New Creation Conversations

Welcome to episode thirty-three of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I am joined by well-known author and professor Dr. Will Willimon. Will served as the dean of Duke Chapel and professor of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School for 20 years. He returned to Duke after serving as the bishop of the North Alabama Conference from 2004 to 2012. Will has written more than 70 books and has sold more than a million copies of them. He has written frequently for publications like Theology Today, Interpretation, Liturgy, and Christianity Today. He is editor-at-large for The Christian Century. One of the books we discuss – Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry is used in dozens of seminaries throughout North America and Asia. He has taught all over the world. In addition to his three earned degrees from Wofford College, Yale Divinity School, and Emory University, Will has been granted honorary Doctorates from 13 different educational institutions. I first got introduced to Will and his work 30 years ago through his life-changing collaboration with ethicist Stanley Hauerwas entitled Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony (first published in 1989). We talk about the impact of that book, as well as his writing on preaching and pastoral ministry. It is a great and thoughtful conversation. But mostly, Will just kept me laughing. So many times, since starting this podcast, I have grieved the absence of my father. He would have loved so many of these conversations. I think he would especially loved this one, and he would have had a hundred questions after it was over. This conversation with Will reminded me so much of sitting around a table listening to my dad and his ministry cronies tell funny stories, say provocative things they could only now say in the freedom of retirement, and come up with nuggets of wisdom gained the fire of decades leading a parish. Four or five times, in our conversation, Will says things I want to turn into a T-Shirt.I have cherished the chance to have conversations with leaders in my own tribe, but I have also grown to love the chance to speak to leaders from other denominations and traditions whose lives and ministries reflect the heartbeat of Jesus. This is one of those kinds of conversations. It was an honor to get to have this conversation, and it’s an even greater privilege to get to offer it to you. Here’s my New Creation Conversation with Dr. Will Willimon.

Welcome to episode thirty-two of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I am joined by well-known author and relationship expert Dr. Les Parrott.  Les, and his wife Leslie have been helping couples prepare for marriage and improve their relationships for over thirty years now.  They have spoken all over the world and have been featured in USA Today and The New York Times. They have also appeared on CNN, The View, The Today Show, and Oprah. They are #1 New York Times best-selling authors. Their books have sold over two million copies in more than a dozen languages and include best-selling and Gold-medallion winner Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts. Other popular titles include Real Relationships, The Parent You Want to Be, Trading Places, The Complete Guide to Marriage Mentoring, and Love Talk.Les served for many years on the faculty of Seattle Pacific University and is now a professor of psychology at Northwest University and they are founders of the Center for Healthy Relationships on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University. I first got to know Les and Leslie when they moved to Seattle in the late 80s. They became important friends and mentors for Debbie and me while we were dating and in our first years of marriage. Like me, Les is a pastor’s kid and he was a significant influence and source of encouragement for me as I considered pursuing an advanced degree. Deb and I are both deeply thankful for our friendship with both Les and Leslie and are incredibly grateful for the way God has used them both and the platform God has given to themLes and I have a conversation about SYMBIS – how it came to be and how it is still shaping couples today. We also talk about two or three of my favorite books of his. Creating this podcast has been a great opportunity to make some new friends, but it has also been delightful to catch up with some long-time friends too. I have learned a lot from Les across the years, and he has helped me help several couples get off to a good start together. I think you will enjoy and be blessed sitting in on this conversation between two (increasing) old friends. 

Welcome to episode thirty-one of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I am joined by well-known author and editor Rodney Clapp. Rodney served as associate editor for Christianity Today until 1999 when he became the senior editor for academic and general books at InterVarsity Press. He later moved to Baker Books where he founded one of my favorite theological presses – Brazos Press. He currently. Is one of the founders and editors of Wipf and Stock Publishers and Cascade Press. I got to connected with Rodney’s work as a writer 25 years ago through his award-winning book A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society. It is one of my favorite books on the unique political nature of the church. It is a book I have gone back to and re-read about every five years, and I think it may be as (if not more) relevant to the political and culture wars we find ourselves in today, than it was in 1996 when it was first published. Clapp has written a number of other books including:·       Border Crossings: Christian Trespasses on Popular Culture and Public Affairs·       Tortured Wonders: Christian Spirituality for People, Not Angels·       Families at the Crossroads: Beyond Tradition and Modern Options·       The Consuming Passion: Christianity and the Consumer Culture·       Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction·       (and another one of my favorites) People of the Truth [written with Robert Webber]We talk about A Peculiar People and his two most recent books:·       New Creation: A Primer on Living in the Time Between the Times·       Naming Neoliberalism: Exposing the Spirit of Our AgRodney is unique not only in his personal, and substantial writing career, but for his incredible help getting dozens and dozens of other biblical and theological authors’ thoughts onto paper. A really humble and gracious theologian and thinker, it’s a joy to bring you this conversation with Rodney Clapp

Welcome to episode thirty of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I am joined by Dr. Jeffrey Weima. Jeff is Professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary where he has taught for twenty-five years. Originally from Canada, Dr. Weima has his undergraduate degree from Brock University. He has both an MDiv and ThM degrees from Calvin Seminary. And he has a PhD Wycliff College at the University of Toronto.Jeff is a much sought-after speaker and has taught courses all over the world. He has written books on Paul’s Epistles – in particular, commentaries on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. However, his most recent work – and the one that drew my interest in having a conversation with him – is The Sermons to the Seven Churches in Revelation: A Commentary and Guide – which was just released recently by Baker Academic. Some of you may know that several years ago I also wrote a book on the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 entitled Seven Deadly Spirits: The Message of Revelation’s Letters for Today’s Church, and so I’ve had a great deal of interest in those chapters and really the entire book of Revelation for a long time. Jeff’s new book on the seven churches is really an excellent resource and I’m thrilled to get to a chance to talk with him about it.One of the things that makes Jeff’s work so unique is not just his thoughtful approach to this unique section of Scripture, but the experience he has gained from his frequent travels to the areas of Turkey where the original churches in Asia were found. He also writes his book with preachers and teachers in mind – seeing them not so much as letters but oracles or sermons to the first century church – and to the church today as well. I gleaned a lot from my conversation with Dr. Weima, and I know you will too.

Brian Zahnd, a veteran pastor and author, shares his transformative journey from a rock music fan to a faith leader over 40 years. He discusses the need to rethink Christianity in the face of nationalism and critiques fear-based theology. Zahnd also highlights the importance of beauty in preaching, linking it to the restoration of faith amid deconstruction. His new book, When Everything's On Fire, addresses these challenges head-on, offering hope for those navigating their spiritual crises.

Welcome to episode twenty-eight of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I am joined by a former colleague from my days at Azusa Pacific University – Dr. Bob Mullins. Bob is an alum of Southern California College, a Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary, did Graduate work at Jerusalem University College and completed his PhD at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Bob came to APU after spending a number of years in Israel. His interests encompass the fields of archaeology, history, geography, and biblical studies in an effort to better understand the ancient Near Eastern world of the Bible. Bob has served on a number of archaeological excavations, but in the last ten years he has been co-leading (with a team from Hebrew University) an excavation project at Abel Beth Maacah, an ancient city mentioned two or three times in the Bible that existed in the northern part of Israel just 1.2 miles south of the border with Lebanon.I got to know Bob well serving on faculty together at APU, but my son Noah and I also had the privilege of traveling with Dr. Mullins to Israel with a group of supporters from the university to explore the Holy Land, but also to get to spend a day seeing and participating in the early stages of the dig at Abel Beth Maacah. In our conversation, Bob and I talk about the exciting things he and the team have discovered over the last decade working on this dig project, we talk about what we learn from biblical archaeology that adds to our faith, and we talk about his work on The Atlas of the Biblical World (published by Fortress Press) and why time and place matter so much in our study of the Scriptures.

Welcome to episode twenty-seven of New Creation Conversations. In this conversation I am joined by a longtime friend and colleague in ministry Dr. Chris Adams. Chris is an alum of Trevecca Nazarene University and has Master’s degrees in both Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy from Fuller. And he has a PhD in Clinical and Family Psychology from Fuller as well.Chris and I are kindred spirits in many ways. We are both third generation Nazarene pastors. We both have backgrounds in not only the preaching side of ministry but in worship. Chris served in full-time music ministry for several years after college – travelling and singing frequently with his father and brother. Chris actually followed me at Pasadena First Nazarene as the minister to college-age students while he was in graduate school at Fuller Seminary.  He served for 8 years as the associate campus pastor for pastoral care at Azusa Pacific University and now serves as the executive director for the Center for Vocational Ministry at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary. The center focuses on cultivating resilience and health in ministry leaders and in guiding students through their call and preparation for ministry.Chris does a great deal of consulting with a number of denominations and mission organizations, and as you will hear is an important thought-partner in a couple of significant projects currently in process connected to pastoral health and well-being. I’ve been blessed by my friendship with Chris and am very thankful for the impact his research and work is having in my own journey and on my sisters and brothers in ministry. 

Welcome to episode twenty-six of New Creation Conversations. Today’s conversation is a very special one for me because I am joined by Dr. Richard Mouw. Rich served for 20 years as president of Fuller Theological Seminary (from 1993-2013). Prior to that he served as Provost and Professor of Christian Philosophy and Ethics at the seminary and prior to that spent thirteen years at Calvin College as Professor of Christian Philosophy. Just recently, Dr. Mouw has returned to Calvin College as a senior research fellow at the Henry Institute for the Study of Religion and Politics and he has a book coming out in the next year on faith and patriotism.Rich is a well-known social philosopher and theological scholar. He has written more than 20 books, and perhaps best known for his writing on Christian civility and has courageously modeled in his own career and ministry the desire to cross significant cultural and religious boundaries to further conversation, connection, and understanding. The reason this conversation is so special for me is because of the significant role Dr. Mouw has played in my own development. It was Rich's teaching for me as a seminary student that lit a passion to explore academic theology and Christian philosophy. I had the privilege of serving as his research assistant for several years and having him as my PhD advisor. There has been no greater influence on my teaching and academic career that Dr. Mouw. We go into some challenging areas in this conversation. But what I think you will hear, if you are listening well, is a thoughtful and convicted follower of Jesus trying to identify with and have empathy for views that are very different from his own. What you will hear, in my opinion, is faith seeking understanding. I have deeply appreciated that quality in my friend and mentor and hope you will be blessed by it in this conversation as well. Here is my conversation with Dr. Richard Mouw. 

Welcome to episode twenty-five of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I’m joined by Dr. Kara Powell. Kara is Professor of Youth and Family Ministry, Chief of Leadership Formation, and the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Kara was named by Christianity Today as one of the “50 Women to Watch” in ministry and is considered one of the world’s foremost researchers and authorities on the spiritual formation of young people. She’s an alum of Stanford University, has a Master of Divinity degree from Bethel Seminary, and has a PhD in Practical Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. I have been blessed by my friendship with Kara for a number of years now, and have benefitted in ministry from her many books and research projects including Sticky Faith and Growing Young. Our conversation centers on her new book that was just released yesterday – August 3rd – 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager: Making the Most of Your Conversation and Connections – which she co-researched and co-authored with Brad Griffin.

Welcome to episode twenty-four of New Creation Conversations. In today’s conversation I’m joined by Dr. Andrew Root. Andy is Professor and Chair of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. He is considered by many as one of the leading scholars on youth ministry and spiritual formation in the world. He is an alum of Bethel College, received MDiv and ThM degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has a PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary. Andy has written twenty or so books. We take time to talk about some of his recent and very significant books on spiritual formation. In the last few years Andy has completed a trilogy on spiritual formation on Ministry in a Secular Age. Using the philosophical work of Charles E. Taylor and Hartmut Rosa, Andy address spiritual formation, the pastor, and the congregation in the secular age. We also talk about his most recent book on youth ministry – The End of Youth Ministry ? … and (one of my favorites) The Grace of Dogs.