Voices of Renewal

Join us today as we speak with, Dr. Stephen Presley, and discuss his book, Cultural Sanctification. Dr. Presley is an Associate Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and previously served as the Director of Research Doctoral Studies at the seminary. His teaching and research specialize in early Christian studies, focusing on the development of theology and practice in the life of the early church.

He also serves as the Director of Education and Engagement as well as a Senior Fellow for Religion and Public Life at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD), an initiative of the First Liberty Institute in Plano, TX. Dr. Presley holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

His teaching, writing, and speaking center on patristics, Christian cultural engagement, and related topics. Drawing from the rich heritage of historical theology, he equips contemporary Christian leaders to re-envision ministry for today’s cultural context.

Join us today as we speak with Dr. Matthew Bingham on his book, A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation. Matthew C. Bingham (PhD, Queen’s University Belfast) is campus dean and associate professor of theology at Talbot Seminary Phoenix, Biola University. He is the author of Orthodox Radicals: Baptist Identity in the English Revolution and A Heart Aflame for God. He has served as a pastor in the United States and Northern Ireland. Matthew is married to Shelley, and they have four children. 

Join us today as we speak with Dr. Mark Granquist and discuss his new book, A History of Christianity in America. Dr. Mark A. Granquist is Professor of the History of Christianity at Luther Seminary, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to this he taught in the Religion Department at St Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota (1992-2000) and at Gustavus Adolphus College, St Peter, Minnesota (2000-2007).

Dr. Granquist has served in parish ministry or Lutheran higher education since his ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in 1988. He was pastor of youth and education at Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn., 1988-1992, and has served several times as an interim pastor in local congregations.

A 1979 graduate of St Olaf College, Dr. Granquist received his M.Div. from Yale University Divinity School in 1984, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1992.

He serves as editor of the Luther Seminary journal “Word & World,” as editor of the “Journal of the Lutheran Historical Conference,” and has been active with the journal “Lutheran Quarterly.”

Join us today as we speak with, Dr. Stephen Presley, and discuss his new book, Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church. Dr. Presley is an Associate Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and previously served as the Director of Research Doctoral Studies at the seminary. His teaching and research specialize in early Christian studies, focusing on the development of theology and practice in the life of the early church.

He also serves as the Senior Fellow for Religion and Public Life at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD), an initiative of the First Liberty Institute in Plano, TX. Dr. Presley holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

His teaching, writing, and speaking center on patristics, Christian cultural engagement, and related topics. Drawing from the rich heritage of historical theology, he equips contemporary Christian leaders to re-envision ministry for today’s cultural context.

Join us today as we speak with Dr. Bryan Litfin, Professor of Bible & Theology in the Liberty University School of Divinity, on the topic of his upcoming book, The Story of the Trinity: Controversy, Crisis, and the Creation of the Nicene Creed. Available now, Dr. Litfin's new book recounts the dynamic story of how the one God revealed himself as triune in both the Old and New Testaments, unfolding this core doctrine of the church so that it not only makes sense, but brings glory to God and expresses the true nature of the gospel. 

Join us today as we speak with Dr. Joshua McMullen, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Assistant Provost at Regent University, on the topic of his upcoming book, The Glacier Priest: Father Bernard Hubbard and America's Last Frontier. Available now, Dr. McMullen’s new book reveals the captivating life and legacy of Father Bernard R. Hubbard, a devout priest and a national celebrity, a rugged outdoorsman and a passionate promoter. From the late 1920s through the 1950s, the famous Glacier Priest and his dogs connected millions of Americans with the pioneering spirit of Alaska and his vision of the wilderness as the salvation of the nation’s soul. 

Join us today as we speak with Dr. Daniel Hill, Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, on the topic of his upcoming book Bearing Witness: What the Church Can Learn from Early Abolitionists. Due out in April 2025, Dr. Hill’s new book draws on the rich legacy of nineteenth-century abolitionists David Ruggles, Maria W. Stewart, and William Still, to construct a compelling evangelical framework for public witness, anchored in Scripture and the practice of lament and burden-bearing.

Listen in to this special episode of Voices of Renewal as we hear from leading Christian scholar, Dr. Glen L. Thompson, on his new book Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China. Thompson presents the history of the Persian church’s mission to China with rigor and clarity. While Christianity remained a minority and “foreign” religion in the Middle Kingdom, it nonetheless attracted adherents among indigenous Chinese and received imperial approval during the Tang Dynasty. Though it was later suppressed alongside Buddhism, it resurfaced in China and Mongolia in the twelfth century. Thompson also discusses how the modern unearthing of Chinese Christian texts has stirred controversy over the meaning of Jingjiao to recent missionary efforts in China.  

Macrina the Younger (327 – 379) was an early Christian saint. Macrina was elder sister of Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, two early leading Christian theologians. Gregory of Nyssa wrote a work entitled Life of Macrina in which he describes his sister's sanctity and asceticism throughout her life. Macrina lived a chaste and humble life, devoting her time to prayer and the spiritual education of her younger brother Peter. To learn more about her life and renewal legacy, listen to Dr. Stefan Laing, Associate Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School. 

On this episode of Voices of Renewal, we speak with Dr. Stephen Eccher, Associate Professor of Church History and Reformation Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, on the life and legacy of Huldrych Zwingli. Zwingli (1484-1531) was a theologian during the Reformation who helped bring Protestantism to Switzerland. Although less known than his contemporaries Martin Luther and John Calvin, Zwingli had a incredible impact on Reformed theology. To learn more about Zwingli, please read Dr. Eccher’s new book, Zwingli the Pastor: A Life in Conflict.