76. "Cross Cultural Christianity" with Rich Villodas

Rich knows what it feels like to be an outlier. Starting a personal relationship with Jesus in his late teens, Rich’s curious mind was drawn to the diverse tapestry of Christian traditions—both past and present. But that curiosity was a necessary foundation for his faith. In fact, it’s that passion that continues to define and shape his ministry.

Guest Bio:

Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church with over seventy-five countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. Rich holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He enjoys reading widely, preaching, and writing on contemplative spirituality, justice-related matters, and the art of preaching. 

He’s been married to Rosie since 2006 and they have two beautiful children, Karis and Nathan. His books, The Deeply Formed Life and Good and Beautiful and Kind, are available wherever books are sold.

Notes & Quotes:

• “I came to Jesus not because I believe that He rose from the dead. I came to Jesus because [the preacher] said to me that there is hope. There is life if you put your trust in Him. In that moment, all he said was “God can put you back together,” and that’s all I needed to hear.”
• “We have global historic theology and expressions of faith within Christianity, and lots of folks just want their tradition. There’s a feast before us, but there’s something missing here.”
• “I think I learned a lot from my failures in 2016 and 2017 with how I alienated a group of people in our church unwittingly, that I changed course in 2020. I was able to be faithful to what I believe are gospel values, but in a way, do my best pastorally to remain emotionally connected to people.”

Links Mentioned:

• FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
• Check out Rich’s books, The Deeply Formed Life, Good and Beautiful and Kind, and The Narrow Path.
• Visit the VOICES website to sign up for emails. Get new episodes sent straight to your email. 
• Tell us how much you love Where Ya From? by rating us five stars and leaving us a review. 
• Check out VOICES from Our Daily Bread Ministries.
• Follow VOICES on Instagram.

Verses Mentioned:

• Ezekiel 37
• Matthew 17:1-13
• Malachai 4:5-6
• Micah 6:8
• Luke 4:1-28
• Isaiah 61:1-3

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