Today’s guest is special. He is the Hank Williams Jr. of 20th Century Theology, though I know he will hate that description. He brings a message of hope, love and more, and he is a wonderful man and I am so pleased he joined me on the podcast.   His honesty is refreshing and I hope we get together again. His latest book is: “Fall in Love, Have Children, Stay Put, Save the Planet, Be Happy.”

This week's guest is scholar Hal Taussig, a recently retired Professor of New Testament at Union Theological Seminary in New York who lectures around the country and world, and who now is a working with the Westar Institute He is one of the authors of “After Jesus Before Christianity”  the editor of the award-winning A New New Testament (2013), a United Methodist minister, and author of 14 books other books, which examine writings from that period and historically recent discovered texts and the light they shed on the period before there was a canonized group of biblical texts. He as been featured in a number of national media outlets including The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Daily Show, People Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, National Public Radio, and the Washington Post. We met live during his visit for to the Anderson Forum for Progressive Theology.   That’s it for this edition of The Thinking God Podcast. Join me next time when my guest will be Frank Schaeffer.

Welcome to the Thinking God Podcast, a place where we talk about truth wisdom wherever it might be found, and today’s guest is a shining light of hope. Natalie Wigg Stevenson is my favorite kind of theologian. She combines the best of scholarly approach with a lively curiosity and warm personality to make challenging approaches to faith accessible. Her book “Transgressive Devotion: Theology as Performance Art,” asks the reader to stop trying to define or describe God and instead experience making God manifest and accessible in a very real way, a prayer that takes us into and out of the unknowing. She also embraces all of her personal spiritual experiences from her Pentecostal roots to her own fresh transformational mysticism with deep roots in theological tradition. Natalie, who has a Master’s degrees and PhD from Vanderbilt and  a MDiv from Yale Divinity School, is a professor of contextual education and theology at Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto. Her vibe is really fine.

Christian Pastor Austin Carty, latest book, “The Pastors’ Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters in Ministry,” aims to get Christian pastors, and hopefully through osmosis and encouragement their congregations, to begin a long love affair with reading. His passion for books and reading, and how it can benefit the face-to-face pastoral work and just helping humans in general become more fully actualized, are obvious. Carty is pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church, affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and this conversation could have extended for hours, due to our mutual passion for books and reading.

The Marvelous Maggie Rowe is  a Los Angeles-based writer who has written for such shows as “Arrested Development” and one of my favorites, the wildly underrated Netflix series “Flaked.”  She’s also a screenwriter, a producer, an actress and author who has been on this podcast before after the publication of her first book “Sin Bravely.” Maggie now makes her triumphal return to the Thinking God podcast, to talk about her new book “Easy Street: A Story of Redemption from Myself,” and is, as always, delightful, warm and entertaining.

For well over a decade, Jon Steingard was a part of the Christian band Hawk Nelson, where he served as lead vocalist and lead guitarist until his departure two years ago when he announced he no longer believed in God. Steingard has not became an evangelical atheist, he is instead a man on a spiritual search and is now expressing his artistic energy in video and visual art.

Neal Allen's latest book "Shapes of Truth" offers a great deal to consider. Seasoned searchers of truth will find a lot to like in both the book and in this interview.

Amy-Jill Living is one fine conversationalist. Her blend of scholarship and passion, coupled with a generous approach to the viewpoints of others, carve out a rare and welcome spot in modern religious circles. She is the University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, and  Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School Holding a B.A. from Smith College, M.A. and Ph.D. from Duke University, she is author of more than a dozen books, including “The Difficult Words of Jesus,” “Short Stories from Jesus,” and “The Bible Without Jesus.” Her books, though decided not written from a Christian perspective, are used in Christian churches across the country to uncover the Jewish perspectives on scriptures from the lens of a scholar.

David Hayward is the NakedPastor. After 30 years in the church, he left the ministry to pursue his passion for art. His work challenges the status quo, deconstructs dogma, and promotes critical thinking. His new book, "Flip it Like This," is available for at Amazon, where his other books are also available. Find out more at his website.

John Pavlovitz does not consider himself a member of the radical left, unless you count behaving like the object of the Christian faith radical (which it is and always has been). In this podcast he talks about being the inclusivity of faith, dealing with radical right friends and family, mental health and more.