Chris and Eddie are joined by Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist church in the country. Hamilton’s book Making Sense of the Bible explores the most controversial questions Christians ask while interpreting scripture, including issues of sexuality and gender. Hamilton believes context is necessary to understanding the character of God, and he challenges us to consider what is lost in translation. He talks to Eddie and Chris about how to be guided by an ethic of love, how his position on sexuality has changed over the years, and ways we can argue ethically without shutting each other down.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Michael Ugwueke, President & Chief Executive Officer at Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital. Driven by a deep passion for individuals to thrive, Ugwueke desires a more proactive approach to spending and preventative care. They discuss Ugwueke’s role as a minority executive in healthcare, the social determinants of health, and the role of the healthcare system in the health of the community.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Amanda Drury, associate professor of practical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. Dr. Drury defines a testimony as “a story we tell where Jesus pops up.” She believes that our testimonies are shaped by small, everyday moments and that they make space for every person from every background to be heard. Dr. Drury challenges us to broaden our definition of testimony in terms of past, present, and future storytelling. She talks to Eddie and Chris about the importance of building a faith language, and how to display appropriate vulnerability when telling your story, and the power of narrative and story in therapy.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Andrew Root, professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary. Dr. Root has written a series of books revolving around Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age, and his book Faith Formation in a Secular Age specifically examines the church’s hopeful attitude that a “youthful spirit” will save the church. Root speaks to the power of testimony, confession, and storytelling to help teenagers and young adults navigate their own complicated stories. Root challenges us to greater curiosity and stronger questions that will benefit not only the lives of young people, but the church as a whole.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Christian Smith, the William R. Keenan Professor of Sociology at the University of Notre Dame and author of Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation. Dr. Smith’s work examines the variety of reasons that individuals and communities are religious, as well as the impact of the family institution on traditional religious beliefs. Dr. Smith talks to Eddie and Chris about a general form of faith called “moralistic therapeutic deism,” the structures of society and culture that have made transitions challenging for young people, and the expectations that parents have for church congregations.

Frank Viola’s recent book, Hang On, Let Go: What to Do When Your Dreams Are Shattered and Life Is Falling Apart, gives practical advice to anyone who has found themselves in a hard, dark place. Shaped out of Frank’s own pain and struggles, Hang On, Let Go offers a roadmap for experiencing transformation that points back to God’s love. He joins Eddie and Chris to discuss the difficult questions about human suffering, the gifts of presence and empathy, and the importance of perspective.

Eddie is joined by Fred Curry, Executive Director and Founder of Rice & Beans Ministry (RABMIN). After visiting Costa Rica on a mission trip, Fred formed a connection with the community there and began to use food as a way of opening the door to deep conversations and long-term relationships. Fred’s ministry work focuses not on measures of success or growth, but how to sustain members of a community right where they are. He talks to Eddie about how to be a faithful “first responder” in missions, bridging gaps with those who aren’t comfortable in a church setting, and the importance of relationships over results.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Hal Beckham, Head of Finance at Medtronic LABS and Chief Financial Officer for Medtronic Philanthropy and Foundation. Medtronic LABS is a social business dedicated to expanding healthcare access to underserved communities and developing systems of care based on the unique contexts of countries such as Kenya, India, and Ghana. Beckham talks about the importance of corporate responsibility, his vocation and calling in the context of his career, and the impact of Medtronic’s programs and technology.

In this episode, Eddie talks to Corey Mize, Executive Director of Base Camp Coding Academy in Water Valley, Mississippi. Base Camp Coding Academy offers high school graduates training in software development for 12 months, providing them with resources like computers and gas money for their commutes. The program also equips students with professional skills such as resume writing, email etiquette, and interviewing.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Ellen F. Davis, professor at Duke Divinity School and author of “Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible.” An Old Testament scholar with deep wisdom about our ecological crisis, Davis views the land we’ve inherited as kin and a covenant partner. She speaks to our call to serve and preserve the land out of honor and love for what God has given us. Davis challenges us to hold onto a hope that is not just a passive, sunny optimism, but a collective vision of goodness and wholeness driven by human agency and creativity.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Will Reed, who runs Native Son Farm in Tupelo, Mississippi. Reed has seen firsthand the preventable health issues facing people in Mississippi, and he began Native Son Farm eleven years ago to shift the food and farming landscape there. Reed understands the correlation between the ways we use our land and the work we provide to those in our communities, and he speaks to the picture of abundance that provides us with hope and true nourishment. Reed challenges us to choose transparency over convenience, inviting us to contribute to an atmosphere of health within our soil, our work, and our communities.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Norman Wirzba, the Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke University. Wirzba’s upcoming book, This Sacred Life: Humanity’s Place in a Wounded World explores three central questions at the intersection of theology and ecology: Who are we? Where are we? What should we do? Wirzba acknowledges that the doctrine of creation is not simply the teaching about how the world began, and he views creation care as an act of honor to God. This episode discusses the realities of climate change as both an ideological and financial issue, the importance of God’s covenant relationship with all of creation, and the limits of the natural world.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Jeff Bilbro, author of Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry's Sustainable Forms and Loving God's Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature. Bilbro’s work on ecology and theology has been heavily influenced by Wendell Berry, an environmental activist and author best known for his book The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture. Bilbro calls his readers to a greater ecological and cultural imagination based in the idea of shalom, a vision of relational and community healing in the context of our environment. This episode explores the deep wisdom of Wendell Berry across his literary forms, the idea of interrelatedness within God’s creation, and how to hold onto hope while enacting hope in our communities.

Chris and Eddie are joined by Heather McTeer Toney, an activist, speaker, and author who serves as the National Field Director for Moms Clean Air Force. Toney is the former two term mayor of Greenville, Mississippi, and she was appointed by President Obama as the Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Southeast Region. Toney speaks to the collaborative nature of creation care, the relationship between her upbringing and her heart for justice, her experiences with environmental challenges in the Mississippi Delta, and the responsibility that God has given each of us to this earth.

Kat Harris, author of “Sexless in the City” and host of The Refined Collective Podcast, is committed to releasing women from judgment and shame and helping them develop a healthy, Biblical view around sexuality. A single woman in her 30s, Kat openly shares about her experiences navigating the dating scene in New York City as a celibate Christian. Kat has received thousands of questions from women who haven’t felt permission to be curious about sexuality and desire. She talks to Eddie and Chris about how the Church’s narratives about sex and purity shape our expectations of women, God’s “very good” vision for human relationships, and how the Church can faithfully honor and celebrate single people.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie talk with Leigh Stein about her New York Times article, “The Empty Religions of Instagram.” The article explores the ways social media users turn to influencers as moral authorities that offer structure, comfort, encouragement, and humor. Stein has observed the birth of a new online orthodoxy that resembles religious beliefs, but that is missing the mercy or grace of true human connections within faith communities. This episode offers insight into the disappointment of digital iconography, the outrage cycle of social media, and our innate urge to testify and tell our stories.

Amy Crouch is a student at Cornell University and, with her father Andy Crouch, co-author of “My Tech Wise Life: Growing Up and Making Choices in a World of Devices.” She joins Chris and Eddie to discuss what boundaries and understandings regarding technology are necessary to harness its advantages while mitigating its negative effects. Crouch bases her message around the understanding that technology is not a bad thing, but something that must be seen as a tool rather than a foundation of life. What does that look like practically? Tune in to the conversation to find out!

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Lauren F. Winner, an Episcopal priest, historian, and scholar of religion who teaches at Duke Divinity School. Lauren is the author of the book “The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin.” In her work and in this conversation, Winner challenges the assumption that the church possesses a set of immaculate practices that will definitionally train Christians in virtue. She reflects on examples of history where practice failed to produce virtue and what should be learned as the Church pursues a more faithful future.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Tish Harrison Warren, author of Prayer in the Night. When Warren found herself at a place filled with too many questions to bear, she began to write about the empty space of night and how we can present the weariness of our souls to God. Warren discusses prayer as communion with the presence of God, a practice that shapes who we are, how we believe, and our vision of the world. We hope this episode moves you toward peace and comfort as Warren illustrates ways to draw near to God in the midst of uncertainty and fear.

In this episode, Chris and Eddie speak to John Swinton, author of “Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges.” A registered mental health nurse, Swinton has listened to the multi-layered experiences of Christians who deal mainly with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. Swinton maps out what it looks like to redefine health and healing in the context of connection, he speaks to the unique resources and community that the church can offer, and he addresses the sense of abandonment that Christians feel, especially when dealing with depression.