Theology on Mission

There is a critical need for church leaders to engage with cultural issues. 

In the Season 10 opener of the Theology on Mission podcast, hosts Dave Fitch and Mike Moore reflect on the shifting role of intellectual leadership during transitional times for the church. 

It is important to integrate theological reflection with the practical struggles of everyday ministry. The conversation explores the changing dynamics within Christian education, the decline in church attendance, and the evolving landscape of moral and ethical engagement in a post-Christendom society. 

Timestamps: 

03:33 Theology on Mission: Engaging Culture

04:01 The Role of Organic Intellectuals

06:57 Challenges Facing the Church and Education

08:08 Cultural Shifts and Church Responses

10:31 The Need for Organic Intellectuals in Ministry

23:43 Training and Developing Organic Theologians

31:22 Conclusion and Upcoming Episodes

Listen to The Pastor’s Table on your favorite platform: https://pod.link/1661366136 

In a world where we can see the abuses of power everywhere.

David Fitch & Mike Moore from The Theology on Mission Podcast join Mark and Tara Beth to discuss power dynamics in the church's life.  Church leaders must discern power and avoid its abuses and traumas. By learning from the church's historical pitfalls, Christians can be empowered to relinquish worldly power and make space for God to disrupt and transform our culture for his kingdom.

In this episode they explore the appropriate exercise of power within the church, distinguishing between God's and worldly power, and the importance of mutual submission and humility. The conversation addresses how pastors can discern when they are misusing power and the need for a community and friends to hold them accountable. 

Timestamps:

01:08 Meet the Guests: Dr. Mike Moore and Dr. David Fitch

03:35 The Challenge of Power in Pastoral Leadership

05:00 Distinguishing God's Power from Worldly Power

07:33 Recognizing and Managing Misuse of Power

10:45 Spiritual Authority and Mutual Submission

26:40 Practical Applications and Organizational Structures

33:34 Concluding Thoughts 

Pastors face unexpected challenges all the time.  

Tara Beth and Mark talk about the many active struggles of ministry. Antagonism and all sorts of sources have created a polarized world. Often this blows up in the church.  Mark and Tara Beth share their insights from mediating conflicts, understanding underlying issues, and knowing when it might be time to move on from a pastoral role. 

Pastors foster a reconciling presence as Christ was a reconciling force through his ministry.  

Listen to The Pastor’s Table on your favorite platform: https://pod.link/1661366136 

Outline: 

00:00 Introduction and Banter

01:58 Special Guests Introduction

04:23 Challenges of Ministry

10:01 Antagonism in the Church

18:09 Historical Context of Marriage

18:49 Modern Affluence and Marriage Dynamics

19:56 Pastoral Leadership in Conflict

21:56 Understanding Congregational Antagonisms

23:18 Modeling Reconciliation in Church

29:53 Social Media's Impact on Pastors

38:12 Differentiation and Pastoral Identity

39:28 When It's Time to Leave

41:03 Final Thoughts and Podcast Wrap-Up

Palestine is the birthplace of Christianity.  

Despite the generations-long crisis existing between Israel and Palestinian, there are followers of Jesus faithfully living out their faith. David Fitch and Mike Moore sit down with Reverend Jack Sara, President of Bethlehem Bible College and a native Palestinian pastor. They delve into the pressing issues Christians face on the ground in the Gaza crisis and beyond. 

Pastor Jack shares his deeply personal account of living and ministering in a land torn by conflict, tracing the legacy of Palestinian Christians and their pursuit of peace amidst ongoing violence. From the challenges of navigating daily life under occupation to fostering interfaith understanding and resilience, this conversation sheds light on the work of the kingdom of Jesus in regions afflicted by long-standing hostilities. 

Listen in as we explore the role of faith, the power of nonviolent reconciliation, and the hope that persists for a better future in Palestine.

Learn more about and support the work being done at Bethlehem Bible College at https://bethbc.edu/

Timestamps: 

02:32 Pastor Jack's Personal and Family History Amidst Conflict

03:06 The Role of Christianity in Palestine's Turbulent Context

06:46 Challenges and Hopes for Palestinian Christians

16:46 The Impact of Palestinian Christians Beyond Their Numbers

22:27 Supporting Palestinian Christians: Insights and Actions

38:03 Closing Thoughts and Prayer for Peace

Countless hurdles stand in the way of people encountering the gospel. The religious trauma faced by so many people is clearly one of the largest obstacles to even hearing the gospel.  

Charles Kiser and Elanie Heath recover the God of love from the structures of hate that pervade Christian communities in America today. In their new guide, Elanie and Charles work toward bringing this reformation to fruition through ministering specifically to the spiritually traumatized. 

Fitch talks with Charles about this new book and how our faith communities can be better attuned to the trauma of others. Start making deeper connections and better cultivate communities of wounded healers.  

Learn more the book and connect with Charles at his website:  https://www.charleskiser.com 

The constraints of the spiritual life, practiced in the community, are what set us free. Practicing spiritual disciplines can seem difficult, especially when we undertake them as isolated individuals. But we were never meant to practice them alone.

Jared Patrick Boyd reveals how the constraints practiced in Christian community shape us into the way of Christ. He re-anchors the practices of constraint within the ascetic tradition of monasticism, religious orders, and the early church fathers. Boyd writes, "The constraints of a rule of life are what make life together, lived for one another, possible. A rule of life is not meant to be primarily personal, but communal. It's not primarily meant to guide my life. It is meant to describe our way of life together." Constraint is the practice of learning to pay deeper attention to the things in our inner world that prevent us from progressing in the school of love.

Discover a deep conversation on freedom and constraint with six core practices of constraint that can form in us a greater freedom to be and become people who love as God loves. Enter into this vision with your local community (in small groups, church leadership teams, or families), and learn to make greater room to experience the love of God.

Grab your copy of Finding Freedom in Constraint: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Freedom-Constraint-Reimagining-Disciplines/dp/1514004313

We aren't always honest about how difficult normal human life is.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make―like the daily choice to get out of bed.

In this deeply personal essay, Alan Noble considers the unique burden of everyday life in the modern world. Sometimes, he writes, the choice to carry on amid great suffering―to simply get out of bed―is itself a powerful witness to the goodness of life, and of God.

Purchase Your Copy of On Getting Out of Bed: https://www.ivpress.com/on-getting-out-of-bed 

How did Jesus interact and weld power?  

In this thought-provoking episode of Theology on Mission Podcast, we dive deep into this riveting theological discussion with our special guest, Matt Tebbe.

Matt Tebbe, a theologian and author of "Having the Mind of Christ," brings his unique insights to the table as we delve into the polarizing topic of 'power' as seen in theological perspectives. We grapple with intriguing questions regarding the nature of power, the difference between worldly and godly power, and the implications of these two distinct forms of power in various social and cultural contexts.

Building on the foundation of our previous discussions, we continue our exploration of power in the context of Jesus' life and teachings. We ponder over the transformative power of Jesus, examining different biblical narratives where Jesus interacts with societal norms and challenges power structures.

Matt presents his interpretation of how Jesus used power to promote justice and love. He discusses 'power redistribution' and describes how Jesus navigated balancing power dynamics through love. Contrary to redistributing worldly power, Dave Fitch argues that Jesus entered spaces, disrupted the worldly power, and permitted a new power - the power of the Kingdom - to work.

Despite the disagreements and differences, this conversation provides an enriching understanding of how differently we reckon with power, providing a path towards addressing power issues that many face in faith establishments.

Learn more about Matt Tebbe’s Gravity Commons organization at https://gravitycommons.com/community/ and The Table at https://www.thetableindy.org/ 

What if we considered ourselves “exiles in Babylon” and turned to Scripture, not political parties, to shape our most passionate values? 

Politics are dividing our churches like never before. In his new book, Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire, Dr. Preston Sprinkle reminds us that the first-century church was not an apolitical gathering, where Christians left their Roman politics at the door. It also wasn’t where Christians mounted a Roman flag next to—or above—a Christian one. Church was a place where God’s plan for governing the world was revealed, where one could witness what it means to follow the Creator’s design for human flourishing. 

Fitch, Mike, and Preston explore why:

Total allegiance to a political party dilutes the church’s witness. Discover a more biblical, powerful way to live in a secular world. Discover what it means to live in exile.

Get your copy of Exiles: https://www.prestonsprinkle.com/books/exiles

How does God leverage power?  

In David Fitch’s new book, Reckoning with Power, he unpacks the difference between worldly power, or power over others, and God's power, which engages not in coercion but in love, reconciliation, grace, forgiveness, and healing.

On today’s podcast, Mike and Fitch focus on the power found at the very beginning of Genesis and how that sets the stage for how the church should reckon with power.