Theology on Mission

Theology on Mission

For those longing to connect theology and mission, we are talking about God and everything else. Broadcasting from NORTHERN SEMINARY, in partnership with Missio Alliance, David Fitch and Mike Moore bring their experiences as pastors and professors to bear on issues of mission and church. Pull up a chair or take them and their guests with you around town.

  1. APR 6

    S11:E13 Faith Over Breakfast: Community, Calling, and Staying When It Gets Hard (Bonus Episode)

    From the rise (and fall) of the emerging church to the challenges of post-evangelical faith, from seminary formation to everyday discipleship, this episode captures what it sounds like when leaders wrestle honestly with where the church has been—and where it’s going. In this special crossover episode, David Fitch and Mike Moore join Andy Littleton and Eric Cepin from the Faith Over Breakfast podcast for a wide-ranging, unscripted conversation on ministry, theology, and life in the real world. Drawing from their shared (and sometimes diverging) experiences in the emerging church movement, the conversation explores why some communities deconstructed and disappeared—while others stayed rooted and endured. Along the way, they reflect on the role of deep community, the dangers of untethered deconstruction, and why faith must remain centered on Jesus, not just ideas or experiences. At the center of it all is a shared conviction: you don’t get to make the faith up as you go. You receive it, wrestle with it, and live it out in real communities with real people. Listen to more episodes of Faith Over Breakfast: https://pod.link/1242441594 🎙️ In This Episode:Reflections on the emerging church movement—and what led to its fragmentationWhy some leaders deconstructed out of faith while others stayed rootedThe role of deep, committed community in sustaining beliefThe tension between therapy, self-discovery, and Christ-centered discipleshipWhy theology must be lived, not just learned in classroomsWhat makes a church (or seminary) actually form people for real lifeWhy context shapes ministry—and why no model transfers cleanly 📌 Key Moments:[00:06:00] Eric’s story: planting in the emerging church and staying rooted [00:16:00] Community as the anchor through doubt and theological shifts [00:22:00] When therapy replaces discipleship—and how to bring Jesus back to the center [00:31:00] “You don’t get to make it up”: receiving the faith across generations [00:36:00] Every church is a seminary—whether it realizes it or not [00:43:00] Why ministry must be contextual, not formulaic [00:56:00] Culture, power, and understanding the moment for mission 💡 TakeawayFaith isn’t formed in isolation or ideology—it’s formed in community, through struggle, and in submission to Jesus. In a time when many are tempted to walk away or reinvent everything, this conversation reminds us: stay rooted, stay honest, and stay with the people God has given you.

    1h 4m

  2. MAR 30

    S11:E12 Contextual Theological Interpretation: An Integrated Model for Reading the Bible with Dr. Bo H. Lim

    Why does the Bible so often feel disconnected from real life—and what would it take to close that gap? David Fitch and Mike Moore sit down with Old Testament scholar Bo Lim to explore his book Contextual Theological Interpretation. Together, they tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing the church today: how to faithfully interpret Scripture across cultures, contexts, and competing theological frameworks. Lim argues that biblical interpretation cannot live in silos. Historical-critical study, theological tradition, and cultural context must be held together in a dynamic, ongoing dialogue. When any one of these dominates, the Bible either becomes irrelevant, weaponized, or detached from lived reality. Drawing from years of scholarship, teaching, and lived experience as a Korean American theologian, Lim offers a vision for reading Scripture that is both faithful to the text and responsive to the complexities of our world. 🎙️ In This Episode:Why there is a growing “gap” between biblical studies and real-world ministryThe limits of historical-critical interpretation aloneHow theological interpretation reclaims Scripture for the life of the churchWhat contextual interpretation brings—and where it can go too farWhy all theology is already shaped by culture (even when we pretend it’s not)How to hold text, theology, and context together without collapsing into relativismWhy multicultural ministry demands a new way of reading Scripture 📌 Key Moments:[00:04:00] The “gap” between Scripture and contemporary life[00:09:00] Historical criticism vs. theological interpretation[00:17:00] What contextual interpretation actually means[00:22:00] Why theological traditions are always culturally shaped[00:27:00] The hidden biases in biblical commentaries and scholarship[00:33:00] Liberation vs. post-colonial readings of Scripture[00:38:00] Why no single method is sufficient on its own Faithful biblical interpretation is not about choosing between text, theology, or context. It's about learning to listen to all three in conversation. When we do, we begin to hear God’s voice not just in the past, but in the present realities of the communities we serve.

    48 min

  3. MAR 2

    S11:E11 Joining Creation's Praise: A Theological Ethic of Creatureliness with Dr. Brian Brock

    “In the beginning, God created…” What if the most urgent ethical task for Christians today is simply to remember that we are creatures? In this rich and deeply theological conversation, David Fitch and Mike Moore welcome Brian Brock to discuss his major work, Joining Creation's Praise. Together, they explore how confessing creatureliness reshapes Christian ethics from dominion and vocation to politics, sexuality, economics, and our relationship with the rest of creation. Brock argues that Scripture begins not with abstract doctrines but with a drama: God in conversation with creatures. Human beings are called not to dominate creation but to join its praise to embody Christ’s image as conduits of divine life. When we forget we are creatures, we distort power, knowledge, and even our understanding of what it means to be human. Following the early chapters of Genesis, Brock invites the church to rediscover an ancient wisdom that speaks with surprising clarity to modern ethical crises. 🎙️ In This Episode:Why “creatureliness” is the foundation of Christian ethicsHow Genesis reframes dominion as participation, not controlThe difference between domination and receiving life from GodSabbath as resistance to modern productivity and masteryHow confessing we are creatures reshapes politics and economicsWhy human dignity is inseparable from our shared creaturely statusWhat it means to embody Christ’s image among other creatures 📌 Key Moments:[00:06:00] Why ethics begins with creaturely confession[00:14:00] Dominion, vocation, and the distortion of power[00:21:00] Knowledge, wisdom, and the limits of human mastery[00:28:00] Sabbath and the reordering of desire[00:35:00] Politics and economics through a creaturely lens[00:42:00] How Christ restores humanity to its true vocation The ethical life does not begin with moral technique but with worship. To confess that we are creatures is to relinquish control, receive life from God, and participate in a world already praising its Creator. In a culture obsessed with autonomy and power, rediscovering creatureliness may be the church’s most radical witness.

    54 min

  4. FEB 2

    S11:E10 Whataboutism, Power, and the Church’s Witness in Politics

    How should Christians respond when political conversations collapse into “what about…” arguments? And what does that habit reveal about power, antagonism, and our theology of government? In this wide-ranging and pastoral conversation, David Fitch is joined by Gino Curcuruto to explore how whataboutism functions in political discourse and how it quietly shapes church conflicts, leadership breakdowns, and our witness to the world. Drawing from Scripture, political theology, pastoral experience, and real-life ministry conflict, Fitch and Curcuruto unpack how antagonisms form, why confession disrupts them, and how the church can engage government without asking it to do what only God can do. 🎙️ In This Episode: What whataboutism is and why it perpetuates antagonism rather than accountabilityHow Jesus refuses false binaries and antagonistic traps (John 8; Luke 4)Why confession, not retaliation, is the most powerful leadership postureThe difference between viewing government as a created good vs. a post-fall provisionHow churches unintentionally mirror political power strugglesWhy holding government accountable is different from trying to control itThe spiritual danger of expecting government to do the church’s work 📌 Key Moments: [00:04:00] How “what about Biden?” or “what about Trump?” blocks moral clarity[00:10:30] Why refusing the antagonism opens space for Jesus to work[00:14:30] Confession as the doorway to reconciliation and renewal[00:21:00] When accusations are real—and when they’re projections[00:27:30] Jesus, antagonisms, and the woman caught in adultery[00:30:00] Pre-fall vs. post-fall views of government—and why it matters[00:36:00] Why the church must resist asking government to save the world 💡 Takeaway Whataboutism doesn’t protect truth. It protects identity. When Christians refuse to unwind antagonisms, we lose our ability to bear faithful witness. But when leaders practice confession, patience, and discernment in community, space opens for the Spirit to heal what power struggles cannot. 📚 Resources & Links Mentioned: David Fitch on Substack 👉 https://davidfitch.substack.com/Gino Curcuruto on Substack 👉 https://ginocurcuruto.substack.com/End of Evangelicalism by David FitchThe Church of Us vs. Them by David FitchChantel Mouffe’s work on political antagonism (referenced conceptually)Romans 13 (referenced for future discussion on church and state)John 8:1–11 – Jesus and the woman caught in adulteryLuke 4 – Jesus’ rejection of worldly power Where might whataboutism be shaping your leadership, relationships, or political engagement, and what would it look like to pause, listen, and confess instead?

    45 min

  5. JAN 19

    S11:E9 Why I’m Not Reformed: The Contextual Nature of All Theologies

    What happens when a theological tradition outlives the cultural moment that gave it meaning? David Fitch lays out why he no longer identifies as Reformed, not as an attack, but as a contextual theological critique. Joined by Mike Moore, Fitch reflects on how Reformed theology emerged faithfully in medieval Europe, why it made sense there, and why its dominant expressions no longer fit the cultural realities of North America today. This episode is not a takedown of Luther or Calvin. Instead, it is an invitation to take context seriously: how theology travels, how power works, how Scripture is interpreted, and how unintended consequences shape the church long after doctrines are formed. Along the way, Fitch argues for a constructive alternative rooted in neo-Anabaptist, holiness, and Pentecostal streams traditions shaped for life beyond Christendom. 🎙️ In This Episode: Why all theology is contextual without being relativisticHow Reformed theology functioned within medieval ChristendomPenal substitutionary atonement: where it made sense—and where it doesn’tHow views of sovereignty, hierarchy, and predestination mirror cultural assumptionsWhy sola scriptura has produced interpretive chaos in modern evangelicalismThe case for neo-Anabaptist, holiness, and Pentecostal theology today 📌 Highlights: [00:08:00] Why Protestantism “had nothing to protest” in North America[00:13:00] How Reformed theology was later used to interiorize salvation[00:20:00] Power, sovereignty, and concessions to Christendom[00:26:00] The dangers of unmoored sola scriptura[00:30:00] Why holiness, Pentecostal, and Anabaptist traditions fit our moment 📚 Resources Mentioned: “Protestantism Without Reformation” (1939) by Dietrich Bonhoeffer — found in No Rusty Swords, this essay critiques American Protestantism for losing its reforming edge, a theme echoed throughout this episode.Scott Jones (New Persuasive Words) — “Reforming the Reformers? Dave Fitch, Neo-Baptists, and a Misread Reformation” — Scott and Bill respond directly to Fitch’s post and critique his reading of the Reformers. (Episode 390: https://npw.fireside.fm/390) Gustaf Aulén, Christus Victor — a classic retrieval of Christus Victor atonement theology (named as a corrective to what gets lost when PSA becomes the dominant frame).Anselm of Canterbury, Cur Deus Homo — referenced as part of the medieval background for juridical/forensic atonement frameworks (“it doesn’t mean it wasn’t resident in Ansel”). Robert Schreiter — “all theology is local” referenced as a framing line for the episode’s central claim about contextual theology and continuity without relativism. The question isn’t whether Reformed theology was ever faithful. It’s whether its dominant assumptions about power, authority, Scripture, and salvation still serve the church’s mission today. Theology must remain faithful to Scripture and attentive to context if it is to form communities that live under the reign of Jesus rather than the logic of empire.

    47 min

  6. 2025-12-24

    S11:E8 Will 2026 Be Defined by Uncertainty?

    Rather than a “best of” recap, this year-end episode names the deep uncertainties shaping 2026 and asks how followers of Jesus might live faithfully in the midst of them. From artificial intelligence and political instability to education, housing, and the erosion of trust in institutions, the hosts reflect on the pressures facing Gen Z, pastors, and local churches alike. The conversation circles back again and again to one central question: Where should we center our lives when everything else feels unstable? 🎙️ In This Episode: Why AI may be more disruptive to human formation than the internetThe growing normalization of political violence and public mistrustThe collapse and reimagining of higher education and theological formationWhy homeownership feels impossible and how churches might respond creativelyWhat it means to center life in the local church amid cultural fragmentation 📌 Highlights: [00:08:00] AI, creativity, and resisting a culture of convenience[00:17:00] Political unrest and the call to local faithfulness[00:26:00] Education’s crisis—and why formation still matters[00:31:00] Housing, community, and economic imagination[00:39:00] Centering life in the church rather than institutions or identity markers When institutions falter, and the future feels unclear, the church is called to become a visible alternative—not a retreat from the world, but a grounded community of discernment, presence, and hope. The work ahead is not to predict the future, but to faithfully inhabit it together. If 2026 truly is a year of uncertainty, what would it look like to locate your identity not in success, security, or certainty but in a shared life centered on Jesus, practiced in real neighborhoods, with real people?

    49 min

  7. 2025-11-24

    S11:E7 The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Shapes (and Misshapes) American Politics with Kaitlyn Schiess

    Can the Bible still guide faithful political engagement—or has it been too abused to help? In this timely conversation, Dave Fitch and Mike Moore welcome theologian, author, and Holy Post co-host Kaitlyn Schiess to discuss her book The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go from Here. Together, they explore how American Christians have wielded (and often weaponized) the Bible in public life. From Romans 13 and the Revolutionary War to slavery, civil rights, and the rise of Christian nationalism. Kaitlyn offers both a critique of misuse and a hopeful invitation: to reclaim Scripture as a source of wisdom, hospitality, and faithful witness in the public square. 🎙️ In This Episode: Why the Bible still matters for politics (even after all the misuse)How Romans 13 has been used to justify everything from rebellion to tyrannyThe disturbing history of biblical defenses of slavery and what we can learn from Black interpretersHow the civil rights movement modeled faithful, embodied, Scripture-shaped resistanceWhy pastors and leaders must form people for faithfulness, not just political alignment 📌 Highlights: [00:06:00] How Scripture became “weaponized” in the American Revolution[00:13:00] Romans 13 and the danger of using the Bible to win political arguments[00:19:00] How enslaved believers read the Bible differently and more faithfully than their oppressors[00:27:00] MLK and the Black Church as a model for Scripture-shaped activism[00:33:00] Why true political discipleship starts in the church, not the state The problem isn’t that the Bible speaks to politics; it’s that we’ve forgotten how to let it form us before we use it. The call today is not to abandon Scripture in public life but to recover its use as an act of love, truth, and hospitality. 📚 Resources Mentioned: The Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlyn SchiessThe Liturgy of Politics by Kaitlyn SchiessThe Spirit of Our Politics by Michael WearReckoning with Power by David FitchThe Christian Imagination by Willie James JenningsThe Fire in My Bones by Albert RaboteauResident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas & William Willimon When Scripture is used to defend power instead of form faith, everyone loses. What would it look like to read the Bible not to win debates, but to become the kind of people who can love, listen, and lead in public as followers of Jesus?

    46 min

  8. 2025-11-10

    S11:E6 The Anti-Greed Gospel with Dr. Malcolm Foley

    What if racism isn’t primarily about ignorance or hate, but about greed? In this episode, Dave Fitch and guest co-host Gino Curcuruto sit down with Dr. Malcolm Foley, pastor, scholar, and author of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward. Dr. Foley unpacks how economic exploitation lies at the heart of racial injustice—and why Jesus’ warning that “you cannot serve both God and mammon” is as urgent today as ever. Together they explore the demonic cycle of self-interest that perpetuates racism through exploitation, violence, and lies, and they offer a vision for Christian communities shaped by deep economic solidarity, creative nonviolence, and prophetic truth-telling. 🎙️ In This Episode: Why greed—not hate—is the true root of racismHow capitalism and racial hierarchy became intertwinedThe role of mammon as a spiritual power deforming the churchWhy anti-racism and reparations often miss the deeper structural sinHow the church can become a visible alternative to exploitation and fear 📌 Highlights: [00:09:00] Race as a “demonic cycle” of exploitation, violence, and lies[00:13:00] How greed drives racialized slavery, lynching, and modern inequities[00:18:00] Why the church must flee mammon, not just manage it[00:24:00] The Sermon on the Mount as a blueprint for kingdom economics[00:35:00] How local churches can witness through economic solidarity and love of enemies We can’t end racism without confronting greed. The good news: the church already holds the resources to resist mammon and embody a new economy of grace. 📚 Resources Mentioned: The Anti-Greed Gospel by Malcolm Foley (Brazos Press)Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism by Jonathan TranGod’s Reign and the End of Empires by Antonio GonzálezReckoning with Power by David FitchMosaic Church WacoMalcolm Foley at Baylor University What if a true test of discipleship isn’t how we treat differences but how we handle money? How could your church become a community of economic solidarity, creative peace, and prophetic truth in the face of mammon’s pull?

    43 min
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4.8
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

For those longing to connect theology and mission, we are talking about God and everything else. Broadcasting from NORTHERN SEMINARY, in partnership with Missio Alliance, David Fitch and Mike Moore bring their experiences as pastors and professors to bear on issues of mission and church. Pull up a chair or take them and their guests with you around town.

Information

  • Creator
    Theology on Mission
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    219
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Theology on Mission

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