Theology in the Raw

Latest Episodes:

799: Is it Okay to Hug a Woman in a Post-#MeToo World? Lore Ferguson Wilbert Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

Lore (pronounced Lor-ee) Ferguson Wilbert just released her provocative book Handle With Care: How Jesus Redeems the Power of Touch in Life and Ministry. And it addresses lots of questions that are on peoples’ minds these days—especially men. Can I hug a woman? Side hug or full frontal? Is “the Billy Graham Rule” a good thing or an insulting thing—or a bit of both? How can Christian men avoid affairs and sexual temptations without giving the impression that every woman he’s alone with in the elevator is a stumbling block? Unfortunately, Preston’s internet literally shut down toward the end of this podcast (and, in case you care, it didn’t start working again for another 48 hours, which in these Covid-19 quarantine days is like spending two days in hell with everyone out to lunch). But the 40 minutes they did capture were too good to scrap, so we’ll have to live with the technological embarrassments.

Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, learner, and author of the book, Handle With Care. She writes for She Reads Truth, Christianity Today, Lifeway, and more, as well as her own site, Sayable.net. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram @lorewilbert. She has a husband named Nate, a puppy named Harper Nelle, and too many books to read in one lifetime.

Connect with Lore

sayable.net

Twitter | @lorewilbert

Instagram | @lorewilbert

Facebook | facebook.com/lorefergusonwilbert

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798: From a Gay Designer in Hollywood to a Radical Follower of Christ: Becket Cook Jun 29, 2020

Show notes

Becket’s story is absolutely incredible. He has one of those stories you hear from a distance and think, “this can’t be true.” But it is. Jesus is real and he is that powerful. Becket has an amazing story and he also has an amazing passion for an amazing savior. Becket shares his story in this podcast; he and Preston also dig into what it means to “leave homosexuality,” the controversy over gay identity (Becket is adamantly opposed to it), and what it was like hanging out with Katy Perry, Prince, Paris Hilton, and other Hollywood stars.

Becket spends much of his time in ministry speaking at churches, universities, and conferences helping believers (and non-believers) understand this issue biblically, theologically, culturally, and personally. Balancing grace and truth when teaching on this subject is of primary importance. His goal is to challenge the current cultural narrative about sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular by demonstrating through his personal testimony and biblical truths that, yes, homosexuality is still a sin, and that following Christ is infinitely more satisfying and joyous. He has lived all over the world in major cities such as Rome, Vienna, and Tokyo. Becket graduated from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University in 2017 with a Master of Arts in Theology. Becket’s book, A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption, with a foreword by Francis Chan, published by Thomas Nelson, released July 30, 2019.

Connect with Becket Cook

Twitter | https://twitter.com/becketcook

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/becketcook/?hl=en

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/becket.cook

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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797: The Future of Christian Education: Spencer MacCuish Jun 22, 2020

Show notes

Spencer is a longtime friend, former boss, and the president of Eternity Bible College. We first met way back in Seminary nearly 20 years ago and have been friends ever since. Spencer is known for his towering height, shiny head, inability to be outwitted, but most of all for his imaginative and integrative approach to Christian education. In this episode, we talk about some of the things that are broken in our current models of education and explore fresh avenues for education which will be especially pertinent in the wake of Covid-19.

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Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

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Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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796: I Finally Discovered My Enneagram Number! A Convo with Enneagram Guru Jeff Cook Jun 15, 2020

Show notes

I've tried taking several Enneagram tests but I can never finish them. I hate the binary answers they give: When you walk into a room, do you want to dominate everyone or hide in the corner?" Ugh! What if it's neither!? That's why I reached out to my buddy Jeff Cook to have him give me a personal and conversational evaluation of my Enneagram score. Wait, is it a "score?" Or a number? I'm not a number, I'm a person! Don't put me in a box!! Whatever the Enneagram is, Jeff Cook is an expert in it. Watch him as he uses the force to draw out the inner me with all its grit and grime. After we find out my number, we turn to the biblical writers to see what number they are and why it matters. Yup, we even dare to figure out what Jesus is on the Enneagram. We haven't been struck down by lightening—yet.

Jeff Cook teaches philosophy at UNC and pastors Atlas Church in Greeley, Colorado. He speaks about all things enneagram on the Around the Circle Podcast, and is the author of "Seven: The Deadly Sins and the Beatitudes" (Zondervan 2008). He lives in Colorado with his wife and two kids.

You can connect with Jeff:

Twitter | @jeffvcook

Instagram| @aroundthecirclepodcast

Spotify | bit.ly/AroundTheCirclePodcast

Apple | bit.ly/AroundTheCircle

Support Preston

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Connect with Preston

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Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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795: #795 - A Christian Response to the Death of George Floyd: Justin Giboney Jun 08, 2020

Show notes

The death of George Floyd has sparked many questions related to race relations, systemic racism, the use and abuse of force and power among the police force, faith and politics, partisanship, and many other questions. To help us think through these questions, I recently interviewed Justin Giboney from the AndCampaign in a live YouTube conversation, and this podcast is the audio version of that conversation.

Justin Giboney is an attorney and political strategist in Atlanta, GA. He is also the Co-Founder and President of the AND Campaign, which is a coalition of urban Christians who are determined to address the sociopolitical arena with the compassion and conviction of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Giboney has managed successful campaigns for elected officials in the state and referendums relating to the city’s transportation and water infrastructure.
In 2012 and 2016, Georgia’s 5th congressional district elected him as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention and he served as the co-chair of Obama for America’s Gen44-Atlanta initiative. A former Vanderbilt University football player and law student, Justin served on the Urban League of Greater Atlanta Board of Directors. He’s written op-eds for publications such as Christianity Today and The Hill.

Support Preston

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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794: What If Church Centered on the Table Not the Stage? Chris Wienand Jun 01, 2020

Show notes

Chris Wienand is like the master Yoda of church planting. From planting churches in South Africa to Los Angeles, to mentoring dozens of leaders around the globe, Chris has gained much wisdom about church and the gospel over the years. In this episode, we talk about what it means to be the church and the role that meals and organic gatherings should have in the life of the community. Chris believes that the table should be the heartbeat of our churches.

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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793: Covid-19 and the Politicalization of a Pandemic: Another Conversation with John C. Bivona May 25, 2020

Show notes

Due to the incredible response I got from John’s first appearance on Theology in the Raw (Ep. 788), I had to have him back on! John is an infectious disease expert at the University of Chicago and he gives us an update on the virus. We talk about lockdown versus reopening, the probability of a second wave, the politicalization of the whole mess, what churches should do as they reopen, and much much more.

John has over 15 years’ experience working in high containment laboratories (BSL3) with high consequence pathogens (i.e. anthrax, plague, highly pathogenic avian influenza, Brucella abortus), with an effective history of training lab workers, clinical care workers, first responders, first receivers and custodial workers to safely work with and control high consequence pathogens such as MERS, SARS and Ebola.

Support Preston

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Youtube | Preston Sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

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792: On Being a Woman Pastor-Theologian: A Conversation with Dr. Sharon Hodde May 18, 2020

Show notes

Sharon is a passionate follower of Christ who’s got a sharp mind and humble heart. Preston and Sharon talk about lots of things related to being a woman in pastoral and theological ministry.

Sharon Hodde Miller leads Bright City Church in Durham, NC alongside her husband, Ike. In addition to earning her PhD, Sharon has blogged at SheWorships.com for nearly ten years, making God's Word accessible to women everywhere. Author of Free of ME: Why Life is Better When It’s Not About You, she has been a regular contributor to Propel, She Reads Truth, and Christianity Today, and has written for Relevant, (in)courage, and many other publications and blogs. She speaks regularly on topics ranging from leadership to body image to Scripture. She and her husband have two sons and one daughter.

Support Preston

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

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791: #791 - What’s Wrong with Calling it the “Chinese Virus,” and Other Controversial Topics: Eugene Cho May 11, 2020

Show notes

Oh boy, are you in for a good one! Preston and Eugene talk about politics, so-called “Chinese viruses,” multiethnic churches, and much more in this controversy-laden podcast. We also talk about Eugene’s latest book Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk, which helps Christians navigate the cesspool of partisan politics with truth and grace.

Eugene Cho is a pastor, speaker, author, visionary and humanitarian. A son of Korean immigrants and a natural entrepreneur, Cho spends much of his time circling the globe speaking about the intersection of faith, justice, and leadership.

Support Preston

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Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

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790: #790 - White Evangelicalism, Anti-Trumpism, Dialoging across the Divide, and Mitch Claiborne May 04, 2020

Show notes

In this long overdue Q & A podcast, Preston works through a fistful of scintillating questions sent in from his followers: Why he's not a fan of the documentary hypothesis, is his podcast anti-Trump, how to dialogue with people you really, really disagree with, unbiased news outlets, why he doesn't like the phrase "white evangelicalism," should churches post LGBTQ statements on their websites, and much more.

Support Preston

Support Preston by going to patreon.com

Connect with Preston

Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle

Instagram | @preston.sprinkle

Check out his website prestonsprinkle.com

If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.