On this episode of the podcast, we interview one of my most trusted teachers, Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer (who also happens to be a world class theologian!) It’s a conversation about what it means to read the Bible “transfigurally”: to take seriously the literal meaning of the text but also to make sure we follow the text as it leads us to see and savor Jesus Christ. Among the questions we discuss:

• How do we take each passage of Scripture on its own terms while also being attentive to the way it points us to Jesus?
• Is there value in a "step-by-step" method for reading the Bible?
• What does it mean (and not mean) to take the bible "literally"?
• What are some of the bad reading habits we've picked up and what are some better ones?
• What does it mean to be "biblical"?

Get the book: https://zondervanacademic.com/products/mere-christian-hermeneutics

More from Dr. Vanhoozer: https://www.kevinjvanhoozer.com/about

On this episode of the podcast, I speak with Simon Kennedy about his buzzy new book Against Worldview. It’s a book that is provocative in the best way, especially for anyone who has used the phrase “Christian worldview,” in an educational context. It asks what we mean when we say worldview and whether the concept has been pressed beyond its usefulness. Among the topics we discuss:

• The ways that "worldview" can go wrong, especially when used as an organizing principle for Christian education.
• Why worldview can lead to "painting by the numbers" instead of the placing of tiles in a mosaic
• Why the biblical concept of "wisdom" may offer a better way forward, and why it is better to build towards worldview (inductively) than from it (deductively)
• Tensions in the concept of wisdom and whether there is a parallel to general vs. special revelation
• Whether the real problem is the modern push for uniformity
• Why Christian institutions need to double down on doctrine and catechesis, insisting that we look "at" what Christians believe and not just "through" the world view lens

Get the book: https://lexhampress.com/product/305968/against-worldview-reimagining-christian-formation-as-growth-in-wisdom

Justin's note: I wrote a review of this book for Christianity Today, and we bring up points of that review a few times during the podcast. The review is here: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/02/against-worldview-wisdom-simon-kennedy-abraham-kuyper-christian-education/

On this episode of the podcast, I speak with Jeremy Lundgren about his new book on a theology of safety. It’s a conversation about the uniquely modern way that we pursue safety and what it means to hold the value of safety in tension with other virtues like courage, and in light of the call of discipleship. Among the topics we discuss:

• On the “tokens of safety” that fill our world and what it says about our values
• How Covid manifested and accelerated our pursuit of safety.
• The history of our pursuit of safety in three stages: humanity against the gods, humanity against nature, and humanity against itself.
• Three core elements of the modern pursuit of safety: predicting the future, using technology to control the material world, and developing uniform procedures to ensure safety.
• How the call of discipleship situates and sometimes challenges the pursuit of safety
• What Christian parents might hope for their children when it comes to safety

Get the book: https://www.ivpress.com/the-pursuit-of-safety

On this episode of the podcast, I have a live conversation with visual artist Matt Doll about art and faith. It’s a conversation that we got to have in front of a live audience of around 40 students. I found it energizing and inspiring, especially when Matt reads a poem part of the way through. Among the topics we discuss:

• The sometimes fraught relationship between artists and the church and how we can do better
• Why Christians may struggle with the arts
• The relationship of creativity and limits
• The process of making and whether it is more a matter of inspiration or "perspiration"
• What artists need to hear from or about the church and what the church needs to hear from or about artists.

Matthew Doll is a painter, graphic designer, gallery director, and has been the Program Director of the Gordon IN Orvieto semester program since 2011.

More from Matt: https://matthew-doll.squarespace.com/

On this episode of the podcast, we bring you a live interview in collaboration with the co-hosts of the Hallway Conversations podcast. Our featured guest is Dr. David Mulder, who has written a new book: Always Becoming, Never Arriving. This episode is a conversation about the craft of teaching and what it means to "teach Christianly". Among the topics we discuss:

• Some of the biggest misconceptions and surprises about teaching
• What it means to develop a "teaching imagination" and to say that teaching is a calling.
• The relationship between play, improvisation, and technique in the classroom
• How to take our work seriously without taking ourselves seriously
• How to teach "who we are" while also taking into account what students need and what the material requires
• Why most definitions of what it means to teach Christianly are incomplete

Even if you're not working in Christian education, it's a great opportunity to look over the shoulder of a master teacher who is passionate about his craft.

Get the book: https://www.drdavemulder.com/teaching-is-a-journey/

David Mulder's website: https://www.drdavemulder.com/

On this special bonus episode, I'm joined by two other members of the theology faculty to update our listeners on the Calvin's Institutes project, in which about 60 faculty and staff are spending the academic year reading through The Institutes of Christian Religion. At the midpoint of the journey, we took some time to reflect on our experiences thus far and to encourage readers to keep going. Among the topics we discussed:

• What has stood out to us and our groups as we've read Calvin together
• The most under-appreciated aspects of Calvin's theology
• Why Calvin is known primarily for the doctrine of predestination even though it hasn't shown up yet in the reading
• Favorite passages thus far
• How Calvin's ideas show up concretely in Reformed churches and institutions
• Encouragement for those who are finding the reading difficult to keep going

Additional resources:

Our original podcast discussion before starting the Institutes

Our reading schedule: https://shorturl.at/Yow8x

Calvin's Institutes (2 volume Battles edition)

Calvin's Institutes (1 volume Beveridge edition)

Calvin's Institutes online edition (CCEL/Beveridge)

On this episode of the podcast, I talk with Dr. Norman Wirzba about his new book, Love’s Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis. It’s a conversation about the nature of hope, especially in the midst of darkness, where no hope can seem to be found, and how learning to love moves us forward. Among the topics we discuss:

• Why asking "what gives you hope?" may not be the best question and why "what do you love" is a better one
• Why it is so important that hope reckons with evil in its most disheartening forms
• Where joy might be found in the midst of the brokenness of the world
• How we can fight the impulse of paralysis or exhaustion
• The importance of recognizing our interdependence within creation
• What it means to say that love is "improvisational" and a "dance"

Get the book: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300272659/loves-braided-dance/

On this episode of the podcast, I interview journalist and author Collin Hansen about his new book titled Tim Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation. The conversation explores a prominent model of evangelism and cultural engagement by a Reformed pastor in contemporary times. Among the topics we discuss:

• The process of writing a different sort of biography of Tim Keller, focused on the people who influenced him
• Notable influences on Keller's ministry, with familiar and unfamiliar names (Kathy Keller, Jonathan Edwards, C.S. Lewis, R.C. Sproul, Elizabeth Elliot, Ed Clowney, Jack Miller, Barbara Boyd)
• What to make of the (recent) online backlash against Keller
• An updated assessment of the "young, restless, and reformed" movement from the person who helped coin the term
• The relationship of "Reformed" and "evangelical" and how they could be a source of renewal for each other
• How the work of journalism might be redeemed as a way of telling stories about the way that God is at work in the world.

Get the book: https://www.zondervan.com/9780310128700/timothy-keller/