This Good Word With Steve Wiens

In this episode, I explain why I believe deconstruction and reconstruction are a healthy part of human development, how we see many examples of deconstruction and reconstruction in the bible, and why it's essential for human flourishing. Enjoy! 

Are humans born with "original sin" or "original blessing?" How you understand where you come from (your origin story) drastically affects how you see yourself and the world around you. In this episode, I talk about where the doctrine of original sin came from and how it affects those who ascribe to it. Enjoy! 

How do you perceive reality? Is life basically a system of scarcity, where it's all up to you to crank it up, make it happen, and dig deep? Or is life energized by a ground of being that keeps sending gift after gift to each one of us? How you perceive reality deeply affects your experience of reality. 

Reverend Elizabeth Hagan is a graduate of Duke Divinity School, a multi-published author, and has been a pastor for 15 years. She saw the isolation, loneliness, and shame that remains unspoken when Christians shy away from difficult conversations on taboo topics. Elizabeth knew that the church could do better to foster a sense of acceptance and belonging. So she wrote Brave Church to open the door to the presence of God in difficult conversations.

You can follow Elizabeth's work on her website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Tyler Sit is a pastor, author, and church planter of New City Church in South Minneapolis, a multi-racial church focused on environmental justice and centering marginalized voices.

Tyler's new book, Staying Awake: The Gospel for Change Makers, is a practical exploration of Christianity for people who want to show up for justice and stay in the movement. Complete with stories, worksheets, poetry, and a commitment to centering queer people of color, this book is here to support you in staying awake: to God, to the evils of oppression, and to the world’s coming liberation.

Winn Collier just released A Burning in My Bones, the authorized biography of Pastor and author Eugene Peterson. It's a brilliantly written book about a centered pastor during a time when many pastors succumbed to a consumer-driven philosophy about church and spiritual development. Winn's spirit is gentle and his voice grounded me. We recorded this conversation during the week that Daunte Wright was killed by a police officer here in Minneapolis, and also just before the Derek Chauvin verdict was read, so I was scattered. Still, we had a robust conversation about what we both loved about Eugene Peterson. Enjoy. 

Kevin Butcher is a dear friend of mine, and I loved this conversation. He just can't stop talking about God's expansive love, and I can't get enough of it. 

He was a Pastor for thirty-five years, but now he's the Founder and Executive Director of Rooted Ministries, a nonprofit that comes alongside isolated, wounded, discouraged pastors and their families. 

His brand new book is called Free: Rescued from Shame-Based Religion, Released into the Life-Giving Love of Jesus. I'd encourage you to pick it up today wherever you like to buy books. But if you order by clicking this link, you'll be supporting my favorite small bookstore, Hearts & Minds, owned and operated by Byron & Beth Borger. Just fill out the title and the author on their order page (it's easy) and they'll get it to you asap. 

Kurt Willems is the founder and pastor of Pangea Church in Seattle, Washington. Also a writer, blogger, podcaster and speaker, he maintains the resource website Theology Curator and hosts the Theology Curator podcast. Kurt is passionate about taking dense ideas and communicating them in ways that are empowering for people in all walks of life. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and a master's degree in comparative religion from the University of Washington. His wife, Lauren, is a special education teacher. They have two young daughters. Check out his brand new book, Echoing Hope: How the Humanity of Jesus Redeems our Pain. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Sarah Bessey is the author of the popular and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith, and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things. Her brand new book is a collection of meditations entitled A Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Prayers for Renewal. She is a sought-after speaker at churches, conferences, and universities all around the world. Sarah is also the co-curator and co-host of the annual Evolving Faith Conference and she serves as president of the board for Heartline Ministries in Haiti. Sarah lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with her husband and their four children.

3000 Miles to Jesus follows the adventurous journey of three pilgrims who set off for Jerusalem in the 1400s. We’re invited to grab our staff and scrip and come along. Walking with these travelers of old, we hear their stories, gain nuggets of wisdom, and learn an important spiritual truth: all of life is a pilgrimage. The book draws on the rich history of the Christian faith to encourage us on our daily and lifelong walk with God.

Author Lisa Deam writes of her inspiration for this book: “I discovered that in their travels, medieval pilgrims displayed qualities I wanted to emulate. They were patient. Faithful. Courageous. And inefficient—gloriously so. Pilgrims were in it for the long haul, risking everything to take a journey of faith. The conviction that drove them is one to which I daily aspire.” 

You can follow Lisa on her website, on Twitter, and on The Contemplative Writer. You can find out more about her book 3,000 Miles to Jesus here.