Theology in the Raw

This was a fun one!

Dr. Brian Brock has written a deeply thoughtful theology of creation, which set the foundation for our conversation. As you'll see, we ended up going down several unexpected paths and honestly got me thinking through things I've never considered before.

We talked about what it means to image God, the role gender plays in human creation, and the theological distinctions between humans and animals. Yes, we even wrestled with the question of whether my dog Tank will be with me in heaven.Toward the end of the conversation, we also touched on Dr. Brock’s significant work in the theology of disability,

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Dr. Brian Brock is Professor of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He has written scholarly works on the use of the Bible in Christian ethics the ethics of technological development and the theology of disability. He the author of several books including his magnum opus Joining Creation’s Praise: A Theological Ethic of Creatureliness 

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Baptism, Communion, Corporate Worship and Singing.... do these ancient rituals matter today? Do I need to physically go to church for this stuff, or can I just go pray at a park? What's the point of these rituals if we're saved by faith and not by works?

Dr. Isaac Serrano serves as Lead Pastor of South Valley Community Church in CA. He also is an adjunct professor at Western Seminary and on the leadership team for the Regeneration Project. He’s also the author of the recently released book published by InterVarsity Press, called: “When Life Feels Empty: 7 Ancient Practices to Cultivate Meaning” (InterVarsity)

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Dr. Josh Packard (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is a sociologist and cofounder of Future of Faith, which helps faith leaders expand and sustain relational ministries in today's rapidly evolving cultural landscape. He is the author of several books, including Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People Are Done with Church but Not Their Faith and his most recent book: Faithful Futures: Sacred Tools for Engaging Younger Generations, which is the topic of our conversation. 

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Todd Nettleton is the Vice President of Message for The Voice of the Martyrs–USA and host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio. He serves as a voice for persecuted Christians, inspiring Christians with the faithfulness of Christ’s followers in 70+ nations where they face persecution for wearing His name. During more than 25 years serving at VOM, Todd has traveled the world and conducted face-to-face interviews with hundreds of Christians who’ve endured persecution in more than 30 nations. Check out his book When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians (Moody 2021)

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Tara-Leigh Cobble is a bestselling author and the creator/host of The Bible Recap podcast, which reached #1 in Apple’s Overall Charts and has 500 million downloads to date. She founded D-Group International, a network of nearly 500 weekly Bible study groups that meet in homes, churches, and online, and she hosts a daily radio show called The God Shot. And she recently released the 365 Day Chronological Study Bible, which I highly recommend. Buy it here.

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Join us for the Exiles in Babylon conference! April 30-May 2, 2026.

Justin E. Giboney (JD, Vanderbilt University) is the cofounder and president of the AND Campaign, a Christian civic organization focused on raising civic literacy, promoting civic pluralism, and equipping Christians to engage politics with the love and truth of Jesus Christ. An ordained minister, attorney, and political strategist, Giboney has been featured in publications such as the New York Times and Christianity Today and is the coauthor of the book Compassion (&) Conviction and the author of the recently released: Don’t Let nobody Turn You Around: How the Black Church’s Public Witness Leads us Out of the Culture War (IVP 2025)

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Join us for the Exiles in Babylon conference! April 30-May 2, 2026.

Mike Erre is an author, podcaster, instigator, and a teaching pastor at Journey Church in Brentwood, TN. Mike began vocational ministry in 1999 as a student ministries and college pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, Calif. Prior to joining Journey’s staff, he also taught at Rock Harbor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Mariners’ Mission Viejo, Calif. campus. He served as the senior Pastor at EV Free Fullerton and founded the VOX Community and podcast (now Voxology). Mike has published five books: The Jesus of Suburbia (2006), Why Guys Need God (2008), Death By Church (2009), Why the Bible Matters (2010), and Astonished ( 2014). He holds an M.A. in philosophy of religion and ethics from the Talbot School of Theology.

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Dr. Andrew Rillera holds a PhD (Duke University) and is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at The King's University, Edmonton AB. Andrew is the author of the pot-stirring book: The Lamb of the Free: Recovering the Varied Sacrificial Understandings of Jesus’s Death, which challenges the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement.

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Jamin Goggin (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is an associate professor at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University and the director of the Healthy Pastor Initiative at Finishing the Task. He is the co-author of The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb and the author of the recently released book Pastoral Confessions: The Healthy Path to Faithful Ministry.

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Lysa TerKeurst is the president and chief visionary officer of Proverbs 31 Ministries and the author of eight New York Times bestsellers. Her most recent book is Surviving an Unwanted Divorce: A Biblical, Practical Guide to Letting Go While Holding Yourself Together, which she co-wrote with Jim Cress and Dr. Joel Muddamalle, who joins us on the show.

Joel holds a PhD in theology, serves as the director of theology and research at Proverbs 31 Ministries, and has written several books including the forthcoming book The Unseen Battle. He and Lysa cohosts the Therapy & Theology podcast. 

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