Faith Improvised

Latest Episodes:

What Did Jesus Know & When Did He Know It? Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

I recommend Jared Yates Sexton's compelling new book, American Rule: How A Nation Conquered the World but Failed Its People, and I talk about reckoning with the narrative shape of the Gospels, how they theologize about Jesus as a character, and how certain theological conceptions can get in the way of our understanding, especially an assumption about God's "omniscience."

I also mention Jeannine Brown's excellent book, The Gospels as Stories: A Narrative Approach to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The Joy of Being Wrong Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

I talk about Adam Grant's new book, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, and how it sheds light on creative Christian postures of humility and curiosity. I also mention Beth Allison Barr's new release, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. And I make minor note of Daniel Boorstin's classic work, The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America.

Baseball & Golf, Science & Faith Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

In this short episode I talk about the Cubs' brutal start to the season, the Masters tournament from last week, and I recommend Edward Larson's brilliant book, Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion.

Reconnecting with a Friend Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

I reflect a bit about why this is my favorite week of the year, I talk about Molly Worthen’s book, Apostles of Reason: The Crisis of Authority in American Evangelicalism, and I share a personal story about reconnecting with an old friend.

Exvangelicals & Deconstruction Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

I recommend a powerful new book by Anthea Butler called White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America, and I reflect for a bit about the terms “exvangelical” and “deconstruction.”

I also mention a few other books: Adam Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know; Crystal M. Fleming, How To Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide; Ijeoma Oluo, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America.

The Church as God's Public Justice Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

I share some random observations from the past week, I recommend Educated: A Memoir, which is a brilliant and quite compelling coming of age narrative, and I talk about Paul’s vision of the church as God’s public justice.

The Conversion of Paul's Ministry Imagination Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

I share some thoughts from the past week, I recommend Heather McGhee's brilliant new book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, in which she elaborates the zero-sum logic that distorts our racial and political imaginations, and I share some ideas from my book, Power in Weakness: Paul's Transformed Vision for Ministry, especially how Paul experienced a conversion of his ministry imagination.

White Evangelicals & Abortion Politics Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

In this episode I share some random observations, I recommend Jason Hickel's brilliant book, The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets, and I talk about the politics of abortion and how this issue has shaped the culture of white evangelicalism in America.

Just Briefly Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

In this brief episode, I share some thoughts from the past week and I recommend Jason Stanley's fascinating book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.

Sovereignty, Suffering, Sports, Etc. Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

I offer some reflections on music, sports, and the challenge of self-awareness among athletes, I recommend Daniel Radosh's fun and enlightening book, Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture, and I respond to some questions about what I've been saying about God's sovereignty and what that looks like in our world.

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