Brad East's "Letters To A Future Saint"

“From what I gather, you fit the bill of the kind of person I have in mind.  Raised in the orbit of the church.  Not unfamiliar with Jesus or Scripture.  Not skeptical of them either.  But untutored…”

The above is a brief & early description of the idealized pen-pal (or, “interlocutor”, if you’re nasty/fancy) that Brad East had in mind when writing his new book, Letters To A Future Saint. In this conversation we dig into the book, his motivations for writing it, his hopes for its use, and his preacher-level-passion regarding baptism. We also get a sneak peak at his current work on wrestling with the ramifications of digital technologies on the church (spoiler alert: not all good). This conversation… it’s a doozie!

Brad is an associate professor of theology at Abilene Christian University. He writes widely on Christianity, theology, culture, and politics for a variety of publications including The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Comment, Commonweal, First Things, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Point. He’s been interviewed on a number of podcasts including The London Lyceum, The Christian Chronicle, and Curiously, Kaitlyn.

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CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Introduction and Background

06:30 - Sabbatical and Writing Projects

10:20 - Digital Technology in Ministry

14:30 - Teaching and Student Engagement

18:30 - The Rise of the Nones

22:30 - Literacy and Biblical Knowledge

26:10 - Catechesis and Its Importance

30:40 - Baptism: Understanding Its Significance

34:20 - The Role of the Church

38:30 - Baptism and Personal Experience

42:30 - The Nature of Sacraments

46:20 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

KEYWORDS:

Brad East, Letters to a Future Saint, baptism, catechesis, technology, biblical literacy, Christian community, faith, church history, spiritual growth

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