Chris Davis is the pastor of Groveton Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia and the author of the new book Bright Hope for Tomorrow: How Anticipating Jesus’ Return Gives Strength for Today. Hope is fuel. For Jesus' disciples, the hope of seeing their risen Lord again, face to face, powered their endurance through persecution, their patience in discipling new believers, and their courage to renounce injustice and sinful passions.But have we set aside that fuel because the topic of Jesus' return is mired in confusion and controversy? Many Christians have lost or overlooked the importance of the Lord's appearing, resulting in a sluggish, ineffective faith.What if there is a way to recapture spiritual momentum? What if we could tap into the apostles' longing to simply be in the presence of the resurrected Christ without getting entangled in date-setting or disagreements about the Millennium? And what if this fresh hope could drive our daily responses to temptation, affliction, discouragement, and life in a broken world?In Bright Hope for Tomorrow, pastor Chris Davis points the way forward. Exploring the return of Jesus on the terms of the New Testament letters, this book looks at portraits of Jesus' appearing, rhythms necessary to maintain expectancy (including gathering, fasting, and resting), and the practical transformation such anticipation effects. Bright Hope for Tomorrow is not the next new thing. Rather, it is a recovery of what has been lost by end-times studies that have veered into peripheral concerns. Join this return to the gospel center: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

Days after the Red Wave— I mean, Ketchup Fizzle— Christian Ethicist Robin Lovin is on the podcast to talk about what we are to do when no one is listening. More on Lovin’s new book:A trusted senior statesman in Christian ethics and ministry addresses the crisis of political polarization threatening the existence of the church.Polarization and political gridlock have been the norm in the United States for decades. As that reality seeps into every aspect of our society, churches find themselves not only affected, but often at the very center of the conflict. Rather than remaining places of inclusive community and generous dialogue, our sanctuaries have too often become ground zero of the culture wars.What can pastors do to restore the church’s witness to the unity of all things in God—especially when it feels like members of the congregation would rather position the church’s identity firmly on one side of the political spectrum or the other? And how can church leaders maintain peace while speaking the truth on important social issues—without either alienating parishioners who disagree or resorting to inane bothsiderism?Widely respected pastor and ethicist Robin Lovin offers sage counsel in this helpful book, arguing that to resist the trend of polarization in our church we must rediscover how the gospel teaches us to understand ourselves, our neighbors, and the purpose of politics. In part one, Lovin provides an overview of the situation in which we find ourselves, showing how polarization developed over recent decades and how, in both our society and our churches, we have adapted to division as the norm. In part two, he considers how Christians can shape a different response by learning to listen—to the word of God, to the world, and to those who are not usually heard. With questions for discussion and reflection aligned with the content of each chapter, What Do We Do When Nobody Is Listening? provides an accessible road map for navigating out of the morass of polarization into a brighter future of church unity, during election seasons and beyond.

It's All Saints Sunday this weekend so the podcast posse from Hermeneutics got together to talk about death, time, heaven, and how Christianity needs to reclaim its weirdness.Don’t forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttps://twitter.com/crackersnjuice

This week we have the honor of getting to talk mid-term politics with our friend Gretchen Purser. We talk about the importance of democracy to Christians and where she is seeing hope in our nations political future.

Our friend Matt Milliner returns to the podcast to talk about his latest article at the Bulwark, Putin’s Outright Satanism. You can find the piece here: https://www.thebulwark.com/on-putins-outright-satanism/ Dr. Milliner holds an M.A. & Ph.D. in art history from Princeton University, and an M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a six-time appointee to the Curatorial Advisory Board of the United States Senate, and has written for publications ranging from The New York Times to First Things. He was awarded a Commonwealth fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, and is author most recently of The Everlasting People: G.K. Chesterton and the First Nations and Mother of the Lamb: The Story of a Global Icon.

Jason was recently a guest for the Weekend Edition of 1517's Christian History Almanac podcast, hosted by Dr. Dan Van Voorhis. Though no one elected him, Jason speaks here for all Methodists everywhere.

For this week's episode, we've got the second session from Jason's recent series of talks on Grace and Proclamation for the Anglican Church of Canada's Bishop's Clergy Conference.

Does Jesus need more celebrities tweeting and influencing on his behalf?Katelyn Beaty joins the pod to discuss her new book, ‘Celebrities for Jesus: How Personas, Platforms, and Profits Are Hurting the Church’ (http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/celebrities-for-jesus/406890). Katelyn Beaty is the author of A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World (Howard Books / Simon & Schuster), and A Woman’s Place: A Bible Study Exploring Every Woman’s Call to Work (Abingdon Press), the companion group study guide. For nearly a decade she helped to lead Christianity Today, where she served as the magazine's first female and youngest managing editor. An Ohio native, she has written for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Vox, Religion & Politics, and The New York Times, and has been interviewed about faith, politics, and culture by NPR, CNN, ABC News, Religion News Service, and the Associated Press.Katelyn currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she enjoys exploring the city's parks and museums, live music, and karaoke. She currently works as an acquisitions editor for Brazos Press. Learn more at KatelynBeaty.com.Don’t forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttps://twitter.com/crackersnjuice

Chris Nye is a doctoral student at Duke University's Divinity School and the author of several books, including most recently, A Captive Mind, which explores Christianity's relationship to ideologies. His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and various other publications. He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon. To connect further, visit chrisnye.co

In this episode of our crossover podcast with Tripp Fuller and Homebrewed Christianity, Tolkien Heads, we talk all things Middle Earth with my very own Gandalf, Brian Zahnd.