Good Books Big Questions

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Welcome to Good Books Big Questions: Bold, Loving, and Sensible Conversations About Faith No one ducks the tough questions about faith on this show. Not the host and not the guests. If you’re disillusioned, doubting, discovering faith, or if you simply want a safe space to dig into some big questions you’ve had for a while, you will find good company here.  You’ll discover thoughtful, honest, and civil conversations about the issues that keep us up at night. Also, the occasional laugh – and a level of honesty that helps us all keep our faith alive.  Good Books Big Questions is a NavPress podcast where conversations about books open the door to bigger conversations about life and faith. Together with NavPress authors, we dive into questions like: What does it mean to truly trust God? How can we worship alongside people who think and vote differently than we do? Where do we find joy in the midst of trauma and suffering? How do we get past easy answers and formulas of faith and think about how to navigate some of the toughest stuff in life and still believe in Jesus?  Hosted by Karen Stiller—author of Holiness Here: Finding God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life (NavPress, 2024) and The Minister’s Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Forgiveness and More (Tyndale House, 2020, and an author known for her transparency —this podcast invites you into bold, sensible and loving conversations.  Each conversation blends thoughtful book discussion with big, timeless questions of Christian faith and spiritual growth. About the Host Karen Stiller is the author of Holiness Here, The Minister’s Wife, and co-author of Craft, Cost & Call: How to Build a Life as a Christian Writer. She is a writing coach, teacher, freelance editor, and longtime journalist whose work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Christianity Today, The Walrus, Ekstasis, and more. For 22 years she served as an editor of Faith Today magazine and hosted the Faith Today podcast. Karen has traveled to South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, Cambodia, and across North America reporting on stories of the Church around the world. She has moderated debates on faith and society at the University of Toronto and holds an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the University of King’s College. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Sacred Art of Writing at Western Seminary. Living in Ottawa, Ontario, Karen brings curiosity, compassion, and candor to every conversation. Please follow, rate and review Good Books Big Questions wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us for bold, loving, and sensible conversations about faith. Email us here with your feedback. We'd love to hear what you think.

  1. 2d ago

    Can you still believe in the midst of depression and despair? | Jean Neely

    "We can rest in the fact that Christ is never scandalized by our despair, or alarmed to find us sunk in the abyss," writes Jean Neely. "For Christ the deep ocean trenches are neither forbidden nor catastrophic. They're just another location in God's vast, mercy-filled cosmos." Watch unabridged episodes on Youtube here. Jean Neely has lived in the ambiguity of believing God is present wherever we find ourselves, but sometimes not feeling that presence. Shocked by a manic-depressive diagnosis as a teenager, Jean went on to experience both the good and the not-so-good response of an evangelical subculture that is not always comfortable with mental unwellness. What if God doesn't heal? And what if that's also completely acceptable? Jean's book, Christ in the Abyss, tenderly presents an alternative to "healing-only" faith narratives. There is room for those whose emotional suffering remains unresolved. Faith is possible and can live on, even in prolonged struggle. Jean L. Neely, PhD, is a Korean American writer and a writing instructor at Azusa Pacific University. She has degrees in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Irvine and the Sorbonne University in Paris, and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Southern California. Jean writes regularly on issues of mental health and faith for Faith & Leadership, a resource from the Duke Divinity School for Christian leaders. She has also written for Sojourners, Inheritance Magazine, the Asian American Christian Collaborative, and Christians for Social Action. She has been active in InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty ministry for many years and has taught seminars on navigating intersections of faith, spiritual formation, and mental health at faculty retreats and other ministry settings.  We love to hear your feedback at goodbooksbigquestions@gmail.com. And don't forget to follow, rate and review the show. The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the positions of NavPress or The Navigators.

    Can you still believe in the midst of depression and despair? | Jean Neely

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Welcome to Good Books Big Questions: Bold, Loving, and Sensible Conversations About Faith No one ducks the tough questions about faith on this show. Not the host and not the guests. If you’re disillusioned, doubting, discovering faith, or if you simply want a safe space to dig into some big questions you’ve had for a while, you will find good company here.  You’ll discover thoughtful, honest, and civil conversations about the issues that keep us up at night. Also, the occasional laugh – and a level of honesty that helps us all keep our faith alive.  Good Books Big Questions is a NavPress podcast where conversations about books open the door to bigger conversations about life and faith. Together with NavPress authors, we dive into questions like: What does it mean to truly trust God? How can we worship alongside people who think and vote differently than we do? Where do we find joy in the midst of trauma and suffering? How do we get past easy answers and formulas of faith and think about how to navigate some of the toughest stuff in life and still believe in Jesus?  Hosted by Karen Stiller—author of Holiness Here: Finding God in the Ordinary Events of Everyday Life (NavPress, 2024) and The Minister’s Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Forgiveness and More (Tyndale House, 2020, and an author known for her transparency —this podcast invites you into bold, sensible and loving conversations.  Each conversation blends thoughtful book discussion with big, timeless questions of Christian faith and spiritual growth. About the Host Karen Stiller is the author of Holiness Here, The Minister’s Wife, and co-author of Craft, Cost & Call: How to Build a Life as a Christian Writer. She is a writing coach, teacher, freelance editor, and longtime journalist whose work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Christianity Today, The Walrus, Ekstasis, and more. For 22 years she served as an editor of Faith Today magazine and hosted the Faith Today podcast. Karen has traveled to South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, Cambodia, and across North America reporting on stories of the Church around the world. She has moderated debates on faith and society at the University of Toronto and holds an MFA in Creative Non-Fiction from the University of King’s College. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Sacred Art of Writing at Western Seminary. Living in Ottawa, Ontario, Karen brings curiosity, compassion, and candor to every conversation. Please follow, rate and review Good Books Big Questions wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us for bold, loving, and sensible conversations about faith. Email us here with your feedback. We'd love to hear what you think.