The Weight

Show Notes:Zach Lambert wants to give you a better way to interpret the Bible, so he wrote the book on it. In Better Ways to Read the Bible: Transforming a Weapon of Harm Into a Tool of Healing, Zach helps us deconstruct four common lenses for reading the Bible that lead to harm and then offers four new lenses that promote healing and wholeness. Zach is the Lead Pastor and founder of Restore Austin, a church in urban Austin, Texas. He is also the co-founder of the Post Evangelical Collective where he serves as a board member. Zach and his wife, Amy, met each other in the 6th grade, fell in love at 17, and got married at 21. They love watching live music, discovering local Mexican food places, and playing with their two boys.Resources:Buy Better Ways to Read the Bible on Amazon or Barnes & NobleLearn more about Restore AustinFollow Zach on Instagram

Show Notes:Rev. Dr. Javier Viera is the President of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. A long-time friend of Eddie’s, Javier served in multiple roles in a congregational setting before becoming the Dean of Drew Theological School at Drew University. He earned his master of divinity from Duke Divinity School, a master of sacred theology from Yale Divinity School, and his doctor of education from Columbia University.Javier’s experience gives him a deep understanding of how important diversity is in theological education. Including voices with varying backgrounds will only strengthen the formation of Christ-centered leaders who courageously cultivate communities of justice, compassion, and Gospel hope.Resources:Learn more about Garrett-Evangelical 

Show Notes:This episode is a special conversation between a father and son, two pastors in different eras of their ministerial careers. Chris is joined by his father (but not by Eddie), retired Bishop Bill McAlilly, to talk about Bill’s faith journey, his growth as a pastoral leader, and how he created and equipped leaders in his many congregations. Bill is a retired bishop of the United Methodist Church. He served as bishop for 12 years, covering the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religion at Millsaps College, his Master of Divinity at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Bill served in a variety of roles in many different churches and ministry settings throughout his 43 year career, and now he’s sharing his wisdom and experiences with The Weight.Resources:Learn more about Bill at billmcalilly.comFollow Bill on Facebook Listen to Bill’s previous episode on The Weight 

Show Notes:Can science and faith exist together? If God created the world and then created people in God’s own image, why do we experience suffering? How do we reconcile the hard facts of science with the miraculous story of God’s own faithfulness and actions in the world? These are difficult but not impossible topics to explore, and today’s guest offers us a way into those hard conversations.Dr. Philip Clayton is Professor Emeritus at Claremont School of Theology, as well as the former Ingraham Chair, where he directed the PhD program in comparative theologies and philosophies. He earned a joint PhD from Yale in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of religion. He is the author of more than two dozen books, including The Problem of God in Modern Thought and Religion and Science: The Basics.Resources:Learn more about Dr. Clayton on his website, philipclayton.netFollow Dr. Clayton on Instagram or Facebook Buy Dr. Clayton’s books online

Show Notes:Humans are not machines, so why do we treat ourselves like we are?In this episode, Eddie and Chris are joined by Dr. Warren Kinghorn, a psychiatrist who focuses on a more holistic approach to mental health, and health in general. Warren looks beyond merely reducing or eliminating the symptoms, because we aren’t machines. We are beings who need nurture and care and love. He believes that being in community with one another and walking alongside each other in our struggles plays a significant role in caring for our hurting neighbors. Christian community can offer support in ways that help us to know and to affirm the truth of God’s love, even in moments when we might not have the capacity to feel that love.Warren is the Esther Colliflower Professor of the Practice of Pastoral and Moral Theology at Duke University as well as the co-director of the Theology, Medicine, and Culture Initiative at Duke. He is also a staff psychiatrist at the Durham VA Medical Center.Resources:Buy Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care

Show Notes:Today’s guest, Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, has a challenge for all of us: to engage the Bible more deeply, and to do that in a way that faithful to the historical context in which the scriptures were written. Jews during the Second Temple period were aware of the societal context in which they lived, just as we are aware of ours today. But because we don’t experience that ancient context in today’s world, we lose the nuance of Jesus’ teachings. Putting Jesus back in his historical time and place gives Christians a deeper understanding of the scriptures and allows for us to wrestle with the text, to push back and ask questions.AJ is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. She is a graduate of Smith College and earned her doctorate at Duke University. AJ is the author of several books, including Short Stories by Jesus, Jesus for Everyone: Not Just Christians, and The Bible with and without Jesus. Resources:Follow AJ on FacebookBuy AJ’s books on Amazon or Cokesbury

Show Notes:Mark DeYmaz is a pastor, author, and champion of the multi-ethnic church movement. He spent eighteen years as a youth pastor in Little Rock, Arkansas, before stepping away to plant the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in 2001 where he continues to serve as Directional Leader. Mark has a clear vision for what the Church should look like: bringing diverse people together to walk, work, and worship God, while investing in the local community. Church should reflect the diverse world we live in, as a true reflection of the Kingdom of God.Mark earned his Master of Arts from Western Seminary in 1987 and his Doctor of Ministry from Phoenix Seminary in 2006. He is an Adjunct Professor at United Theological Seminary and at Wheaton College He is also the co-founder of the Mosaix Global Network, which helps with multiethnic church planting, growth, and development. Mark has written eight books and is a contributing editor to Outreach magazine. He and his wife Linda have four adult children and five grandchildren.Resources:Learn more about MosaixLearn more about Mosaic ChurchBuy Mark’s books on Amazon, including The Coming Revolution in Church Economics, Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church, and DIsruption: Repurposing the Church to Redeem the CommunityFollow Mark on Instagram

Show Notes:Dr. Corneilus Plantinga has a few words to say about gratitude, and it may just change your life--physically, spiritually, and emotionally. A habit of gratitude can lower your blood pressure and help you sleep better. But the habit of gratitude also ties us together collectively, in community and in church. When there is genuine appreciation of an act of kindness or a loving word, the memory of that “thank you” is a cushion when disagreement tries to divide us. Gratitude for God’s gifts reminds us daily that we can find something good, even in tough situations.A previous guest on The Weight, Dr. Plantinga is Senior Research Fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and president emeritus of Calvin Theological Seminary. He also served as Dean of the Chapel at Calvin University. He is the author of many books, including his latest, Gratitude.Resources:Find Dr. Plantinga’s books on AmazonListen Dr. Plantinga’s previous conversation on The Weight

Show Notes:If you’re not hungry at the start of this episode, you probably will be by the end. And you’ll probably want to run down to Jackson, Mississippi to eat at Elvie’s.Hunter Evans is the owner of Elvie’s that serves seasonal dishes and highlights ingredients from local farmers. For Hunter, owning a restaurant is first about hospitality. He focuses on making connections with his patrons, and is a champion of a city in Mississippi that often gets overlooked or looked down on. He also focuses on the wellbeing of his staff, because he believes that if he’s asking his staff to take care of others, they have to be taken care of first.He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and the Culinary Institute of America and has worked with acclaimed chefs like John Currence and in the kitchens of New York restaurants Le Bernardin, Cafe Boulud, and Daniel.Resources:Elvie’s websiteElvie’s Instagram

Shownotes:John T. Edge joins Chris and Eddie for a conversation that takes them all over the South. John T. is a writer, commentator, the former director of the Southern Foodways Alliance, and host of the television show True South. He is the director of the Mississippi Lab at the University of Mississippi, and his latest passion project is the Greenfield Farm Writers Residency, which will offer space for writers of all kinds to step away from the real world and put their focus and attention on their writing project, whether that’s a song, a poem, a novel, or a scientific paper.John T. earned his MA in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College. He has written or edited more than a dozen books and has written columns for the Oxford American and the New York Times. He has also been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered as well as CBS Sunday Morning and Iron Chef.Most importantly, he firmly believes that Birmingham, Alabama, is a Southern city, no matter what Chris says.Resources:John T.’s websiteGreenfield Farm Writers ResidencyTrue South