IF:Gathering 2016 just ended and I thought I’d compile a list of those who spoke at the gather and have also been interviewed on Seminary Dropout. Click a name to be directed to the interview.
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New Seminary Dropout Interviews, Readers’ Choice. (Nominate & Vote)
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Who do you most want to hear interviewed on Seminary Dropout?
It's time for another round of interviews for Seminary Dropout. Who do you most want to hear? Have a favorite Jesus following musician, writer, or thinker? Add a name to the list and be sure to include a link. If you have twitter, after you vote, tweet "Hey (tag person) you should give an interview on SeminaryDropout[dot]com with @beardonabike"
Sep 27, 2013 by James R Buckley - westernsem.edu - 566
Biblical scholar, Professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary, ordained RCA minister, author of "Bible, Gender, Sexuality"
Sep 25, 2013 - facebook.com - 440
N. T. Wright. 24,045 likes · 2,489 talking about this. N. T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and one of the world's leading Bible scholars. He is now serving as the chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St.
Sep 23, 2013 by Stephen Carter - jonathanmerritt.com - 584
If you have a question or comment for Jonathan, please fill out the contact form below and submit.
Sep 24, 2013 by George Fox Seminary - christenacleveland.com - 534
Christena Cleveland is a social psychologist with a hopeful passion for overcoming cultural divisions in groups. Drawing from a vast body of research, she uncovers the underlying processes that affect relationships within and between groups and helps leaders understand how to promote an appreciation for diversity and build effective collaborations with diverse groups. She recently completed her first book Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart.
Sep 24, 2013 by Bruce Reyes-Chow - reyes-chow.com - 540
observing life, engaging faith and making connections
18
Robyn Afrik
Sep 24, 2013 by George Fox Seminary - afrikadvantage.com - 622
Robyn Afrik is a compelling platform speaker, national consultant and strategist on issues surrounding reconciliation/diversity, international adoption, multi-cultural families' and identity formation. With over a decade of community development experience and successful fundraising efforts both in the private and public sectors, Robyn, a Korean adoptee, continues sharing her own unique and personal story, to inspire,...
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Grace Biskie
Sep 24, 2013 by Aaron Smith - gracebiskie.com - 616
I went to the Story Chicago Conference this past week. The theme was A Sense of Place but I felt anything but. The 1st evening of the conference, conference creator Ben Arment gave us a brief welcome and an introduction to the 2013 Sundance-award-winning documentary, Blood Brother.
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Drew Hart
Sep 24, 2013 by George Fox Seminary - drewgihart.com - 496
Drew Hart is interested in the intersection of African American theology and Anabaptism. His life and faith have been shaped by a hybridity of the two streams.
Sep 24, 2013 by George Fox Seminary - sojo.net - 597
Lisa Sharon Harper, Sojourners' director of mobilizing, was the founding executive director of New York Faith & Justice-an organization at the hub of a new ecumenical movement to end poverty in New York City.
Upcoming Interviews for Seminary Dropout
If you’ve read much of anything at within the Christian academic world, chances are you know who Scot McKnight.
Scot McKnight is a recognized authority on the New Testament, early Christianity, and the historical Jesus. McKnight, author of more than thirty books, is the Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, IL.
Scot will join me on the show soon to talk specifically about his book Jesus is King Caesar is Not. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask Scot, leave them in the comments section.
Cliff Ravenscraft is just your average full-time podcast producer, consultant & coach, Public Speaker, founder of gspn.tv, and Christ Follower. Most people, including Cliff, don’t know this, but Seminary Dropout wouldn’t exist without Cliff and his work.
Cliff will be on Seminary Dropout soon to talk about his work in podcasting, his ministry related shows, and perhaps what I’m most excited to talk with him about, our mutual devotion to the TV show “LOST.”
If you have a question for Cliff, leave it in the comments.
187 – Chris A. Hall on Living Wisely with the Church Fathers
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*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
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This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Christopher A. Hall (PhD, Drew University) is the president of Renovaré Institute of Christian Spiritual Formation. He is associate editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and his books include Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, and Worshiping with the Church Fathers. Hall previously served at Eastern University for over twenty years in several roles, including chancellor, provost, dean of Palmer Seminary, dean of the Templeton Honors College, distinguished professor of theology, and director of academic spiritual formation. He and his wife, Debbie, live in Pennsylvania and have three grown children.
The first centuries of Christianity are like a far country. But despite their foreignness, they hold a treasury of wisdom for living. Early Christians struggled and flourished in a culture that was in love with empire and military power, infatuated with sex and entertainment, tolerant of all gods but hostile to the One. And from this crucible of discipleship they extracted lessons of virtue, faithfulness, and joy in Christ. Christopher Hall takes us to this distant time, where he interviews Christian leaders around the ancient Mediterranean world, inquiring how to live a good life as a Christ follower. The menu of topics wends its way through wealth and poverty, war and violence, marriage and sexuality, theater and the arena, as well as the harsh realities of persecution and martyrdom. Gathering around Basil or Chrysostom or Augustine, we are instructed anew in the way of discipleship. And as they grapple with issues surprisingly resonant with our own, this cloud of ancient witnesses both surprises and challenges us in the life of faith. -From the Publisher
If you liked this episode then you might also like…
136: Gerald McDermott, Author of “The Great Theologians, A Brief Guide”
140: Frank James, Logos Video Course: “Introducing Church History”
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165 – Seminary Dropout LIVE! Andrea Lucado, Author of ‘English Lessons’ Talks about Doubt and Being Her Own Person
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*Originally Posted at MissioAlliance.org
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This Week on Seminary Dropout…
Andrea Lucado is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. The daughter of the best selling author and pastor, Max Lucado. She inherited an obsession with words and their arrangement. She has a masters in English Literature from Oxford Brooks University and contributes regularly to online and print publications such as Relevant Magazine, and SheReadsTruth.com. When she’s not conducting interviews and writing stories, you’ll find her laughing with friends at a coffee shop or running in the Texas hill country.
It wasn’t long after arriving in Oxford for graduate school that twenty-two-year-old Andrea Lucado – preacher’s daughter from Texas – faced not only culture shock, a severe lack of coffee, but also some unexpected hard questions: Who am I? Who is God? Why do I believe what I believe?
“So many nights in Oxford, I felt like the details of my faiths were getting fuzzier. Nights turned restless with the questions and the thoughts. I questioned God’s existence and the doubt, it was getting into my bones….”
In this engaging memoir, Andrea speaks to all of us who wrestle with faith, doubt, and spiritual identity. Join Andrea as she navigates the Thames River, the Oxford Atheist Society, romance in ancient pubs—and a new perspective on who God is. As Andrea learned, sometimes it takes letting go of old ideas to discover lasting truth. – From the Publisher
If you liked this episode then you might also like…
MATTHEW 7:21-29 (SERMON 2017.06.25)
Seminary Dropout 027: Greg Boyd on Doubt, Anti-Intellectualism & Open Theism
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Top 5 Books of 2016
I think this may be the first year that my “top list” only includes books actually published this year. Also, it’s important to note that, yes, all of these books were written by Seminary Dropout guests, which may seem self serving, but honestly just reading the books of SD guests (which I must do to conduct the best interviews possible), leaves me little additional time for reading anything else.
5. Silence and Beauty by Makoto Fujimura
Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966, endures as one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Its narrative of the persecution of Christians in seventeenth-century Japan raises uncomfortable questions about God and the ambiguity of faith in the midst of suffering and hostility. Endo’s Silence took internationally renowned visual artist Makoto Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived in contemporary contexts of trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures. In this world of pain and suffering, God often seems silent. Fujimura’s reflections show that light is yet present in darkness, and that silence speaks with hidden beauty and truth. -From the Publisher
4. Lord Willing by Jessica Kelley
Does God’s perfect plan really include this?
When her young son was diagnosed with brain cancer, Jessica Kelley couldn’t stomach Christian clichés. God’s will? Divine design? The Lord’s perfect plan? In Lord Willing?, Kelley boldly tackles one of the most difficult questions of the Christian life: if God is all-powerful and all-loving, why do we suffer? For Kelley, this question takes an even more painful and personal turn: did God lack the power or the desire to spare her four-year-old son?
For those dissatisfied with easy answers to why evil and tragedy occur, Lord Willing? offers a refreshing, hopeful journey straight to the heart of God. Be prepared for something more beautiful, more pure, and more healing than you can dare to imagine. -From the Publisher
3. Water to Wine by Brian Zahnd
Why would the pastor of a large and successful church risk everything in a quest to find a richer, deeper, fuller Christianity? In Water To Wine Brian Zahnd tells his story of disenchantment with pop Christianity and his search for a more substantive faith.
“I was halfway to ninety—midway through life—and I had reached a full-blown crisis. Call it garden variety mid-life crisis if you want, but it was something more. You might say it was a theological crisis, though that makes it sound too cerebral. The unease I felt came from a deeper place than a mental file labeled “theology.” I was wrestling with the uneasy feeling that the faith I had built my life around was somehow deficient. Not wrong, but lacking. It seemed watery, weak. In my most honest moments I couldn’t help but notice that the faith I knew seemed to lack the kind of robust authenticity that made Jesus so fascinating. And I had always been utterly fascinated by Jesus. What I knew was that the Jesus I believed in warranted a better Christianity than what I was familiar with. I was in Cana and the wine had run out. I needed Jesus to perform a miracle.” –Water To Wine
2. Finding God in the Waves by Mike McHargue
What do you do when God dies? It’s a question facing millions today, as science reveals a Universe that’s self-creating, as American culture departs from Christian social norms, and the idea of God begins to seem implausible at best and barbaric at worst.
Mike McHargue understands the pain of unraveling belief. In Finding God in the Waves, Mike tells the story of how his Evangelical faith dissolved into atheism as he studied the Bible, a crisis that threatened his identity, his friendships, and even his marriage. Years later, Mike was standing on the shores of the Pacific Ocean when a bewildering, seemingly mystical moment motivated him to take another look. But this time, it wasn’t theology or scripture that led him back to God—it was science.
In Finding God in the Waves, “Science Mike” draws on his personal experience to tell the unlikely story of how science led him back to faith. Among other revelations, we learn what brain scans reveal about what happens when we pray; how fundamentalism affects the psyche; and how God is revealed not only in scripture, but in the night sky, in subatomic particles, and in us.
For the faithful and skeptic alike, Finding God in the Waves is a winsome, lucid, page-turning read about belonging, life’s biggest questions, and the hope of knowing God in an age of science.
-From The Publisher
1. Trouble I’ve Seen by Drew Hart
What if racial reconciliation doesn’t look like what you expected? The high-profile killings of young black men and women by white police officers, and the protests and violence that ensued, have convinced many white Christians to reexamine their intuitions when it comes to race and justice.
In this provocative book, theologian and blogger Drew G. I. Hart places police brutality, mass incarceration, antiblack stereotypes, poverty, and everyday acts of racism within the larger framework of white supremacy. Leading readers toward Jesus, Hart offers concrete practices for churches that seek solidarity with the oppressed and are committed to racial justice.
What if all Christians listened to the stories of those on the racialized margins? How might the church be changed by the trouble we ve seen?
Key Features:
-Written by well-known theologian and blogger Drew Hart with foreword by Christena Cleveland
-Hard-hitting analysis of racial injustice in the twenty-first century
-Provides a call to action for Christians committed to racial justice and creative proposals for antiracist practices for churches
-From the Publisher
What is Seminary Dropout?
Great question! I’m so glad you asked.
First, Seminary Dropout is a podcast.
Now, What kind of podcast is Seminary Dropout?
I am literally a seminary dropout, but that is not however the primary reason the show is called “Seminary Dropout”. I named it Seminary Dropout because I felt that it served as the perfect metaphor for what the show aims to do. Seminary Dropout features interviews with Christian authors, leaders, and thinkers and exists somewhere between seminary and youth camp. So it’s a little bit seminary and a little bit dropout. Get it?
I’ve been fortunate enough to interview some amazing people like N.T. Wright, Tish Harrison Warren, and Dominique Gilliard, among others. For a full list see tab at the top titled “Guest List”.
I hope you subscribe, listen, and enjoy.
Top Christian Books of 2014
Same as last year. A more accurate title would be “Top Books I’ve Read in 2014″, because this is solely based on my opinion, and because my criteria was that I had to have read it this year, but not all of the books were necessarily released this year. Also, it’s important to note that, yes, most of these books were written by Seminary Dropout guests, which may seem self serving, but honestly just reading the books of SD guests (which I must do to conduct the best interviews possible), leaves me little additional time for reading anything else.
Note: All links to books are affiliate links.
Now, on to the good stuff…
9. The Good and Beautiful God: Falling in Love with the God Jesus Knows (The Apprentice Series)
This is the first in a series of 3 books by James Bryan Smith. They’re somewhat devotional in nature, but don’t be fooled, these are not airbrushed light-hearted thoughts for your day. As James would say, it’s ‘soul exercise’, and he’s not lying, but more accurately it’s soul power-lifting, and yet the reader need not be a ‘super-Christian’.
Here’s my talk with James.
8. Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence
These are two great books on Christian non-violence that came out this year. Although they’re on the same subject both books approach the subject very differently. While Brian Zahnd takes more of a personal approach describing his own journey as well as some philosphical arguments for Christian non-violence, Preston Sprinkle examines and deconstructs scripture to make a compelling case for CN-V. The pair are very complimentary.
My interview with Preston here & Brian here.
7. Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure
If you don’t know, working in ministry is hard. 
Check out my interview with J.R. here.
6. The Shack
I’m late to the party, I know. I’m a contrarian so when The Shack first came out I assumed it was awful since every Christian I knew loved it. 
Check out my interview with W.M. Paul Young here.
5. Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah MorePoet, Reformer, Abolitionist
Hannah More had a fascinating life in an interesting time period. She was jilted three times by her fiancé, once at the alter. Her friends were a veritable who’s who of famous brit’s of the time. She was an abolitionist when most people looked the other way or were adamantly against the abolishment of an industry that contributed such a signification percentage of their countries economy. Hannah More based this conviction in her faith is Christ. It’s a good story with a great author. Karen Swallow Prior’s writing won’t let you put this one down.
My interview with Karen Swallow Prior.
4. Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed: Black Holes, Love, and a Journey In and Out of Calvinism
Here’s my interview with Austin.
3. Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus
Slow Church is about the McDonaldization of the church and what it’s doing to us, some dangerous ramifications of the church growth movements, and why efficiency in the church may not be a good thing. I don’t normally use this word to describe books, but I’ll say that this book is important. If you’re frustrated with church as you’ve known it, read this book. If you’re not frustrated with church but wonder why those around you are, read this book. I’ll offer a serious word of warning here: be careful not to judge your own church because it’s not a ‘slow church’, even the transition of becoming a slow church, will be slow. Be patient with your clergy, and church members. A good first step is reading this book alongside them.
For a small taste of what Slow Church is about, listen to my interview with the authors Chris & John.
2. Girl at the End of the World: My Escape from Fundamentalism in Search of Faith with a Future
Elizabeth Esther has quite a story. Raised in a fundamentalist Jesus cult, Elizabeth spent her adolescence proclaiming judgement in the streets and preparing for the apocalypse. GEW is a case study in good intentions evolving into a thirst for control, and might have stopped there if Elizabeth Esther weren’t such an apt writer, but she is, and so it also feels like a best-selling novel. The story stands on it’s own, and then you remember it actually happened.
Listen to my interview with Elizabeth here.
1. Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart
Segregation was banned 1964
This is just one of the gems from DiC that has stuck with me:
‘…most people don’t see homogeneity as a problem as long as it’s not motivated by explicit prejudice.’
If I had to guess, most people would like their churches to be more diverse, but find it quite acceptable for them not to be. The diversity Christena Cleveland proposes isn’t just racial, but also economic, and theological.
If you haven’t picked up on it, this book might ruin you to homogeneous church. Let it.
Hear my interview with Christena here.
What books are on your list?
Another Pretty Big Book Giveaway! (over)
Update 2: It turns out that the first winner lives in Switzerland (How cool is that?!?), and after calculating the astronomical shipping costs to send 10 books he offered to let me draw another winner. Thanks for being a good sport Ralph and I’ll put a Seminary Dropout T-shirt in the mail for you soon.
So after drawing again, the final winner of the contest is: Sam Blair!
UPDATE:
Just like last time.
As a podcaster and blogger I receive TONS of books in the mail. Most are review copies I’ve requested for possible interviews, and some are just books publishers are promoting. Also, as a podcaster and blogger, I have a small house, and those books are taking over. Thus, it’s contest time. I’m not saying it’s a ginormous book giveaway, but it’s a pretty big book giveaway. These are quality books too. Some are new, some are old and a few have some markings and illegible notes in them I made while reading. I wish I could keep them all but ya know, the small house thing.
One lucky winner will received all 10 books shown below!
To enter simply subscribe to Seminary Dropout in iTunes, and leave a comment, any comment, in the comments section below. Remember, you must subscribe to Seminary Dropout in iTunes AND leave a comment. I thought about requiring a screen shot showing your subscription, but that’s too much work so subscribing is on the honor system. Yes, you could cheat the system to win a bunch of books about Jesus, but… seriously?!
Ok good luck! Entries will be accepted until Tuesday December 16th at midnight. I’ll announce the winner here the next day.
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Seminary Dropout 54: Walter Brueggemann Talking – Reality, Grief, Hope
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It’s hard to introduce someone like Walter Brueggemann. There are just too many accolades to mention. Yes, he’s got degree’s from Elmhurst College, Eden Theological Seminary, Union Theological Seminary, and a doctorate from Saint Louis University.
He’s written books, at least 58 books by my count.
He’s received numerous awards too including the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Union Theological Seminary, and the Luce Theological Fellowship from the Association of Theological Schools. He was named an honorary member of the British Society for Old Testament Study. He received both the Academy of Parish Clergy Book of the Year award and the Catholic Press Association Book of the Year award for Theology of the Old Testament. The Association of Theological Booksellers named Brueggemann’s “An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination” Best Academic Book in 2004. Brueggemann was inducted as an honorary admiral into the Nebraska Navy. Really… the Nebraska Navy!
So yeah he’s done all that but still it doesn’t seem to adequately describe who he is, so I’ll just say that above all else what impresses me most about Walter Brueggemann is that after all these years he is humble enough to sit down and talk with someone like me.
On the show we talk about his new book
Reality, Grief, Hope: Three Urgent Prophetic Tasks.
Do you like Seminary Dropout? Have you benefitted from one or more of the interviews you’ve heard here? Then consider supporting Seminary Dropout. We’ve just launched a new and fun way to support the show through a new venue called ‘Patreon’. it’s similar to Kick-starter but it’s for things that are created on an ongoing basis, like podcasts! There are rewards for donating and goals that will improve the show once we meet them.
Please go to SupportSeminaryDropout.com to see it for yourself. Even if you can’t contribute, it’s worth it just to watch the video some past Seminary Dropout guests helped me make.
If you liked this episode you’ll also like:
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