Theology for the People

What does it mean to age wisely in a culture obsessed with staying young?

Jen Wilkin joins Nick Cady to discuss her book, Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World, and the radically different stories that culture and Scripture tell about growing older.

Jen explains the book’s central image: the human lifespan forms a kind of chiasm. Birth corresponds to death, childhood dependence anticipates the dependence of our final years, and caring for children corresponds to caring for aging parents—with midlife serving as the place of perspective.

In this conversation, Nick and Jen discuss:

• Why aging itself is part of God’s original design—not merely a consequence of the Fall
• How our bodies can decline while we continue to develop as people
• Why midlife often brings disorientation and reexamination
• How Western culture’s ideal of independence shapes our fear of aging
• Why older believers are indispensable to the church
• How churches can cultivate meaningful friendships across generations
• What it means to number our days and use our limited time wisely
• The difference between Bible literacy and Bible fluency

Jen also reflects on unexpectedly needing a wheelchair when her book about aging was released—and what disability can teach us about dependence, dignity, and preparing to grow old faithfully.

Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible teacher whose work emphasizes Bible literacy and theological formation.

Learn more:

• JenWilkin.net
• Training the Church

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Why is happiness so difficult to find—and does God actually care whether we are happy?

Jen Oshman joins Nick Cady to discuss her book Why Is It So Hard to Be Happy? Together, they examine the common Christian distinction between happiness and joy, what the Bible means when it calls people “blessed,” and why Scripture presents God himself as the source of genuine happiness.

They also explore seven practices that psychologists associate with greater happiness, why those practices echo biblical wisdom, and what the Apostle Paul discovered that surpasses them all. According to Paul, even the best circumstances, achievements, and habits cannot compare with the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ and being found in him.

Is God indifferent to our happiness—or is he eager to make us happy in himself?

Jen Oshman is an author, speaker, and former missionary in Japan and the Czech Republic. Learn more about her work at jenoshman.com.

In this episode:

• What happiness actually is
• Whether happiness and joy are truly different
• Why makarios can be translated “happy”
• What psychology gets right about human flourishing
• Why good habits cannot satisfy our deepest longings
• How expectations contribute to disappointment
• Why Christians should be the happiest people

What does it mean that the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father” — and why did adding “and the Son” (Filioque), lead to one of the greatest divisions in church history?

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady is joined by Shane Angland to unpack the history, theology, and ongoing significance of the Filioque controversy.

Together, they explore the origins of the Nicene Creed, the debates at the Council of Constantinople (381), and why the Western church added the Filioque clause.

They also discuss:

• The difference between eternal procession and the mission of the Spirit
• Why the East and West approach theology differently
• The role of language (Greek vs. Latin) in shaping doctrine
• How politics—not just theology—deepened the divide
• Whether this issue still matters for Christians today

If you’ve ever wondered why theology can get so complex—or why it actually matters—this episode will help you see that these debates aren’t just academic, they’re about faithfully understanding who God is.

Visit the Theology for the People blog at nickcady.org

What happens when we read a theologian like John Owen alongside voices from across church history?

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady interviews Kelly Kapic and Ty Kieser, authors of Owen Among the Theologians: Conversations Across the Christian Tradition.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why theology is best done in conversation, not isolation
• How John Owen interacts with figures like Bernard of Clairvaux and Karl Barth
• Whether the Song of Songs should be read as a love poem, an allegory of Christ, or both
• Karl Barth’s radically Christ-centered theology—and why it both attracts and unsettles evangelicals
• How engaging other traditions can deepen our understanding of Scripture

Kapic and Kieser argue that faithful theology requires both conviction and humility: learning from the broader Christian tradition while remaining rooted in the authority of Scripture.

If you’ve ever wondered how to engage theological voices outside your tradition without compromising your convictions, this episode will help you think more deeply and faithfully.

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady sits down with theologian and professor Bradley Green to unpack one of the most commonly mentioned but rarely understood ideas in today’s cultural moment: critical theory.

Many people have heard of critical race theory—but Green explains that critical theory is actually a much older and broader worldview rooted in Marxist thought and developed by the Frankfurt School. More than just a social theory, Green argues that critical theory functions as a kind of alternative theology—with its own views of reality, sin, and redemption.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

• The distinction between critical theory as a whole, and critical race theory specifically
• How Marxism evolved from economics into cultural Marxism
• Why critical theory focuses on oppression and liberation
• What Green means by calling critical theory a “Christian heresy”
• How critical theory borrows from—and distorts—biblical categories like creation, sin, and redemption
• Why institutions like family and church are viewed as oppressive within this framework
• What Christians can affirm, critique, and learn from critical theory
• Why the gospel offers a better and more complete answer

Green also highlights an important insight: while critical theory correctly identifies that something is wrong in the world, it ultimately misdiagnoses the root problem—and therefore offers a flawed solution.

If you’ve ever wondered how to think clearly—and biblically—about critical theory, this episode will give you helpful categories and clarity.

What if repentance isn’t something to dread—but something to celebrate?

In this episode of Theology for the People, host Nick Cady sits down with author and pastor Chris Brauns to talk about his new book The Way of Repentance: Embracing God’s Gift for a Transformed Life.

For many people, the word “repentance” seems negative, but the Bible presents repentance not as a burden, but as a gift that leads to life, freedom, and joy.

In this episode we explore:

• The difference between worldly sorrow and true repentance
• How repentance is both grief and joy at the same time
• Why repentance is a gift that God gives
• How to get out of a rut when you feel stuck in cycles of sin
• What repentance looks like in everyday life
• How repentance transforms our relationships and character

We also discuss powerful biblical examples—from the prodigal son to Judah—and how repentance is not just the way into the Christian life, but the way we continue walking with Jesus.

👉 If you’ve ever struggled with guilt, felt stuck in sin, or misunderstood repentance, this conversation will help you see it as a pathway to deeper joy in Christ.

In this episode of Theology for the People, host Nick Cady sits down with Michael Payne, Worship Pastor at White Fields Community Church, to talk about what makes worship in the church both biblical and healthy.

Drawing from the insights of "Worship Matters" by Bob Kauflin, they explore 9 essential tensions that every church must navigate when it comes to worship and music.

What does it look like to be:

• Spirit-led and Scripture-rooted?
• Emotionally expressive and doctrinally grounded?
• Skilled and sincere?

Rather than choosing one side or the other, healthy worship holds these tensions together in a way that honors God and serves the church.

Whether you're a pastor, worship leader, musician, or church member, this conversation will help you think more clearly about what worship is—and what it’s for.

👉 Topics include:

• The purpose of music in gathered worship
• Balancing excellence and authenticityChoosing songs that shape theology
• Leading people, not just performing for them
• Why tension is not a problem—but a necessity

If you care about Christ-centered, congregational worship, this episode is for you.

What does persecution actually look like in the places where the gospel is least known? And how should Christians think about persecution in relation to missions?

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady speaks with missionary and author Matt Rhodes about his 15 years serving as a church planter in North Africa among a Muslim-majority tribal community. Matt shares stories from the field and discusses the central thesis of his book Persecution and Missions: A Practical Theology.

One of Matt’s key insights is that persecution is not merely an occasional obstacle to mission—it is often a structural reality in places where the gospel is advancing. In many communities, the greatest barrier to faith in Christ isn’t intellectual objections but the social and familial cost of conversion.

Nick and Matt discuss:

• Why persecution often prevents people from even exploring Christianity

• The immense social cost faced by converts from Muslim backgrounds

• Common mistakes Western missionaries make when discipling persecuted believers

• The tension between contextualization and compromise in missions

• How the New Testament frames persecution through the lens of the Exodus and the Promised Land

• Why missionaries must be honest about the cost of following Jesus

• The dangers of wealth, financial incentives, and dependency in missions

Matt also shares practical wisdom from his experience serving in a village context in North Africa and offers specific ways listeners can pray for believers who face intense pressure for their faith.

This conversation offers an important reminder: following Jesus has always come with a cost—but the hope of resurrection and eternal reward makes that cost worthwhile.

📘 Matt’s book: Persecution and Missions: A Practical Theology

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady is joined by recurring guest Shane Angland to explore the question: Did the early church fathers view Scripture the way Protestants do today—or is the Protestant view of the Bible a Reformation novelty?

Nick and Shane walk through patristic theology and discuss how figures like Irenaeus, Athanasius, Chrysostom, Jerome, and Augustine spoke about the inspiration, authority, sufficiency, and clarity of Scripture. They also examine the “rule of faith” and whether it functioned like a controlling magisterium—or more like a summary of Scripture’s core teaching that guided interpretation.

Along the way, they discuss:

• What “patristics” are, and where the patristic era generally begins and ends

• Whether the fathers believed Scripture could contain errors

• How early Christians handled difficult passages (textual issues, translation, and humility)

• The unity of Scripture and the Christ-centered reading of the whole Bible

• The Reformation’s claims about sola Scriptura and the perspicuity (clarity) of Scripture

• Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine and why it’s really about how to interpret the Bible

• Whether the church creates Scripture’s authority or recognizes it

• How medieval developments changed the relationship between Scripture and tradition

If you’ve ever wondered whether the Reformation recovered an earlier Christian approach to the Bible—or introduced something new—this conversation is for you.

In this episode of Theology for the People, Nick Cady sits down with Bruce Zachary, founding and teaching pastor of Calvary Nexus (Camarillo, California), to explore the Passover Seder meal—what it is, why it matters, and how it points powerfully to Jesus the Messiah.

Bruce shares his story of growing up in an observant Jewish home and later coming to faith in Christ after visiting Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa and encountering the Book of Hebrews.

From there, the conversation dives into the biblical foundation of Passover in Exodus 12, the symbolism of the Seder plate, the meaning of the afikomen, and the significance of the four cups from Exodus 6:6–7—especially the “cup of redemption” connected to Jesus’ words at the Last Supper.

Nick and Bruce also discuss how Christians should approach the Seder respectfully, how it helps connect the Old and New Testaments, and why Passover is one of the richest pictures of God’s redemptive plan—from Exodus to the cross and beyond.

📍 Upcoming Event: Bruce will be leading a Passover Seder at White Fields Community Church in Longmont, Colorado on March 27, 2026. The event is open to the public. Register here.

More from Bruce: Messages and free resources, including several ebooks, are available at calvarynexus.org

Nick and Bruce help lead a global church planting network called Cultivate. Visit: cultivatechurchplanting.com