The Distillery

Is innovation just a buzzword, or is there something going on with innovation that Christians should be paying attention to? In today's interview, Kenda Creasy Dean takes us on her own journey. A journey that began trying to figure out where young people are finding meaning and purpose. Professor Dean is an ordained United Methodist Pastor and serves as the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary.

What is wrong with the church? How can we fix it? In this interview, we explore what people think is wrong with the church. Guests Blair Bertrand and Andrew Root suggest that the church's problems are not necessarily what we think they are. We'll explore how secularism has shaped our imagination, and we'll explore different ways of thinking about what God is calling congregations to do next. 

What do young Black girls have to teach all of us about God and about living our Christian faith? In today's interview, Khristi Adams explores the unique and invaluable theological insights of Black girls, including their perspectives on scripture, service, suffering, and hospitality. Her new book is titled, "Womanish Theology: Discovering God through a Lens of Black Girlhood."

What's wrong with saying, "I don't see color?" Many have pursued racial color-blindness as if it is a virtue, but in today's episode, Montague Williams, author of "Church in Color: Youth Ministry, Race, and the Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., shares his experience with youth groups to enlighten others to what young people are longing for when it comes to engaging race, identity, and the experience in the church. He offers alternatives to the demands of color-blindness, and invites Christians to join in new practices that encourage us to show up with and for each other. 

What makes a life worth living? Do we organize our lives around the pursuit of happiness, self-sacrifice, security, power, or wealth? In today's episode, Ryan McAnnally-Linz invites us to explore life’s biggest existential questions that make up the meaning of life. At the center of this conversation is the book McAnnally-Linz co-authored with Matthew Croasmun and Miroslav Volf titled, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most.

What can spiritual entrepreneurship teach us about what God is doing in the world? In today's episode, Kathleen McShane and Elan Babchuck, co-authors of "Picking up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire," take a serious look at the story of Moses to better understand how culture and empire shape the ways we think about leadership and power, especially in congregations.

How do beauty and creativity helps us know God? How does the beauty of God's creation re-enchant the world as we know it? In this episode, David White, author of Tending the Fire That Burns at the Center of the World, shares how aesthetics, playfulness, and creativity can be reclaimed in churches as well as classrooms.  

What does Christian faith have to do with creation? As the global climate crisis becomes more and more pressing, Christian communities sometimes flounder in responding to this issue. In this episode, Debra Rienstra, author of Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth, shares how individuals and communities can rally in a response deeply rooted in their faith.

Which road do we take when at the intersection of tradition and innovation? Faith leaders and congregants across the country are navigating patterns of change daily in their ministry. In this episode, Douglas Powe and Lovett Weems examine how congregations can experiment as they faithfully respond to God's call. The book they co-authored, "Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation," serves as a foundation for this conversation centered on strategies to lean in to tradition even as we innovate.

The first episode of Season 8 begins with an intimate interview with Amy Butler, pastor, educator, and author of "Beautiful and Terrible Things," that examines the deeply dark and incredibly wonderful moments life brings. This conversation explores the nature of faith, the inevitability of doubt, and the importance of radical love in facing all the beautiful and terrible things that happen in our lives.