On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined again by Pastor Caleb Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor as they discuss what it means to be the Church in a moment of extreme political and cultural division? Together, they wrestle with the pastoral challenges of shepherding congregations split between celebration and fear, the theological stakes of Christian nationalism, and how to faithfully bear witness to Christ amid the chaos. If you’ve ever wondered how to navigate this political moment with wisdom, grace, and a kingdom-first mindset, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
In this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Pastor Andrew Johnson, Dr. Michael Cooper, and Pastor Caleb Campbell discuss the complexities of pastoring in an increasingly polarized political and cultural landscape. Caleb, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, shares his experiences leading a congregation with deeply divided perspectives following the recent election of Donald Trump as the 47th President. The conversation explores the tensions between faith and politics, the challenge of shepherding a diverse body of believers, and how the Church can remain faithful to Christ’s mission in this moment.
If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review and share it with others navigating these important conversations. Thanks for doing theology in community with us today!
This Political Moment – Faith and Politics Series
Scot McKnight – Revelatioin for the Rest of Us – Episode 139
Andrew Whitehead – Christian Nationalism – Episode 149
If you have a question or topic that you’d like to hear addressed on the Ephesiology Podcast, just send it to Andrew at andrewjohnson@neartownchurch.org.
Michael is the missiologist in residence with East West where he focuses on equipping and empowering church leaders in evangelism, discipleship, leadership, and catalyzing church planting movements in the most difficult to reach places on the planet. He is the author of Ephesiology: The Study of the Ephesian Movement as well as many other books and academic articles. He has lectured at universities around the world and serves as affiliate faculty at Kairos University where he facilitates the degree programs in partnership with Ephesiology Master Classes.
Andrew is a proud husband, father and pastor who desires all to know the one true King. He is honored to serve at West Village Church in Victoria, BC. Previously, he’s ministered in Houston, Chicago, Indy, Flagstaff and Tempe in a variety of church contexts. Andrew has a BA in Christian Ministry from Trinity International University and an MA from Phoenix Seminary. He is currently a Doctor of Ministry student at Kairos University and is the co-host of the Ephesiology Podcast. When not at work, he’s an avid disc golfing, vinyl playing, Spider-Man following/collecting fellow. Go Pacers.
Matt Till has woven together roles as pastor, professor, podcaster, and Emmy Award–winning writer and producer. With over 25 years in ministry—including church planting, higher education and administration, and co-hosting the Ephesiology podcast—he has dedicated his life to engaging people and communities with compassion, justice, and inclusion. Today, as Senior Director for Social Justice and Community Engagement at TelosGO, Matt continues that calling. He and his wife are raising three children in South Florida, where he can often be found reading on the beach, sipping Cuban coffee, or savoring lechón asado with yuca con mojo.
The Ephesiology Podcast comes to you from a desire to engage in community conversations about the intersection of theology and culture. We do not believe such dialogue should come with a cost so the podcast will always be free.
However, if you’ve benefited from the Ephesiology Podcast, would you consider a nominal $5 per month donation? All proceeds from the podcast go toward helping bring needed theological education to the majority world through our Ephesiology Master Class initiative to end a theological famine. We’d be honored to partner with you to continue providing solid biblical, theological, and missiological content for listeners around the world.
There is one identity that can unite American evangelicals. It is an identity that marks all evangelicals everywhere, and for all time: they are co-laborers in God’s reconciling mission in the world. When Evangelicals Sneeze calls the American church back to her rich first century heritage of defending the faith, standing up for justice, and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you want to understand principles for the growth of Christianity in the first century, the place to begin is the city of Ephesus. In this winsome study, Ephesiology offers readers a comprehensive view of the empowering work of the Holy Spirit in the most significant city of the New Testament, and compels us to ask the question: how can we effectively connect Christ to our culture?
“Masterfully handling the book of Ephesians and using its content as a definitive guide, Michael Cooper lays a theologically strong foundation that is both corrective and directive to disciple making movements. The principles he gleans from the book of Ephesians and related texts, help to ensure the on-going multiplication and maturation of a movement. Because these are supra-cultural principles, they are applicable anywhere in the world.”
Marvin J. Newell, Staff Missiologist, Missio Nexus, Author of Crossing Cultures in Scripture
To shift the tracks of history requires leaders who are equipped to critically assess and engage the contours of contemporary culture. As a new initiative in collaboration with the Movement Leaders Collective, Kairos University, and Ephesiology, we deliver just-in-time theological education focused on issues important to you, mxAcademy is designed as the theological and missiological foundation to unlock your potential as a movement leader and catalytic thinker. mxAcademy is a dynamic and innovative educational experience rooted in mDNA.
We dream of a church fully equipped, fully mature, fully mobilized, and fully alive. A church that lives and breathes the Good News of Jesus!
Taking its inspiration from the historical and philosophical legacy of Athens, Greece, the Areopagus Symposium focuses on intellectual and philosophical topics related to Christology, missiology, and ecclesiology. We invite scholars, theologians, and practitioners from diverse backgrounds to engage in a profound exploration of the theological landscape at the intersection of these vital disciplines. Sign up for an Ephesiology Master Classes account and gain free access to the Areopagus Symposium.
The Ephesiology Podcast and Ephesiology Master Classes are ministries of TELOS.GO, a registered 501c3 non-profit agency committed to imaginatively missional ways of engageing culture, church planting, and theological education. Your donation to the podcast is tax deductible.
