Theology in the Raw

Join my Patreon community for extra episodes, chats, and bonus content. Jay Stringer joined me in New York City to talk about dealing with unwanted sexual behavior, trauma, sexual compulsion, and…. Apple Fritters. He has an incredible way of bridging the gap between theology, counseling, and clinical research —listen now and share your thoughts in the comments! Jay is a therapist, researcher, and author based in New York City. He’s the author of Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing (100,000+ readers), grounded in a study of nearly 4,000 adults and used by clinicians and communities worldwide. His forthcoming book, Desire: The Longings Inside Us and the New Science of How We Love, Heal, and Grow (Random House, 2026), offers a new framework for five core longings—wholeness, growth, intimacy, pleasure, and meaning—and shows how to form desire into a force that restores connection and purpose.Learn more at https://jay-stringer.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the Theology in the Raw Patreon for bonus episodes and more! Ashley Lalonde is an actor, singer, dancer, and lifelong New Yorker with an incredible heart for evangelism. She's toured with Hamilton, sang at Carnegie Hall, and somehow has found extra time to serve as a research fellow at the Barna Group.In this episode, Ashley shares what it’s like to follow Jesus in the Broadway world and how she approaches conversations about faith in some of the most diverse and influential cultural spaces in the country. Drawing from both her personal experiences in NYC and her research with Barna, we talk about evangelism, listening without judgement, being a peaceful presence, and more.Watch now! and learn more at https://www.ashley-lalonde.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join the Theology in the Raw Patreon for bonus content, extra episodes, and more! This is our first in-person episode from my trip to NYC. Jonathan Merritt joined me to talk about his journey from his conservative Southern Baptist upbringing, to what he now describes as post-evangelicalism. We talked about deconstruction, navigating family dynamics, and why he doesn't describe himself as an "exvangelical." Jonathan currently serves as a Vice President and Executive Editor for Simon & Schuster, where he oversees the acquisition of books in the faith / spirituality category as well as select general market non-fiction. authored several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing - and How We Can Revive Them, named “Book of the Year” by the Englewood Review of Books. He has worked as a collaborator or ghostwriter on dozens of books, with several titles landing on The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestsellers lists.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, I talk about some of the highlights over the last year of the Theology in the Raw podcast. I give a little insight into how I pick guests, and some thoughts on platforming. We get into some of the stats, and I share some of my favorite positive (and negative) reviews from the Apple podcast app. It's been a great year! I'm glad you're with me. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. John Anthony Dunne associate professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary and the Co-host and editor of The Two Cities podcast. John is the author of several books including his most recent book: The Mountains Shall Drip Sweet Wine: A Biblical Theology of Alcohol, which is the topic of our conversation. What does the Bible say about alcohol? We talk about questions like: did wine have the same alcohol percentage as today? Was it diluted? What is strong drink? Is getting drunk or buzzed always condemned? How can Christians consume alcohol without abusing it? Or, should Christians simply stay away from alcohol? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.