PODCAST · religion
The Distillery
by Princeton Theological Seminary
The Distillery podcast explores what motivates the work of Christian scholars and why it matters for theology and ministry.
Episodes
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Sarah Griffith Lund | Blessed Minds
"What would it look like for followers of the Jesus way, for disciples of Christ today, to honor diversity when it comes to brain functioning and mental health? And what would it look like for your church to be a stigma-free zone when it comes to children, teens, young adults, and people of all...
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Elaine James | An Invitation to Biblical Poetry
What if we've been missing an opportunity to reread biblical poetry to become co-creators or collaborators in the poetic journey? And what if we don't start reading the poem by trying to determine what it means, but instead engage in an open and expansive inquiry into discovering how biblical...
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Kit Evans-Ford | Argrow's House, Autistic & Loved, and More
What can innovative ministry look like in your context? Are there opportunities for you to directly address the emergent needs of those you are called to serve while also establishing a network of care that empowers people to pursue their long-held dreams and aspirations? Our discussion today is...
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Daniel Aleshire | Beyond Profession: The Next Future of Theological Education
In the dynamic landscape of religion, culture, and higher education, what should the next future of theological education become? Should it be a further accrual of intellectual and professional skills, or should it also serve to form Christian leaders with a deep, abiding, resilient, generative...
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Lamar Hardwick | How Ableism Fuels Racism
What is ableism, and how does ableism relate to racism? And is this important for the church? These questions and more will be answered in our discussion today with Dr. Lamar Hardwick, the author of the new book, How Ableism Fuels Racism: Dismantling the Hierarchy of Bodies in the Church. As a...
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Krin Van Tatenhove & Rob Mueller | Neighborhood Church: Transforming Your Congregation into a Powerhouse for Mission
To all those who believe their local church can be a vital sign of God's presence in their community, and to those who believe in a right here, right now, in-this-place ministry that seeks to truly meet the needs in your neighborhood, join us as we discuss incarnational mission with the…
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Kenda Creasy Dean | Innovating for Love
Is innovation just a buzzword, or is there something going on with innovation that Christians should be paying attention to? In today's interview, Kenda Creasy Dean takes us on her own journey. A journey that began trying to figure out where young people are finding meaning and purpose. Professor...
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Andrew Root & Blair Bertrand | When the Church Stops Working
What is wrong with the church? How can we fix it? In this interview, we explore what people think is wrong with the church. Guests Blair Bertrand and Andrew Root suggest that the church's problems are not necessarily what we think they are. We'll explore how secularism has shaped our imagination,...
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Khristi Adams | Womanish Theology
What do young Black girls have to teach all of us about God and about living our Christian faith? In today's interview, Khristi Adams explores the unique and invaluable theological insights of Black girls, including their perspectives on scripture, service, suffering, and hospitality. Her new…
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Montague Williams | Church in Color
What's wrong with saying, "I don't see color?" Many have pursued racial color-blindness as if it is a virtue, but in today's episode, Montague Williams, author of "Church in Color: Youth Ministry, Race, and the Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., shares his experience with youth groups to...
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Ryan McAnnally-Linz | Life Worth Living
What makes a life worth living? Do we organize our lives around the pursuit of happiness, self-sacrifice, security, power, or wealth? In today's episode, Ryan McAnnally-Linz invites us to explore life’s biggest existential questions that make up the meaning of life. At the center of this...
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Kathleen McShane & Elan Babchuck | Picking up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire
What can spiritual entrepreneurship teach us about what God is doing in the world? In today's episode, Kathleen McShane and Elan Babchuck, co-authors of "Picking up the Pieces: Leadership after Empire," take a serious look at the story of Moses to better understand how culture and empire shape…
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David White | Tending the Fire That Burns at the Center of the World
How do beauty and creativity helps us know God? How does the beauty of God's creation re-enchant the world as we know it? In this episode, David White, author of Tending the Fire That Burns at the Center of the World, shares how aesthetics, playfulness, and creativity can be reclaimed in churches...
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Debra Rienstra | Refugia Faith
What does Christian faith have to do with creation? As the global climate crisis becomes more and more pressing, Christian communities sometimes flounder in responding to this issue. In this episode, Debra Rienstra, author of Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the…
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Douglas Powe & Lovett Weems | Sustaining While Disrupting
Which road do we take when at the intersection of tradition and innovation? Faith leaders and congregants across the country are navigating patterns of change daily in their ministry. In this episode, Douglas Powe and Lovett Weems examine how congregations can experiment as they faithfully…
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Amy Butler | Beautiful and Terrible Things
The first episode of Season 8 begins with an intimate interview with Amy Butler, pastor, educator, and author of "Beautiful and Terrible Things," that examines the deeply dark and incredibly wonderful moments life brings. This conversation explores the nature of faith, the inevitability of doubt,...
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Sarah Barton | Becoming the Baptized Body
Baptism is a foundational practice, and is considered a sacrament in most Christian churches. This ancient practice has been significant since Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Churches today have divergent theologies and ways of baptizing people. But in today’s interview, Sarah Barton…
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Keri Day | Azusa Reimagined
In the early twentieth century, a series of revival meetings in Los Angeles shocked the nation. They had unsegregated worship services where both women and men spoke in tongues, performed faith healings, and wildly claimed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. These meetings, held in a small…
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Kimberly Wagner | Fractured Ground
Sandy Hook. Uvalde. Pulse Nightclub. Hurricane Katrina. COVID-19. 9/11. For millions of people in our country, these words are shorthand for unthinkable traumatic events and the lingering effects of trauma. What can be said when a community is shaken to its core? How can a Sunday morning sermon...
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Victoria Atkinson White | Holy Friendships
What happens when ordinary friendships become something deeper, something more sacred, something—dare we say—holy? On this episode, Victoria Atkinson White shares from her new book Holy Friendships: Nurturing Relationships that Sustain Pastors and Leaders. Explore the nature of “holy…
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Jonathan Lee Walton | A Lens of Love
Questions of how the Bible should be read by modern Christians have never been more important than they are today. What does it mean to read the Bible through a sociohistorical lens? Can identifying the politics of its ancient Judean writers help us navigate the twenty-first century? On this...
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Alexia Salvatierra & Brandon Wrencher | Buried Seeds
In an age of secularization, church planters face new, unexpected obstacles. Could the key to solving their problems be found in ministries started by marginalized communities? In this episode, Reverend Dr. Alexia Salvatierra and Reverend Brandon Wrencher discuss their new book Buried Seeds, an...
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Barbara Brown Taylor | Holy Envy
What does it look like for Christians to live in a pluralistic society? What can be learned from neighbors who practice different religious traditions? In this episode, Barbara Brown Taylor shares from her book “Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others”. We discuss her journey from pew to...
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Mary Farag | What Makes a Church Sacred?
In the wake of the Jesus Movement’s emergence from the underground, designated worship spaces like churches began to be seen as sacred spaces in and of themselves. How did this happen? According to Mary K. Farag, it was the result of centuries of debate between ancient Roman jurists, Catholic...
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Kristin Kobes DuMez | Donald Trump, John Wayne, and Jesus
White evangelical support for Trump was not surprising, according to Kristin Kobes Du Mez, professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University. In this episode, we talk about her book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation, which explores…
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Josh Packard | Navigating Uncertainty with Young People
With institutional distrust seemingly at all-time highs, nearly 40% of Generation Z claims no religious affiliation. It’s a startling revelation, one magnified by studies announcing Gen Z as both the most diverse and most lonely generation on record. In this week’s episode, we sit down with Dr....
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Jamie Eaddy Chism | Journeying with a Death Doula
In this episode of The Distillery, we talk with the Rev. Dr. Jamie Eaddy Chism, the director of program development for the International End of Life Doula Association and 2015 Fellow of the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Theological Seminary, about her work as a certified...
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John Swinton | Theology and Mental Health
For centuries, the mentally ill have been misunderstood and ostracized within religious communities. What would it mean to seriously transform how we view, discuss and treat those struggling with mental illness as Christians? In this episode, co-host Shari Oosting sits down with John Swinton,...
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Mark Elsdon | Money and Mission
In this episode, Rev. Mark Elsdon talks to us about his book, “We Aren’t Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry," which explores how faith-based organizations can use investment assets and property for mission impact and financial resiliency. Listen as Elsdon challenges the...
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Erin Raffety | A Vision for Disability and Ministry
In this episode, we speak with Dr. Erin Raffety (MDiv '08), PCUSA pastor and researcher, about her work with persons with disabilities in the church, and how she seeks to use her research to inform deeper, richer pastoral care and conversation within congregations. Erin's goal is to take…
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João Chaves | How Migration Molds Faith
In this episode, we speak with Dr. João Chaves, Assistant Director for Programming at the Hispanic Theological Initiative at Princeton Theological Seminary, about his book, Migrational Religion: Context and Creativity in the Latinx Diaspora. We talk about his work and focus on his case study of a...
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Jacqui Lewis | Radical Love
The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Senior Minister for Public Theology at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City, explores this question with host Sushama-Austin Connor while discussing her books, Fierce Love and The Pentecost Paradigm. In this episode, Dr. Lewis offers timeless lessons about what she...
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Welcome to Season 6
This season you can expect deep dives into such topics as radical love, stewardship, and the changing landscape of theological education. We’ll explore ethnic denominationalism in Latinx migrational religion, learn practical ways Christian leaders can reframe their understanding of money and...
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Jerusha Neal | Overshadowed by the Spirit of God
In this episode, Jerusha Neal, assistant professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School, explores a homiletic theology that reclaims the absence and presence of the fully human Word, offers fresh conceptions on the embodiment of Jesus in the sermon, and compares the Spirit-empowered pregnancy of...
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Andrew Root | Relevance to Resonance
In this episode, Andrew Root, the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary, talks with us about his recent book, The Congregation in a Secular Age: Keeping Sacred Time Against the Speed of Modern Life, the third in his series of books on ministry in the…
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Lisa Bowens | The African American Interpreter and Paul
New Testament scholar Dr. Lisa Bowens takes aim at this question in her new book, African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation. In this interview, Sushama Austin-Connor talks with Dr. Bowens about the inspiration behind this work, the “hidden figures” of African...
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Jim McCloskey | Truth Seeker
In this episode, Jim McCloskey, MDiv ’83, a lay minister and founder of Centurion, the first nonprofit dedicated to the vindication of the wrongly convicted, speaks to this question in his book, When Truth Is All You Have: A Memoir of Faith, Justice, and Freedom for the Wrongly Convicted. He…
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James K. A. Smith | The Gift of Augustine
In this episode, Shari Oosting sits down with author James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College, who sets out to speak to this question in his book, On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts, revealing how Augustine’s timeless wisdom speaks…
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Sally Brown | Agents of Redemptive Interruption
In this episode, Sally Brown, homiletician and Elizabeth M. Engle Professor of Preaching and Worship at Princeton Theological Seminary, talks about these themes and more from her new book, Sunday’s Sermon for Monday’s World: Preaching to Shape Daring Witness, in which she shares ways preachers…
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Angela Gorrell | Finding Joy in Sorrow
In this episode, Angela talks with Sushama Austin-Connor about her research on joy and her book The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found. They consider how we can study joy with a theological lens, how our emotions are always teaching us something, and how joy is a realization of...
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Joni Sancken | Wounds of the Soul
Joni Sancken is an assistant professor of homiletics at United Theological Seminary, and author of Words That Heal: Preaching Hope to Wounded Souls. In this episode, Sushama Austin-Connor talks with Joni about her expertise in preaching and her personal experience of trauma, sharing ways for the...
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Tim Soerens | On the Move with God
Tim Soerens is a pastor and author of the new book Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church Right Where You Are. In this episode, hear Tim talk with Dayle Rounds about why he feels hopeful about the American church and what he thinks the church might be called to do in this particular season…
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Annie Lockhart-Gilroy | Fostering Hope
Annie Lockhart-Gilroy speaks on how we can nurture a “sanctified imagination.” In this episode, you will hear Shari Oosting talk with Annie about her book, Nurturing the Sanctified Imagination of Urban Youth. They discuss what it looks like to do ministry in an urban setting and how we might...
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Welcome to Season 5
In Season 5 we’ll consider the relationship between despair and joy, hear the story of one man's life of ministry working to free those who are wrongly imprisoned, and learn to spark hope and possibility in the future of urban youth and their communities by creating space for sanctified...
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Kenda Creasy Dean, Justin Forbes, Wes Ellis, and Abigail Visco Rusert | Joy Riders
iTunes Episode Duration: 00:35:20
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Katherine Douglass | Expressions of Faith
iTunes Episode Duration: 00:32:53
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Greg Cootsona | Against All Odds
iTunes Episode Duration: 00:37:26
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David Stubbs | Turning the Table
iTunes Episode Duration: 00:37:27
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Lakisha Lockhart | Power Play
Creative expression can be a powerful aid in helping to move across differences. In this episode, Lakisha Lockhart shares how modes of play can be used as a pedagogical resource for theological education and how engaging in embodied experiences and cultural expressions are seen and valued. The...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Distillery podcast explores what motivates the work of Christian scholars and why it matters for theology and ministry.
HOSTED BY
Princeton Theological Seminary
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Distillery have?
The Distillery currently has 97 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Distillery about?
The Distillery podcast explores what motivates the work of Christian scholars and why it matters for theology and ministry.
How often does The Distillery release new episodes?
The Distillery has 97 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Distillery?
You can listen to The Distillery on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Distillery?
The Distillery is created and hosted by Princeton Theological Seminary.
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