Advertise on podcast: Formation with John Ortberg

What do we do with a God who commands violence, permits slavery, and seems to change his mind? Tremper Longman III — one of the most prolific and trusted Old Testament scholars of his generation — joins John for a conversation about the parts of Scripture that trouble us most, and why sitting with that trouble might be more formative than explaining it away. This is a conversation about how we read, what we're afraid to find, and what it means to let an ancient text that wasn't written to us still form us. AMA Opportunity: Leave us a review ahead of our launch for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. Here's how: follow the podcast, leave a review, take a screenshot, and email it with your question to [email protected]. We'll answer selected questions in a future episode. One question per person; screenshot required. About Tremper Longman III: Tremper Longman III is Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Westmont College, and one of the most widely read Old Testament scholars in the evangelical world. He holds a PhD from Yale University and has written or edited more than 35 books — on Genesis, the Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and the theology of God as warrior, among much else. He has served as a consultant on major Bible translation projects and scholarly initiatives including BioLogos, which explores the relationship between science and faith. For decades, John has turned to Tremper as a first resource when the Old Testament gets hard. This conversation is a chance to hear why. What this conversation explores: Why the New Testament is nearly incomprehensible without the Old, and what we lose by skipping the first two-thirds of the storyHow genre shapes the way we read Genesis: what it means that it is history, and what it doesn't mean, and why Augustine and Origen were already asking these questions long before DarwinThe five phases of God as divine warrior from the conquest narratives through the cross to the final judgment, and why that arc matters for how we hold the violence in JoshuaWhat honest scholarship looks like when the text still troubles you: Tremper names what he cannot yet resolve about the commanded destruction of women and children, without flinching and without fixing itHow the Psalms of lament (and Psalm 77 in particular)  gave Tremper language for his own seasons of grief, confusion, and anger toward GodWhat the Old Testament actually says about Israel, chosenness, and the current conflict in the Middle East and why "Israel right or wrong" is a hermeneutical errorResources Mentioned: Confronting Old Testament Controversies — Tremper Longman IIIBreaking the Idols of Your Heart — Dan Allender & Tremper Longman IIIBold Love — Dan Allender & Tremper Longman IIICry of the Soul — Dan Allender & Tremper Longman IIIIs God a Moral Monster? — Paul CopanJacob I Loved — Joel KaminskyThe Late Great Planet Earth — Hal LindseyThe Story of God Bible Commentary Series — Tremper Longman III & Scot McKnightTexts in Context: The Old Testament (forthcoming) — Tremper Longman IIIThe Book of Job About Formation: Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation.  John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation: Website: [www.formationpodcast.com] Newsletter: [www.formationpodcast.com/subscribe] Socials: [@formationjohn]

What does it mean to know God, not as a doctrine held, but as a presence inhabited? Tyler Staton joins John for the first conversation in Formation's history: an unhurried exploration of how the Holy Spirit forms us, why prayer is less about technique than attention, and what it looks like to discover God not only in the sanctuary but in the chaos of a basketball sideline, a marriage, and a cancer diagnosis. This is a conversation about the ancient and the empirical, and how sometimes we may look for formation in all the wrong places. AMA Opportunity Leave us a review ahead of our launch for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. Here's how: follow the podcast, leave a review, take a screenshot, and email it with your question to [email protected]. We'll answer selected questions in a future episode. One question per person; screenshot required. About Tyler Staton: Tyler Staton is the lead pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, and the national director of 24-7 Prayer USA. He is the author of two books — Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools and The Familiar Stranger — both of which take seriously the gap between what Christians say they believe about God and what they actually experience in daily life. Tyler studied at Southeastern University and has spent much of his ministry in New York and Portland, two cities that have sharpened his theology as much as any classroom. He told us that his cancer diagnosis a few years ago didn't lead him to pray for healing — it led him to ask what God might want to form in him through limitation. That is the kind of practitioner he is. What this conversation explores: Why the Holy Spirit is the most neglected and most contested person of the Trinity and what a more integrated pneumatology might actually look like in ordinary lifeDallas Willard's "golden triangle" of spiritual formation: practices, movements of the Spirit, and suffering, and why removing any one of the three is detrimental The difference between discernment and miracle-seeking, and why Tyler believes the deeper invitation of the Spirit is often hidden inside what we're most eager to escapeWhat it means to "find yourself in the story" — Tyler's practice of praying through Scripture in seasons of doubt, loss, and confusionHow family life and marriage in particular function as formation's most honest classroom Resources mentioned: Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools — Tyler StatonThe Familiar Stranger — Tyler StatonRenovation of the Heart — Dallas WillardFresh Air: The Holy Spirit for an Inspired and Empowered Life — Jack LevisonMiracles — C.S. LewisMinistry and the Miraculous — Lewis SmedesThe Protestant Spiritual Formation Movement — Todd KeeslerThe Examen Connect with Tyler Staton: Website: bridgetown.church Instagram: @tylerstaton Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools, available wherever books are sold The Familiar Stranger, available wherever books are sold About Formation: Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation: Website: [www.formationpodcast.com] Newsletter: [www.formationpodcast.com/subscribe] Socials: [@formationjohn]

Leave us a review ahead of our launch for a chance to be featured in an upcoming episode. Do you want a chance to ask John a question? Four easy steps. Follow the podcastLeave a reviewTake a screenshotEmail it to usEmail proof of your review to us along with your question for John — ⁠[email protected]⁠ We’ll answer selected* questions in an upcoming episode of the podcast. (Your screenshot must be attached. Submissions without proof of review will not be considered. Entries are limited to one question per person.) * Submitting a question does not guarantee selection. Our team will choose from the pool of verified listeners.