Faith Improvised

Latest Episodes:

“Make America Great Again” is a Call to Turn Our Backs to the Gospel Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

I respond to a question about the nature of salvation, I talk about Nijay Gupta's great new book on how Paul uses "faith" language in his letters, and I reflect on how the resonance among white evangelicals with the current president's campaign slogan reveals something fundamentally problematic about the culture of white evangelicalism.

How To Be Humble Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

I catch up on some discussion and questions about evangelism, talk about Tom Nichols's wonderful book, The Death of Expertise, and I reflect a bit on the character of humility and arrogance.

Alpha Male Myths & Violence in Our World Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, I reflect on the role that "the Great Commission" plays in evangelical culture, I talk about Sarah Posner's brilliant new book, "Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump," and I share a conversation with my friend Steve Watkins. He's a former Navy SEAL whose experience and study has changed his thinking about the military and violence. We also talk about Alpha & Beta males and there's a Fargo reference dropped in for good measure.

Is the “Great Commission” Even a Thing!? Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

A conversation with Kristen Johnson on the surprising history of the phrase that has been so central to evangelical identity, mission, and practice. It's perhaps time to reassess the outsize role Matthew 28:19-20 plays in our thinking, and just as importantly, to actually look at what the passage says!

Jesus and John Wayne, with Kristin Du Mez Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

This week, I respond to a few questions about individualism, I talk a little about Bruce Longenecker's book, In Stone and Story, and I have a discussion with Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the new book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

Christian Nationalism is Idolatry Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

In this episode I respond to some questions I received, commend the super-fun book Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness, by Melissa Dahl, and talk about the idolatrous notion that America is a Christian nation.

BLM, the Kingdom of God, and White Evangelicalism's Gospel Problem Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

In this episode I share a few ideas in response to a question asking what we can do about our individualized gospel, I recommend Lee Camp's sparkling new book, Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians, and I elaborate some of the dynamics of the Kingdom of God in Scripture that conservative white evangelicals are missing, captive as that culture is to a shrunken version of the gospel.

Christian Identity & Race Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

In this episode I respond to some questions I received about evangelism from the first episode, I talk about Kristin Kobes Du Mez's wonderful new book Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, and I share a conversation I had about race with Max Botner, my New Testament colleague at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. We hit a few things we've learned from the book White Fragility and about some criticisms of it, and we touched on some aspects of Christian identity that drive us to learn about and discuss matters of race.

Here Goes Nothin' Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

In this first episode, I explain why I’m jumping into podcasting and what I hope to explore. I talk a little about Chanequa Walker-Barnes’s new book, I Bring the Voices of My People, and I explore a bit further how I came to change my thinking about a Christian posture toward others, both at an individual level and cultural one.

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