Theology on Purpose

Familiarity has a way of dulling our sense of wonder, even when it comes to God. In this solo episode, Sarah reflects on what exploring tide pools has taught her about discovering the extraordinary in familiar places. Through stories from Scripture and everyday life, she shares three practical ways to recover a sense of aw, and become freshly amazed by who God is and what God is doing. Take the Connect with God quiz here: https://connectwithgodquiz.com/

The stories we read can shape how we see God, ourselves, and the people around us. In this episode of Theology on Purpose, professor Bettina Tate Pedersen joins me to explore how literature can deepen our faith, cultivate empathy, and invite us to think more expansively about God.

We also talk about the relationship between feminism and Christianity, including common misconceptions about feminism in Christian spaces and how feminist thought has shaped Bettina's approach to Scripture, language, and theology. Along the way, Bettina shares the books that have formed her faith and the practices that help her continue to approach God with curiosity.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How reading literature can cultivate empathy and deepen your faith

• Why stories can challenge and expand your understanding of God

• How to approach feminism and Christianity with curiosity rather than fear

• Why the language we use for God matters

• How close reading can help you engage Scripture more thoughtfully

• Why you don't have to surrender your responsibility as a reader to pastors or teachers

• How books outside the "Christian" category can still help us encounter God

Be sure to get all the show notes here: https://sarahkbutterfield.substack.com/s/podcast

Every day, we choose what to wear based on where we're going and what the day might hold. But what if we brought that same intentionality to the way we show up in the world?

Based on Paul's invitation in Colossians 3 to "clothe" ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love, Sarah explores what it means to intentionally put on the character of Christ—and why we do so not to earn God's love, but because we are already dearly loved. Take the Connect with God quiz here: https://connectwithgodquiz.com/

In this fascinating episode, author and professor Lanta Davis shares with us the important role art and imagination play in shaping our spiritual lives. Based on insights from her book Becoming by Beholding: The Power of Imagination in Spiritual Formation, Lanta shares how the images, stories, art, and ideas we encounter can shape not only what we believe, but who we are becoming.

In this episode, you'll:

• Learn how everyday inputs (media, stories, art) are forming your spiritual life

• Identify subtle cultural influences that may be distorting your view of Jesus

• Rethink spiritual formation as something to participate in, not just think about

• Discover why beauty, art, and physical spaces matter more to your faith than you may have considered

• Begin to notice how your attention forms your inner life

• Explore practical, low-pressure ways to engage practices that retrain your imagination

Get the show notes and see all the artwork here: https://sarahkbutterfield.substack.com/s/podcast

In a world that runs on noise and self-sufficiency, it's easy to forget the truth sustaining us moment by moment. This episode reflects on the gift of breath as a reminder of God's steady and sustaining nearness.

Drawing from a guest reflection by Kayla Craig and the practice of centering prayer, this episode explores what it means to stop striving and simply receive God's presence. Through Scripture, story, and spiritual practice, you'll be invited into a slower, more attentive way of being with God in the middle of ordinary life.

Take the Connect with God quiz here

In this episode, Sarah talks with Eric Clayton about his new book Where Wonder Leads and the surprising role imagination plays in our life with God. Drawing from Ignatian spirituality, Eric shares how stepping into stories—whether from Scripture, myth, or even fantasy—can become a meaningful way to pray and discern God's presence. Eric shares his insights about how moving beyond a "right answers" faith can open us to deeper encounter and transformation.

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Use imagination as a tool for prayer and spiritual growth

• Move from head knowledge to lived experience with God

• Recover a sense of wonder in everyday moments

• Recognize God's presence in ordinary life

Get the show notes here

In this episode, Sarah reflects on the limits we resist, the exhaustion that comes from pushing past them, and the invitation to embrace our finiteness as a place of spiritual growth. Rather than barriers to becoming who we're meant to be, our limits may be the very ground where a faithful, embodied life with God takes root. Take the Connect with God quiz here

If you don't think your body has much to do with your faith, think again! In this episode, Sarah sits down with Anna Rollins, author of Famished, to explore how purity culture and diet culture have shaped women's relationships with their bodies, desires, and God. Anna explains the "rhyming scripts" that taught a generation of women to stay small, silent, and self-controlled (and how those messages can distort both self-image and theology!)

Anna shares her journey toward a more integrated, grace-filled faith—one that embraces the body as good and invites a more compassionate, curious way of living.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How purity culture and diet culture reinforce similar messages about control and worth

• Why these systems function like a "prosperity gospel"

• How rigid rules can distort your view of God and yourself

• Practical ways to discern between health and control

• What it looks like to reconnect with your body in a healthy, faith-filled way

Get the show notes here.

Looking to go deeper? Take the Connect with God quiz here.

In this solo episode, Sarah reflects on an unexpected encounter with a few very determined seagulls, and how it reshaped her understanding of silence and attention in the spiritual life. What started as a noisy, ordinary moment became an invitation to release expectations and simply keep quiet company with God. This episode explores why silence can feel uncomfortable, what it reveals beneath the surface, and how it forms us in deeper trust. Along the way, you'll discover a new way to approach encountering God in the middle of everyday life.

Join the Practicing Together community!

In this episode of Theology on Purpose, Sarah welcomes returning guest Jen Pollock Michel to explore the beauty and practicality of a "rule of life." In her explanation, a rule is a grace-filled framework for living with intention, rather than a rigid, spiritual to-do list. A rule helps you align your daily habits with love for God and neighbor right in the midst of your real, everyday life.

Jen shares how spiritual formation is already happening all around us, often without our awareness, and how a thoughtful rule of life can help us resist those cultural currents. Jen also shared great insights about the role of desire, the importance of community, and how constraints can actually lead to greater freedom, and peace.

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

• Reframe a "rule of life" as a flexible, life-giving practice rather than a rigid system

• Recognize the cultural forces already shaping your habits and desires

• Begin building spiritual practices that fit your current season and limitations

• Understand the role of desire in your spiritual formation (and how God reshapes it)

• Experience greater freedom by reducing decision fatigue and focusing on what matters most

• Lean into community as a vital part of sustaining your faith

For shownotes, click here.

To join the Practicing Together community on Substack, click here