Center for Pastor Theologians
Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Ben Burkholder

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! 

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Ben Burkholder
Center for Pastor Theologians
Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Eric Rivera

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. 

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Eric Rivera
Center for Pastor Theologians
To Gaze upon God | Samuel Parkison

Samuel Parkison joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book, To Gaze upon God: The Beatific Vision in Doctrine, Tradition, and Practice (InterVarsity Press 2024.) He also shares with us his story and calling to academic ministry at the Abu Dhabi Extension Site at Gulf Theological Seminary in the United Arab Emirates. 

What is the beatific vision? What does the beatific vision have to do with this moment in history for the church? This and more on today's podcast!

To Gaze upon God | Samuel Parkison
Center for Pastor Theologians
What We're Reading — April 2025

For our April episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:

What We're Reading — April 2025
Nadya Williams
Mothers, Dignity, and Utility | Nadya Williams

Nadya Williams joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity (IVP Academic, 2024.) How do our attitudes towards motherhood reflect either a commodification of human life or, by contrast, a rich affirmation of the imago dei? This and more on today’s podcast! 

Mothers, Dignity, and Utility | Nadya Williams

Preaching and the Atonement | Jeremy Treat

Preaching and the Atonement | Jeremy Treat

Jeremy Treat, pastor of Reality LA and a CPT Fellow, joins the podcast to discuss his most recent book The Atonement: An Introduction as well as his role in the upcoming CPT Conference on preaching. He discusses his contribution to atonement theology, which focuses on how the cross fits into the story of the kingdom and how the notion of theories of the atonement can detract from the multi-dimensional nature of Christ's work on the cross. He also explains how a rich theology of the atonement fuels the weekly work of shepherding through proclamation. Listen now for answers to such questions as: Who has been most influential in his understanding of the atonement? How does atonement theology transform preaching? What is the role of preaching in the church? How can one preach effectively in diverse settings? Where does atonement fit in the gospel? And much more!

Cuckoos in Our Nest | Iain Provan

Cuckoos in Our Nest | Iain Provan

Author and speaker Iain Provan joins the podcast to discuss his recent book, Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human. Contemporary Western culture offers up various visions of what it means to be human, visions that many within the church have unknowingly adopted yet which contrast sharply with biblical revelation. Like the murderous offspring of the cuckoo bird, once these ideas take root, they drive out biblical assumptions of anthropology, even while masquerading as Christian. In this episode, Iain highlights three of these “cuckoos” and explains their effects on Christian thinking, addressing such questions as: What is the relationship between science and faith? What are the origins of current ideas about the self? Which sources should Christians consider authoritative? How does culture catechize the church? How can the church identify and dethrone the cuckoos that have already taken hold?

Jesus' Upside Down Kingdom | Chris Castaldo

Jesus' Upside Down Kingdom | Chris Castaldo

CPT fellow Chris Castaldo joins the podcast to discuss his recent book, The Upside Down Kingdom: Wisdom for Life from the Beatitudes. Jesus didn't offer the beatitudes as an unattainable moral example. They are his description of what disciples ought to look like in his kingdom, a kingdom that rejects the mechanisms of the world and advances instead through the meek, firm witness of its subjects. Chris encourages pastors to take up the beatitudes as their roadmap for discipleship, addressing such questions along the way as: How do the beatitudes form shepherds? How might we apply them to liturgical questions concerning preaching and worship? What do they have to say about pursuing justice? How have Christians in history applied them in the face of persecution? How do they liberate believers from the anxiety and outrage that characterize so much contemporary discourse?

Christian Celebrity and Pastoral Ministry | Katelyn Beaty

Christian Celebrity and Pastoral Ministry | Katelyn Beaty

Author Katelyn Beaty joins the podcast to discuss her recent book, Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Profits, and Platforms are Hurting the Church. We discuss the history of evangelicalism as it relates to the use of mass media, as well as how the wider cultural phenomenon of celebrity relates to the evangelical movement. How has celebrity shaped pastors' sense of vocation? What are the dangers associated with the megachurch movement and famous pastors? This and much more on this episode.

Thomas Aquinas and Original Sin | Danny Houck

Thomas Aquinas and Original Sin | Danny Houck

CPT fellow Danny Houck joins for a conversation about original sin from his research of Thomas Aquinas' theological anthropology. What is the relationship between philosophy and theology? How does Thomas Aquinas help us navigate this tension? Danny also traces the history of the doctrine of original sin from Augustine to Aquinas, showing that the story of this doctrine in not as simple or clear cut as is often assumed.

PART 2:

CPT fellow Danny Houck joins for the second part of our conversation on Thomas Aquinas and original sin. In this episode Danny traces three challenges he sees in the evolutionary narrative of human origins for a Christian understanding of human fallenness. He suggests that Aquinas' account of human nature and renewal can be put into productive dialogue with these challenges and create new possibilities for theology and Christian discipleship.

Restoring Our Political Witness | Michael Wear

Restoring Our Political Witness | Michael Wear

Michael Wear, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, joins CPT President Todd Wilson for a conversation on theology, politics, and the intersection between the two. What is the purpose of the separation of church and state? What is at root of the various problems of Christian political engagement and witness in our day? How can and should Christian virtues shape political discourse?

What We're Reading | May 2023

What We're Reading | May 2023

Our May episode on books we, the CPT staff, have been reading.

Reimagining How We Learn Greek and Hebrew | Nick Messmer

Reimagining How We Learn Greek and Hebrew | Nick Messmer

Why do so many seminary grads have a hard time retaining their knowledge of the biblical languages? What are some of the shortcomings of traditional language learning models and how can we improve upon them? Biblingo co-founder Nick Messmer joins Zach Wagner to discuss the difference between a grammar and translation method and a reading fluency method for language acquisition. What are the advantages of language fluency for pastoral ministry?

On Barth's Ecclesiology | Kimlyn Bender

On Barth's Ecclesiology | Kimlyn Bender

Professor Kimlyn Bender joins the podcast to share share about his farmers' town upbringing, how he first became interested in studying Karl Barth, and the importance of ecclesiology working out the tension between the academy and the church. Dr. Bender argues that Barth is the most important Protestant theologian to engage from the 20th century and that central to Barth's intent for the Dogmatics was that it would be a resource for pastors. With particular emphasis on volume of Church Dogmatics, Dr. Bender describes his project of helping pastors engage Barth and his work's relevance for the church today.

The Thrill of Orthodoxy | Trevin Wax

The Thrill of Orthodoxy | Trevin Wax

Author Trevin Wax joins the podcast to reflect on his upbringing in the church and the idea behind his recent book The Thrill of Orthodoxy. What does it mean to rediscover the exciting and wonderful truth claims of Christianity and the Bible? In a cultural context in which so much about Christianity is taken for granted, how do pastors and theologians underscore the power and influence of our faith? What is the relationship between our modern church culture's pragmatism and the stable truths of the Christian faith? Are doctrine and contextualization at odds in the church's mission?