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

Christian Patriarchal Feminism | Gerald Hiestand & Amy Peeler

Christian Patriarchal Feminism | Gerald Hiestand & Amy Peeler

Is there such a thing as "Patriarchal Feminism"? This apparent contradiction in terms is at the center of a paper written by CPT fellow and co-founder Gerald Hiestand. Gerald joins our podcast along with CPT fellow Amy Peeler to discuss these ideas. How does Christianity enter into and redeem the "toxic masculinity" that has characterized so many human societies throughout history? How does this relate to contemporary debates between complementarians and egalitarians and, specifically, the question of women's ordination?

Pain and Power in 2 Corinthians | Ben White

Pain and Power in 2 Corinthians | Ben White

We continue our conversation with CPT fellow Ben White about his PhD research. Ben reflects on how growing up in Canada shapes theological vocation. We also discuss the unique opportunities of teaching at a small evangelical college in New York City. Finally, Ben comments on how a Pauline view of power transforms our conception of power in light of the current crisis of power and abuses of it in evangelicalism.

A Burning in My Bones | Winn Collier

A Burning in My Bones | Winn Collier

This week on the podcast, CPT Executive Director Joel Lawrence is joined by Winn Collier, Director of The Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination & Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and author of A Burning in My Bones, the official biography of Eugene Peterson. In part 1, we talk about Winn’s journey in faith, his pastoral ministry, and how he got connected to Eugene Peterson.

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Nathan Chambers

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Nathan Chambers

On this episode of the podcast, we are joined by CPT fellow Nathan Chambers, pastor of Wiser Lake Chapel in Lynden, WA. Nathan earned his MCS in Old Testament at Regent College and his PhD in Biblical Studies from Durham University. In the first part of our conversation, Nathan shares about archetypes of evangelicalism, growing up in the faith, and his educational path through philosophy and Old Testament studies.

Preaching in the African American Church | Eric Redmond

Preaching in the African American Church | Eric Redmond

How has theological education served to denigrate the African American preaching tradition? What is the distinction between the style and theory of preaching? How does an emphasis on disenfranchisement, hope, and the practical immediacy of the text make Black preaching unique? We continue our conversation with CPT Fellow Eric Redmond as he discusses the history of expository preaching in the African American Church church.

Power, Injustice, and the Black Experience in America | Eric Redmond

Power, Injustice, and the Black Experience in America | Eric Redmond

CPT Fellow Eric Redmond rejoins the podcast to discuss the recent guilty verdict rendered against Derek Chauvin in the George Flloyd murder trial. We discuss the response of conservative evangelicals, as well as the different historical perspectives of white and black Christians on police violence. What are the biblical and theological dynamics at play in these discussions? How do we as Christians cultivate our integrity in the way we engage social issues, avoiding selectivity and fearful self-protection.

The Road of Technology, The Path of the Church | Dan Brendsel

The Road of Technology, The Path of the Church | Dan Brendsel

This episode features a presentation from our 2019 conference on technology, given by CPT Fellow Dan Brendsel. Dan joins Zach Wagner to reflect on his talk in a now post-Covid world. Technology is like a road, a tool that is formed with pre-determined purpose and utility that separates us from something naturally vital to reality. A path on the other hand is different. A path is a way of moving through the world that does not view the environment around it as something to be used and torn through. The church is to be a path, a distinct culture that orients itself around creation rather than technology. The technology of the church, its liturgy, should not resist its context but cultivate its sense of place. How does the liturgical "technology" of bread and wine inform the way we as Christians view technology in general?

Theologizing as a Pastor

Theologizing as a Pastor

CPT co-founder and board chair Gerald Hiestand joins the podcast to discuss some of the recent history of the CPT and how his transition from an associate pastor to senior pastor role affected his research and theological reflection. What are the challenges and advantages of doing theology from a pastoral post? Is it possible to live out the historic vision of the pastor theologian in today's cultural and church climate? How does the pastoral vocation tend towards simplicity but not "dumbing it down" in theological reflection?