On this episode of the podcast, I speak with Jeremy Lundgren about his new book on a theology of safety. It’s a conversation about the uniquely modern way that we pursue safety and what it means to hold the value of safety in tension with other virtues like courage, and in light of the call of discipleship. Among the topics we discuss:

• On the “tokens of safety” that fill our world and what it says about our values
• How Covid manifested and accelerated our pursuit of safety.
• The history of our pursuit of safety in three stages: humanity against the gods, humanity against nature, and humanity against itself.
• Three core elements of the modern pursuit of safety: predicting the future, using technology to control the material world, and developing uniform procedures to ensure safety.
• How the call of discipleship situates and sometimes challenges the pursuit of safety
• What Christian parents might hope for their children when it comes to safety

Get the book: https://www.ivpress.com/the-pursuit-of-safety

On this episode of the podcast, I have a live conversation with visual artist Matt Doll about art and faith. It’s a conversation that we got to have in front of a live audience of around 40 students. I found it energizing and inspiring, especially when Matt reads a poem part of the way through. Among the topics we discuss:

• The sometimes fraught relationship between artists and the church and how we can do better
• Why Christians may struggle with the arts
• The relationship of creativity and limits
• The process of making and whether it is more a matter of inspiration or "perspiration"
• What artists need to hear from or about the church and what the church needs to hear from or about artists.

Matthew Doll is a painter, graphic designer, gallery director, and has been the Program Director of the Gordon IN Orvieto semester program since 2011.

More from Matt: https://matthew-doll.squarespace.com/

On this episode of the podcast, we bring you a live interview in collaboration with the co-hosts of the Hallway Conversations podcast. Our featured guest is Dr. David Mulder, who has written a new book: Always Becoming, Never Arriving. This episode is a conversation about the craft of teaching and what it means to "teach Christianly". Among the topics we discuss:

• Some of the biggest misconceptions and surprises about teaching
• What it means to develop a "teaching imagination" and to say that teaching is a calling.
• The relationship between play, improvisation, and technique in the classroom
• How to take our work seriously without taking ourselves seriously
• How to teach "who we are" while also taking into account what students need and what the material requires
• Why most definitions of what it means to teach Christianly are incomplete

Even if you're not working in Christian education, it's a great opportunity to look over the shoulder of a master teacher who is passionate about his craft.

Get the book: https://www.drdavemulder.com/teaching-is-a-journey/

David Mulder's website: https://www.drdavemulder.com/