Ross Kane, a professor of theology, ethics, and culture at Virginia Theological Seminary, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book The Good News of Church Politics. He also discusses local engagement, the biblical word for the church, and the importance of repentance and forgiveness. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award…

Andrew Garnett, pastor Hampton Baptist Church in Virginia, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Christians and the Roman Army: Lessons for Today. He also discusses the impact of the rise of Constantine, differences between leaders and congregants, and Fourth of July services. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning…

Caleb Campbell, pastor at Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his forthcoming book Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor. He also discusses Turning Point USA, syncretism, and missionary strategies. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Publi…

Shirley Mullen, retired president of Houghton College (now University), talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book Claiming the Courageous Middle: Daring to Live and Work Together for a More Hopeful Future. She also discusses liberal arts education, listening to others, and embracing middle spaces. Note: Don't forget to subscribe…

This episode features the audio from an online book launch for Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Co-authors Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood hosted a panel conversation with Dr. Diana Butler Bass, Rev. Adriene Thorne, and Dr. Andrew Whitehead on Christian Nationalism and mainline Protestants. Bass, who w…

Scott Coley, a lecturer in philosophy at Mount St. Mary's University, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his forthcoming book Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right. He also discusses the rhetoric of complementarianism, creation science, and Al Mohler. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our awar…

Joe Ingle talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Too Close to the Flame: With the Condemned inside the Southern Killing Machine. He also discusses meeting with politicians and his memories of Will Campbell. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, c…

Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan Shaw talk with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about their new book Surviving God: A New Vision of God through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors. They also talk about considering new metaphors for God, reading biblical stories of survivors, and the importance of still finding joy. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our a…

Elizabeth Neumann talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book Kingdom of Rage: The Rise of Christian Extremism and the Path Back to Peace. She also discusses terrorism and 9/11, working in the Trump administration, and how to reach those who have been radicalized. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A…

Aimee Byrd talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her forthcoming book The Hope in Our Scars: Finding the Bride of Christ in the Underground of Disillusionment. She also discusses addressing misogyny and patriarchy in church life. She writes a Substack newsletter. More information about the book, including a video series, can be found at …

Christa Brown talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her forthcoming book Baptistland: A Memoir of Abuse, Betrayal, and Transformation. She also discusses advocacy for survivors of clergy sexual abuse, family estrangement, and when denominational leaders do not care. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Publ…

Trey Ferguson, a minister and writer, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Theologizin' Bigger: Homilies on Living Freely and Loving Wholly. He also discusses biblical interpretation, inerrancy, and Black Panther. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of…

Derek Kubilus, a Methodist pastor in Ohio, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Holy Hell: A Case against Eternal Damnation. He also discusses translation issues, Wesleyan teachings, and Star Wars. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, culture, and…

Angela Denker, a journalist and Lutheran minister, moderates a discussion with Jim Wallis of the Georgetown Center on Faith and Justice and Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about Christian Nationalism and other issues of faith and politics. A written version of this conversation was previously published at A Public Witness. Denker, author of Red Sta…

Beau Underwood talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about the forthcoming book they co-authored, Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. They also discuss changing U.S. demographics and how the book came together. Underwood previously appeared on episode 43. Save 33% on Baptizing America with the promo …

Paul Raushenbush, CEO and president of the Interfaith Alliance, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Together We Rise - An Easter Story for All of Us. He also discusses Jesus's teachings, visualizing the story, and interfaith work. He previously appeared on episode 74. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-news…

David Fitch, a professor of evangelical theology at Northern Seminary and a member of the pastoral staff at Peace of Christ Church in Westmont, Illinois, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Reckoning with Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power. He also discusses politics, megachurches, and privile…

Eric Seibert, a professor of Old Testament at Messiah College, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Redeeming Violent Verses: A Guide for Using Troublesome Texts in Church and Ministry. He also discusses teaching biblical stories to different age groups, issues of divine violence, and the most violent text in Scripture. Note: D…

Janet Kellogg Ray, a university biology professor, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book The God of Monkey Science: People of Faith in a Modern Scientific World. She also discusses COVID-19, science denialism, and science education. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps…

Michael Wear, president and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book The Spirit of Our Politics: Spiritual Formation and the Renovation of Public Life. He also discusses Dallas Willard, gentleness, and the Buffalo Bills. He previously appeared on episode 22. Note: Don't forget…

André Gagné, a theology professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times. He also discusses biblical interpretation and Neocharismatic-Pentecostal leaders like Lance Wallnau and Paula White-Cain. Note: Don'…

Tara Culp-Ressler talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about Mennonite Action, a group that formed to push for an end to the war in Gaza. The group has led multiple public vigils, including one on Capitol Hill that led to arrests as Mennonites peacefully sang hymns in a congressional building. Lean more about Mennonite Action on their website…

Ryan Andrew Newson, assistant professor of theology and ethics at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book The End of Civility: Christ and Prophetic Division. He also discusses Roger Williams, the civil rights movement, and Quaker activist Benjamin Lay. Listen to an earlier conver…

Mike Graves, scholar in residence at Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, talk with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Jesus' Vision for Your One Wild and Precious Life: (on Things Like Poverty, Hunger, Polarization, Inclusion, and More). He also discusses issues of biblical interpretation, polarization, and ministry. Note:…

R.L. Stollar talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book The Kingdom of Children: A Liberation Theology. He also discusses biblical interpretation, the incarnation of God, and how churches can create opportunities for children to lead. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps yo…

Conrad Kanagy, a professor of sociology at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Walter Brueggemann's Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography. He also discusses German pietism, Jeremiah, and psalms of lament. Kanagy previously appeared on episode 45. Note: Don't forget to subscri…

Liz Cooledge Jenkins talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her forthcoming book Nice Churchy Patriarchy: Reclaiming Women's Humanity from Evangelicalism. She also discusses biblical interpretation, women in ministry, and church leadership practices. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that h…

Kathryn Cramer Brownell, a professor at Purdue University, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book 24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News. She also discusses the impact of individuals like Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Pat Robertson, and Donald Trump. Note: Don't forget to sub…

Randall Balmer, a professor at Dartmouth College, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book Saving Faith: How American Christianity Can Reclaim Its Prophetic Voice. He also discusses the insights of biblical prophets, the danger of Christian Nationalism, and the meaning of the "Word" of God. He previously appeared on episode 25.…

Greg Garrett, a professor of literature and culture at Baylor University, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book The Gospel according to James Baldwin: What America's Great Prophet Can Teach Us about Life, Love, and Identity. He also discusses reading and teaching Baldwin and traveling to track down more of Baldwin's life. No…

John Fanestil, executive director of Via International, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book American Heresy: The Roots and Reach of White Christian Nationalism. He also discusses America's founding, violence, conspiracies, and ministering at the U.S.-Mexico border. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-new…

Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book All God's Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity. He also discusses racism in churches, the importance of lament, and the work of his nonprofit. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Pub…

Daniel Hummel, a historian who works at Upper House (a Christian study center located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison), talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his new book The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism: How the Evangelical Battle over the End Times Shaped a Nation. He also discusses post-Civil War border state theology, co…

David W. Peters, an Episcopal priest in Texas, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Post-Traumatic Jesus: A Healing Gospel for the Wounded. He also discusses serving as a military chaplain, the importance of the resurrection, and retelling Bible stories. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public…

Cheryl Bridges Johns, visiting professor and director of the Pentecostal House of Studies at United Theological Seminary, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her book Re-enchanting the Text: Discovering the Bible as Sacred, Dangerous, and Mysterious. She also discusses the enlightenment, Pentecost, and more. Note: Don't forget to subsc…

David Gushee, distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University and chair of Christian social ethics at Vrije Universiteit ("Free University") Amsterdam/IBTS, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his forthcoming book Defending Democracy from Its Christian Enemies. He also discusses issues in Russia and Brazil, …

Kaitlyn Schiess talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture has been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here. She also discusses Romans 13 and the American Revolutionary War, Donald Trump holding up a Bible, and how 2024 presidential candidates are quoting scriptural p…

Robert P. Jones, president and founder at PRRI, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his forthcoming book The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future. He also discusses the Doctrine of Discovery, honestly telling history, and the new Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. Jones writes at h…

Benjamin Perry, a minister at Middle Church in New York City, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter. He also discusses teaching children, COVID, and dealing with church grief. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, cul…

Valerie Hobbs, a linguist at the University of Sheffield, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book No Love in War: A Story of Christian Nationalism (video trailer here). She also discusses Dominionism, patriarchy, violence, and reading the Bible. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness…

Kyle Meyaard-Schaap, vice president of the Evangelical Environmental Network, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Following Jesus in a Warming World: A Christian Call to Climate Action. He also discusses advocacy, storytelling, and loving neighbors. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Wit…

Andrew Whitehead, a professor of sociology at IUPUI, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his forthcoming book American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church. He also discusses the dangers of power, fear, and violence. He previously appeared on episode 52 to talk about his co-authored book Takin…

Shannen Williams, a professor of history at the University of Dayton, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her book Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle. She also discusses the importance of history and the process of Catholic sainthood. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning…

Sabrina Dent, director of the BJC Center for Faith, Justice, and Reconciliation, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about the history and work of the Center. She also discusses issues of racial justice, religious liberty, and the teaching of history. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that hel…

Dwight McKissic, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Arlington, Texas, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about debates in Southern Baptist life over critical race theory. He also discusses honors to enslavers at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Al Mohler's support of Donald Trump, and pastoring during a pandemic. This episode is a rebroa…

Daniel Cooperrider, a United Church of Christ pastor, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible. He also discusses issues of climate change and biblical interpretation. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps …

Kate Boyd talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book An Untidy Faith: Journeying Back to the Joy of Following Jesus. She also discusses deconstruction, Christian Nationalism, and cultural baggage attached to faith. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of fait…

Allison Tanner, pastor of public witness at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, California, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about the new Apartheid-Free Communities initiative. She serves as the national organizer for the campaign with the American Friends Service Committee. She also discusses the importance of listening to Pales…

Jay Augustine, senior pastor at St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, North Carolina, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his book When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit. He also discusses preaching about current events, ministry after COVID, and the importance of lament. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award…

Craig Lamar Brown and Andrea Summer talk with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about their movie Between Mercy and Me. They also discuss issues of racism, church worship, and creating music and movies. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense of faith, culture, and politics.…