The Pastor Theologians Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Adam Copenhaver May 12, 2025

Show notes

On the podcast this week, Adam Copenhaver shares with us about his early ministry caring for an older congregation, and his education and research on Colossians. He also tells us about his current pastoral context leading a church in a small, migrant farm town which had previously been led by an abusive pastor. He previews the breakout topic he will lead at the 2025 CPT Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. How can our churches become both helpful and welcoming to those who are suffering abuse or oppression? How can pastors identify and eliminate harmful tendencies in themselves that could lead to abuse later?

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Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Ben Burkholder May 05, 2025

Show notes

This week we are joined by CTP Fellow Ben Burkholder. Ben shares how he developed an interest in learning how people grow as disciples. Reflecting on his time as a student, Ben also shares insights about the relationship between psychology and spiritual formation. This and more on today’s podcast!

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Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Eric Rivera Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Join us this week as we get to know Eric Rivera. Eric will be a plenary speaker at the 2025 Pastor Theologians Conference, Good Shepherds: Pastoral Identity and the Future of the Church. On this episode, Eric talks about how his story shaped his interests and calling in church history and pastoral ministry. Drawing from his context as a pastor at a multi-ethnic church in the greater Chicago area, he also shares what he has learned it means to be a Good Shepherd in the 21st Century.

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To Gaze upon God | Samuel Parkison Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

Samuel Parkison joins the podcast today to talk about his recent book, To Gaze upon God: The Beatific Vision in Doctrine, Tradition, and Practice(InterVarsity Press 2024.) He also shares with us his story and calling to academic ministry at the Abu Dhabi Extension Site at Gulf Theological Seminary in the United Arab Emirates.

What is the beatific vision? What does the beatific vision have to do with this moment in history for the church? This and more on today's podcast!

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What We're Reading — April 2025 Apr 07, 2025

Show notes

For our April episode on books, we, the CPT staff, have been reading:

CR Wiley, In the House of Tom Bombadil (2021)
Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle Is the Way (2014)
Percival Everett, James (2024)
Harold Netland, Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God (2022)

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Mothers, Dignity, and Utility | Nadya Williams Mar 31, 2025

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Nadya Williams joins the podcast to talk about her recent book, Mothers, Children, and the Body Politic: Ancient Christianity and the Recovery of Human Dignity (IVP Academic, 2024.) How do our attitudes towards motherhood reflect either a commodification of human life or, by contrast, a rich affirmation of the imago dei? This and more on today’s podcast!

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Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Stephen Campbell Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

Stephen Campbell joins us today on the CPT podcast. Stephen tells us about witnessing his family's ministry through his childhood. He also shares how the Lord prepared him for his current context pastoring in Germany, and his research on the book of Deuteronomy. This and more on today's podcast!

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What is Holiness? | Matt O'Reilly Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

Matt O'Reilly joins us today to talk about his recent book Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification. What does the Bible teach us about holiness? How can the broader Evangelical community learn from historically Methodist theologies of sanctification? How can ecclesial styles of theological writing serve pastors and congregations as they work through topics like this one? This and more on today's podcast!

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A Vision of Freedom | Brad Littlejohn Mar 10, 2025

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Brad Littlejohn joins the podcast today to talk about his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License. What is human "freedom"? Where do American theological, moral, and political concepts of freedom and liberty come from? How do Scripture and our culture view "freedom" differently, and how can pastors help the Church's ability to think Biblically about "freedom"? This and more on today's podcast!

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Becoming a Pastor Theologian | Steve Turnbull Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

Steve Turnbull joins the podcast to share his journey of becoming a pastor and Biblical scholar. As a pastor theologian, Steve has worked to develop a rich Biblical narrative imagination. Today, he serves as a senior pastor of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Ohio, as well as the provost and professor of New Testament at The Master's Institute in Minnesota.

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