Doing Theology. Thinking Mission.

Do Missionaries Need Biblical Languages? Interview with Scott Callaham (S1, E9)

Our guest, Scott Callaham, explains why the Old Testament should anchor our teachings in cross-cultural ministry. We can’t understand the New Testament fully until we appreciate the background music of the Old Testament.

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

Applying a Model of Contextualization (S1, E8)

We discuss how practically to apply a model of contextualization. Formulas have an input and an output. That is not what we mean by biblically faithful and culturally meaningful contextualization. This model of contextualization is not a formula, it’s a process.

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

Deconstruction, Discipleship, and Contextualization. Interview with Brandon O’Brien (S1, E7)

What are the stories that make us who we are? This is a critical question that few of us spend time thinking about. Brandon O’Brien has spent a lot of time reflecting on a few of the major myths that shape every person. These include the personal myth, the communal myth, the national myth, and the philosophical-religious myth.

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

Rethinking Cross Cultural Partnerships. Interview with William Strickland (S1, E6)

We interview William Strickland, who challenges people to rethink healthy cross-cultural partnerships. In a candid discussion, he says the goal in partnership should be interdependence. We discuss whether the biblical patron-client metaphor can helpfully describe cross-cultural partnerships.

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

Have Theologians No Shame? (S1, E5)

Sacred, social, and psychological shame are all present in the Bible, but figuring out what’s what can be messy.

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Work as Commentary on God's Character. Interview with Jim Mullins (S1, E4)

Jim Mullins is a storyteller. He seeks creative expressions of God’s kingdom in everything from wearing a clown suit to being a part of a human shield to protect his neighbors at a Mosque in Phoenix.  

We talk with Jim Mullins, lead pastor of Redemption Tempe and former missionary to Turkey, about Symphony of Mission (co-written with Michael Goheen). 

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

Sneak Peek of Episode 4

Here's a preview of what's dropping on Wednesday!

No such thing as honor cultures? Interview with Chris Flanders (S1, E3)

Jackson interviews Chris Flanders who says there is no such thing as “honor” or “honor cultures. Yet, this seems to contradict much of what’s been written about honor and shame cultures.

We discuss misunderstandings that people tend to have about honor and shame. What does honor do? How does it function? How does defining honor as a “right to respect” impact how we live?

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage. 

Contextualization and Syncretism (S1, E2)

All theology is contextualized. But when does it become syncretism?

Too often we misunderstand the role of interpretation. This episode looks at the battle of titans for biblical interpretation–– that of contextualization versus syncretism.

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.

How The Bible Frames the Gospel (S1, E1)

This episode explores the way the Bible consistently frames the gospel. And to be clear, there's no formula involved. 

While formulas are comfortable, our pursuit of simple, efficient, and portable gospel explanations have led to an anemic church. Is the gospel the message about how to get saved? Maybe not completely.

What if the gospel is not so much the message about how we get saved but the message we must believe in order to be saved?

For complete show notes, check out the podcast homepage.