Complex Creatures

Jarrod Longbons
  • 5.0 (9)
  • RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Exploring Spirituality and the common good

  1. 9H AGO

    Rooted but Not Stuck: Jarrod Longbons on Traditioned Innovation, the Life-Giving Kernel, and a Hundred Years of Peachtree

    What does it mean to carry tradition without becoming a relic — in a world that's either obsessed with novelty or stuck in nostalgia? In this episode of Complex Creatures, the tables turn: Alan O.W. Barnes steps out from behind the scenes to host, putting Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons in the guest seat for a wide-ranging conversation about traditioned innovation — the language Jarrod borrows from theologian L. Gregory Jones and Andrew Hogue's Navigating the Future — and what it looks like to lead a 100-year-old congregation in Midtown Atlanta into its next century. Drawing on John Henry Newman's image of doctrine as a river, Robert Webber's Ancient-Future vision, and a memorable story about a 1980s church bus ministry, Jarrod unpacks the difference between the purpose of a tradition and the container it arrives in — and why mistaking one for the other is how communities end up worshipping at the feet of relics. Together, Alan and Jarrod explore: Why tradition and innovation are a tension, not a conflict — and how Christianity itself is a traditioned innovation of JudaismThe "spirit and purpose versus container" framework, and how it changes everything from bus ministries to worship styleHow Holy Eucharist shapes Peachtree's architecture, liturgy, and even its strategic plan — "everyone has a place, everyone is called, everyone is welcome"The elders' prayer-card tradition, and what makes a small practice life-giving for decadesHow to safeguard against idolatry of place and trend-chasing — and why most "next steps" in church growth are really keeping up with the JonesesThe cautionary tale of trying to out–North Point North PointLectio divina, holy reading of the Church Fathers, and why Augustine on Genesis still has something to say to usCarey Nieuwhof's line that "churches in love with their mission will thrive; churches in love with their method will die"What the latest Barna and Pew numbers reveal about Gen Z, young men, and the surprising rise of Latin Rite Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Pentecostal worshipWhy high-demand, high-experience churches are growing — and what that says about what people are actually hungry forThe "manosphere" as a bad answer to a good question, and why men's ministry doesn't need to be complicated to matterHow Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation, and a sober-from-network-news governor of Utah point toward spiritual practices for the common goodAnd one piece of fatherly advice for Jarrod's daughter Ruby — and a message in a time capsule for Peachtree Christian Church a hundred years from nowWhether you lead a congregation, sit in a pew, or just wonder how anything good survives the relentless churn of culture, this episode is an invitation to find the kernel — the thing actually worth carrying forward — and to let the rest get dressed up however the moment requires. Hashtags: #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #JarrodLongbons #AlanOWBarnes #TraditionedInnovation #AncientFuture #PeachtreeChristianChurch #Midtown #AtlantaChurches #LGregoryJones #RobertWebber #JohnHenryNewman #HolyEucharist #LectioDivina #ChurchFathers #SpiritualFormation #GenZAndChurch #MensMinistry #JonathanHaidt #AnxiousGeneration #ChurchGrowth #FaithAndCulture #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualPracticesForTheCommonGood #RootedButNotStuck

    55 min

  2. APR 29

    The Slow Work of Pastoring: Dr. Steven Cone on Trading the Classroom for the Congregation

    Theology lives differently in a pulpit than it does in a lecture hall. Dr. Steven Cone — author of An Ocean Vast of Blessing and Theology from the Great Tradition — joins Jarrod to talk about preaching the great tradition to a congregation, walking with people through beginning-of-life and end-of-life moments, and the slow, on-the-job work of becoming a pastor. A conversation about how the deep wells of Christian thought meet the daily work of ministry. #ComplexCreatures #PastorTheology #HigherEdInCrisis #LincolnChristianUniversity #RestorationMovement #PastoralMinistry #AcademicBurnout #CalledToPreach #FromProfessorToPastor #TheologyFromTheGreatTradition #ChurchOfChrist #FaithAndVocation #SeminaryLife #PastoralCare #ChristianLeadership

    1 hr

  3. APR 1

    Rooted to Become: Dr. Alex Fogleman on Catechesis, Discipleship, and the Ancient Art of Making Christians

    What if the church's discipleship problem isn't new — and the answer has been hiding in plain sight for two thousand years? In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with theologian and educator Dr. Alex Fogleman — Associate Dean for Special Programs and Assistant Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary, founding director of the Catechesis Institute, and director of the Catechesis Task Force for the Anglican Church in North America — to explore his new book Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice (Eerdmans, 2025). Catechesis — from the Greek katēcheō, meaning to instruct or resound — isn't just a category of religious education. It's a whole way of forming people into a way of life. Not just knowing, but becoming. And in a world where nominal Christianity is everywhere but deep formation is rare, Alex argues this ancient practice is exactly what the church needs to recover. Together, Jarrod and Alex explore: Why catechesis is about becoming, not just knowing — and what we lose when we treat faith as information transferHow secularized contexts (like Vancouver, BC, where only 2% attend church) are actually forcing the church back to something essentialWhat the early church got right about the "bridge" between pagan and Christian culture — and how it applies todayWhy AI might be able to teach content, but will never be able to catechizeThe hearth versus central air — why formation is always relational, never merely digitalWhat it would look like for every church to take catechesis as seriously as worshipAlex's one-sentence definition of his own book says it all: catechesis is the basic but comprehensive instruction in what Christians believe, hope, and love. That phrase alone is worth the conversation. #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #AlexFogleman #MakingDisciples #Catechesis #SpiritualFormation #EarlyChurch #ChurchFathers #Discipleship #FaithAndLearning #TrinityAnglicanSeminary #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #RootedAndRenewed #AncientFaithNewLife #AnglicansOfInstagram

    39 min

  4. MAR 25

    Made to Make: Jarrod Longbons on Creativity as Spiritual Practice

    What if creativity isn't just something artists do — but something all of us are called to? In this special episode of Complex Creatures, Alan Barnes turns the tables and interviews Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons about a subject close to both of their hearts: creativity as a spiritual posture. Rooted in the conviction that we bear the image of a creative God, the conversation ranges from Jarrod's early-morning writing practice to the theology of Fred Rogers, from the flow state to the hard, unglamorous discipline of showing up before the ideas arrive. Together, Alan and Jarrod explore: What Jarrod has been writing — and why Mr. Rogers keeps showing up in a book about communicating the sacredHow the practices of writing, drawing, and making can become genuine forms of prayerThe flow state: what it is, where it comes from, and how to stop being precious about itWhy creativity requires a willingness to be wrong — and how that's actually a theological virtueThe difference between journaling and writing, and why it matters more than you thinkWhat our age of anxiety, algorithms, and authenticity demands of people who try to communicate sacred ideasWhether you make things for a living, dabble on weekends, or have convinced yourself you're "not creative," this episode is an invitation to reconsider — and maybe to get up at four in the morning and find out what's waiting for you there. Recommended reading: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott · Patience with God by Tomáš Halík · Surprised by Jesus Again by Jason Byassee #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #CreativityAndFaith #SpiritualPractice #MadeToMake #ImageOfGod #FlowState #WritingAsSpiritualPractice #FredRogers #SacredCommunication #ChristianCreativity #ArtAndFaith #SpiritualFormation #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch

    52 min

  5. MAR 18

    Uprooted and Renewed: Jonathan "Boo" Powell on 22 Years in Ukraine and Coming Home

    What does it mean to leave everything behind — your country, your career plans, your language — and build a life somewhere else? And what happens when that life is suddenly torn away? In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with his friend Jonathan "Boo" Powell — Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF) and a former missionary who spent 22 years in Berdyansk, southeastern Ukraine, before the war with Russia forced him and his family home. Boo's story is one of radical rootedness and repeated uprooting — from a Georgia Tech student who expected a career in business, to a missionary learning Russian in an immersive crash course with an unlikely teacher, to a man returning to America without a credit score and rediscovering his calling right back where it started. Together, Jarrod and Boo explore: How a mission trip to Juárez, Mexico sparked a life-changing callThe hard, beautiful years of learning language, culture, and belonging in a foreign landWhat struggling Ukrainian villages taught them about the raw, unadorned gospelThe grief of exile — and the unexpected renewal that followedHow God was already at work before the missionaries arrivedWhat a generation of Georgia Tech students is teaching him about faith, mission, and fireThis is a conversation about the courage it takes to follow a calling — and the grace it takes to follow it again. "I look up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord." — Psalm 121 #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #MissionaryLife #UkraineMission #RootedAndRenewed #CampusMinistry #GeorgiaTech #GTCCF #FaithAndCalling #ChristianMission #CollegeMinistry #SpiritualFormation #CalledToGo #ChristianPodcast #FaithInAction #HomeComing

    46 min

  6. MAR 12

    Surprised by Jesus Again: Jason Byassee on Reading Scripture with the Ancient Church

    What would happen if we stopped reading the Bible alone—and started reading it with two thousand years of saints, mystics, and theologians by our side? In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with writer, pastor, and theologian Jason Byassee to explore his book Surprised by Jesus Again: Reading the Bible in Communion with the Saints. From the early church fathers to the Song of Solomon, from Mary's role as the first theologian to the dangerous comfort of hiding from God in your own church—this conversation is rich, playful, and profoundly challenging. Together, Jarrod and Jason explore: Why being "surprised" by Jesus requires letting go of what we think we already knowThe difference between reading Scripture for information and reading it for transformationHow God flirts, lures, and woos us through Scripture—and why that's not as strange as it soundsThe allegorical imagination of the early Church, and what Protestants lose when we ignore itThe global future of Christianity—from Indonesia to South Sudan—and what it means for the Church in the WestWhere hope lives in a world that's given up on itWhether you're a lifelong churchgoer, a curious skeptic, or someone who finds the Bible more complicated than inspiring, this conversation offers a way back in—rooted in the ancient, renewed for today. #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #SurprisedByJesusAgain #JasonByassee #BibleAndTradition #ChurchFathers #SpiritualFormation #FaithInASecularAge #RootedAndRenewed #ScriptureAndSaints #ChristianTheology #ReadingTheBible #AncientFaith #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch

    56 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    When Institutions Fade: The Church as a Eucharistic Movement

    “The Church isn’t dying—the voluntary association is.” What happens when the institutions that once carried faith begin to collapse? In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons reflects on church decline, secularity, and the unraveling of America’s voluntary association culture. Rather than lamenting loss, he invites listeners to imagine the Church not as an institution to be maintained, but as a movement shaped by shared practices, shared mission, and shared life. At the center of this vision is the Eucharist—not merely as ritual, but as a social and theological force that binds people together across difference, memory, and decline. This conversation explores loneliness, authenticity, belonging, and what it might mean for the Church to take its table into the world. A thoughtful reflection for anyone wrestling with faith, community, and what comes next. #ComplexCreatures#FaithInASeularAge#ChurchAndCulture#ChristianPodcast#EucharisticImagination#SpiritualCommunity#FaithAfterInstitutions#TheologyAndLife

    1 hr

  8. 09/17/2025

    The Enneagram as a Tool For Growth – with Rev. Jamie Butcher

    Is the Enneagram just a personality test—or could it be a pathway to deeper faith? In this rich and heartfelt episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons speaks with Rev. Jamie Butcher—Presbyterian minister and certified Enneagram coach—about how this ancient tool offers more than labels. Together, they explore how the Enneagram can lead us from self-protection to self-giving, from pigeonholing to spiritual compassion, and into the very presence of God. Topics include: The Enneagram as a contemplative Christian practice Why Christians are drawn to typologies—and how to avoid the pitfalls How compassion begins with self-understanding Prayer postures, personality awareness, and spiritual growth Using the Enneagram in pastoral care, spiritual direction, and community life Whether you're new to the Enneagram or a longtime student, this conversation invites you to move beyond “what number are you?” into a deeper life of reflection, grace, and love. #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #EnneagramAndFaith #SpiritualFormation #ChristianContemplation #JamieButcher #EnneagramWisdom #BelovedNotBoxed #FaithAndPersonality #CompassionateLeadership #SpiritualDirection #TemplarPath #ChristianPodcast

    44 min
See All (39)

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

Exploring Spirituality and the common good

Information

  • Creator
    Jarrod Longbons
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    39
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jarrod Longbons