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Bible As Literature – CHSBT – 038

The Bible is literature… but is it just another book? Should we read it differently than other literary works? In this episode, Chris discusses the Bible with Christine Iskander (a college professor and comparative literature expert) as well as Jon Bennett (high school English teacher and published author). While most of us assume that we know how to read, we often use a different set of tools as we approach the Bible. In this episode, they tackle genre identification (poetry, myth, narrative, history), reader-response criticism, and how to read the Bible well, while still treating it like a sacred text.

Check out Jon’s book (Reading Blue Devils) here on his Amazon Author Page.

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Self-Harm – CHSBT – 037

Adolescents in our schools (public or private) are not strangers to self-harm. With as many as 38% of young adults admitting to engaging in self-injurious behavior, it is likely that our students are either closely acquainted with someone who does this, or are struggling with self-harm themselves. In this episode, Chris interviews psychologist Dr. Nate Turner and Katie Seals, a Christian high school mentorship veteran. In the discussion, they touch on causes, triggers, and the limited understanding* of the behavior among both the common folk and mental health professionals. Listen as they touch on some ways to be alert, empathetic, and caring for students, friends, and family (or self) who struggle with self harm.

(*One literature review identified and studied 29 interventions for self-harm and found none of them to be well-established treatments)

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Is Safety Important? – CHSBT – 036

Does God care about safety? Industries, government agencies, policies, and our prayer lives reflect how deeply we value safety… but where does safety fit into the life of faith in Jesus? Chris and Wayne discuss safety and its proper place in the life of a Jesus follower, as well as explore ways to discuss this with risk-loving teenagers and safety-loving parents.

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Spiritual Maturity w/ Dr. Bailey – CHSBT – 035

When you meet someone who is rich in spiritual maturity, you can often just feel it in your gut. You can tell that this person is connected to the Divine. But how did they get that way? Dr. Kendra Bailey shares some of her fascinating research with Chris and Wayne about indicators of spiritual maturity in emerging adults. Using this research data, classroom/ministry experience, and life experience, they explore best practices to help cultivate spiritual maturity in the lives of their students.

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Christian Students’ Real Thoughts – CHSBT – 034

We had an epiphany! Maybe instead of Chris and Wayne talking about what students think, we should have a podcast that highlights what students think. In this episode, we talk about some Christian school highs and lows with 4 seniors: Pierce, Makenna, David, and Erika. These students insightfully walk us through topics like apologetics, desensitization to God, authenticity, hypocrisy, and gossip.

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Christians Drinking Alcohol – CHSBT – 033

Craft beer, fine wines, and aged spirits… Are these things meant for Christian consumption, or are they all just different manifestations of the Devil’s water!? Even if you’re okay with Christians drinking in moderation, what about Bible teachers? In this episode, Chris and Wayne dive into the Biblical data, ethical boundaries, and guidelines for discussing and consuming alcohol as Christians.

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When Students Leave w/ Scott Schimmel – 032 – CHSBT

What happens to students after they leave our school, our youth/college group, or our target ministry demographic? Are they still following Jesus? Are they able to make friends and find contentment? In this episode we talk with Scott Schimmel, the President of The YouSchool, and pick his brain for ministry advice that maximizes the positive long-term impact we have on our students. Learn how to facilitate relationships and transformations that last for years beyond the narrow age range of our schools and ministries.

In this episode we mention the following resources:

The YouSchool – Scott’s organization!

Hurt 2.0 – A book to help understand the current spiritual and emotional youth climate.

Evernote – An app to help you remember relatable moments with students.

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality – Scott’s top recommended resource to help you become a spiritual mentor that’s worth duplicating.

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Where’d The Bible Come From? – 031 – CHSBT

The Bible is obviously important to most Christians, but how did we decide that THESE particular books are the canon or sacred scripture, and not others? In this episode with special guest Dr. John Meade, we uncover and discuss some interesting (maybe shocking) information about the formation of the Bible. If this book is a centerpiece of our education about and understanding of God, then we probably should know where it comes from. We discuss disputed books, gnostic gospels, apocryphal books, open canon, and differing early church canon lists.

We were honored to have a scholar in Biblical Textual Criticism and for those who want to dig deeper, you can get a copy of the Biblical Canon Lists on Amazon here or you can find more articles by Dr. John Meade at http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/.

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Female Leadership in the Church (Egalitarian) – 030 – CHSBT

This is part two of a two-part episode in which we interview two female administrators about their leadership roles in Christian organizations. With our interviewees we discuss what female leadership looks like in the Church and in Christian schools through both the egalitarian (this episode) and complementarian lens. In this episode, Wayne interviews administrator Jen Mounday on her experience, as they discuss views of female leadership, disparities between men and women in Church and other settings, universality of Spiritual gifts, and practical leadership advice for emerging female leaders in Christianity.

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Female Leadership in the Church (Complementarian) – 029 – CHSBT

This is part one of a two-part episode in which we interview two female administrators about their leadership roles in Christian organizations. With our interviewees we discuss what female leadership looks like in the Church and in Christian schools through both the complementarian (this episode) and egalitarian lens. In this episode, Chris interviews administrator Allie Carico on her experience, as they discuss views of female leadership, Scripture, Christian worldview, and practical leadership advice for emerging female leaders in Christianity.

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