Theology in the Raw

Is the gospel simply about having our sins forgiven so we can go to heaven? N.T. Wright joins Preston to explore how Isaiah changes the way we understand Jesus, salvation, and the announcement that “Jesus is Lord.”

Drawing on his book, Into the Heart of Isaiah: The Meaning and Message of Isaiah 40–55, Tom walks us through the story of God’s return, the suffering servant, and the renewal of creation. Who is Isaiah’s servant: Israel, Jesus, or both? How does Isaiah help us understand John’s Gospel and Jesus’ parables? And why would the early Christian announcement of good news challenge the most powerful empire in the world?

We also discuss biblical authorship and inspiration, the idols Christians can remain captive to, what Jesus’ authority means for earthly politics, and how to read the Old Testament without missing the bigger picture.

N.T. Wright is a New Testament scholar, former Bishop of Durham, and senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. His many books include Surprised by Hope, Simply Christian, and After You Believe.

In our Extra Innings conversation, I ask Tom why he believes women can serve in every position of church leadership. Hear his response, including his reflections on Mary Magdalene and Phoebe, by joining the Theology in the Raw community:

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Is our gospel missing something?
• 00:46 Introducing N.T. Wright and the gospel in Isaiah
• 03:18 Why a New Testament scholar studies Isaiah
• 05:08 Why Isaiah 40–55 belongs together
• 07:55 Who wrote Isaiah, and does it matter?
• 09:30 Can God inspire editors?
• 12:25 Exile, the temple, and God’s promised return
• 16:07 Why God works through human beings
• 17:00 Israel, the servant, and renewed creation
• 19:19 Sponsor: Boll & Branch
• 20:26 Is the suffering servant Israel or Jesus?
• 24:18 How Isaiah shapes the New Testament
• 26:32 A gospel bigger than escaping the world
• 27:18 Isaiah behind John’s Gospel and Jesus’ parables
• 31:12 What “good news” means in Isaiah
• 33:25 Is the gospel more than forgiveness?
• 34:10 Jesus, Caesar, and the power of the cross
• 35:47 “Jesus is Lord” and turning from idols
• 37:17 What does Jesus’ authority on earth look like?
• 38:24 The politically subversive message of Jesus
• 40:08 American polarization and the church
• 41:28 How to read Isaiah without getting lost
• 46:05 N.T. Wright, the Beatles, and Coldplay
• 48:43 Advice for preaching Isaiah

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Is the death penalty biblical? Should Christians support capital punishment—or does following Jesus lead us toward a different understanding of justice, mercy, and redemption?

Shane Claiborne joins me to discuss what the Bible says about the death penalty and why we both changed our minds. We explore Old Testament laws, Jesus’ teaching on “an eye for an eye,” the early church’s response to violence, and whether Romans 13 justifies capital punishment.

But this conversation goes beyond biblical interpretation. Shane shares stories from years of visiting people on death row, including encounters with people who were later exonerated, families of murder victims, and a former executioner. We wrestle with difficult questions: Can you be pro-life and support the death penalty? What about justice for victims? And what does it mean to believe that no one is beyond redemption?

Shane is an author, activist, and co-founder of Red Letter Christians. His books include Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us and Rethinking Life.

For my further thoughts on Romans 13 and the death penalty, join the Theology in the Raw community and watch or listen to Extra Innings:

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00 The Bible Belt is the death belt
• 00:33 Why Christians are debating the death penalty
• 05:27 Shane Claiborne: Why I changed my mind
• 08:32 How the death penalty works in practice
• 10:18 Who gets executed? Race, poverty, and geography
• 12:05 The human cost of death row
• 14:11 Can people on death row change?
• 16:50 What does biblical justice look like?
• 17:37 Don Johnson: Redemption on death row
• 20:01 What about the victims?
• 23:59 Forgiveness after the Charleston church shooting
• 25:10 Christian leaders and the death penalty
• 26:36 An invitation to pray on death row
• 29:20 Does the Old Testament justify capital punishment?
• 30:44 Jesus and “an eye for an eye”
• 31:54 The early church on killing and state violence
• 35:38 Why Christians still defend the death penalty
• 37:07 Reading Old Testament laws as Christians
• 39:22 Wrongful convictions and trusting the state
• 41:10 Race, wealth, and unequal justice
• 43:56 A Jewish perspective on the death penalty
• 44:48 Does Romans 13 support the death penalty?
• 47:50 The Reformation and the power of the state
• 49:58 Wrestling with a change of mind
• 51:12 Firing squads and the toll on executioners
• 52:54 Forgiveness, consequences, and the gospel
• 53:37 Shane’s books and further resources

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Have we lost something in communion? Is the Lord’s Supper simply a symbol that reminds us of Jesus’ death, or is something more happening when we receive the bread and wine?

Anglican priest Hannah Miller King joins Preston to explore the Eucharist and its role in spiritual formation. They discuss Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican understandings of Christ’s presence, why communion has become an afterthought in some churches, and whether we should expect to feel anything when we take it.

Drawing from her book, Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness, Hannah shares how communion has shaped her experience of grief, belonging, and healing. They also discuss her experience as a female priest and how Christians can remain in fellowship while disagreeing about women in church leadership.

In Extra Innings, Preston asks Hannah why some evangelicals are drawn to Anglican, Catholic, and Orthodox churches. Hear her own journey and the extended conversation by joining the TITR community: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Is communion more than an object lesson?
• 00:46 Have we lost something in communion?
• 04:35 Introducing Hannah Miller King
• 05:01 Different Christian views of the Eucharist
• 07:33 The early church, Luther, and Calvin
• 10:55 What can Christians agree on about communion?
• 13:34 Wasn’t the Lord’s Supper an actual meal?
• 17:03 Sponsors
• 19:09 Has communion become an afterthought?
• 20:42 Making the table central to worship
• 24:05 Wine, grape juice, and why the elements matter
• 26:24 Communion, grief, and those we’ve lost
• 29:43 What if I don’t feel anything?
• 33:25 Embodiment, trauma, and healing
• 37:58 Lament and the hope of resurrection
• 39:06 Bringing our suffering to the table
• 41:30 Teaching a richer understanding of communion
• 43:23 Being a female Anglican priest
• 47:25 Disagreeing about women’s ordination
• 49:41 Unity without agreeing on everything
• 51:57 Why male-only bishops?
• 55:15 Faith when the miracle doesn’t come

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Are evangelicals really defined by Donald Trump, culture wars, and the pursuit of political power? Or are we missing a much bigger picture?

Bonnie Kristian joins Preston to discuss her book, In Defense of Evangelicalism: A Response to Its Cultured Despisers. A journalist and deputy editor at Christianity Today, Bonnie offers a defense of evangelicalism while openly criticizing its failures and explaining why she isn’t a Trump supporter.

We explore what “evangelical” actually means, the accusations leveled against the movement, and why Bonnie believes some critiques overlook the ordinary faithfulness of millions of Christians. We also discuss evangelical support for Trump, what voting statistics can and can’t tell us, and the difference between voting for a candidate and embracing everything that candidate represents.

The conversation also tackles Christian nationalism, the line between voting your values and imposing your beliefs, evangelical attitudes toward war, and Bonnie’s disagreements with Jesus and John Wayne. Can we take evangelical hypocrisy seriously without reducing an entire movement to its worst examples? And can we criticize someone’s politics without dismissing their faith?

CHAPTERS

00:00 Critiquing politics without condemning people

00:30 Are evangelicals really that bad?

03:50 Introducing Bonnie Kristian

06:45 What does “evangelical” actually mean?

10:31 Why hesitate to call yourself evangelical?

11:41 Five accusations against evangelicalism

16:35 Are evangelical faith and Republican politics inseparable?

18:24 Putting the “81 percent” statistic in context

20:18 Why evangelicals vote for Trump

24:13 Culture wars, political power, and voting your values

27:12 When does voting your faith become Christian nationalism?

33:28 Defending evangelicals without supporting Trump

35:45 War, conscience, and rejecting both parties

39:28 Why do evangelicals support war?

43:48 Torture, the Golden Rule, and the influence of faith

45:58 Pushback on the book and Jesus and John Wayne

50:42 Why Bonnie won’t denounce evangelical Trump voters

53:36 Criticism, reform, and contempt for evangelicals

54:40 Engaging critics and knowing when to step away

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What does faith look like when healing doesn’t come? And how can churches move beyond welcoming people with disabilities to creating genuine belonging? Cameron and Annie Horner join Preston to explore disability, marriage, suffering, and what the church misses when disabled voices are sidelined.

Cameron and Annie share how they met at the Exiles in Babylon conference and how vulnerability shaped their relationship. Together, they challenge assumptions about disability and offer practical ways churches can remove barriers to worship, community, and leadership.

Cameron Horner is a quadriplegic pastor, speaker, and ministry leader who became paralyzed from the chest down at age 18 after a diving accident. Annie Horner is a mental health therapist with Living Whole Hearted, a clinic based in Portland, Oregon. Together, they lead Accessible Grace, equipping churches to move beyond inclusion to genuine belonging for people with disabilities.

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00 Faith when healing doesn’t come
• 00:45 Why disability belongs in the church conversation
• 03:36 Meet Cameron and Annie Horner
• 04:22 A love story that started at Exiles in Babylon
• 07:18 Annie’s story: abuse, faith, and finding hope
• 11:40 From Ireland to a marriage proposal
• 12:47 Dating, disability, and assumptions about relationships
• 16:37 Building a relationship on what matters
• 19:33 Sponsor: Western Seminary
• 20:30 What people misunderstand about their marriage
• 21:24 Purity culture and the “ideal spouse” checklist
• 24:06 How vulnerability made room for love
• 26:46 When disability happens during a marriage
• 29:59 Disability and the church: where do we start?
• 32:08 Accessibility beyond ramps and parking spaces
• 35:21 Seeing disability as part of the body’s diversity
• 38:48 How church culture can exclude families
• 40:59 Who gets to lead in our churches?
• 43:12 Cameron’s calling to pastor and teach
• 46:03 Moses, disability, and God’s accommodation
• 48:11 “Stand if you’re able”: why language matters
• 52:31 Disability theology and the resurrected Jesus
• 56:18 How should we talk about disability?
• 58:29 A first step for church leaders: listen
• 61:09 What disability teaches us about being human
• 62:48 Celebrating faithfulness without a miraculous ending
• 65:18 Cameron and Preston’s marathon rivalry

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When does church leadership become spiritual manipulation? And how do you disagree with a pastor who says, “God told me”? Preston talks with New Testament scholar Joshua W. Jipp about how even well-meaning Christian leaders can cross the line from serving people to controlling them.

Drawing on his book, How (Not) to Be a Tyrant, Josh explores what the Bible’s worst rulers reveal about power, ambition, and the temptation to use God’s authority to advance our own agendas. We discuss why charisma and results aren’t enough to identify a healthy leader, how fear can become a tool of control, and what makes Jesus’ approach to leadership radically different.

We also wrestle with church leadership structures, Paul’s use of authority, Romans 13 and Revelation 13, and when Christians should submit, push back, or leave. Along the way, we consider the faithful pastors whose humility and service rarely make the headlines.

Joshua W. Jipp (PhD, Emory University) is associate professor of New Testament at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of several books, including his most recent book, How (Not) to Be a Tyrant: Ten Lessons on Life and Leadership from the Bible’s Worst Rulers (Brazos Press).

CHAPTERS

00:00 When spiritual authority becomes control

00:39 Introducing Joshua W. Jipp

02:19 Why study the Bible’s worst rulers?

07:04 Leadership and power throughout the Bible

09:55 Did God want Israel to have a king?

13:32 Sponsors

15:53 The temptation facing well-meaning leaders

17:47 Using God to advance a leader’s agenda

18:59 Why success and charisma aren’t enough

23:16 Does the Bible prescribe a church leadership structure?

28:29 How can a servant leader exercise authority?

34:58 Subtle warning signs of controlling leadership

37:57 When disagreeing with a leader means disagreeing with God

39:46 Can other leaders genuinely push back?

40:59 How fear becomes a tool of control

42:18 Submitting to bad rulers: Romans 13 and Revelation 13

47:30 When should you push back on church leadership?

51:13 The faithful pastors who don’t make headlines

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Are Christians being fair in how we understand Islam? Palestinian Christian scholar Dr. Daniel Bannoura joins Preston Sprinkle to explore Islam and Christianity, religious violence, what the Quran says about Jesus, and the treatment of women.

In the fourth and final episode of our Understanding Islam series, Daniel helps me process my conversations with Javad Hashmi, Gabriel Said Reynolds, and Fariza Gulomikova, including some of the pushback the series received.

Daniel grew up in the West Bank and earned his PhD in Islamic Studies at Notre Dame, focusing on the biblical subtext of the Qur’an. We discuss the relationship between the Quran and Hadith, Islamic teachings about Jesus and the Trinity, and Daniel’s interpretation of the Quran’s passage on the crucifixion.

We also wrestle with Christianity’s own history of justifying violence and how politics, culture, and education shape Muslim communities. And I press Daniel on whether Christianity and Islam offer distinct visions for the treatment of women.

It’s a challenging conversation about real theological differences, our own assumptions, and what it means to love our Muslim neighbors faithfully.

Watch or listen to Extra Innings at https://patreon.com/theologyintheraw, where Daniel and I tackle your questions: Is Islam animated by dark spiritual forces? Is it a Christian heresy or a separate religion? What can Christians learn from Muslims? And how should we respond to fears about Sharia law in America?

CHAPTERS

00:00 A Palestinian Christian’s experience of violence

00:31 Understanding Islam: The series finale

02:22 Meet Dr. Daniel Bannoura

05:13 Learning to love Muslim neighbors

08:31 Reflecting on the Islam series

12:31 Was Javad Hashmi representative of Islam?

18:22 The Quran, Hadith, and Islamic scholarship

24:22 What does Islam teach about Jesus?

28:27 The Quran and the Trinity

30:08 Does the Quran deny Jesus’ crucifixion?

35:43 How religious traditions develop

38:14 Why focus on violence and women?

40:27 Comparing Christian and Muslim violence

44:30 Muslim diversity beyond the stereotypes

45:43 Colonialism, politics, and religious extremism

48:37 Women, culture, and education

52:08 Do Christianity and Islam treat women differently?

55:00 Jesus’ countercultural treatment of women

59:41 Your questions answered in Extra Innings

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Watch our Extra Innings conversation on Patreon, where John Mark Comer shares his evolving views on women in church leadership and the questions he’s still wrestling with: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

What is constant noise doing to our souls? And why can being alone with God feel so uncomfortable?

John Mark Comer joins Preston to discuss his latest book, Into the Quiet: Following Jesus in a World of Noise. We explore how noise affects our capacity to love God and others, what surfaced during John Mark’s 21-day solitude retreat, and why silence often brings us face-to-face with the pain we’ve been avoiding.

John Mark also shares why quiet doesn’t come naturally to him, how to practice solitude within the demands of everyday life, the difference between solitude and loneliness, and the surprising structure of the small church he helps pastor.

John Mark Comer is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Practicing the Way, which was named the 2025 Christian Book of the Year by the ECPA, and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, which has sold more than a million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. His latest book is Into the Quiet: Following Jesus in a World of Noise, which forms the basis of our conversation. John Mark is a pastor and the founder of Practicing the Way, an organization working to see the renewal of apprenticeship to Jesus in our time.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why solitude is so hard

00:49 Introducing John Mark Comer

03:57 Running, ministry, and friendship

07:24 Why your body matters for spiritual formation

10:27 Writing theology that people can understand

12:53 Noise is a threat to our souls

13:48 Sponsors

15:45 How noise affects our bodies and relationships

21:47 John Mark’s 21-day solitude retreat

24:32 What we learn when distractions are stripped away

27:36 Jesus’ rhythm of retreat and return

30:49 Becoming a person of quiet in an anxious world

34:45 Solitude for busy people and extroverts

38:39 Finding quiet within the life you actually have

42:08 The difference between solitude and loneliness

44:56 Inside John Mark’s small church community

47:51 Extra Innings: Women in church leadership

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What happens when the story you grew up believing meets the people whose voices were missing from it?

Peter Beinart joins Preston to discuss how spending time with Palestinians challenged his understanding of Israel, Jewish identity, and the relationship between safety and freedom. They explore his experience of October 7, the history of Palestinian displacement, his comparison with apartheid South Africa, and why he believes the conflict is bigger than Hamas. Peter also reflects on the personal cost of challenging his community’s assumptions and why he argues that nationalism can become a form of idolatry.

Peter is Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York, a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times, Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents, an MS NOW political commentator, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He writes the Beinart Notebook newsletter on Substack. His latest book, Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning, is a New York Times bestseller and winner of the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 08:00 Peter’s experience of October 7
• 10:35 Rethinking Israel after meeting Palestinians
• 13:52 The history Peter grew up believing
• 18:44 Understanding 1948: Independence and the Nakba
• 23:43 Grieving October 7 and opposing Israel’s response
• 26:40 Why this conflict is bigger than Hamas
• 32:01 Lessons from apartheid South Africa
• 35:05 Why Peter calls Israel’s system apartheid
• 40:59 America’s role and support for Israel
• 45:19 The personal cost of speaking out
• 48:19 Judaism, Zionism, and nationalism as idolatry
• 52:47 Is there hope for equality and freedom?
• 56:29 Extra Innings: American evangelicals and Israel

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What happens when immigrants who came to the U.S. legally lose their status and face deportation? And what happens to their American-born children when the country their parents could be sent to is considered too dangerous to visit?

Matthew Soerens joins Preston to unpack some of the biggest questions and misconceptions surrounding immigration. Why don’t immigrants just come legally? Do undocumented immigrants take American jobs? What does the evidence say about immigration and violent crime? And how should Christians weigh respect for the law alongside the biblical commands to love our neighbors and welcome strangers?

Matthew Soerens is World Relief’s vice president of advocacy and policy and is the co-author of three books: Welcoming the Stranger (InterVarsity Press, 2018), Inalienable (InterVarsity Press, 2022), and Seeking Refuge (Moody Publishers, 2026), which just released a second edition. Matt also serves as the National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table, a coalition that advocates for immigration reforms consistent with biblical values.

Chapters:

0:00 Haitian families and the danger of separation

0:44 How should Christians think about immigration?

5:15 Starting with Scripture, not party talking points

10:34 Romans 13 and changing legal status

12:38 What’s happening to Haitian families in Springfield?

18:51 Why was temporary protected status withdrawn?

21:25 What can churches do for affected families?

23:58 Can people with temporary status apply to stay?

26:42 Why don’t immigrants just come legally?

35:54 Do immigrants take American jobs?

41:46 What about undocumented immigrants and the economy?

48:36 A proposed path to make things right

51:00 Do immigrants commit more violent crime?

55:25 What would mass deportation mean for the church?

58:26 What do evangelical Christians actually believe?

1:00:54 Seeking Refuge and the global refugee crisis

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Is the Book of Revelation a roadmap to the future, or was it meant to help Christians see their own world more clearly?

New Testament scholar David deSilva joins Preston to walk through Revelation from the seven churches to the New Jerusalem. They discuss why John wrote to real communities living under the Roman Empire, what the throne room reveals about Jesus’ authority, and how the seals, trumpets, and bowls speak to suffering, judgment, and faithful witness.

They also explore Revelation’s critique of empire and political allegiance. What did “Babylon” mean to John’s first readers? What does it mean to “come out of Babylon” today? And which parts of Revelation should Christians understand as future hope?

Dr. David deSilva is an ordained elder in the Florida Conference of the GMC and has served as Professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary since 1995. He is the author of forty books, including Seeing Things John's Way and his recently released Archaeology and the Revelation of John.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

5:12 Who Was Revelation Written For?

10:21 Who Was John?

12:11 Jesus and the Seven Churches

16:19 Prophecy and John’s Authority

20:40 The Real Cities Behind the Seven Churches

26:49 Revelation, Empire, and Political Allegiance

35:19 Speaking Prophetically to Our Own Political Side

40:25 The Throne Room: Who Is Really in Charge?

46:21 What Does the Scroll Represent?

49:05 The Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls

55:17 Is Reading Revelation as Prediction Overrated?

58:34 How Should We Read Revelation Today?

1:02:44 Babylon and the Roman Empire

1:10:14 What Does “Come Out of Babylon” Mean?

1:13:23 The New Jerusalem and Revelation’s Future Hope

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Fariza Gulomikova grew up in a Shia Ismaili family in Tajikistan. As a child, she saw how much a person could lose by leaving Islam. Then her cousin became a Christian, and the kindness she encountered at his church challenged everything she thought she knew about Christians.

In part three of our Understanding Islam series, Fariza tells Preston about her childhood, her encounter with Jesus at age 11, her family’s response to her conversion, and the challenges of starting over in the United States. She also shares what she wishes Christians understood about their Muslim neighbors.

Chapters

0:00 Fariza’s decision to become a Christian

0:32 Introduction to part three of Understanding Islam

2:23 Growing up in Tajikistan during a civil war

5:31 Sunni, Shia, and Fariza’s Ismaili background

12:22 Growing up as a girl in a Muslim majority country

17:47 The pressures and dangers Fariza saw women face

26:41 Fariza’s people, language, and culture

29:10 Her childhood view of Christianity

31:34 The cousin who changed her view of Christians

33:32 The kindness that drew her toward Jesus

34:30 Fariza’s encounter with Jesus at age 11

36:45 What she was taught about Jesus in Islam

38:44 Fariza’s advice for Christians talking with Muslims

43:39 How her family responded to her conversion

47:33 Starting over in America

52:28 Islam, terrorism, and stereotypes

55:28 Searching for belonging in Christian communities

58:41 Fariza’s final word to Christians

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How does the Qur’an compare to the Bible? Do Muslims read it the way evangelical Christians read the Bible? And if the Qur’an is Islam’s sacred text, why are the Hadith so important for understanding what Muslims believe and how they live?

In part two of our series on Islam, Preston sits down with Dr. Gabriel Said Reynolds, a Catholic Qur’an scholar and the Crowley Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University and is the author of The Qur’an and Its Biblical Subtext, The Qur’an and the Bible, and Christianity and the Qur’an.

Together, they explore how Muslims understand the Qur’an, where it came from, how it took shape, and how its form and use compare with the Bible. They also discuss Muhammad’s relationship to the Qur’an, the early Islamic conquests, passages concerning violence and women, and why reading the Qur’an by itself does not necessarily tell you how Muslims will interpret or apply it.

Gabriel’s books explore how the Qur’an engages earlier scriptures and what that relationship can tell us about the emergence of Islam. His latest book, Christianity and the Qur’an, was published by Yale University Press in 2025.

You can find more of Gabriel’s work on his YouTube channel, Exploring the Qur’an and the Bible.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why reading the Quran alone isn’t enough

00:42 Introducing Dr. Gabriel Said Reynolds

02:15 How Gabriel began studying Islam

05:31 What is the Quran?

09:03 Where did the Quran come from?

12:24 Did Muhammad write the Quran?

14:13 How does the Quran compare to the Bible and Psalms?

19:13 The biggest differences between the Quran and the Bible

21:42 Violence and the early Islamic conquests

27:10 How early Muslims treated Christians and other conquered peoples

32:29 Does the Quran command violence?

39:32 How Muslims interpret difficult Quranic passages

43:28 Is Islam inherently violent?

47:25 What does the Quran say about women?

49:58 Polygamy and the disputed passage about striking wives

52:29 Modesty, honor, and women in Muslim societies

59:07 What are the Hadith, and why do they matter?

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What do Christians misunderstand about Islam? Is it inherently violent? Was it spread by the sword? What do Muslims believe about Christians, Sharia, women, the Quran, and the Hadith?

In the first episode of our three-part series on Islam, Preston sits down with Dr. Javad Hashmi, a Muslim scholar and PhD candidate in Islamic Studies at Harvard University.

The conversation explores the origins of Islam, what historians can know about Muhammad, the development of the Quran and Hadith, Sunni and Shia Islam, Sharia, early Muslim-Christian relations, Islamic empires, religious violence, ISIS and al-Qaeda, the treatment of women, and how Muslims view Christians and Americans.

This conversation is not intended to settle every question or present one definitive account of Islam. It is an attempt to listen carefully, understand Islam’s internal diversity, and ask difficult questions without reducing an entire religious tradition to slogans or stereotypes.

This is Part 1 of our series, Understanding Islam.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Does the Quran Promote Violence?

00:43 What Is Islam, Really?

05:21 Introducing Dr. Javad Hashmi

06:32 How to Understand Any Religion

12:41 Muhammad and the Origins of Islam

23:40 Early Muslim-Christian Relations

29:16 Was Islam Spread by the Sword?

42:30 Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Islam

49:50 Core Beliefs and Sharia

55:46 The Quran Versus the Hadith

1:04:36 Islam, Violence, and Terrorism

1:15:41 Islam and Women

1:27:03 How Muslims View Christians and Americans

1:32:22 Closing

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Who decided what a “good woman” should look like?

Long before social media, paintings, sculptures, religious images, and other forms of visual culture were shaping our expectations of women. Those images did not merely reflect society. They helped define beauty, sexuality, motherhood, virtue, and even what Christians imagined a godly woman should be.

Dr. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt is an art historian (Ph.D. from Washington University) and is a professor of art and art history at Covenant College. She’s also the author of two books: the award-winning Redeeming Vision: A Christian Guide to Looking at and Learning from Art (Baker Academic 2023) and her recent book Look Like a Lady: Five Visual Tropes of Womanhood and How to See Ourselves Differently (Brazos 2026), which forms the basis of our conversation today.

Chapters:

00:00 The Desire to Be Desirable

00:41 What Is a Woman?

03:39 Meet Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt

06:16 How Art Shapes Christian Theology

09:58 Why Medieval Jesus Looks Like a Little Man

14:22 Five Images of Womanhood

15:20 The Venus Trope and Sexual Desirability

18:10 Why Women Learn to See Themselves as Objects

23:21 Purity Culture and the Objectification of Women

28:37 Mary, Elizabeth, and a Better Way of Seeing

33:35 The Myth of the Perfect Mother

38:02 How the Reformation Changed Womanhood

43:44 Are Women Competing for God’s Love?

46:27 Infertility, Motherhood, and Female Identity

49:30 “Is Something Wrong With Me?”

52:24 Do Fathers Get More of a Free Pass?

54:45 How Women Become “Monsters”

59:47 Does the Church Still Vilify Women?

63:45 Shaped by Trauma, Not Defined by It

65:36 A Bigger Vision of Christian Womanhood

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Are parents accidentally making their kids more anxious by protecting them from discomfort?

Dr. Chinwé Williams joins Preston to explain why anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social avoidance have risen among young people. They discuss the role of smartphones and social media, the disappearance of real-world community, constant exposure to frightening news, trauma, pornography, and the pressure many kids feel to avoid failure.

Dr. Chinwé Williams is a Licensed and Board-Certified therapist with expertise spanning a variety of domains, including youth and family mental health, parenting & and trauma recovery. Chinwé has served in academic, corporate, school, and faith-based work settings. She’s also the co-author of the best-selling book Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection and her latest book is: Calm, Courageous, and Connected: A Parent's Guide to Raising Emotionally Resilient Kids

Chapters:

0:00 Avoidance Is Feeding Kids’ Anxiety

2:20 Is the Youth Mental Health Crisis Real?

5:30 What Is Causing the Mental Health Crisis?

8:08 What Social Media Is Taking Away From Kids

9:32 Why Kids Need “Third Spaces”

12:41 Are Kids Becoming Afraid to Take Risks?

16:54 Why Teens Struggle With Social Anxiety

20:04 How Avoidance Makes Anxiety Worse

21:15 Building Grit and Emotional Resilience

23:58 How Parents Accidentally Reinforce Anxiety

26:22 How Parents’ Childhood Wounds Shape Their Parenting

29:57 Fear, Bad News, and the “Milk Carton Generation”

35:10 Trauma, Sexual Abuse, and Pornography

43:30 How Parents Can Help Anxious Kids

44:04 Co-Regulation and Connection Before Correction

48:30 Teaching Kids Cognitive Flexibility

51:12 The “Grace Check”

52:42 Healthy Smartphone and Social Media Boundaries

55:41 Who Could Your Teen Call at 2 A.M.?

56:29 Calm, Courageous, and Connected

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Hey friends,

Check out the top voted questions from my September Q & A! For the full episode, join the Theology in the Raw Patreon Community at https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Here's the full list of Questions:

• 00:59 Isn’t it unfair to consider gay-affirming Christians “outside the fold” when pro-war Christians have an equally unbiblical view, but are not treated as such?
• 09:15 Prophecy of male birth aside, could Jesus have been female and still died for the sins of the world?
• 13:21 Assuming a view of Jesus with literal brothers, sons of Mary, why do you think Jesus at the cross entrusted the care of Mary to John and not to his literal brothers?
• 15:45 My mother-in-law is a hospice nurse and had a patient request that she be present at their medically assisted suicide. My mother-in-law would not administer anything, but should she go?
• 17:40 Are David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi good biblical kinship examples of modern same-sex celibate partnerships?
• 20:11 I really appreciated your two discussions of biblical masculinity. Any further thoughts or takeaways after you’ve had some time to mull over the conversations?
• 24:11 How is it that believers, all with the Spirit guiding them, come to such opposing conclusions? How can we be confident we know what God is actually saying or leading us to?
• 27:03 After a decade at a fast-growing church, should I be concerned that I don’t feel rooted or have a role, while later arrivals become deacons and become known by the leaders?
• 28:11 Do Job’s speeches function as valid lament for Christians, or are they out of bounds? Some of his statements are pretty intense.
• 31:09 Would you ever consider having a Christian polygamist on your show? I’ve seen a lot more recently. I strongly disagree, but would love a real back-and-forth.
• 33:27 How would you explain the doctrine of the Trinity to a nonbeliever or a child? How does it make sense that the Son doesn’t know the day or time of the end?
• 37:33 Is communion in the Bible always done with the group eating from a common loaf and drinking from a common cup? If so, should that be the standard practice today?
• 42:18 Is Satan God’s enemy or just ours? If we fail a test, is it Satan’s fault or the proctor’s fault? Was Satan upset when Jesus and Job passed the test? Is the Satan of Job and Matthew 4 the same as Revelation?
• 44:22 In thinking about friendship as an intimate relationship, what is the place of physical affection? What is cultural versus biblical, especially for men? How do we get there?
• 47:32 What do you think of Greg Boyd’s cruciform hermeneutic of Old Testament violence described in The Crucifixion of the Warrior God?
• 50:35 My son asks what we know about angels and archangels from the Old Testament versus pop culture. What do Judaism and Christianity say about ranks, personhood, and the reason for their creation?
• 53:59 Does a Genesis-first hermeneutic in Matthew 19 imply Christians should be vegetarian as New Eden people, like Adam and Eve? Also, Isaiah 11.
• 58:37 Do Jews and Christians worship the same God, or does the incarnation fundamentally change who God is? I still feel unclear.
• 1:00:40 In 1 Timothy 3:2, one of the qualifications for an elder is “able to teach,” which doesn’t appear for deacons or women. Is this a good argument against women teaching?
• 1:04:19 What’s the likelihood that Paul was married and subsequently widowed or divorced? I’ve heard that to be a Pharisee, he would have had to be married. Is this true?

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What if Christian unity doesn’t mean agreeing about everything?

Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez joins Preston to discuss the difference between genuine Christian unity and the false peace created by forced agreement. Drawing from her new book, False Peace, Pricelis explains why sameness can silence people, erase meaningful differences, and prevent churches from addressing conflict honestly.

They discuss political and theological disagreement within the church, pastoring a diverse congregation in the Bronx, creating a church culture that welcomes criticism, and deciding which doctrines Christians should divide over.

In the Patreon-exclusive Extra Innings segment, Preston and Pricelis continue the conversation by discussing women in church leadership, Pricelis’s journey toward becoming an ordained pastor, and how she maintains meaningful relationships with Christians who strongly disagree with her.

Join the Theology in the Raw Patreon community to listen to Extra Innings: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

Learn more about Pricelis and her book, False Peace: How to Reject the Lie of Sameness, Embrace Difference, and Embody True Unity: https://www.pricelispd.com/my-books

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What does the Bible really mean by modesty, and why have Christian conversations about clothing so often produced shame, especially for women and teenage girls?

Dr. Sandra Richter is a renown biblical scholar, author, and professor of Old Testament at Westmont College. The 2nd edition of her killer book, The Epic of Eden, releases in November 2026. Sandy is also a faithful mom, and one of her daughters, Noël Tsoukalas, joins us in this conversation about modesty. Noël is a Pop singer-songwriter and worship leader. She made a name for herself on Season 21 of American Idol, where she received a golden ticket and three “yeses” from celebrity judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. Check out her music on Spotify!

00:00:00 “Your Outfit Is Causing My Husband to Stumble”

00:06:55 Sandy & Noel on Modesty and Purity Culture

00:12:50 How the Church Has Mishandled Modesty

00:18:10 Sandy’s Experience with Christian Dress Codes

00:21:26 When Modesty Culture Makes Girls’ Bodies “Public Property”

00:27:21 The Billy Graham Rule and Women in Church Leadership

00:32:21 What Does Biblical Modesty Actually Look Like?

00:36:18 Body Shaming and Modesty in the Church

00:38:26 Teaching Girls to Set Boundaries with Church Leaders

00:42:51 Should Churches Have Dress Codes?

00:51:26 Body Types and the Subjectivity of Modesty

00:53:36 What Does Modesty Look Like for Men?

00:56:28 Biblical Modesty Is About More Than Sexuality

00:59:12 Double Standards for Men and Women at Christian Camps

01:01:41 How Should Christian Camps Handle Swimsuit Dress Codes?

01:06:15 Does Modesty Culture Discourage Women from Ministry?

01:08:30 Social Media, Body Image, and Female Musicians

01:11:30 Healing from Shame Around Modesty and Purity Culture

01:14:05 Who Should Talk to Women About Their Clothing?

01:15:20 Forrest Frank and Cory Asbury make the internet stumble

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Colleen Ramser is an EMDR-certified licensed professional counselor (LPC) who specializes in trauma, particularly the effects of spiritual abuse, domestic abuse, and complex trauma. She’s a survivor of spiritual trauma, which she talks about in the show, and she’s the author of the book The Shattered Soul: Restoring Wholeness and Rebuilding Your Faith After Spiritual Trauma, which addresses a lot of the things we discuss in this fasciainating conversation.

00:00 Why Spiritual Trauma Can Make Faith Feel Impossible

00:30 Introduction

02:52 What Qualifies as Trauma?

05:49 Trauma vs. PTSD

07:46 Resilience, Support, and Post-Traumatic Growth

17:06 What Is Spiritual Trauma?

21:00 Colleen’s Experience with Spiritual Abuse

31:18 Signs and Symptoms of Spiritual Trauma

32:48 How Spiritual Trauma Affects Pastors and Church Leaders

39:14 Recognizing and Treating Spiritual Trauma

41:20 Healing Trauma and Rebuilding Your Faith

46:06 Complex Spiritual Trauma vs. Theological Disagreement

49:46 Is the Term “Spiritual Abuse” Overused?

57:30 Are Churches Getting Better at Addressing Abuse?

63:24 Jesus, Power, and the Fruit of the Spirit

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