For our June episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:
JD Vance, Hillbilly Elegy (2016)
Rémi Brague, Kingdom of Man: Genesis and Failure of the Modern Project, (2018)
Elizabeth Goudge, The Dean's Watch, (2012)
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!
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!
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!
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!
How should Christians and pastors approach the 2020 election? How have the two major political parties changed in recent years? How can Christian leaders influence politicians rather than being influenced by politicians? Karen Swallow Prior joins the podcast do discuss her approach to voting, political parties, and the importance of character when Christians engage in politics.
On this episode of the podcast we are joined by CPT fellow Rachel Stahle. Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Towanda, PA. Rachel shares her story of life, education, and conversion, which involved a unique and dramatic experience where Jesus appeared to her during college.
What makes the pastor theologian different from the academic theologian? What types of theological reflection is the pastor particularly well-positioned to engage? What has been lost as the theological task has moved away from the church and into the academy? This episode features a conference lecture from Dr. Gerald Hiestand, co-founder of the CPT.
Gerald Hiestand is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. He is a co-founder of the Center for Pastor Theologians, and currently serves as the Board Chair. He is the co-author of The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision.
What are the good works that God has prepared for the church to do in 2020? How can white pastors love their black congregants well? What does it look like for Christians as individuals and the church as a whole to reckon with hard questions about politics and faith? On this episode we are joined by Dr. Vincent Bacote, Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics.
This resource is part of the series More than Imago Dei: Theological Explorations on Race. Click here to explore more resources from this series.
Vincent Bacote is an Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and the Director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics. He is the author of several books, including The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life (Zondervan, 2015).
For the Summer of 2020, we will be releasing midweek episodes with special focus on theology and politics. How can Christians engage in politics and public witness while remaining faithful to the lordship of Christ? On this first episode we are joined by Kristen Deede Johnson, a professor of theology at Western Theological Seminary. She tells us her story of becoming interested in the intersection between theology and politics––and shares what insight we can gain from St. Augustine with regard to our own political moment.
We are joined by CPT fellow Matthew Wilcoxen as he tells his story of his education and call to ministry. On this episode Matthew discusses the unique challenges of ministering in Washington DC, his conversion experience as a young person, as well his pursuit and development of his intellectual gifts.
How should Christians think about the over-politicization of our culture? What is the theological significance of this cultural trend? How does the Gospel teach us a counter-narrative to the power politics of our day? On this episode, Todd Wilson shares how pastors and Christians can put politics in its proper place within the good world God created.
“Such a cry as ‘I can’t breathe’ is not merely anthropological, but it is theological. The problem with White supremacy – killing Black women and Black men in America – is an error of theology. It is a failure of the White mind and the White power structure to remember from where breath really comes.”
On a special episode of the CPT Podcast, we share a sermon given by Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates, Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. This sermon was given on Sunday, May 31, 2020 – in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
CPT fellow Dr. Eric Redmond joins the podcast to discuss his experience as an African American man, father, and pastor in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. We lament and discuss how it feels to be a black American and a black evangelical at this historical moment. What can pastors, particularly white pastors, do to lead their congregations toward repentance and care for those of African descent in their communities. Dr. Redmond is a professor of New Testament at the Moody Bible Institute and an associate pastor at Calvary Memorial Church in Chicago.
How do times of scarcity expose the idolatry of the human heart? What do we learn about ourselves, our vulnerabilities, and our identities during a season of wilderness wandering? CPT fellow Chris Ganski joins the podcast to discuss and share a sermon on surviving in the wilderness. Listen now as Chris notes how God, in Christ, is faithful to sustain us and be present to us during our testing.
ARTICLE: “The Gospel Terrifies Me”
COLEMAN FORD
PODCAST: Encountering God in the Bible
MICHAEL NIEBAUER
ARTICLE: The “This Is That” Character of Pentecostal Preaching
AARON FRIESEN
NEWS: Announcing Two New Learning Cohorts
CPT NEWS UPDATE
