Those Who Serve The Lord

Is our political focus, which we believe is for the greater good, actually doing the opposite for the Christian witness today? How do we maintain our integrity in the midst of political compromise? Is there a third way? Should we focus on the lesser of two evils? What happens if we continue to do that? Travis welcomes special guest Pete Wehner to the show today. Pete is a Senior Fellow at the Trinity Forum, a writer and thinker who served in the Reagan administration and both Bush presidencies including as head of the office for strategic initiatives. He has written three books and has written for many publications, recently for The Atlantic and the NY Times. I met Pete at a symposium and found him to be a thoughtful and insightful voice in evangelicalism and into evangelicals' political involvement. He is a committed Christian, a political insider, and a voice needed for this moment. Episodes featured in today's show: Misreading Scripture with Individualist Eyes by Randy Richards. Sign up for the Apollos Watered email.Help revitalize the church in this moment! Support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!Takeaways: The healing of a nation fundamentally relies on the healing of individual lives, emphasizing personal transformation. Engaging with differing perspectives within one’s community fosters understanding and deepens relationships, transcending mere political discourse. The political landscape today poses significant challenges for communities of faith, often resulting in division among congregants and families. Christians must navigate the complexities of political engagement while maintaining their commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many church leaders express a desire to avoid political discussions to focus solely on spiritual matters, yet they must confront the realities of their congregants' beliefs. The approach to politics among Christians should be characterized by integrity, empathy, and a commitment to truth, rather than divisive rhetoric.

Travis and Kevin reflect on their favorite episodes and books for 2023 and give a vision for Apollos Watered moving forward to help you water your world!Sign up for the Apollos Watered email.Help revitalize churches by supporting Apollos Watered!

Listen in as many of the guests from Apollos Watered over this past year read the Christmas story. Merry Christmas!Sign up for the Apollos Watered email.Help revitalize churches by supporting Apollos Watered!

Where is their idolatry in the evangelical church today? What idolatries have we smuggled into the church? How do we handle this? What will happen if we don't? How do we reach our crazy post-everything world today? Is there anyone we can turn to? Is there a person who can give us clarity? Is there a different perspective that we have to consider? In this second conversation with professor and former missionary, Matthew Bennett, they continue to discuss his book, Hope for American Evangelicals. Using Lesslie Newbigin as a guide, Matthew takes a missionary perspective to help us look at the American evangelical house and what needs to be done to remodel it by removing the rot and enhancing the good. Travis and Matthew discuss evangelicalism, missions, contextualization, multi-ethnic ministry, sexual ethics and so much more. It's a conversation to help you find the connecting points to reach your world with the glorious news of Jesus. Check out part 1 of the conversation or Reaching and Teaching Ministries International.Sign up for the Apollos Watered email.Help revitalize the church in this moment! Support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

How do we reach our crazy post-everything world today? Is there anyone we can turn to? Is there a person who can give us clarity? Is there a different perspective that we have to consider? Travis welcomes professor and former missionary, Matthew Bennett, to the show to discuss his book, Hope for American Evangelicals. Using Lesslie Newbigin as a guide, Matthew takes a missionary perspective to help us look at the American evangelical house and what needs to be done to remodel it by removing the rot and enhancing the good. Travis and Matthew discuss evangelicalism, missions, contextualization, multi-ethnic ministry, sexual ethics and so much more. It's a conversation to help you find the connecting points to reach your world with the glorious news of Jesus. Sign up for the Apollos Watered email.Help revitalize the church in this moment! Support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Are you creative? Have you felt your creative gifts weren't desirable or valuable for the gospel and the expansion of God's kingdom? If you have, then this episode is for you! Too often the creatives among us have been relegated to the kids' table of ministry, and in doing so we have lost the ability to tap into the imagination and help people to see who God is. There have been so many creatives that the church has lost simply because there wasn't a value placed upon them. Travis welcomes Amy Howley Pierson to the show to discuss her book, Makers in a Thinker's World: What Brain Science Teaches about the Spiritually Transforming Power of Creativity. Rediscover what it means to be creative, what our brains say about it, and how important it is in our spiritual formation. Learn more about Amy. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help revitalize the church in this moment! Support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Your work matters. God cares a great deal of what you do in the 9 to 5. Whether you are working as a mechanic in a garage, a C-suite executive, or a homemaker, God cares about your work. Listen in as Travis continues his discussion with Jeff Haanen on his book, Working from the Inside Out (IVP, 2023). Jeff is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of the Denver Institute. It's a conversation about how we follow God in our workplace, how transformation takes place, and how we can walk with God in the space where we spend most of our lives. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!Takeaways: The essence of every missionary encounter is fundamentally rooted in one's personal identity. Our growth in wisdom necessitates an understanding of both God and oneself, as emphasized by Calvin. Transformation occurs not merely through intention but through engaging in consistent spiritual practices. In the complexity of contemporary culture, discerning our environment is crucial for effective Christian witness. The journey of self-discovery is continuous; I remain committed to confronting my past and internal struggles. To truly engage with culture, one must be formed from within, allowing the internal to influence the external actions.

Does your work matter to God? What does that look like? How do we glorify God in the 9 to 5? How much does Sunday influence our Monday? Travis welcomes Jeff Haanen to the show to discuss his book, Working from the Inside Out (IVP, 2023). Jeff is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of the Denver Institute. It's a conversation about how we follow God in our workplace where we spend most of our lives. It's insightful and it will be transformative for all who seek to do their work for the glory of God. Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!Takeaways: The gospel is fundamentally the proclamation of what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ, serving as the ultimate good news for humanity. In our contemporary society, vocation must be understood as our active response to God's call, impacting every facet of our lives, including work and culture. To effectively engage in Christian mission, we must critically analyze the intricacies of daily life and the various contexts in which individuals operate. It is essential for church leaders to comprehend the unique challenges and realities faced by individuals within their respective workplaces. The concept of work is often misconstrued; we must reclaim a robust theology of work that integrates faith into everyday professional practices. Holistic discipleship requires a deep examination of our identity in Christ and how that informs our interactions and behaviors in the secular world.

What does 1776 have to do with LGBTQ+? What does it have to do with expressive individualism? What does it have to do with the rise of atheism, agnosticism, and secularism? Plenty. Travis welcomes Andrew Wilson to the show to discuss his book, Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West. It's a discussion of how we got WEIRDER: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic, Ex-Christian, and Romantic. Travis and Andrew discuss how the post-Christian West came to be, what it means for us now, and how we can live effectively. Andrew Wilson (PhD, King’s College London) is the teaching pastor at King’s Church London and a columnist for Christianity Today. He’s the author of several books, including Remaking the World, Incomparable, God of All Things, and Echoes of Exodus. You can follow him on Twitter.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

Why do so many Christians and evangelicals in particular love C.S. Lewis so much? What is it about him that transcends borders of culture and denominational and theological tribes? Today's guest is historian Mark Noll. Mark and Travis talk about C.S. Lewis and his reception by Americans in the early to mid part of the 20th century. Unlike any author before or since, Lewis tapped into the imagination with the truth that people could grab a hold of and understand. Join Travis and Mark as they sift through Lewis' reception by Catholics, Protestants, and the mainstream media. It's a conversation that will stimulate your faith and appreciate God working through him. Mark is one of the leading church historians in the English-speaking world. Recently retired as the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame and before that, he served as Professor of History and Theological Studies at Wheaton College. He taught courses on American religious and intellectual history, the Reformation, world Christianity, and Canadian history. Dr. Noll has written and edited numerous books, most recently including Evangelicals: Who They Have Been, Are Now, and Could Be (with George Marsden and David Bebbington, Eerdmans, 2019), In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life (OUP, 2015), From Every Tribe and Nation: A Historian’s Discovery of the Global Christian Story (Baker Academic, 2014), Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind (Eerdmans, 2011), and Clouds of Witnesses: Christian Voices from Africa and Asia (co-written with Carolyn Nystrom, IVP, 2011). He has also served on the editorial boards for Books & Culture and Christian History and as co-editor of the Library of Religious Biography for Wm. B. Eerdmans. In 2006 he received the National Endowment for the Humanities medal at the White House. Dr. Noll currently lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with his wife, Maggie.Check out Mark's books.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!