Theology On Mission

Do you need a 1st Century Church Planting Manual? Or, What does 1 Peter teach us about being faithful to Jesus? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk with Dennis Edwards, a pastor and scholar, about exiles, the vocation of the church, and submitting to all human institutions (and what that might mean). They use Edwards' forthcoming commentary on 1 Peter as a springboard for their discussion.

Sometimes the best thing to do is listen. With so much going on in America, Geoff Holsclaw and David Fitch slow down and talk with two area ministers, Juliet Liu Waite and Greg Armstrong, about what they are seeing, feeling, and experiencing.

This Thanksgiving, what are you to do when your only relationship with someone is that they are your relative? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw offer three quick tips on how to bring Jesus into every Thanksgiving situation without being all religious. They are: 1) Be present to others, 2) Find the deeper common ground, and 3) submit to others (or even ask for forgiveness). No problem, right?

Breaking from their script, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw process their reactions to the election of Donald Trump. As two white males, nothing has changed about our lives, because we are privileged enough to be untouched by the recent events. But that is not true for so many people. As an extended “Fitch vs Fitch”, Dave reads through various posts he shot out on Facebook and Geoff responds. They talk about the place of anger and disappointment that 4 of 5 evangelicals voted for Trump, on whether the “church” voted for Trump (Fitch excommunicates half the church), and how we shouldn’t press the “Jesus is Lord” button to quickly (because it can sound trite and disengaged, and therefore another mark of privilege). And Geoff ends by naming his 1) horror and sadness on behalf of women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and Muslims in light of the bigotry unleashed by this election, 2) his relief that America can no long lie about its inherent racism and evangelicalism’s enmeshment in this, and 3) his hope for the

Were you looking for a "Theology on Mission Voter Guide"? Well, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw are giving you one. They don't tell you who to vote for, but how to take a step back and really discern whether you should vote at all.

Is taking a walk part of God's mission? Could your commute be part of God's mission? Dan White Jr., author of "Subterranean: Why the Future of the Church is Rootedness" and co-author of "The Church as Movement", join Geoff and Dave to talk about what local neighborhood mission might look like.

This week David Fitch sits down with Scot McKnight to talk about some of the new projects they are working on. This is a crossover episode between Theology on Mission and Kingdom Roots.

What does the Kingdom have to do with Eschatology? Is the Kingdom coming only in the future? Is the Kingdom here in the present? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss how eschatology connects with mission, and how sometimes a proper balance is lost. They answer questions about whether 1) The Kingdom is about the future? or 2) Is the Kingdom coming in the present? and 3) Does the Church help bring in the Kingdom? or 4) Does the Church witness that the Kingdom has come?

When leaders of the Religious Right claim #Trump's misogynist and racists words are "no big deal", are they sharing in the sin of another? (1 Tim. 5:22) In this wide ranging episode, David Fitch, Geoff Holsclaw, and special guest Mandy Smith talk about the power of words, locker room talk, and the ways that religious conservatives claim that Trump's misogynist and racist words are no big deal. They discuss how this is #NotOkay. Be sure to listen to the 10 minute mark where Mandy challenges Dave and Geoff to confess their sins within the male dominated culture of evangelicalism.

Does Jesus seek Proselytes or Converts? And what is the difference? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss why the Apostle Paul was so angry with the Galatians, and whether we are called to renounce one cultural identity in favor of a new one (Proselyte Model) and or called to take up the same identity in a new way (Conversion Model).

Why do pastors burn out? And what can be done about it? Are you burning out? Is your church leading you to the brink? Like Pete Wilson or Perry Noble, pastors of churches of any size are constantly facing burning out. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw offer three pieces of advice to mega-church pastors, or any pastor, to help them not burn out (and it probably isn't the advice that you are thinking of). Dave and Geoff respond to the advice of others and try to look at the problem from a different angle. Be sure to visit our home page: http://www.seminary.edu/dminleadership/ Learn more about the DMIN in Leadership here: http://www.seminary.edu/dminleadership/

Maybe the most important episode to date! Once evangelicals were on the frontline of social issues. Now the often take a backseat. What happened? And more importantly, from where might a renew of evangelicalism come? This episode offers an exclusive report from the Lausanne Young Leaders Gathering as part of a larger conversation about looking to world evangelicalism as a corrective to American evangelicalism. In the previous episode Geoff announced that all of us, even Billy Graham and Christianity Today, were not true evangelicals but were still recovering from a fundamentalist hangover. This episode fills that out and points a way forward. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss the classic evangelicalism of the past (before the onset of fundamentalism) and look to the Lausanne Movement for inspiration. For resources on classical and world evangelicalism, see the show notes here. http://www.seminary.edu/world-evangelicalism-a-future-for-the-west

Does systematic theology have a future? And if so, where should it start? And what does it matter? Geoff Holsclaw and regular guest Scott Jones (because Fitch is big-timing it in Pasadena) discuss the three major critiques of systematic theology and then talk about three possible ways to begin theology and how we need them all.

Are we all just reacting to various Fundamentalisms here in America? Is there a doctrinal identity or a practical mission at the center of American Evangelicalism? Is there a hidden affinity between conservative and progressive Evangelicals? In this provocative beginning to Season Two of Theology on Mission, Geoff Holsclaw and David Fitch talking about the various evangelical off-ramps that people take on the American religious highway. Geoff goes so far as claiming that we have never been "evangelical": not himself, not Ed Stetzer, not Rachel Held Evans, not Christianity Today, and not even Billy Graham (think of the famous definition of anyone who likes Billy Graham is an evangelical).

Is there a difference between female and male? And if there is, why? And how do we explain it? These are the pertinent questions that our culture casts before the church. Dave and Geoff talk about different ways people ground gender differences, and some of the Kingdom guidelines to help us move forward.

Why does it seem that more information does not lead to better transformation? Why does correcting false facts always seem to backfire on us? From political conflicts to pastoral care, we must dig deeper in every conversation. In this new episode of Theology on Mission, Geoff Holsclaw and David Fitch talk about the how are personal identities are at stake in all the information we hold dear, how this affects pastoral ministry and cultural issues. They talk about how we must always listen for the conversation below the conversation, and 2) how we must always give an alternative identity to people, not just alternative information.

What has authority for you? Where do you find answers to your deepest questions? Too often Science and Scripture are pitted against each other. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss the role of Science and Scripture in forming balanced disciples of Jesus, moving beyond an extreme view on either end.

Does the missional movement have a low Christology? Does our view of Jesus affect how we understand his mission? Does Christology matter for everyday living for us? Is Christology a practical in any way? Geoff Holsclaw and special summer guest Scott Jones talk about superheroes, kinds of Christologies, and God's mission in the world through us. Low, middle, and high Christologies are different views of who Jesus is, what his work accomplished for us, and how we participate in this work (and Geoff leaves in that part where I don't turn my phone off).

"In the beginning God raised Jesus from the dead" ~Michael W. Pahl Where does theology come from? Where is it going? How does it all fit together? Theology is the handmaiden of mission, but too often mission becomes the prisoner of an overly propositional theology. Theology at its best is here to help us tell the story of God rightly, not reconstruct the story into a joyless system. Geoff Holsclaw and special guest Scott Jones talk about "theology" as holding together the 1) Word OF God, 2) words TO God, and 3) words ABOUT God, relating them to make a theology on mission.

What does the Trinity have to do with anything anyway? Well, a lot! But sometimes it feels like Evangelicals are just discovering the Trinity. In this special crossover episode Geoff Holsclaw, with the hosts of "New Persuasive Words", Scott Jones and Bill Borror, talks about the Trinity, reading the Bible, and connecting with the tradition.