Theology In The Raw

What does the Bible—not culture, not democrats, not republicans, but the freakin’ word of God!—say about immigration? In this podcast, Danny and Preston sit down to talk about what the Bible says about immigration, including how to respond to undocumented immigrants, and also how this intersects with politics and culture on the issue. Dr. Carroll is half-Guatemalan and was raised bilingual and bicultural. In his youth, he spent many summers in Guatemala and later taught at El Seminario Teológico Centroamericano in Guatemala City for thirteen years. The realities of Central America sparked Dr. Carroll's fascination with the Old Testament. The relevance of the biblical text for the challenges of poverty, war, and politics in those developing countries led him to a passionate focus on Old Testament social ethics and the social sciences.In addition, his studies in English literature and literary theory have generated an ongoing engagement with literary approaches to the Old Testament and critical studies. Ex

David Bennett is the real deal. As he details in his book A War of Loves, David used to be a gay activist and ardent opponent to Christianity. But then one day, God met him in a pub. And the rest is history. David is currently a Ph.D. student in theology at Oxford University and a dynamic speaker, theologian, and evangelist. In this episode, we talk about his story, celibacy, Jesus, same-sex sexuality, Jesus, the gospel, Jesus, sexual desire and its intrinsic relationship to communion with God, and Jesus. Support PrestonSupport Preston by going to patreon.comVenmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Whether you love him or hate him—and it seems like these are the only two options—we are now living in a post-Trump world. What does this mean for Christianity? How should Christians think through 2021? Preston and Karen sit down to banter around about all things related to Christianity and culture. Karen Swallow Prior, Ph. D., is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is the author of Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me (T. S. Poetry Press, 2012), Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist (Thomas Nelson, 2014), and On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books (Brazos, 2018). She is co-editor of Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues (Zondervan 2019) and has contributed to numerous other books. Her writing has appeared at Christianity Today, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, First Things, Vox

Monica is a survivor of sexual abuse and rape, and she talks about how people who have gone through the same kind of trauma can heal and walk a path of freedom. Monica is a speaker, mentor, leader, and the co-host of "Christian Sexuality: Conversations about Jesus, Sex, and Gender"--a youth curriculum on sex, sexuality, and gender. For more info, go here: centerforfaith.comConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Jason Soucinek is the Executive Director and founder of Project Six19. Dedicated to talking honestly about matters of sex, sexuality and relationships. Jason has spent almost two decades engaging audiences of all ages and backgrounds. He is an internationally recognized seminar and conference speaker and published writer on issues surrounding sexuality and youth culture. He can be heard on the following podcasts: DriveTime, Sex + Christian Parents, and CPYU’s podcast “Youth Culture Matters”.Jason and I focus largely on the purity movement and where it went wrong. But we did linger on the question of modesty for a bit, which lead to some back and forth pushbacks on each other's opinions. Learn more about Project Six19 hereWatch this conversation on YouTubeConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

This episode is a deep dive into the book of Judges with one of the world's leading experts in the book: Dr. Michelle Knight. We focus mainly on Judges 4-5, the story about that BA Woman, Jael, who smashes a tent peg through the skull of a skilled warrior and the follow up poem that celebrates the incident. We also talk about the horrific rape of the concubine in Judges 19 and some ethical problems with the conquest in the book of Joshua. In 2018, Dr. Michelle Knight completed her dissertation on the narrative function of the Song of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges, before joining the faculty later that year. While working toward her PhD, she taught Hebrew language and Old Testament courses as a Guest Professor at Wheaton College and an Adjunct Professor at TEDS. Michelle is an active member of the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and especially the Evangelical Theological Society, where she serves as Program Unit Chair for the Old Testament Theology section at

Jessie and I met way back in college and have been friends for more than 20 years. Jessie is an author, speaker and the resident “big sis” at LifeLoveandGod.com, a Q&A website for teen girls. She’s passionate about helping girls embrace the God who loves them, and to help them apply His truth to their everyday lives.In this episode, we talk about some of the challenges that teen girls face today, from social media to body image issues to porn and other sexual challenges. We then wade into the controversial area of the so-called “Billy Graham rule” and the issue of modesty.Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

In the previous episode, I talked about the 3 different views of hell that have been taught throughout church history. In this episode, I briefly discuss why I used to hold to the eternal conscious torment view of hell but have come to believe that the annihilation view of hell is the most biblical. You don’t need to agree with me! But, if you claim to be a Christian, you do need to make sure your view of hell is based on Scripture and not just your church’s doctrinal statement or your tradition.Watch this episode of the podcast on YouTubeConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Most people assume that “hell” means “eternal conscious torment forever and ever.” But the doctrine of hell has actually been widely disputed throughout church history. There are actually three quite different understandings of hell that have been believed and taught in the historic, orthodox Christian church: eternal conscious torment, annihilation, and ultimate reconciliation. In this first (of two) videos on hell, I lay out these three different understandings of hell. I try to do so in an unbiased way so that you can wrestle with each view without letting my rhetoric get in the way. In the next video, I’ll show why I believe in the view of hell that I do.Watch this episode of the podcast on YouTubeConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

BJ and I sat down to have a conversation with no agenda in mind. We start by talking about his work as a life-coach and leader at #BuildaBetterUs, we quickly move into talking about church, church structure, and money. Then, we move into talking about the topic of race in Evangelicalism and we pretty much camped out there for the rest of the time. Some of the things we talked about were:- The reason why black millennials are leaving the Reformed and SBC church- How we should think about Christian "greats" like Jonathan Edwards who owned slaves- What about MLK's misogyny? - How why evangelicals can truly love and serve their black brothers and sistersBJ is a life coach, speaker, and author who helped launch one of the largest faith movements in recent history – the “116 Movement” with Grammy award winning artist Lecrae. He also served alongside Bryan Loritts to expand groundbreaking racial reconciliation work in Memphis, TN. BJ has worked with tens of thousands of individuals and couples all over the

Laurie is attracted to women. And Matt is also attracted to women. Both Laurie and Matt love Jesus. They’re in what’s called a “mixed orientation marriage” and they talk about how that “works” in this fascinating episode. Their marriage is incredible. Not perfect. No marriage is. But their marriage truly does exemplify the honesty, difficulty, beauty, and meaningfulness that every marriage is supposed to embody.Laurie and Matt have written an amazing book called “An Impossible Marriage” and this episode discusses a lot about what this book is all about. Check it out! Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

In this episode, Benjamin and I talk about what happened at Evergreen and some of the cultural implications of these events. We then talk about the so-called “evergreening of America.” In many ways, what went down at Evergreen in May 2017 has become a proleptic microcosm of what’s going on today in 2020. Benjamin Boyce is a popular YouTuber and podcaster. He was a senior in college at Evergreen University when the campus experienced an interesting upheaval that had to do with racial tensions. Or, at least, certain ideologies about racism. He’s extensively documented the whole incident on his YouTube channel hereConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

Editors note: We had some technical difficulties during the recording. The audio is not to our standards, but we felt the podcast was too good to throw away.Greg and I recorded this conversation in late August but I deliberately wanted to have him speak into our current cultural moment--on the eve of the election. Because sometimes you can think a little more clearly when you’re not pressed in a moment of frantic urgency. Anyway, Greg and I discuss how Christians should think through issues of voting, politics, Christianity, and how to view fellow believers as...fellow believers, even if they vote differently than us. We also talk about his most recent book: Inspired Imperfection: How the Bible’s Problems Enhance Its Divine Authority. Greg doesn’t believe in “inerrancy” (a certain brand of it, anyway) but absolutely is committed to the Bible’s infallibility and authority. We talk about the difference in this episode.Greg received his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (summa cum laude 1988), his M.Div.

Jane Wheeler is the founder and President of Rethink Medical Identity Ethics (https://rethinkime.org), which is a a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to improving and optimizing ethical long term care and treatment for gender variant children, adolescents and youth. Jane practiced law for many years as a corporate regulatory healthcare attorney in licensing, standards of care and informed consent. She was a board member of Lawyers for Human Rights (now the Los Angeles LGBT Bar Association) and served on GLAAD/LA Women’s Committee. She received her J.D. from UCLA Law School and has a B.A. from University of Arizona in Anthropology. She currently works as a consultant for non-profits in the area of funding for health and education related programs and projects, and mom to two teenagers.In this episode, we talk about her work at ReIME, the facts about puberty blockers and cross sex hormones, current problems with how trans* identified kids are being treated, and how we can best care for tr

Bill Henson is the founder and president of Lead Them Home, creator of Posture Shift, and author of Guiding Families of LGBT+ Loved Ones. Bill trains national, regional and local ministry teams across America to extend Christ to LGBT+ persons within a biblical framework. Bill guest lectures at Gordon College and has presented Posture Shift at Denver Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theo­lo­gi­cal Sem­i­na­ry.Bill has been a friend and mentor to me for several years and is my #1 go to person when I have questions about how to love LGBTQ+ people. He's trained over 50,000 Christian leaders and has worked with more than 4,000 families with LGBTQ+ loved ones. Let's just say, he knows a thing or two about how Christianity intersects with sexuality and how to communicate to people who have a minor sexuality or gender experience.To learn more about Bill's ministry, go here: https://www.leadthemhome.org/about#.XzsHNy2z0lITo learn about and purchase Guiding Families, go here: http://www.guidingfamilies.comConnect with Prest

Lesli has been a great friend and mentor over the years. We talk about all things trans*, gender, church, Jesus, pronouns, and all that fun stuff. Lesli is the Gender Identity Ministry Director for Posture Shift and a contributor to the highly acclaimed resource "Guiding Families." Learn more about Lesli hereCheck out Guiding FamiliesLesli currently serves as Gender Identity Ministry Director for Posture Shift. They mentor youth and adults seeking God’s will in their gender identity. They are also de­vel­op­ing a re­source de­signed to thought­ful­ly en­gage church lead­er­ship in the gender conversation. Prior to joining the Posture Shift team, Lesli spent 15 years on the road and in regional theater as Pro­duc­tion Stage Mana­ger for numerous Broad­way musi­cals, ballets, and plays. They still escape to NY to see shows whenever possible.Social: Twitter: @superduke1FB: @postureshiftConnect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prest

Sean and I talk about his new book "Chasing Love" which is due to come out in Dec 2020. We focus largely on the contents of this book but we also dive deep into the so-called purity movement and clear up some misunderstands. We also weigh the pros and cons of that movement and try to construct a positive way forward.Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. He connects with audiences in a tangible way through humor and stories while imparting hard evidence and logical support for viewing all areas of life through a Biblical worldview. Sean is an Associate Professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike. In 2008 he received the Educator of the Y

A.J. is (one of) my favorite Christian author(s). His book “A Glorious Dark” is amazing, as are his other books “The Dusty Ones” and “Subversive Sabbath.” He’s a brilliant thinker, a relational pastor, and possesses an uncanny ability to think critically about the intersection of faith and culture. In this conversation, we talk about a lot of things related to his own journey of deconstruction and reconstruction, progressive vs. conservative Christianity, politics, and our cultural moment. A.J. has a Ph.D. from University of Birmingham (U.K.) and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and World Christianity at Bushnell UniversitySupport PrestonSupport Preston by going to patreon.comVenmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

My buddy Ed joins me on the show to talk about Critical Theory and race relations in America. Ed has a Ph.D. in American Cultural Studies from Bowling Green University and basically spent most of his doctoral work interacting with Critical Theory. Ed also has lots of thoughts about the race conversation and race relations inside and outside the church.Heads up: this conversation is super raw, super honest, and a bit of a "rough draft."Watch this episode of the podcast on YouTubeSupport PrestonSupport Preston by going to patreon.comVenmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

John is back for the 3rd time to give us an update on where we're at with all things Covid-19. Wearing masks, the future vaccine, what should churches do, where will this whole thing end up?John is a Senior Biosafety Officer for The University of Chicago – Howard T. Ricketts Laboratory, a Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, as well as a Registered Biosafety Professional with ABSA International (American Biological Safety Association). John was a lead trainer with the Duke Infectious Disease Response Training (DIDRT) Program, funded through an NIEHS-NIH Grant, that was designed to prepare workers at risk of infectious disease exposure. Additionally, he is a certified HAZWOPER/HAZMAT Trainer.John has over 15 years’ experience working in high containment laboratories (BSL3) with high consequence pathogens (i.e. anthrax, plague, highly pathogenic avian influenza, Brucella abortus), with an effective history of training lab workers, clinical care workers, first responders, first receivers and custodial workers to