Theology in the Raw

Joshua Ryan Butler is a Teaching Pastor with the Willamette family of churches in the Portland area and the author of The Party Crasher, Beautiful Union, The Skeletons in God’s Closet, The Pursuing God, and his most recent book, God is On Your Side. To listen to our "extra innings" conversation, head over to Theology in the Raw's Patreon page to become a member of the Theology in the Raw community. 

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Kurt Ver Beek is the co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). He taught as a professor of Sociology at Calvin University, where he directed the Honduras Justice Studies semester with his wife, Jo Ann, for 20 years. He is the author of Call for Justice, co-written with Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content.

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Marian Jacobs has a background in theater-arts and is an avid reader, writer, wife and mother, and a current seminary student. She’s the author of the recently released On Magic and Miracles: A Theological Guide to Discerning Fictional Magic, which is the topic we discuss in this conversation. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content.

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Kainan is a covenant member and commissioned leader at a Southern Baptist church in Grand Prairie, Texas. He earned his BA in Communication Theory from Dallas Baptist University and is currently pursuing a Master of Theological Studies at Grimké Seminary in their School of Urban Ministry. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content.

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Subscribe to Theology in the Raw on Patreon to instantly unlock Part 2 of this episode for FREE. You'll get to watch Malcolm and Thaddeus interact with questions from each other and our live audience! Just head to www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw and select “Join for Free” to watch now. 

For this first video, I invited Dr. Thaddeus Williams and Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley to discuss and debate the role of social justice in the mission of the the Church. This took place at 2025 Exiles in Babylon Conference, hosted in Minneapolis April 3-5, 2025. 

Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley serves as the Special Advisor to the President of Baylor University for Equity and Campus Engagement and as a pastor at Mosaic Waco, an intentionally multi-cultural, non-denominational church in Waco, TX. His book with Brazos Press, The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How The Church Can Create a New Way Forward, argues that the only truly antiracist Christian communities are the ones that resist greed and exploitation

Thaddeus Williams (Ph.D., Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) serves as tenured professor of theology for Biola University. He is also the author of the best-seller Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth: 12 Questions Christians Should Ask About Social Justice. He has also taught Philosophy and Literature at Saddleback College, Jurisprudence at Trinity Law School, and as a lecturer in Worldview Studies at L’Abri Fellowships in Switzerland and Holland, and Ethics for Blackstone Legal Fellowship the Federalist Society in Washington D.C.

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Subscribe to Theology in the Raw on Patreon to instantly unlock this full Bonus Q&A. You’ll also have access to a huge archive of bonus episodes, Extra Innings, and free video content from the Exiles in Babylon archives. Here’s the questions you’ll find when you unlock the full episode!

* Huldah interpreted Scripture for men and was sanctioned by God as a prophet to do so. Does that role for women change in the New Testament?

* Do you see this issue as an agree-to-disagree issue between Christians? How important is it and why?

* Does Phoebe being a letter carrier necessarily mean that she is teaching authoritatively? Isn't Paul the true authority, and she is simply representing him?

* In 1Tim 3:1 Paul says “if anyone desires to be an elder” if he meant only men, why use the Greek word “tis” and not a more descriptive word for male?

* Is it possible to be a mutualist at home but a purely symbolic complementarian in the church on the basis that bishops are representatives of the apostles?

* Elder-exclusive complementarianism is the only form that makes any sense to me, Biblically. What arguments, if any, do you see for stricter forms?

* Does "husband of one wife" in 1 Tim. 3.2;3.12 have to be gender exclusive? Could it be translated as some have suggested as a "one-man" woman?

* Comps: women cant teach/exercise auth. over men because 1 Tim 2.But Priscilla teaching Apollos is to a degree a man submitting to a woman’s teaching. How you understand this?

* In Gen 3 God punished females with subjection to their husbands due to Eve's sin. Is Paul extrapolating this to church leadership positions as well in 1 Tim 2?

* Do we need to read primogeniture into Genesis in order to be faithfully exegeting Genesis 2?

* With so many Hapax Legomena in 1 Timothy, and 8 alone in 1 Timothy 2, why is it so often quoted as “the clearest passage on women” in the New Testament?

* Does Gen. 3:15 indicate that sexism is from Satan, ie., that the enemy specifically targets women? If so, what are the implications for the church/Christians?

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Miko Peled is an Israeli-American, whose father Matti Peled was a famous Israeli general who served in the 1948 and 1967 war with the Israel Defense Force. Miko also served 3 years in the IDF. But he is now an activist advocating for Palestinian liberation and the end to the occupation. Miko is the founder and president at Palestine House of Freedom in Washington, D.C. And is the author of several books including The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine. Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content.

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Measha Brueggergosman-Lee is a professional singer and musician, who in 2024 became the first black recipient and youngest recipient ever of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Classical Music from the Governor General of Canada. She’s also the author of her memoir Something Is Always On Fire and is currently writing a sequel entitled Open-Hearted. She is currently in the third year of a Masters in Practical Theology at Acadia Divinity College.

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Dr. Daniel Bannoura (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is a Palestinian theologian. His research focuses on the Quran, Christian-Muslim relations, and Palestinian theology. He's also a co-host of "Across the Divide", a podcast on faith and politics in the context of Palestine-Israel. And he’s on the organizational team for the upcoming “Church at the Crossroads” conference outside of Chicago this coming September (11-13). Recieve $20 off registration for the Church at the Crossroads conference by entering "TITR" upon checkout. Listen to Daniel's podcast Across the Divide. Click on this link to find Daniel's resource list for Israel-Palestine: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JHWbiYVQ4sD5gX-o0yHC-5hXnY1KPf0kBvw2rZSJfiE/edit?usp=sharing Join the Theology in the Raw community for as little as $5/month to get access to premium content.

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Dr. Ed Uszynski (PhD, Bowling Green State University) has been working with collegiate and professional athletes in various roles with Athletes in Action since 1992. He’s the author of Untangling Critical Race Theory: What Christians Need to Know and Why It Matters (IVP) and his most recent book, Away Game: A Christian Parents Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, coauthored with Brian Smith. To listen to our "extra innings" conversation, head over to Theology in the Raw's Patreon page to become a member of the Theology in the Raw community. 

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