginative prayer, themed around core topics: God’s love, loving others, forgiveness, God as king, the good news of God, and the mission of God. Each unit has six sessions, providing a yearlong experience of spiritual formation for children ages five to thirteen.
Through imaginative prayer, you can help your child connect with God. As you do so, you may find yourself connecting more closely with your child, and your own formation as a parent will deepen into greater awareness of God’s work in your lives. -From the Publisher

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Seminary Dropout 011: Richard Foster
Seminary Dropout 013: Lacy Finn Borgo
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35min
August 12, 2017 167 – Ken Wytsma, Author of ‘The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege’
*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
Our Sponsors:
Arizona indie rock band WILD EARTH have just released their brand new full-length album HOLY FOOLS on August 11th. This sophomore album aims to unite pop, experimental alt-rock sounds with spiritual formation in Christ. Listen to the wild, vulnerable and contemplative journey of HOLY FOOLS, online now on your favorite digital streaming like iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify or visit http://wildearthmusic.com
Sponsor a Child — At Compassion we take a committed, long-term approach to fighting child poverty. Our Holistic Child Development Model is made up of four comprehensive programs investing in children from the beginning of their lives until they’ve reached adulthood, and covering everything from prenatal care to university-level education.
If you like Seminary Dropout, be sure to check out OnRamp.
This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Ken Wytsma is a leader, innovator, and social entrepreneur. He is the president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice. He is the founder of The Justice Conference–a yearly international conference that exposes men and women to a wide range of organizations and conversations relating to justice and the biblical call to give our lives away. Ken is also a church planter and the lead pastor at Antioch Church. He and his wife, Tamara, have four daughters and live in Bend, Oregon.

It’s clear that issues of race and equality have come to the forefront in our nation’s consciousness. Every week yet another incident involving racial tension splashes across headlines and dominates our news feeds. But it’s not easy to unpack the origins of these tensions, and perhaps we wonder whether any of these issues really has anything to do with us.
Ken Wytsma, founder of the Justice Conference, understands these questions. He has gone through his own journey of understanding the underpinnings of inequality and privilege. In this timely, insightful book Wytsma unpacks what we need to know to be grounded in conversations about today’s race-related issues. And he helps us come to a deeper understanding of both the origins of these issues and the reconciling role we are called to play as ministers of the gospel.
Inequality and privilege are real. The Myth of Equality opens our eyes to realities we may have never realized were present in our society and world. And we will be changed for the better as a result. -From the Publisher

Be sure to check out the justice conference at TheJusticeConference.com

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159 – Efrem Smith, Author of “Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God”
OnRamp 005: Privilege
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54min
July 24, 2017 166 – Leroy Barber on the NFL, and Colin Kaepernick
*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…
Leroy Barber has dedicated more than twenty-five years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism and living what Dr. King called “the beloved community.” He is the author of New Neighbor and Everyday Missions, and the coauthor of Red, Brown, Yellow, Black and White with Velma Maia Thomas. He was also a contributing author to Tending to Eden by Scott Sabin and the groundbreaking book UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. The co-founder and director of the Voices Project and college pastor at Kilns College, Barber starts projects that shape society. In 1989, burdened by the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless, he and his wife Donna founded Restoration Ministries to serve homeless families and children living on the streets, and in 1994 he became the director of internship programs at Cornerstone Christian Academy. He was licensed and ordained at Mt Zion Baptist Church where he served as youth director with Donna, and also served as associate minister of evangelism. In 1997, he joined FCS Urban Ministries, working with Atlanta Youth Project to serve as the founding executive director of Atlanta Youth Academies, a private elementary school providing quality Christian education for low-income families in the inner city. He also helped found DOOR Atlanta, Community Life Church, South Atlanta Marketplace and Community Grounds Coffee shop in Atlanta, as well as Green My Hood and the Voices Project. He is on the boards of The Simple Way, Missio Alliance, The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN) and the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Barber and his wife Donna have been married thirty years and together they have five children.

NFLKneelDown.com
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Seminary Dropout 75: Leroy Barber, Author of Red, Brown, Yellow, Black, White—Who’s More Precious In God’s Sight?
OnRamp 011: Race & Representation in Media
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34min
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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55min
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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38min

FAQs about Seminary Dropout:

How many episodes does Seminary Dropout have?

The podcast currently has 233 episodes available.

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