TheologyU

Will Bennink
  • 4.8 (18)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Theology you can understand. With Christian academics and authors. Hosted by Will Bennink (Wheaton College '23, Harvard Divinity School '27).

  1. 1D AGO

    Cultivate: How God Grows the Fruit of the Spirit Within Us: Rev. Dr. Richard Kannwischer

    TheologyU hosts Christian academics and authors to discuss their professional work in a way that anyone can understand. Rev. Dr. Richard Kannwischer is the senior pastor of the largest Presbyterian church in the US, Peachtree Presbyterian in Atlanta, Georgia.He studied business before studying at Princeton theological seminary and earning his doctorate from Fuller Theological seminary. Dr. Kannwischer's first book "Cultivate: How God Grows the Fruit of the Spirit Within Us" is available now: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Cultivate/Richard-Kannwischer/9781637635308What is the fruit of the Spirit?How can I grow spiritually?

    39 min

  2. FEB 9

    How Psychology can Enliven Faith and Transform Community

    TheologyU hosts Christian academics and authors to talk about their professional work in a way that anyone can understand. This week, Drs. Katherine M Douglass and Brittany M Tausen join us to talk about their new book called, “Love Your Neighbor: How Psychology Can Enliven Faith and Transform Community”   Dr. Douglass is associate professor of educational ministry and practical theology at Seattle Pacific University. Her PhD is from Princeton Theological Seminary and she’s ordained in the Presbyterian church. She also directs the Confirmation Project, a $1.1 million grant from the Lily Endowment.    Dr. Tausen is assistant professor of social psychology in the Baylor University Interdisciplinary Core. Her Phd is from the university of Aberdeen in Scotland and her research spans several branches of social cognition and virtue science. She also directs an initiative called Classrooms that Cultivate Character which leverages science to help young adults grow in virtue.

    43 min

  3. JAN 26

    The Psalms: Dr. Rebecca Poe Hays

    Rebecca Poe Hays is associate professor of Christian Scriptures at Baylor University and the George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She earned her MDiv from Samford University and her PhD from Baylor. Dr. Poe Hays is an ordained Baptist minister and has served in churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas. She’s published articles about the Psalms in several academic journals after writing a book, “The Function of Story in the Hebrew Psalter” in 2021. She joins the podcast today to talk about the book and the Psalms more generally. What are the Psalms, where do they come from, and how should we read them?

    36 min

  4. JAN 12

    The Unseen Battle: Dr. Joel Muddamalle

    Dr. Joel Muddamalle (‪@Muddamalle‬) is the director of theology and research at Proverbs 31 Ministries and cohost of the Therapy & Theology podcast with Lysa TerKeurst and Jim Cress. Dr. Muddamalle's PhD is from Midwestern Baptist Seminary where he studied with Dr. Michael Heiser. He’s written several books and joins the show to talk about his newest title, "The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the three rebellions, and Christ’s Victory over Dark Powers," available for pre-order and publishing on January 27th. Joel discusses:What are the Nephilim?Where do evil powers come from? Where did Satan come from?What is the divine council?Why does God say "Let us" when creating the world in Genesis 1? TheologyU hosts Christian academics and authors to discuss their work in a way than anybody can understand.

    48 min

  5. 12/01/2025

    Angels: Melissa Spoelstra

    Melissa Spoelstra is a Bible teacher and has written study guides for many books of the Bible. She's also written about hope, spiritual stamina, and more. She recently published a study, "Angels: Finding Hope in God Who Reign Over Heaven and Earth," and joins the show to talk about it: https://www.lifeway.com/en/product/angels-bible-study-book-with-video-access-P005850829Melissa discusses:What are angels?What can angels do?What is a guardian angel? What is the angel of the Lord?

    46 min

  6. 11/17/2025

    AI and Christianity: Dr. Jonathan Teubner

    Dr. Teubner (PhD, University of Cambridge) is research faculty at the program on Human Flourishing in the Institute of Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University, where he leads the AI and Flourishing Initiative.  He also currently runs a data analytics startup called Filterlabs.AI.  Dr. Teubner’s early career focused not on AI and technology but on theology. In addition to his technical interests, he’s written several books about theology, focusing on Augustine, Gustave Gutierrez, and more.     In this conversation, Will Bennink (MDiv Candidate, Harvard Divinity School) asks Dr. Teubner about how Christians should approach AI and emerging technologies.    Should we be afraid of AI?  Is AI a positive or a negative force? Is AI evil?  Is Peter Thiel right about the anti-Christ?   Dr. Teubner’s website: https://jonathanteubner.com Prayer after Augustine: https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-After-Augustine-Development-Historical/dp/019876717X Human Flourishing Project: https://hfh.fas.harvard.edu

    46 min

  7. 11/10/2025

    The Life You Were Reborn to Live: Gary Thomas

    Gary Thomas is a bestselling author and international speaker and joins the show today for the second time. He has a master’s degree in systematic theology from Regent College in Vancouver and is currently a teaching pastor at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.  Gary recently released a new book, called The Life You Were Reborn to Live Dismantling 12 Lies that Rob Your Intimacy with God.  Among these lies are the need for control, entitlement, apathy towards church, and others and I think contains some real wisdom for grappling with these kinds of problems which Christians face every day.

    39 min

  8. 11/03/2025

    The Churching of America: Dr. Roger Finke

    Dr. Roger Finke is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Religious Studies at Penn State University and Founder of the Association of Religion Data Archives.His PhD is from the University of Washington and his current work is a series of projects that explore the relationship between religion and the state. Dr. Finke co-wrote a widely read with Dr. Rodney Starke called “The Churching of America, 1776-1990: Winners and Losers in our Religious Economy.” This book is the focus of today’s episode and remains an incredibly valuable resource for tracing the history of Christianity in North America. It’s popular for many people to look back at America’s past with rose-colored glasses and to imagine a time where everyone went to church and cared deeply about Christian values. This, it turns out, is simply wrong. Finke and Stark used archives, census data, church denomination reports, and other primary sources to reveal a much different picture. The truth is that in America’s early days, very few people were involved with organized religion at all, and church attendance steadily grew for most of American history, peaking in the 1980s.

    45 min
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About

Theology you can understand. With Christian academics and authors. Hosted by Will Bennink (Wheaton College '23, Harvard Divinity School '27).

Information

  • Creator
    Will Bennink
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Will Bennink
  • Show Website
    TheologyU

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