Elizabeth Woodson, a Bible teacher and theologian, discusses her passion for Bible study, discipleship, and theological education in the local church. She shares her personal journey of searching for the relevance of the gospel in her own life and how it led her to pursue theological education. Elizabeth emphasizes the importance of creating pathways for discipleship and theological education within the church, so that believers can understand and apply the truths of Scripture in their...

Dr. Michael F. Bird is a biblical scholar and theologian who serves as the Deputy Principle and Lecturer in Theology at Ridley College (Melbourne, Aus), and is the author of over a dozen books, including his recently released Jesus and the Powers, which he co-authored with N.T. Wright.  In this podcast conversation, we talk all about politics and the gospel, agreeing on so many things and disagreeing about a few other things. Support Theology in the Raw through...

Ed Uszynski sits down with Preston in his basement the day after the "Exiles in Babylon" conference to debrief. This is a raw and authentic convo where we discuss and react to various sessions and speakers. We talk about the GenZ evening, the Israel-Palestine conversation, Deconstruction and Reconstruction, Women, Power & Abuse in the church, and many other topics and speakers at the conference. Donate today to join OneHope and local church leaders in our mission to bring God Word’s to...

Welcome to a sneak peek of the Bonus Q&A episode, part of the Theology in the Raw premium subscription. In the full episode, we discuss: 0:00 Introduction 0:38 Thoughts on Christians and masturbation--is it always sinful or is there room for conversation? 5:35 What do you when the the God in the Bible isn't acting the way Jesus would? 12:15. What are your top 5 all-time books, any subject? 19:35 Best pastoral advice for same-sex married couple that recently accepted Jesus? 28:35 Is...

Dr. David Fitch (Ph.D Northwestern University) is the Betty R. Lindner Chair of Evangelical Theology at Northern Seminary and has pastored for 30 years, and has been involved in 8 church plants over the course of his ministry. He is married to Rae Ann and they have one son named Max. He is an ordained pastor in the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He’s coached hockey for the YMCA USA Hockey program for seven years. David teaches, speaks, and writes within the fields of Neo-Anabaptist...

Angela McArdle currently serves as Chair of the national Libertarian Party, serves as Co-Organizer for the Rage Against The War Machine, and is a two time candidate for California’s 34th Congressional District. Angela was a key organizer for the Los Angeles 2021 initiative to overturn the Los Angeles vaccine mandate. Angela believes strongly in the sanctity of personal choice and allowing people to govern their own lives. Angela’s professional background includes 14 years of litigation...

Dr. Nijay Gupta (DPhil, University of Durham) is a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary and has written several academic books including A Beginner’s Guide to New Testament Studies, Paul and the Language of Faith, 15 New Testament Words of Life, and Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He has co-edited The State of New Testament Studies, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (2nd ed.), and The State of Pauline Studies. He's also the author of the...

As the author of Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse and the recently released Defiant Joy: Find the Hope to Light Your Way, Even in Darkness, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg has risen to become one of the foremost voices against child abuse in the church. She writes for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, and the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention. In this conversation, Jennifer tells her raw story of experiencing ongoing physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from her father...

Brent leads Cherish Uganda with his wife Leah. Cherish was formally an orphanage and now functions as a spiritual formation community center using medical, education and family strengthening to reach the community we serve. In this conversation, Brent tells the story of how Cherish changed from being an orphanage to a holistic education and care center, where HIV kids and their families were being reached with the gospel. We talk about the problems of white westerners ministering in Africa,...

Dr. Caryn Reeder (Ph.D. Cambridge) is professor of New Testament at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California. Her research focuses on questions of gender, the household, women's lives, slavery, and violence in the biblical worlds. In this podcast, we discuss her book The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 After #ChurchToo. Caryn offers a fresh and more historically accurate interpretation of John 4 and then we discuss the problem of abuse in the church. Support Theology in the...

Jason Woodruff is the founder of The Pour Over, a Christian news organization with over half a million subscribers. The Pour Over is both a podcast and Newsletter that focus on providing limited news content that is not partisan or aimed and telling you how you should feel about the events they're reporting on, but simply tells you what's going on while reminding us of our allegiance to Christ and his kingdom. In this conversation, we talk all about how mainstream news outlets can (and often...

Dr. Elizabeth Phillips (Ph.D. Cambridge) is Director of Education and Engagement at the Woolf Institute, an interfaith institute in Cambridge, England. She teaches political theology and conflict transformation. Her latest book is Apocalyptic Theopolitics: Essays and Sermons on Eschatology, Ethics, and Politics, and her earlier book, Political Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed, is an introduction to political theology and serves as the backdrop of our podcast conversation. Support Theology...

In this bonus Q & A episode, I respond to loads of questions sent in from my Patrons, including: What are my thoughts on the rapture? Is it better for people to be an affirming church than in no church at all? Does my stance on non-violence prevent me from using force to rescue those in human trafficking? What are my thoughts on the "he gets us" ad from the Super Bowl? How can faith communities better support and honor single people? What is the orthodox way of thinking about women made...

In this second episode on Kephale, I begin by looking at how Paul uses Kephale in Ephesians 1:22 and then 4:15, before jumping into its use in 5:23. I think go into great detail about the genre of "household codes" in the ancient world and how Paul is participating in this kind of conversation. I finally look at Eph 5:21-33 in light of the household code genre and examine several features in this passage that will help us understand the meaning and function of "head" (Kephale) in 5:23. I end...

Sandra Glahn is a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and the author most recently of Nobody's Mother. She's also the general editor of the fascinating book: Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible (Kregel Academic), which forms the basis of our conversation. We talk about the Samaritan Woman, the wealthy women who funded Jesus' ministry (Lk 8:1-3), Tamar (Gen 38), and other misunderstood women in the Bible. We then talk about...

I've been researching the meaning of the Greek word kephale ("head") for the last several months and I've been blogging about my findings over at  theologyintheraw.com This podcast episode is the first (quite long) summary of how I understand the meaning of kephale in extra-biblical Greek literature; namely, the LXX, secular Greek literature, and the early church fathers. In the next episode, I'll work through the meaning of kephale in the book of Ephesians; specifically, its use in 1:22,...

In this conversation, we talk all about Brandon's previous work in an Orphanage in Moshi, Tanzania, and how he came to realize that Orphanages are doing more harm than good when it comes to caring for orphans and their families. Brandon Stiver is an advocate, educator, and practitioner on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children with a special emphasis on seeing children grow up in families globally and for those families to be strengthened. He is the full-time director for CarePortal in...

In this conversation, we talk all about Brandon's previous work in an Orphanage in Moshi, Tanzania, and how he came to realize that Orphanages are doing more harm than good when it comes to caring for orphans and their families. Brandon Stiver is an advocate, educator, and practitioner on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children with a special emphasis on seeing children grow up in families globally and for those families to be strengthened. He is the full-time director for CarePortal in...

In this podcast conversation, we take a deep dive into the Greco-Roman world and look at things like Rome's transition from a republic to an empire, the marriage laws of Caesar Augustus, the rise of Christianity and some of the struggles they had with the broader Roman environment, classism in the ancient world and how Christianity when against it, the background of 1 Cor 11 and what Paul was dealing with in his teaching on the Eucharist, the turbulent 3rd century AD, the conversation of...

This unique episode covers the release of Preston's book 'Exiles, The Church and the Shadow of Empire', the journey of Theology in the Raw podcast, the planning and execution of the Exiles in Babylon conference, and the concept of living as exiles in the modern world. The conversation emphasizes the importance of embracing a Christian political identity and living out the principles of God in a world that may be hostile or indifferent to the faith. It explores the themes of faithfulness,...

My book Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire releases tomorrow! (3/5). In this podcast conversation, my good friend Ed Uszynski interviews me about my book. As always, we get pretty raw and real--and drive off the road quite a bit. When it comes to the Bible, I feel pretty confident about what I believe about politics. And Exiles is primarily a book about the Bible. But when I wonder into modern political questions and points of application, well, that's where it...

Originally from Australia, Dr. Darren Whitehead has lived in the United States for over 25 years.  He is the founder and Senior Pastor of Church of the City with several locations across Nashville. He earned his Doctorate from Capital Seminary and Graduate School. Darren lives with his wife, Brandy, and their three daughters in Franklin, TN. Darren recently released his book The Digital Fast: 40 Days to Detox your Mind and Reclaim what Matters Most, which you can read about on:...

Welcome to a sneak peek of the Bonus Q&A episode, part of the Theology in the Raw premium subscription.  In this Patreon-only episode, you'll get a sneak peak into my responses to some criticisms I've received over the last few months, such as: why am I having an open and affirming speaker at the Exiles conference? Do I really believe that gay people don't need to repent? Am I a heretic for believing that same-sex attraction itself is not a morally culpable sin? Do the terms gay and...

In this conversation, Preston and Josh talk about his latest book (release date: March 5) The Party Crasher: How Jesus Disrupts Politics as Usual and Redeems our Partisan Divide, which is an incredible book about political discipleship and how followers of Jesus can faithfully engage the political world around us. Joshua Ryan Butler is a pastor and the author of The Party Crasher, Beautiful Union, The Skeletons in God’s Closet, and The Pursuing God. Josh loves shifting paradigms, to help...