What is culture, and what is our relationship to it as Christians? Dennis Greeson joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book The Way of Christ in Culture: A Vision for All of Life (Lifeway 2024), coauthored with Benjamin T. Quinn. In the book, the authors provide a framework for knowing one’s time in God’s story, one’s place in creation, and following wisdom. He also shares about the Alexandrian Institute, a cohort-based model for theological education focused on engaging Scripture and confessional traditions and the wisdom of previous generations of Christians, and sending students to engage their context.
This week, James Arcadi joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, Holiness: Divine and Human (2023). He also shares about his dual calling to both pastoral ministry as a full-time Anglican rector, and to academic theology as a guest professor at Wheaton College. What is the relationship between abstract ideas and practical application? What does it mean for something to be "consecrated" or "holy"? This and more on today's podcast!
On the podcast this week, Adam Copenhaver shares with us about his early ministry caring for an older congregation, and his education and research on Colossians. He also tells us about his current pastoral context leading a church in a small, migrant farm town which had previously been led by an abusive pastor. He previews the breakout topic he will lead at the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. How can our churches become both helpful and welcoming to those who are suffering abuse or oppression? How can pastors identify and eliminate harmful tendencies in themselves that could lead to abuse later?
This week we are joined by CTP Fellow Ben Burkholder. Ben shares how he developed an interest in learning how people grow as disciples. Reflecting on his time as a student, Ben also shares insights about the relationship between psychology and spiritual formation. This and more on today’s podcast!
Join us this week as we get to know Eric Rivera. Eric will be a plenary speaker at the 2025 Pastor Theologians Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. On this episode, Eric talks about how his story shaped his interests and calling in church history and pastoral ministry. Drawing from his context as a pastor at a multi-ethnic church in the greater Chicago area, he also shares what he has learned it means to be a Good Shepherd in the 21st Century.
CPT fellow Chris Castaldo, Lead Pastor of New Covenant Church in Naperville, IL, joins the podcast. Chris tells his story of growing up as an Italian Catholic in New York and his eventual conversion to Protestantism. Chris goes on to tell his story of education and training for pastoral ministry.
Get to know our newest staff member, Jameson Ross. Jameson was hired at the CPT as the new Director of Student Theologian and Local Theologian fellowships earlier this year. For the past three years, Jameson has been studying for a PhD in Durham, England, under the supervision of Francis Watson. In this episode Jameson shares his story of faith, education, and over a decade of pastoral ministry experience at a thriving megachurch in the Chicagoland area.
This episode features two short presentations from CPT fellows at our 2019 theology conference. The first presentation, "Every Sermon Should Answer: Why?" was given by Matt O'Reilly, Pastor of Hope Hull United Methodist Church. The second presentation, "Are We Present in the Church?" was given by Chris Bruno, Professor of New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary.
In a presentation from our 2019 theology conference, Dr. Felicia Wu Song shares a talk entitled, "Digital Life as Secular Liturgy: A Matter of Christian Formation." Dr. Song is a professor of sociology at Westmont College. What is the social imaginary implied in our modern secular life? What effects does social life have on our embodied relationships? How should our Christian faith commitments affect the way we think about social media, constant social stimulation, and the omnipresence of devices in our digital ecology? Dr. Song explores these and other questions in the first half of her presentation.
CPT fellow Nick Ellis shares his story of growing up as a missionary kid, his family's Mennonite background, and his call to scholarship, theological training, and the mission field. Nick is himself a kingdom-building entrepreneur and churchman and holds a PhD from Oxford University. This episode contains part one of our conversation with Nick.
Gavin Ortlund, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Of Ojai, CA joins the podcast. Gavin is a CPT fellow and a member of the St. Anselm Fellowship. Gavin discusses his life growing up as the son of a prominent pastor and seminary professor, as well as discerning his own call to ministry, training, and PhD studies.
CPT President Todd Wilson gave this lecture at the 2016 national conference of the CPT: Beauty, Order, and Mystery – A Christian Vision of Sexuality. According to Dr. Wilson, there is a need for Christians to reclaim what he calls "Mere Sexuality," the historic Christian consensus regarding gender and human sexuality that existed virtually unchallenged for the first two millennia of the church's existence. This can be attributed to two primary factors, argues Wilson: 1) the fracturing of functional biblical authority and 2) the reshaping of moral intuitions in modern Western culture.
Paul Taylor, Teaching Pastor and Elder at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA, joins the podcast to discuss the intersection of theology and technology. How should the church respond as technological advance continues and accelerates? How does the Christian theological narrative interact advances in artificial intelligence and the philosophies of post-humanism?
How can Christians and pastors benefit from literary reading? Karen Swallow Prior, author of On Reading Well, joins the podcast. Dr. Prior is a Professor of English at Liberty University. In these episodes she discusses her childhood fascination with reading. She also talks about her career as a professor and the distinction between fiction, non-fiction, literary and non-literary writings. She also discusses her recent book on virtue, literature, and the good life––as well as ways that pastors and churches can benefit from exploring literary reading and writing.
Eric Johnson, professor of Christian psychology at Houston Baptist University, joins the podcast to discuss the integration of scripture, theology, and psychology. How should Christians think about the scientific conclusions of secular disciplines governed by naturalistic worldviews? What are the philosophical and methodological concerns when relating biblical wisdom with scientific inquiry?
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NATHAN BARCZI
PODCAST: Owned by God
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ARTICLE: Christians and the Virtues
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NEWS: Announcing Two New Learning Cohorts
CPT NEWS UPDATE
