In this episode, Sam chats with Michael Niebauer about the theology of mission sketched in his provocative recent book, Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission (Lexham Press, 2022). Drawing on lines of thought developed in Virtuous Persuasion, Sam and Mike survey current models of Christian mission, considering where each breaks down theologically, before exploring an alternative model of mission grounded in theological ethics. Drawing on the diverse voices of Thomas Aquinas, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Oliver O'Donovan, this episode introduces listeners to Niebauer's fresh lens on Christian mission, one which will be of immediate use for all Christian missionaries—whether those enjoying Peter's manifest missionary success (Acts 2:37–41) or Stephen's apparent missionary "failure" (Acts 7:54–60).

For those desiring to understand Anglican teaching on Holy Communion, one could do worse than turn to the writings of the English reformers themselves. In this episode, Sam Fornecker and Alice Soulieux-Evans revisit the great English reformer, Thomas Cranmer (1489–1556). Having previously examined Cranmer the preacher, this episode considers Cranmer the theologian, as Sam and Alice take listeners on a guided tour through Cranmer's first book-length work, A Defence of the True and Catholick Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ (1550). 

Jake Griesel is away for this episode. We look forward to having him back in due course!

Want to follow along as Sam and Alice consider the Defence? Access the version they will be referencing here.

In this finale of the inaugural season of The Ridley Institute Podcast, Sam talks with Norman Wirzba, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theology at Duke Divinity School. Drawing on themes from Wirzba's forthcoming book, Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022), Sam and Norman explore how the cultivation of an "agrarian" vision of core Christian spiritual practices — including, but not limited to, prayer and perception — can guide the heart of the Christian into ever-greater alignment with the heart of God.

Sam talks with Gracy Olmstead, author of Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind (Sentinel, 2021), about local culture, the American dream, and the challenges and possibilities of living with roots in a transient society. 

What would happen if you put Abraham Kuyper in a microwave with Catholic social teaching? Just possibly, something like Jake Meador's most recent book, What Are Christians For? Life Together at the End of the World (IVP, 2022). In this episode, Sam is joined by Jake, editor in chief of Mere Orthodoxy, to discuss a number of issues, ranging from place, race, and the revolutionary spirit, to the beauties of hospitality, honey sticks, and expertly trimmed brisket. 

In this latest installment of the New Parker Society — the first of two on the great English reformer and Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer — Sam is joined Jake Griesel and Steve Tong to discuss the genre of the sermon. Key to the conversation is Cranmer's role in the construction of the Book of Homilies (1547), and the theological and pastoral genius animating, in particular, the incomparable third homily, "A Sermon of the Salvation of Mankind by Only Christ Our Saviour from Sin and Death Everlasting." (Special thanks to Alice Soulieux-Evans, for her help behind the scenes, despite her unavailability for this episode.)

In this episode, Sam chats with speaker, writer, and social critic, Os Guinness. Discussing themes developed in his most recent book, The Great Quest: Invitation to an Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning (InterVarsity, 2022), Os and Sam explore big questions about faith, reason, and the meaning of life. In the spirit of great Christian thinkers like Blaise Pascal, G.K. Chesterton, and C.S. Lewis, Os helps listeners to grasp how Christianity both questions our answers, and answers our questions.

In this episode, Sam is joined by Jason Baxter, Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Humanities at Wyoming Catholic College, to discuss the "British Boethius," C.S. Lewis. Unfolding aspects of Jason's recent book, The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis: How Great Books Shaped a Great Mind (InterVarsity Academic, 2022), Jason and Sam discuss why Lewis treasured the middle ages, and what modern people stand to gain from retrieving the medieval mind. 

On this much-anticipated episode, Sam is joined by Fred Sanders, professor of theology in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University. Drawing on insights from Fred’s recent book, Fountain of Salvation: Trinity and Soteriology (Eerdman’s, 2021), Sam and Fred discuss why properly relating the doctrines of the Trinity and salvation can foster enormous fruitfulness in the realms of Christian doctrine, life, and mission. 

Join Alice, Jake, and Sam for the third installment of the New Parker Society series. This time, the gang meets to discuss the bishop of Gloucester and of Worcester, John Hooper's 1547 work, A Declaration of Christ and His Office. The late David Steinmetz described Hooper as a "volcano of energy, who shook the indifferent out of their self-satisfaction and who let the ignorant and slothful catch a sobering whiff of brimstone." Suffice to say — this one will leave you whistling the theme song.