Theology in the Raw

By Preston Sprinkle

Religion & Spirituality Christianity

What's Theology in the Raw about?

On Theology in the Raw, Preston takes a fresh look at what the Bible really says, as he challenges opinions and traditions--yes, even his own. Homosexuality, sex, porn, drinking, immigration, racial tensions, violence, ISIS, Trump, guns, patriotism, you name it. If it's of interest, you can expect Preston to address it. Think of it as theology for the rest of us. If you have any questions you'd like him to address on the show, email them to [email protected] Hate mail and tirades will be discarded or mocked.

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#931 - Sexual Abuse Scandal...

12.27.2021

Russ has been very public about addressing the crisis of sexual abuse scandals in the church. In this episode, we talk about what leads to such scandals, why and how they are covered up, how the church needs to move ...

Theology in the Raw episodes:

12.27.2021 #931 - Sexual Abuse Scandals and Power in the Church: Dr. Russell Moore Russ has been very public about addressing the crisis of sexual abuse scandals in the church. In this episode, we talk about what leads to such scandals, why and how they are covered up, how the church needs to move ...
12.23.2021 #930 - The Scandal of Christmas, Part 4: Joey Dodson In this fourth and final episode in our “scandal of Christmas” series, New Testament scholar Dr. Joey Dodson walks us through parallel birth narratives in the Greco-Roman and Jewish environment of the New Testament. Reading the biblical birth narratives in ...
12.20.2021 #929 - The Scandal of Christmas, Part 3: Dr. Lynn Cohick In this third part of our four part series, New Testament scholar Dr. Lynn Cohick walks us through the significance of women in the birth narratives.
12.16.2021 #928 - The Scandal of Christmas, Part 2: Dr. Michael Bird We often think of Luke 1-2 and Matthew 1-2 when we think about the Christmas story. But what about Revelation 12? Is this angle a strange, fringe way of looking at the birth of Jesus, or is a primarily lens?
12.13.2021 #927 - The Scandal of Christmas, Part 1: Dr. Craig Keener I talk with world renown NT scholar Dr. Craig Keener about Luke 1-2, the politics and sociological scandal of Christ’s birth, his earthly vocation (as a tekton...woodworker? mason? None of the above?), the location of Christ’s birth, Matthew 1-2 (and ...
12.09.2021 #926 - Christ and Queer Marriage: Aaron and Liz Munson In this podcast conversation, Liz and Aaron share their story and talk about what it’s like being in a queer marriage--a term they prefer over “mixed orientation marriage,” since their orientations aren’t really mixed.
12.06.2021 #925 - Power and Privilege in Paul, Mark, and White Evangelicalism: Dr. Tim Gombis Dr. Tim Gombis is a no-holds-barred honest scholar, who’s not afraid to go to the hard places and challenge the status quo. And that’s exactly what we do in this episode. We discuss the undiscussables; say the quiet things out ...
12.02.2021 #924 - Sexual Abuse, Sexual Brokenness, and the Gospel: Jay Stringer Jay and I talk about the source of sexual brokenness--what causes people to watch porn or have an affiar. There are deeper, more complex, issues at work, and until those issues are addressed, we’ll only be putting out the the ...
11.29.2021 #923 - Active Listening and Thoughtful Nuance in Race Conversations: Dr. George Yancey In the midst of polarized conversations about race, Dr. George Yancey is a breath of fresh air. He’s a huge proponent of active listening--being genuinely curious about another another person’s perspective and getting outside your echo chamber to consider other ...
11.25.2021 #922 - The Stability of Scandalous Adoration: Dr. Greg Coles What does it mean to adore Jesus in a world that sees our adoration as scandalous? Taking our cues from a few of the Bible’s most notorious worshippers, we’ll celebrate together the stabilizing power of worship — a power no ...
11.22.2021 #921 - Conversion Therapy to Sex Work to Affirming to Side-B Christianity: Josh Proctor Strap on your seatbelts, folks. We’re going for a wild ride through Josh Proctor’s beautifully complex and honest journey.
11.18.2021 #920 - Why the Church Needs LGBTQ People This podcast is a recording of a talk I gave at this year’s Revoice conference in Plano, TX. In it, I talk about why LGBTQ people are not just needy but needed in the church. Specifically, there are four major ...
11.15.2021 #919 - NT Greek, Verbal Aspect Theory, Evangelical Tribalism, and Interpreting the Bible: Dr. Constantine Campbell Constantine Campbell's doctorate is in ancient Greek language and linguistics (Macquarie University, 2006). He was a professor of New Testament studies for 14 years, having taught at Moore College in Sydney and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. Campbell is ...
11.11.2021 #918 - When a Trans Couple both Transition Back to their Natal Sex: Cameron and Jess Cameron reached out to me a few weeks ago thanking me for my ministry and he told me a bit of his story. He’s a male to female back to male formerly trans-identified SSA Christian who has been a pastor/chaplain, ...
11.08.2021 #917 - Redemptive Kingdom Diversity: Dr. Jarvis J. Williams Jarvis is a friend and an incredible scholar. He has written and spoken extensively on issues related to race, ethnic reconciliation, and the gospel--which is the focus of our conversation.
11.04.2021 #916 - Gay Identity, Gentile Christians, and Revoice: Misty Irons Is it a sin to be gay? Would you attend a church that has a gay pastor? What does it mean to be gay? There is still a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the term gay and what it means to ...
11.01.2021 #915 - Covid, Vaccines, Herd Immunity, and the End of the Pandemic: Dr. Martin Kulldorff Martin Kulldorff was born in 1962 in Lund, Sweden. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University and is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a biostatistician at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. He serves on scientific advisory ...
10.28.2021 #914 - Biblical Counseling, Jesus and Gender, and the Billy Graham Rule: Elyse Fitzpatrick In this conversation, we talk about her (or our) journey into a fuller understanding of grace, along with her perspective on the biblical counseling movement. We then discuss various issues related to women in the church, including the so-called Billy ...
10.25.2021 #913 - Live No Lies: John Mark Comer John Mark Comer is the founding pastor of Bridgetown Church, right in the center of the city (by Powell's Books if you've ever been to Portland) and is the author of six books: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, God has ...
10.21.2021 #912 - Vaccines, Pandemics, and the Future of the World: Mark Sayers Yup, we go there. Vaccines. I didn’t even intend to go here, but our conversation sort of spilled over into a conversations about the efficacy of vaccines, why there’s “vaccine hesitancy,” and how the unvaccinated are potentially enabling the creation ...
10.18.2021 #911 - Empire and Race in the Book of Acts: Dr. Willie James Jennings In this episode, Dr. Jenning helps us understand how the book of Acts critiques empire and imperial values, and also how the early Christians in the book of Acts were wrestling with ethnic reconciliation and inclusion. Toward the end of ...
10.14.2021 #910 - One Christian’s Change in Perspective on Racism: Kimi Katiti Kimi is an artist, YouTuber, skater, musician, and a has been speaking out about her journey through the topic of race and racism. Kimi had absorbed a certain perspective on race that viewed many things as micro aggressions, but it ...
10.11.2021 #909 - Pastoring People through Politics, Polarization, and Pandemics: Matt Chandler Matt Chandler is a pastor, speaker, and writer. He’s been pastoring The Village Church in Texas for 18 years and is the president of Acts29. In this podcast, we talk about how he’s handled the last couple of years of ...
10.07.2021 #908 - Disability and the Church: Dr. Lamar Hardwick In this episode, Larmer tells his story and helps us understand how the church can better understand and include people with Disabilities.
10.04.2021 #907 - How Should Christians Respond to Racism? Rasool Berry and Samuel Sey Rasool and Samuel are both Chrisian, black, and well-versed in the race conversation. While they agree on several things, they disagree on several others, including the definition of racism, whether racism is systemic, and the role of Scripture in addressing ...
09.30.2021 #906 - Getting to Know My New Transwoman Friend: Seda Collier Seda Collier is a transwoman with an interesting story. She had a radical encounter with God while tripping on acid in 1980. Has had several other “God moments” throughout her life. Started transitioning to a woman in 2006. Has a ...
09.27.2021 #905 - The Gospel of Multiethnic Reconciliation: Dr. Bryan Loritts In this podcast, we talk about the need of prioritizing a theology of race, looking to the Bible for guidance on the race conversation, rather than reading everything through the lens of partisan politics.
09.23.2021 #904 - Theology, Film, and the Idolatry of Marriage: Dr. Kutter Callaway In this episode, we talk at length about a theology of film, looking at the deeper meaning of various movies and discuss how Christians should watch movies. Oftentimes, we get hung up on the big 3 sins: sex, violence, and ...
09.21.2021 #903 - The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill: Mike Cosper Mike is the creator and host of the uber popular podcast series: “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill,” which many people have praised and some people have critiqued. Mike and I talk about some of the concerns or pushbacks ...
09.21.2021 #902 - The Historically Christian View of Marriage: Part 2 Preston continues his discussion of marriage and same-sex sexual relations. In this second part, Preston responds to several of the most popular affirming arguments (i.e. arguments in favor of same-sex marriage from a biblical and theological perspective).
09.13.2021 #901 - The Historically Christian View of Marriage: Part 1 In this podcast, Preston gives an overview of what the Bible says about marriage and same-sex sexual relationships. He summarizes the historically Christian view in three points: 1) When the Bible talks about marriage, it says that sex difference is ...
09.09.2021 #900 - Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parents’ Perspectives Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria (ROGD) is a psychological term coined by Dr. Lisa Littmann from Brown University in a study published in 2018, and made more popular by the highly publicized book Irreversible Damage by Abigail Schrier. The words RAPID ...
09.06.2021 #899 - The Dark World of Sex Trafficking: Tyler Schwab Faith, Sexuality, and Gender Conference - Live in Boise or Stream OnlineIn the all-day conference, Dr. Preston Sprinkle dives deep into the theological, relational, and ministry-related questions that come up in the LGBTQ conversation. Support PrestonSupport Preston by going to ...
09.02.2021 #898 - Jesus, the Bible, and Finding Christ through Deconstruction: Brian Zhand Brian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church, a non-denominational Christian congregation in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Brian and his wife, Peri, founded the church in 1981. Brian is also the author of several books, including, ...
08.30.2021 #897 - Netflix’s “Pray Away” and the Ex-Gay Movement: Tony Scarcello Netflix recently released a documentary on the so-called “Ex-Gay” movement, highlighting its lies and all the damage it’s done to gay Christians. What are the pros of the movie? And what are the cons? My good friend Tony Scarcello and ...
08.26.2021 #896 - Engaging the LGBTQ Conversation with Messy Grace and Truth: Dr. Caleb Kaltenbach Caleb Kaltenbach is a pastor and founder of The Messy Grace Group where he helps churches love and foster community with LGBTQ individuals without sacrificing theological convictions. He's the author of God of Tomorrow and Messy Grace (where he discusses ...
08.23.2021 #895 - Asylum Seekers, Undocumented Immigrants, and the Gospel: Dr. Rebecca Poe Hays and John Garland "About 5% of what you see on the news reflects the reality of what’s going on at the border,” says pastor John Garland, who’s been living out the gospel at the border. In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Poe Hays and ...
08.19.2021 #894 - A Theology of Disability: Dr. Brian Brock Dr. Brian Brock is a Christian ethicist and theologian who has become one of the leading experts in disability theology. What does it mean, theologically, to be dissabled? How much of the able-bodied assumptions about disability are misinformed and, potentially, ...
08.16.2021 #893 - Why Christians Need to Read the Apocrypha: Dr. Joey Dodson What is the Apocrypha and what isn’t the Apocrypha? Is it a Catholic set of uninspired books? Books vital for understanding the New Testament? Should it be included in our Bibles? In our...Canon? New Testament scholar and Apocrypha expert Dr. ...
08.12.2021 #892 - I Think I Might Be a Christian Anarchist!? Jay Newman What is Christian Anarchy? I sat down with my good friend, fellow Dodger’s fan, and BBQ expert Jay Newman to talk about this. He’s not only persuaded by Christian anarchy, but he’s convinced that I’m one too. We dive deep ...
08.09.2021 #891 - Kids and COVID, Platforming Detransitioners, Women in Leadership, NT Wright vs. John Piper: Q&A Podcast My Patreon supporters sent me a ton of questions to respond to, so here’s my attempt! Is it inconsistent for homeschool parents to say “kids need to go back to school” during COVID, then they are not...in school. Does Gen ...
08.05.2021 #890 - The Holiness of God: Jackie Hill Perry Jackie HIll Perry is a rockstar. Actually, she’s a Christian, poet, musician, artist, author, mother, and wife--in no particular order (except the Christian part is most important). Her latest book Holier Than Thou, releases on Aug. 17, 2021 and talks ...
08.02.2021 #889 - Parenting in the Raw: Chris Sprinkle Chris is a mother, wife, and Vice-President for The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. She also helps run Theology in the Raw and my personal ministry. Oh, and I’m sleeping with her. She’s my wife. And she’s an incredible ...
07.29.2021 #888 - Race, Racism, and Why Christians Need Critical Race Theory: Propaganda Oh nelly, are you all in for a challenge! Propaganda (aka Jason Petty) is a musician, poet, activist, intellect, and an author who’s recently published his first book Terraform: Building a Better World. In this episode we talk about Prop’s ...
07.26.2021 #887 - Polyamory, Sex w/ Robots, Procreation, & the Meaning of Marriage: Andrew Bunt Yup, we talk about all of that. Not sure I need to explain more than what’s in the title. Our conversation is actually quite theological and it doesn’t shy away from the tough questions, the embarrassing questions, and the questions ...
07.22.2021 #886 - Sex, Gender, and the Anthropology of Trans* Identities: Dr. Abigail Favale Abigail and I talk about all things related to gender, postmodern feminism, and the ontology of trans* identities. We discuss the meaning of sex and gender, the relationship between body and soul, the possibility of an intersex condition of the ...
07.19.2021 #885 - Vaccines, Lab Leak Theory, Covid Variants, and Masks: John C. Bivona Back by popular demand! John C. Bivona is an infectious disease expert and he gives us an update on all things pandemic related. The efficacy of vaccines, what we know and don’t know, should kids get vaccinated, are you immune ...
07.15.2021 #884 - Facing Burnout in a Post-Covid Church: Dan White Jr In this episode, I talk to Dan White about what it’s like burning out of ministry and how to cultivate healthier rhythms to prevent this from happening (again). Part of the problem is the internet and social media. Our prefrontal ...
07.12.2021 #883 - Pastoring Mars Hill Bible Church: Dr. A.J. Sherrill A.J. was the lead pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, a few years after Rob Bell left, and talks about how he approached ministry in this unique church. We also talk about different theological traditions, political division, patriotism vs. nationalism, ...
07.08.2021 #882 - Another Perspective on Systemic Racism, White Privilege, and CRT: Samuel Sey Samuel Sey is a Ghanian-Canadian who lives in outside of Toronto. He’s written extensively on race, racial justice, abortion, critical race theory, and other issues related to faith and culture. He challenges us with a perspective on race that’s different ...

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