Theology On Mission

Hosted by David Fitch & Mike Moore

“Theology on Mission” is a podcast by David Fitch and Mike Moore, broadcasting from Northern Seminary. Fitch and Moore bring their experiences as pastors and professors to bear on issues of church, mission, and theology. Pull up a chair or ride around town with them by subscribing on iTunes, Stitcher, or your podcast player of choice.

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Theology On Mission

S5: E6 The “Third Way” of the Church with Jerry Sittser

1 day ago

The early church distinguished itself from the Roman and Jewish religions by adopting a “third way.” Fitch and Moore sit down with historian Jerry Sittser to talk about what we can learn from the ancient church about evangelism, identity, and worship.

Theology On Mission

S5: E5 The Evangelism Pendulum

1 week ago

Fifty years ago gospel tracts, four spiritual laws, and street witnessing were pillars of evangelism for the evangelical church. Recently, the pendulum has swung the other way to the point where some Christians are reticent to evangelize, or, just don’t know how!

Theology On Mission

S5: E4 When Theologians Fail Morally

4 weeks ago

What should be done with the theology of theologians who have failed morally? John Howard Yoder, Dr. King, Paul Tillich, Karl Barth, etc. Dave and Mike outline the common responses and try to construct a way forward.

Theology On Mission

S5: E3 Understanding Joshua Harris: Doubt & Belief

1 month ago

Two months ago, pastor-writer Joshua Harris publicly announced he was no longer a Christian. Fitch and Moore do an “icy take” on his announcement, seeking to understand Harris’ evangelical culture. Fitch and Moore attempt to grasp the purity culture that Harris helped shape and then explore how legalism, individualization, and cognization produce a church unable to doubt and ask meaningful questions.

Theology On Mission

S5: E2 Eschatology for Mission

2 months ago

Who cares about the “end times”? Should we leave behind the “Left Behind” conversations? Does pre-trib, post-trib, etc, even matter? Fitch & Moore talk about “over-realized eschatology” and how it can inhibit the church.

Theology On Mission

S5: E1 Big Problems. Are There Solutions?

2 months ago

We are back! Fitch and Moore talk about big problems (gun control, homelessness, policing) and how to initiate solutions. How do we address massive and systemic issues that outsize our communities?

Theology On Mission

S4: E17 Antagonisms vs Conflict

5 months ago

Drawing from Matthew 10 and 18 Fitch and Moore talk about the differences between antagonisms and conflict. Does anger have a place in our redemption? How do we identify sin in the midst of our conflicts?

Theology On Mission

S4: E16 Summer Reading Recommendations

5 months ago

If you haven’t read these books yet, pick them up! Mike highlights our top 3 episodes from the past year and gives a list of corresponding reading. If you haven’t already read these fine books add them to your list for summer 2019.

Theology On Mission

S4 E15: INTERVIEW: C. Christopher Smith

6 months ago

We are sitting down with our good friend C. Christopher Smith to talk about talking! Chris’ new book, “How the Body of Christ Talks,” explores how the church can recover the practice of conversation.

Theology On Mission

Multicultural Church? From a Black Church Perspective

6 months ago

What is the culture of the multicultural church? How does it include and neglect the black experience in America? Fitch and Moore sit down with Rev. Dr. Joe Mitchell to discuss critiques of the multicultural church.

Theology On Mission

S4: E13 Reformed Soteriology is Passive Aggressive

7 months ago

Welp, at least the title of this podcast isn’t passive aggressive! Fitch and Moore talk about how modern individualism has tainted our soteriology. The tropes of guilt, legalism, and populist fundamentalism have led to a thin soteriology.

Theology On Mission

S4: E12 Resurrection. Time. Worship

7 months ago

Does it matter when we worship corporately? Midweek service? Saturday night? What about corporate worship over Facebook Live and YouTube? Drawing from the work of Alexander Schmemann, Fitch and Moore discuss the cultural view of “flat” time that commodifies worship.

Theology On Mission

S4: E11 INTERVIEW: Karen Swallow Prior

8 months ago

Dave and Mike sit down at Missio Alliance 2019 (thus the background noise) to talk with Karen Swallow Prior about her new book On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books.

Theology On Mission

Post Willow Creek Era: Vulnerability & Repentance

8 months ago

What do the public leadership failings of Harvest Bible Chapel and Willow Creek mean for the church? How should we respond and repent? Fitch and Moore talk about why it is hard for pastors to be vulnerable and how we can find guidance on this topic during the Lenten season.

Theology On Mission

S4: E11 Us vs Them: Politics

9 months ago

This is part three of our three-part series on Fitch’s upcoming book: The Church of Us vs. Them. We talk about Canada, the cold, and privilege. Oh yeah, and we also talk about the title of this episode.

Theology On Mission

S4: E10 Us vs Them: Salvation

9 months ago

This is part two of our three-part series on Fitch’s upcoming book: The Church of Us vs. Them. We talk about our first concerts, “making a decision for Christ,” and how to reimagine salvation in terms of witness and presence.

Theology On Mission

S4: E9 Us vs. Them: The Inerrant Bible

9 months ago

Is a hotdog a sandwich? This is the first of our three-part series on Fitch’s upcoming book: The Church of Us vs. Them. We talk about “clobber verses,” the narrative arc of Scripture, and how the Bible gets turned into an “enemy making machine.

Theology On Mission

S4: E8 INTERVIEW with Michael Gorman

10 months ago

Dave and Mike sit down with Michael Gorman to talk about mission, the book of John and his new book, “Abide & Go: Missional Theosis in the Gospel of John.” Michael Gorman is the Raymond E.

Theology On Mission

ReAdvent

11 months ago

Just in time for Christmas, we talk about Advent! 😉 Fitch and Moore repurpose the four Sundays in Advent around the themes of God’s disruptive and generous presence in this world.

Theology On Mission

Caught in the Middle: Human Sexuality

12 months ago

What should church leaders do when caught in the middle of a conflict? Fitch and Moore discuss practices for navigating the conversation regarding human sexuality

Theology On Mission

Conservative–>Progressive–>Atheist???

1 year ago

A recent article from The Gospel Coalition observes the “slippery slope” of belief from Progressive to Atheist. Dave and Mike back it up one step to include Conservatives and contend that Progressives and Conservatives are essentially the same–just different teams unaware of the Christendom field they are fighting on.

Theology On Mission

Should Christians Vote?

1 year ago

Is this even a question Christians should be asking? Does it reek of privilege and entitlement? Fitch and Moore discuss if/how Christians should vote in the upcoming election. Fitch does an average Hauerwas impression and examines how our culture means we now “vote for commercials, not people.”

Theology On Mission

Interview with Pastah J

1 year ago

Fitch is in Canada so Mike takes over the podcast!!!! He sits down with Jonathan “Pastah J” Brooks to talk about his new book “Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods.” Pastah J leads Canaan Community Church in West Englewood, Chicago.

Theology On Mission

Elitism in the Church

1 year ago

How should the church engage “elite culture”? Should our books be on the New York Times bestseller list? Our influence wielded in the halls of power? James Davidson Hunter’s book “To Change the World” has a unique proposal for engaging “elite culture.” Dave and Mike discuss Hunter’s proposal and Mike teaches Dave about the 90s evangelical movement “See You At The Pole.”

Theology On Mission

Bible Battle

1 year ago

New season! New co-host! Mike Moore joins Dave Fitch to talk about the B-I-B-L-E. How do we appeal to the Bible in midst of conflict? How does a pastor steward their leadership position?

Theology On Mission

Does Pentecost Obliterate Differences?

2 years ago

Does Pentecost overcome Babel? Does baptism in Jesus obliterate all distinctions? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” They ask if there is a better way of understanding this text in light of Babel and Pentecost.

Theology On Mission

Is the Church Being Feminized?

2 years ago

Is the church being feminized? Is that a mark of decline? Or of revival? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw jump into another episode talking about the supposed feminization of the church and what it means for you.

Theology On Mission

Can I Get a Witness? or, the weakness of God

2 years ago

If God is so powerful, why does God need witnesses? What kind of God needs others to speak for him? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw jump in again by tackling the question, “Why does God entrust the future of the world to human messengers?” Also, check out the Theology and Mission Lectureship with Soong-Chan Rah.

Theology On Mission

6 Ways to Ruin Easter

2 years ago

Make people feel guilty for only showing up twice a year? Put Jesus up on the cross again? What else should we avoid when it comes to Easter Sunday? In this zany & serious episode, Geoff Holsclaw—joined by Matt Tebbe and Ben Sternke—talk about how not to ruin Easter.

Theology On Mission

You Don’t Know What the Church Is!

2 years ago

How do you judge the size of your church? How do you know if your church is healthy? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about what makes for a church, how to count it, and what impact that might have on faithful mission.

Theology On Mission

For Sinners & Sufferers: The Baptism of Jesus

2 years ago

Why was Jesus baptized? And what is sin, really? And what is sin nature vs. sin nurture? Geoff Holsclaw, along with special guest Scott Kent Jones, talk about the baptism of Jesus (Fitch is out teaching his week-long intensive for his DMIN cohort—detail below).

Theology On Mission

Should we be Hero-Makers?

2 years ago

Should we strive to be hero-makers? Should we just be side-kicks? And are Dave and Geoff just being too picky about stuff? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw end the year talking about the importance of language when it comes to leadership in the church?

Theology On Mission

Are Sacraments for Mission?

2 years ago

Are sacraments for those outside the church? Are sacraments for those coming in or going out? Can something that’s not a sacrament be sacramental? Ranging across topics, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw have two guests on—Ben Sternke and Matt Tebbe of Gravity Leadership—to talk about the role of sacraments in mission.

Theology On Mission

Going Deep in APEST? with Alan Hirsch

2 years ago

APEST: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. But do these functions or callings go even deeper than personal calling and church organization? David Fitch talks with Alan Hirsch about Hirsch’s new book, 5Q: Reactivating the Original Intelligence and Capacity of the Body of Christ.

Theology On Mission

Beware the Language Police

2 years ago

Ever been corrected for saying the wrong thing? Ever been confused that what you said was so offensive? Ever felt like you were speaking a different language while speaking English?

Theology On Mission

How Clear Should the Church Be?

2 years ago

How clear should your church be about stances on sexuality? How should that clarity be communicated? Is the search for clarity in service to the weak and vulnerable? Is the search for clarity another power play?

Theology On Mission

Why is Your Church Here? The 3 Streams of Cultural Accommodation

2 years ago

Why is your church here? What are you doing? How are you moving forward? The answer to these questions is often based on your assumptions about the church’s place in culture.

Theology On Mission

Are You a Tool? on God’s glory and the Nashville Statement

2 years ago

“Many deny that God created human beings for his glory…” This comes from the preamble of the Nashville Statement. David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about what being “created for God’s glory” might mean for pastors, for mission, and for handling contentious topics.

Theology On Mission

If God is Everywhere, Why Does God Draw Near?

2 years ago

Can we become more aware of God’s presence? Why do we pray for God to come if God is already everywhere? And what do these questions have to do with mission?

Theology On Mission

Church Discipline or Restoration: on Matthew 18

2 years ago

Is Matthew 18 about Church Discipline, or something else? And is Church Discipline really about making people agree with you? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the (in)famous passage about talking to others about their sin.

Theology On Mission

5 Challenges Facing the Church

2 years ago

What do the issues of power, justice, culture, and Jesus have in common? They are all things that church needs to figure out how to relate to! Professors David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about the 5 Challenges Facing the church as a sneak preview of the upcoming “Theology and Mission Lectures” with Stanley Hauerwas (WHICH YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS).

Theology On Mission

What is the Benedict Option?

3 years ago

Should Christians withdraw from a hostile culture? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss Rod Dreher’s “Benedict Option” as a Christian response to American culture. While appreciative, Dave and Geoff offer points of concern and criticism.

Theology On Mission

Against Antagonisms?

3 years ago

Can we find peace in a polarizing world? Can we cultivate true dialogue in a defensive world? David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about living on the thin line between stoking and reenforcing the cultural and political antagonisms of our day, and the need for staying alert to injustices in the world.

Theology On Mission

Subject to Government? Protesting Romans 13

3 years ago

What does it mean to be subject to the government? What did Paul have in mind by that? And how does it fit with being submitted to Christ? Free Webinar Replay with Scot McKnight The Great Gospel Experiment Quote of the episode: “I need music.

Theology On Mission

Aliens and Exiles (with Dennis Edwards)

3 years ago

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).

Theology On Mission

A Lot Has Been Going On

3 years ago

A lot has been going on. 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, and how the future of the church is multiracial leadership.

Theology On Mission

A Thanksgiving Survival Guide

3 years ago

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.

Theology On Mission

Horror, Relief, Hope: Post-Election Debrief

3 years ago

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.

Theology On Mission

Is It Christian To Vote? (A Short Voting Guide)

3 years ago

Is it Christian To Vote? In this short episode, David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw discuss not who to voted for, but how to discern voting in general. Let us not confuse religious freedom with freedom in Christ.

Theology On Mission

Locker Room Talk, the Power of Words, and the Hope for Revival

3 years ago

Locker Room Talk, the Power of Words, Political Strategies, and the Hope for Revival When Christian leaders claim #Trump’s misogynist and racists words are “no big deal” are they sharing in the sin of another?

Theology On Mission

Advice to a Mega-Church (or any) Pastor

3 years ago

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.

Theology On Mission

World Evangelicalism: A Future for the West

3 years ago

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?

Theology On Mission

3 Ways (Not) to Start Your Theology

3 years ago

Does systematic theology have a future? And if so, where should it begin? 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.

Theology On Mission

3 Evangelical Off-Ramps

3 years ago

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?

Theology On Mission

Gender Differences: 3 Views

3 years ago

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.

Theology On Mission

3 Kinds of Jesus and Why It Matters

3 years ago

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 practical in any way?

Theology On Mission

Theological Jenga: The Word Blocks of Mission

3 years ago

“In the beginning God raised Jesus from the dead” ~Michael W. Pahl (From Resurrection to New Creation: A First Journey in Christian Theology) Where does theology come from? Where is it going?

Theology On Mission

Evangelicals Discover the Trinity: Recent Debate

3 years ago

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.

Theology On Mission

The Pursuing God (with Joshua Ryan Butler)

3 years ago

Are we pursuing God, or is God pursuing us? And what does it matter if we reverse the emphasis? With special guest Joshua Ryan Butler, Geoff and Dave discuss talk about God’s pursuit of us.

Theology On Mission

The Aftermath of Revival

3 years ago

Is it always great to experience revival? Or is there pain and waiting in the coming of new life? Mandy Smith and Cyd Holsclaw join Geoff to talk about the hopes and disappointments of the Spirit at work among us as things are torn down and built up.