New Creation Conversations 097 - Dr. Andrew Whitehead on Christian Nationalism and the Idols of the American Church

Welcome to episode one hundred and one of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with my wonderful friend and gifted thinker, Dr. Kara Powell. Kara is chief of leadership formation, the executive director of Fuller Youth Institute, and professor of youth and family ministry at Fuller Seminary. She holds degrees from Stanford, Bethel Seminary, and her PhD is in Practical theology from Fuller.Kara also serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange and has served in a number of local church ministries. Just two or three years ago Christianity Today named Kara as one of the “50 Women to Watch” in Christian leadership. She has written and contributed to a number of books and has been on the podcast with me before. This time, Kara and I talk about her soon to be released book written by Kara and her research partners. The book’s title is Faith Beyond Youth Group: 5 Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship – published by Baker Books with a release date of November 7. Building on two decades of the Fuller Youth Institute’s work and incorporating extensive new research and interviews, Faith Beyond Youth Group identifies the reasons youth ministry often flops both short-term and long-term, and offers five ways adult youth leaders can cultivate character for a lifetime of growing closer to Jesus rather than drifting away. One reviewer calls it “a game-changing resource for anyone in youth ministry.” It is a wonderful resource and an enlightening conversation. 

Welcome to episode one hundred of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with my longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Brent Peterson. Brent currently serves as the Dean of the College of Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwest Nazarene University (where he has been on faculty for the last 15 years). Brent is an alum of NNU, has a Master of Divinity degree from Nazarene Theological Seminary, and got his PhD from Garrett-Evangelical Seminary. In addition to his teaching, Brent has been in local ministry in a number of churches and is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene. He has a great interest in theology related to the church, the formative nature of liturgy, and writes often about the intersection of theology and ecclesiology.In our conversation we talk about Brent’s newest book – which is also the most recent addition to The Wesleyan Theology Series published by The Foundry – a book simply entitled The Church. It is the first of two contributions Brent is making to that series. In the Spring his volume on the sacraments will also be released. It is a wonderful series, a very helpful book, and (as you would expect from two old friends) a very fun and thoughtful conversation.

Welcome to episode ninety-nine of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with author, speaker, pastor, and podcaster Skye Jethani. Skye has had a number of roles in ministry including local pastoral ministry. He served in a number of positions at Christianity Today including senior editor of Leadership Journal and as the Director of Mission Advancement for CT. These days, Skye is probably best known as the co-host of the popular Holy Post podcast (with Phil Vischer) and as the author and regular contributor to the With God Daily app and email service.  Skye has become a very important voice and thought-leader in today’s church. He is an award-winning author, having written about a dozen books. We spend our conversation talking about most recent book, What If Jesus Was Serious About Heaven?: A Visual Guide to Experiencing God’s Kingdom Among Us (published by Brazos Press and being released today October 17). It is the next volume in Skye’s incredible “What if Jesus Was Serious…” series. Even though it is easy to read and filled with great illustrations, it will challenge you to think deeply about what the Bible has to say about what our hope and our destiny is in Christ Jesus.It is a great book and a fun conversation. I’m a big fan of The Holy Post and was delighted to get a chance to talk with Skye and to get to bring this conversation to you. 

Welcome to episode ninety-eight of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with Kaitlyn Schiess. Kaitlyn is a writer, minister, and doctoral student at Duke Divinity School studying political theology and biblical interpretation. She has written about theology, politics, and culture for Christianity Today, The New York Times, Christ and Pop Culture, RELEVANT, Sojourners, and the Huffington Post. These days she may be best known for her participation on The Holy Post Podcast with Phil Vischer and Sky Jethani. We spend our time discussing her most recent book, The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here (Brazos). In the book, Kaitlyn unpacks the history of America and how we have connected the Bible to politics in the past and explores what lessons and warnings we can glean from those moments. She combines American political history and biblical interpretation to help readers faithfully read Scripture, talk with others about it, and apply it to contemporary political issues – and to their lives.It is a wonderful and important book, especially in the current moment. I’m really thankful for the work Kaitlyn is doing in this area, and am a little jealous of her ability (at such a young age) to reflect so insightfully on both our history and our moment. I’m a big fan of The Holy Post and was delighted to get a chance to meet Kaitlyn and have this rich conversation. 

Welcome to episode ninety-seven of New Creation Conversations. This week’s conversation is with Dr. Andrew Whitehead. Andrew is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Association of Religion Data Archives at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUPUI (Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis). He is a graduate of Purdue University and got his PhD in sociology from Baylor University. He is one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States. He’s written 50+ peer reviewed articles and has been featured across several national outlets including The New York Times, NPR, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, CNN, The Today Show, The Economist, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian. His first book, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (published by Oxford and co-written with Sam Perry), won the 2021 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. We spend our time discussing his most recent book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church (Brazos). In the book, Andrew not only describes the history and problems related to Christian nationalism, but he also takes on its three great idolatries: power, fear, and violence.There has been a lot of healthy conversation in the US church on this issue over the last few years, and Andrew’s book brings a lot of the issues into a clearer light. The book is timely, especially as we get ready to head into another potentially divisive presidential election season. One of the things I like most about the book is that Andrew doesn’t just analyze the problem but gives examples of churches and communities of faith that are working for the good of our world without being absorbed into its idolatries. It’s an important book and a rich conversation. 

Welcome to episode ninety-six of New Creation Conversations. I’m joined this week by writer, professor, and expert on theology and literature, Dr. Karen Swallow Prior. Karen did her PhD at the State University of New York at Buffalo with a specialization in eighteenth century British literature. Karen taught in seminaries for a number of years, and she is a contributing editor for Comment, a founding member of The Pelican Project, a Senior Fellow at Trinity Forum, a Senior Fellow at the International Alliance for Christian Education, a Senior Fellow at the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture and is a former member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States. She and her husband live on a 100-year-old homestead in central Virginia with dogs, chickens, and lots of books.Karen has written and contributed to several books. We discuss her most recent work, The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos Press). In the book she examines evangelical history – both good and bad. By analyzing the literature, art, and popular cultural that has surrounded evangelicalism, she unpacks some of the movement’s most deeply held concepts, ideas, values, and practices to consider what is Christian rather than merely cultural. The result is a clearer path forward for evangelicals amid their current identity crisis – and insight for others who want a deeper understanding of what was best about the evangelical movement, and what possibilities might still be in its future. As many of you know, I am a fan of theology and literature, and I love the way Karen blends those too with important cultural and philosophical analysis. It is a very thoughtful and helpful book. And a very fun conversation. 

Welcome to episode ninety-five of New Creation Conversations. I’m joined this week by theologian and global church historian, Dr. Stephen Pardue. Steve is a graduate of Wheaton College where he also earned both an MA and a PhD in Theology. Having been raised in the Philippines, he has returned home and now teaches in Manila and directs the ThM/PhD programs in Theological Studies and Church History at the Asia Graduate School of Theology. He is the author of The Mind of Christ: Humility and the Intellect in Early Christian Theology and the coeditor of ten books, including Majority World Theology and Asian Christian Theology. Our conversation centers on his recent book Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (published by Baker Academic). As most Christian theologians and students are aware, the number of Christians in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. Nevertheless, despite its rapid growth, the voices of the church in the Majority World are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In his book, Steve not only wants to introduce some of those rich global voices into the conversation, but he argues that it is imperative for the church in the West to engage with and be edified by those voices. There is a richness in the diversity of global voices and perspectives available in the Church that enhance our understanding of God and deepen our discipleship.  Especially in my new opportunity to see more of the global church in my own denomination, I wanted to learn from Steve’s scholarship. I read every page of the book and found it to be a very helpful resource for not just navigating but also celebrating the major shifts taking place in global Christianity. It is a very good book and a really helpful conversation. 

This week I’m excited to have another return conversation with a longtime friend, and an amazing biblical scholar and author, Dr. Brent Strawn. Brent was actually my very first guest when I launched this podcast a couple of years ago, and I always learn new things when I get together with Brent and talk about the Old Testament. Brent is the D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament (and Professor of Law) at Duke Divinity School and Duke University School of Law.  He’s a grad of Point Loma Nazarene University and he did his MDiv and PhD at Princeton Theological Seminary. He’s taught for several years now at Asbury Theological Seminary, Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and now Duke Divinity. He’s written several books and over two hundred and fifty articles, chapters, reference works and reviews, and he served as both a translator and editor for the Common English Bible. Just this week it was announced that he has won a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for a project to create the first critical, eclectic edition of the Hebrew Psalter. This work will bring in all kinds of new resources into work on the Psalms – including the Dead Sea Scrolls. Our conversation today centers on his most recent book The Incomparable God: Readings in Biblical Theology (published by Eerdmans). This book is actually the bringing together of 18 of Brent’s unpublished essays (and a couple of original chapters for the book), put together and edited by a couple of Brent’s former students. The essays cover topics like the complex portrayal of God in Genesis, God’s mercy in Exodus, the poetic description of God in the Psalms, the Trinity in both testaments, the integration of faith and scholarship, and (my favorite) an amazing reflection on the story of Elisha and the bears. It’s a great book and really an honor for Brent to have former students already doing this kind of work on his behalf. I always love talking with my friend Brent, and I think you will love this conversation also.

Welcome to episode ninety-three of New Creation Conversations. It is fun for me to bring you a third conversation with one of my favorite authors and scholars, Dr. Andrew Root. Andy is Professor and Carrie Olson Baalson Chair of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. Andy has written several books on ministry and spiritual formation. I’ve had him on the podcast twice to talk about his incredible series on ministry and formation in the secular age.Our conversation today centers on his most recent book in that series When the Church Stops Working: A Future for Your Congregation beyond More Money, Programs, and Innovation (published by Brazos Press and co-authored with Blair Bertrand). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the secular series, you will love the book because it is a wonderful summary of the key insights of the entire series. For those of you who have read all or parts of the series, you will love this book because it not only summarizes the series but also gives some very practical responses to the work Andy has done in the other books. It also is a great book for you to give to those friends you’ve tried to describe the series to, but never could find quite the right words. I am a big fan of Andy’s work and love getting to talk with him about it. And I love that I have this format to share the conversation with you. 

My conversation today is a return conversation with one of my favorite writers and scholars working in the areas of theology and literature. Jessica Hooten Wilson has just recently been named as the Seaver College Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University. She is an expert on classical education and hosts a podcast called The Scandal of Reading: Pursuing Holy Wisdom with Christ and Pop Culture. She has authored several award-winning books. Our conversation centers on her new book, “Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice” (Brazos Press).Jessica and I recorded this conversation a few weeks ago when she was just a few days from giving birth to her fourth child. Since then, her new little girl has arrived. So, there are lots of transitions going on in her life right now. I was thankful to get a chance in the midst of everything going on in her life and mine to talk about our mutual love for God and for great books.