0:03 – Pete tells me about Tony Campolo’s return – coming out of retirement to teach once again at Eastern University [my alma mater]!

0:58 – I call Tony Campolo “super old” – #fail

3:35 – I ask Pete, “How do we stay Christian knowing about the history of the Church, the bible is fallible…?”

5:15 -Pete questions if the church (in the US) has overlaid political agenda with the gospel.

6:45 – “It’s not easy being a Christian in the west. It is, ’cause nobody’s throwing us in jail, but it’s not easy because we have too many very attractive distractions.”

7:15 – I ask what we do, as rich Christians living in a materialistic culture, with Luke 14:33 that says, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” Digging deeper, wondering if he believes we must literally give up everything?

10:30 – Pete talks about the danger of subjectivity being injected into our faith.

11:31 – We’re failing again as the Church. The bible is thought to be inerrant, and the conservative Church isn’t even reading it. Pete speaks into the hypocrisy of the conservative church defending inerrancy verbally, but not actually living a life that is reflective of an inerrant text.

13:45 – For seminarians and professors | What does it look like to live out our faith in academia? | He speaks into humility and the necessity of living out of humility and love towards other people.

“Try to be humbled and not self centered.”

16:30 – Bart Ehrman. Pete speaks to the student in bible college or seminary who has lost their faith.

“They’re responsible for creating an intellectual narrative of the Christian faith, that can be dismantled inside a semester at a decent school…”

Referring to Bart Ehrman, “If these things are upsetting for you, just know that you were set up for failure…”

“Most evangelical contexts do not do a good job preparing their students…”

22:47 – We talk about leaving the Church. Millennials and Religion.

“If this is what Christianity is, then I want nothing to do with it, but i know there’s much more out there than this, so I’m going to look…”

24:11 – So wait… it is okay to leave the Church?

“DON’T LET ANY EVER TELL YOU [LEAVING THE CHURCH] IS A WRONG DECISION TO MAKE…”

Pete Enns graduated from Messiah College in 1982 with a B.S. in Behavioral Science, from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1989 with an M.D.iv, and from Harvard University in 1994 with a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. Currently teaches at Eastern University. On a less academic note, as his students can well attest, has a one and only one sports passion, the NY Yankees (he is currently unrepentant about this, #RedSoxNation). Is drawn into the worlds depicted by novelist Stephen Lawhead, also a Simpsons, The Office, and Big Bang Theory fan. He’s married to Susan and has three adult children: Erich, Elizabeth, and Sophia. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, or over on Patheos where he blogs!

His new book coming out: