Center for Pastor Theologians
What We're Reading — June 2025
What We're Reading — June 2025
Mike Niebauer
Encountering God in the Bible | Michael Niebauer

Today on the podcast we are joined by Rev. Dr. Michael Niebauer as he shares about his recent book, Four Mountains: Encountering God in the Bible from Eden to Zion. How can Christians encounter Jesus on every page of the Bible? What can we learn from how the earliest Christians read Scripture, and connect seemingly disparate stories in the text? What is distinct about this style of reading as opposed, for example, to 6-week Bible studies or academic study? This and more on today's episode!

Encountering God in the Bible | Michael Niebauer
Jason Meyer
Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Jason Meyer

Jason Meyer, lead pastor of Urban Refuge Church in Minneapolis, MN, joins the podcast today to tell us about his journey towards becoming a pastor theologian. After serving eight years as a pastor at Bethlehem Baptist, Jason shares what he learned about his own calling, and the identity of a "pastor." This and more on today's episode!

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Jason Meyer
Douglas Sweeney
Feed My Sheep | Douglas Sweeney

CPT board member Doug Sweeney joins the podcast today. He previews his topic for the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. What are good Christian pastors supposed to be like? On the other hand, what malformative models of pastoral identity are common in our culture today? Doug also tells us about his 2024 book, Substance of Our Faith: Foundations for the History of Christian Doctrine. Check it out on today's episode!

Feed My Sheep | Douglas Sweeney
Center for Pastor Theologians
On Christ and Masculinity | Casey Hough

Casey Hough joins us to talk about his recent book,When Poets Were Warriors: Retrieving a Biblical Vision of Masculinity (B&H Publishing, 2025). “Masculinity” is an increasingly popular subject for public discourse. Drawing on his experiences as a pastor and father, Hough argues that Christians ought to return to the complex and challenging example of Jesus, instead of relying on cultural stereotypes, to form our vision of masculinity. If we consider Jesus Christ to be a model for masculinity, how do we then think about femininity, and any differences or similarities between the two? What should pastors consider as they shape their discipleship ministries? This and more on today’s episode!

On Christ and Masculinity | Casey Hough

Gavin Ortlund

An Always-Reforming Church | Gavin Ortlund

An Always-Reforming Church | Gavin Ortlund

This week, Gavin Ortlund joins us to discuss his recent book “What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church.”  Many evangelicals have recently begun to explore more sacramental and liturgical church traditions, such as Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism. What underlying desires drive this renewed interest? Can these desires only be met outside of Protestantism? How can the strengths of historical Protestantism aid us when wrestling with issues like the authority of Scripture? What role do platforms like YouTube play in these conversations? All this and more in this week’s episode!

Deconstruction and the Beauty of Christian Theism

Deconstruction and the Beauty of Christian Theism

CPT fellow Gavin Ortlund returns to the podcast to discuss his new book Why God Makes Sense in a World That Doesn't: The Beauty of Christian Theism. We discuss why Gavin became interested in apologetics. What are different kinds of faith crises and unique situations that bring various people to a place where they might find a work of apologetics helpful. What is the role of beauty in apologetics? How can we use our desires and intuitions around transcendence be used in "abductive" arguments for the faith?

We also touch on recent discussions around the term "deconstruction." When can deconstruction be a good thing? When is it not? How does diversity of experience factor into these conversations?

Augustine's Doctrine of Creation | Gavin Ortlund

Augustine's Doctrine of Creation | Gavin Ortlund

CPT fellow Gavin Ortlund joins the podcast gain to discuss his habits of study and writing, as well as his recently published Retrieving Augustine's Doctrine of Creation: Ancient Wisdom for Current Controversy (IVP Academic, 2020). What were the important emphases of Augustine's doctrine of creation and view of what we would call "science"? What can we learn from this church father on humility? In what other surprising ways is Augustine's surprisingly relevant for theological controversies related to evolution, animal death, and creation ex nihilo?