Prodigal Pastor

In this episode of Prodigal Pastor, Jonny sits down with New Testament scholar Jennifer Garcia Bashaw to explore how we read the Bible—and how it reads us. Drawing from her books Serving Up Scripture and Scapegoats, Jennifer shares her journey from growing up in a Southern Baptist context to pursuing biblical scholarship after confronting limiting interpretations of Scripture around women in ministry. Together, they unpack her powerful cooking metaphor for biblical interpretation—showing how reading Scripture is both an art and a process shaped by our stories, cultures, and assumptions—and discuss how Jesus’ life consistently centers those pushed to the margins. Along the way, they explore scapegoat theory, the role of overlooked voices in interpretation, and why returning to Jesus is essential for making sense of Scripture’s many perspectives.

After a full stretch of conversations on atonement, this week’s episode of Prodigal Pastor takes a different turn—into rest.In the week following Easter, we practice Sabbath as a community at Missio Dei, making space to breathe, reflect, and “rest into resurrection.” This episode is an extension of that rhythm.Jonny sits down with his friend and fellow pastor Scott for a wide-ranging, unhurried conversation about fly fishing, spirituality, discipleship, and the kinds of practices that form us over time. What begins as a conversation about being on the water becomes something deeper—a reflection on presence, patience, and the quiet ways God meets us in the ordinary.This isn’t a typical episode—and it’s not meant to be. It’s slower. More spacious. Whether you fish or not, this conversation is an invitation: to step away, to pay attention, and to receive rest in whatever wilderness space you can find.We’ll be back soon with more episodes in our atonement series. For now—take a breath, and enjoy the conversation.

In this episode, Jonny sits down with theologian and pastor Greg Boyd to explore one of the most transformative ideas in contemporary theology: what if God truly looks like Jesus—crucified?Together, they trace Greg’s journey from academic theology into pastoral ministry, and into a lifetime of wrestling with Scripture, violence, and the character of God. The conversation centers on what Greg calls a “cruciform hermeneutic”—reading the entire Bible through the lens of the cross—and how that reshapes everything from troubling Old Testament passages to the nature of the kingdom of God.They also dive into:Why the cross is the “center of the center” of Christian faithHow to read difficult or violent biblical texts without dismissing ScriptureWhat a cross-shaped (cruciform) kingdom actually looks like in everyday lifeRethinking atonement beyond punishment toward restoration and healingHow the church can embody a nonviolent, self-giving love in a fractured world

In this episode, Jonny sits down with New Testament scholar Michael Gorman for a rich conversation about atonement, the cross, and the new covenant. Together they explore what atonement means, what many popular models miss, and how the death of Jesus is not only the source of salvation but also its shape. Along the way, they talk about participation, transformation, reconciliation, and why the cross matters not just for individuals, but for communities and the whole life of faith.

In this episode, Jonny sits down with theologian and seminary professor Dr. Mark Baker to talk about the cross, the atonement, and why the way we tell that story matters—pastorally, biblically, and ethically.Mark shares the story of becoming a scholar shaped by mission work in Honduras, where poverty, violence, and “toxic theology” forced deeper questions: Who is the God we believe in? What kind of God does our atonement story portray?From there, we explore what atonement means (“the saving significance of the cross and resurrection”), why Christians often collapse a wide biblical vision into a narrow framework, and how the New Testament offers a multiplicity of images—liberation, shame and welcome, redemption, union with Christ, and Christus Victor triumph over powers.This is a conversation about more Jesus and more cross—not less. Atonement isn’t a single metaphor. It’s the heart of the gospel told in many faithful languages, for many kinds of human need.For more, check out Mark's website.

Jonny talks with Jeremy Duncan about reading Revelation well—through Jesus, not fear. Together they unpack rapture culture, empire, and apocalyptic despair, and explore why Revelation is less about predicting the future and more about forming a hopeful, nonviolent people in the present.

Jonny sits down with Dr. R. Dennis Edwards—New Testament scholar, longtime pastor, and Jonny’s former professor—to talk about how leaders and everyday Christians can read Scripture with more depth and humility. Dr. Edwards shares his journey from a storefront church where questions were discouraged to a life of ministry, church planting, and teaching, then explores what’s changed today: growing skepticism toward “experts,” thinning Bible literacy, and the way modern content habits shape faith. Together they unpack what it means to read the Bible in community—with the historic tradition, with present-day voices across cultures and social locations, and with special attention to the margins—so we don’t settle for “whatever it means to you,” but learn to read faithfully with wise guides and a wider church.

In this episode, Jonny sits down with Old Testament scholar Dr. Ingrid Faro (Northern Seminary) to talk about her book Redeeming Eden, where she with deep but accessible scholarship helps us reread the story of women throughout the Old Testament. Dr. Faro shows us what we get wrong, especially concerning how women in the Bible have been vilified, sexualized, marginalized, or misread through cultural lenses that aren’t actually the Bible’s and how their stories are actually essential to redemptive history. Resources MentionedRedeeming Eden (Ingrid Faro) Tell Her Story (Nijay Gupta) Paul and Gender (Cynthia Westfall) Nobody’s Mother (Sandra Glahn)Ingrid Faro’s website

In this conversation, Dr. Tim Geddert (biblical scholar and longtime professor) shares why reading the Bible as a storychanges everything—from how we handle ethics, history, and “hard texts,” to how we understand discipleship and the role of the Old Testament. We talk about why people today are often persuaded by experiencing Scripture rather than “solving” objections, why “story” doesn’t mean “fiction,” how Jesus both affirms and re-reads the Old Testament, and why the church should never draw a straight line from Israel’s national wars to modern nationalism. Along the way, we explore Scripture as a drama we’re invited to participate in—improvising faithfully as we follow Jesus in the middle of God’s big plot: creation, Jesus, new creation.Key themesWhy biblical engagement shifted from apologetics to lived, communal plausibilityWhat it means to say “the Bible tells a story” (without flattening genres)The dangers of “spiritual nuggets” and reading characters as moral heroesCreation → Jesus → New Creation as the non-negotiable story spineStory vs. drama: we’re in the last act, and our choices matterWhy the Old Testament is our story (and how Jesus reads it)Violence texts, judgment, and the honest tension of a Jesus-shaped God-imageCovenant people vs. nation-state: a direct challenge to Christian nationalismImages of God (portrait gallery) vs. abstract doctrines (Plato problem)Walter Brueggemann, Texts Under NegotiationGospel references: Matthew 5; Mark 2; Acts 15Themes referenced: “creation / new creation”; “God’s will on earth as in heaven”; Christian nationalism critiquesAbout the guestDr. Tim Geddert is a biblical scholar (known especially for work on Mark and reading the Old Testament as story) and a longtime teacher of pastors and church leaders.

What if the Bible is less “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” and more a rescue story that finds its hinge in Jesus? In this conversation, Jonny sits down with pastor, theologian, and author Meghan Larissa Good to talk about how a Jesus-centered lens changes the way we read Scripture, wrestle with difficult texts, and practice discernment in real time as church leaders.They explore how genre, narrative arc, and the crucified Christ reframe everything from Noah’s ark and Judges to Revelation and Paul’s household codes. Meghan offers a grounded, accessible way to hold a high view of Scripture and acknowledge complexity.📬 Subscribe to the newsletter on Substack:👉 https://jonnymorrison.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips📣 Connect with Jonny:Website: https://jonnyis.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonny.isYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@JonnyMorrisonisConnect with Meghan: Website: meghanlarissagood.comDivine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Recover a Better Christian StoryThe Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today

In this short trailer episode, Jonny Morrison introduces Prodigal Pastor, a podcast for leaders, seekers, and anyone trying to live in the tension of real life. You’ll hear about the heart behind the show and the kinds of conversations and reflections to expect.📬 Subscribe to the newsletter on Substack:👉 https://jonnymorrison.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips📣 Connect with Jonny:Website: https://jonnyis.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonny.isYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@JonnyMorrisonis