patheological: The Podcast for the Pastor Theologian

About patheological: The Podcast for the Pastor Theologian

Exploring the intersection of pastoral work and theology.

Publisher

Todd Littleton

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Aug 2016

Latest episode

7 Jan 2025

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Jan 2025

   Marty Duren and The Disparate Ones

   I scraped off the cobwebs, blew out the dust, and set up the mic to converse with my friend Marty Duren. We have been friends and have shared our writing for almost twenty years. Sometimes, the projects were collaborative. We often wanted another set of eyes on something we were putting down on paper. Today, we discuss a collection of essays Marty has put in book form. Inspired by a piece of art by Banksy and the discovery of an appropriate word in a Thesaurus, Marty draws out a more profound sense of the Christian adage, “in the world but not of the world.” Maybe you grew up in the era where the exhortation of Christian piety came wrapped in the phrase we are to be in the world but not of the world. If so, you have likely also grown to understand that the expression entails something more important, a reality that cuts both directions. What does it mean to be in? What does it mean to be not of? Indeed, it is more than an adult’s charge to avoid adolescent temptations. Yet, no one talked about what this might mean for the human pursuit of power. Take, for instance, Marty’s essay titled Evangelicals in the Room When It Happens. Too many have opted for a form of power in the world masked by a claim to be not of the world. We hope that by the end of the conversation, you want one of these pocketbooks in your back pocket and on your mind as you assess the issues on the ground that may matter differently when the question arises from within the scope of Scripture. Put another way, if we claim that the Bible gives us the Story of God, what do we do within that story to reflect the character of God when we consider issues and ideas in our day?

2. 

   3 Jul 2024

   The God of Wild Places

   My mentor preached at my ordination service. He was the third preacher to preach in the service. When he stood to preach he said, “I am the preacher who preaches after the preacher who preached after the preacher who has already preached.” Knowing Rick, he made that observation during the service and thought it might be a moment of levity. It was. I am the interviewer who interviewed after the interviewers who have already interviewed. But, I may have read the book before the interviewers who have already interviewed. Last year Jason called and said, “Hey, would you want to make a trip to the Boundary Waters, BWCA, with Tony Jones?” “Sure.” One of the prerequisites before arriving in Minneapolis was to read the pre-publication manuscript of The God of Wile Places. We would have conversations around the book over evening campfires or as we took turns paddling with Tony, our guide. We cobbled together a group and last September we undertook a trip for which I thought I was prepared but was not. If you have never portaged a canoe over at least one portage trail of over 1000 feet of rock and mud, uphill then downhill, while carrying a 60lb pack, then you would not have been ready either. I had never portaged anything before. And, I have never written a book and wondered how it would turn out. Friends liken it to birthing a baby though I would expect a mother or two would object. But, like birthing a baby, there is the working and waiting to see how your nurtured child fares as he or she grows. I half apologized to Tony for the late arrival to the podcast marketing team. “We are in month two.” “Crickets,” he said. The delay of this interview is not strategic. If Tony is counting on my little part of the Interwebs to rocket sales in month two, he will likely be sorely disappointed. But you, dear reader and listener will not be. Tony gives me about an hour to talk around his book. Yes, around and of course about. What I mean is that I want you to both listen to the interview, buy the book, and purchase the audiobook. I don’t want to give the book away to you in the interview. If there is a teaser, this is it: If you must choose a format, go with the audio. There is nothing like hearing a person’s story in their voice. I don’t know which format produces more for the author, but you will thank me after listening. Why? Like Tony, all of us have been pigeonholed for one decision or another, for one rumor or another, for one doctrinal position or another. Often without a conversation. For example, when D.A. Carson published the book, Becoming Conversant with Emergentbut refused to have a conversation with those he condemned. Take a listen. For those still unsure, even demotivated by my little intro, let me give you this one: Tony may have headed into the woods but he has not left Jesus behind.

3. 

   6 Feb 2024

   When Your Pen Pal Is Your Son

   Sharing Your Faith Is Not A Single Format Opportunity Those who know me know I am a talker. The corollary is that I tend to process my thinking out loud. Now you know why posts are sometimes infrequent and my podcast frequency is worse. Can We Talk? is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribed My penmanship is terrible. Were my maternal grandmother alive, she would be pounding the Like Button. I don’t recall if it was my senior year of high school or my freshman year of college. I had to type a paper for an assignment. Nan, as we called her, offered to type it for me. I dropped it off to her. When I returned to pick it up, she said she would gladly do that again for me but never to leave her a draft with such poor penmanship. Lesson learned. I never took her another draft. Period. Who has time to improve their penmanship at that late date? Nan had great penmanship. She never sent a birthday card or anniversary card without including a handwritten note. Hallmark could never capture all that she wanted to say. The handwriting in her journals is a work of art. My first podcast of the new year is not about perfect handwriting. It is about letter writing. Specifically, my new virtual friend Curtis Freeman wrote Pilgrim Letters: Instruction in The Basic Teaching of Christ. Curtis wanted to talk to his son about faith in Jesus Christ. His son was unsure he was ready for that kind of conversation. Curtis asked his son if he could write him some letters. The result? Pilgrim Letters. We all may know someone who prefers to communicate the more serious and particular things of life by handwriting a note. I do. If you do, then you will find my conversation with Curtis helpful. You may even pick up Pilgrim Letters (https://amzn.to/49u8AOR) and Pilgrim Journey: Instructions in the Mystery of the Gospel (https://amzn.to/49okZDU). Enjoy.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

33 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 41 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

61

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

Contact patheological: The Podcast for the Pastor Theologian

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.