Lisa Harper's Back Porch Theology

Purchase A Jesus-Shaped Life here. Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is the part-two sequel of An Antidote to Self-Centeredness Disguised as Spirituality. The bottom line is, it’s more important than ever to embrace the gospel story as the ultimate lens through which we understand life or pretty soon everything’s going to become blurry. Which underscores the new for a new kind of catechism – a fresh way to understand and communicate the concrete, biblical scaffolding of our belief system as Christ-followers. Dr. Trevin Wax calls what we’re talking about today a disruptive discipleship tool…Alli and I can guarantee it’ll put fresh wind in your sails. So please grab your favorite beverage and your Bible and pull your chair right next to ours on this proverbial porch – we’re really glad you’re here!

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology Alli and I are diving into the swampy waters of ideology with Dr. Trevin Wax. Trevin will help us understand and learn how to better practice what some have called counter-catechesis – that is sorting out our Christian belief system in a thoughtful way that effectively says, “You’ve heard it communicated like this on a popular podcast or Instagram reel, but now let’s look at what the Bible actually says about that issue.” Grab a caffeinated beverage and a hearty snack, plus your Bible and a notebook if you’ve got one handy, and then come pull up a chair on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here!

You know that old, familiar ice-breaker question, “If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?” Well, during today’s episode of Back Porch Theology – which was taped live at our 2025 Kerygma Summit a few weeks ago. And yes, we happen to be hugely biased, but y’all this bevy of Bible scholars could aptly be described as Wonder Women. Dr. Lynn Cohick is the Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Director of Houston Theological Seminary. Dr. Eva Bleeker is assistant professor of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at Denver Seminary. Dr. Irini Fambro, she and her family reside in Dallas where she serves as president of The King’s University. Dr. Dorian Coover-Cox is a beloved Old Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and has tutored hundreds of students in Hebrew over the years. And rounding out this dream team is Dr. Nicole Massey Martin. She’s currently the COO for Christianity Today, and served as a senior VP at The American Bible Society. Today’s episode is going to be FIRE, y’all ~ so please grab a great big iced mocha. Welcome to the porch – we’re so glad you’ve chosen to hang out with us today! Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is a part two, so if you haven’t listened to last week’s conversation with our friend Katherine Wolf, I encourage you to do so. Now before we dive in, I’d like to read a brief excerpt from Katherine’s latest book titled, Treasures in the Dark: “David taught me that laughter and worship aren’t so different. In fact, they are simply two of the shapes that hope takes. Both laughter and worship are most powerful when offered from full brokenness of body or of circumstance. Sure, it’s great to celebrate and praise God when life is good. But whooping with laughter when you can hardly speak or raising your hands in worship from the seat of a wheelchair…now that’s evidence of a soul who has found transcending security and joy in Divine Love. Suffering can harden us to the good things in life, or it can open us up to receive them with abandon.” Grab your Bible if you’ve got one and welcome to the porch…we’re really glad you’re here. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Purchase NIV Application Bible here.

Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is with my friend Katherine Wolf about God’s compassionate purpose with regards to our pain. Many of you have probably heard or read some of Katherine’s story – she suffered a massive stroke when she was 26 years old, not long after giving birth to her and her husband Jay’s first son, James. Her story is riddled with debilitating physical and emotional suffering – which she endures to this day – and yet she honestly oozes hope. Because she learned to find treasures in the dark by asking the hard and awkward questions pain prompts: Where is God in this? Am I alone? What is the point of all this suffering? Is hope just a cruel, false promise? Katherine dared to wrestle for answers without letting go of God. This is a rich and layered conversation so it’s best to listen slowly and give the tenderest places in your heart time to soak it all in. Thank you for carving out the time to be with us today…we’re really glad you’re here.

Join the mission! Visit donate.accessmore.com to help fund more episodes and shows like this. Today is a red-letter kind of day here on Back Porch Theology because Alli and I have the undeserved privilege and absolute delight of having a conversation with one of the world’s foremost experts on the New Testament canon, specifically the Gospels, Dr. Craig Blomberg. It’s not every day you get to sit down with a brilliant saint with a PhD from the University Aberdeen, read an excerpt from his classic book called: “The Historical Reliability of the New Testament” – which, by the way, is just one of almost twenty academic books and commentaries that Dr. Blomberg’s written – and then ask him this question: Will you please explain the term “hermeneutical spiral” as well as how it can be useful as we seek to not simply read and interpret the Bible but actually be read and interpreted by the Bible? Welcome to Back Porch Theology’s scholar edition…we’re really glad you’ve chosen to hang out with us today.

Join the mission! Visit donate.accessmore.com to help fund more episodes and shows like this. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology after the initial belly laughs we dive pretty deep – as is often the case with BPT - into a theme that’s been my heartbeat for the last several years, which is what it really means to live a Jesus-shaped life. To imitate Jesus authentically, not just with religious language and ethical ideology. Theology is anything but sterile subject matter, y’all – it was meant to be lived, not simply learned - because God isn’t a proposition to be examined, He’s a triune personhood with whom we get to engage! So please get yourself a yummy iced latte, and come hang out on the porch with us…we’re really glad you’re here!

Vote Back Porch Theology for Podcast Impact Award at the K-LOVE Fan Awards! Vote here: KLOVEFanAwards.com! Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is an encore with Natalie Grant and Bernie Herms because we simply could fit all the wisdom bombs they dropped regarding hanging onto hope when the miracle you prayed for seems delayed into one episode! Plus, since we’ve had lots of DM’s and e-mails from y’all requesting content on how to have more Jesus-shaped relationships, we thought it’d be a good idea to ask Nat and Bernie a few questions about what they’ve learned from 20+ years of marriage, especially given the added stress of extensive travel, public scrutiny, and infertility. We’re so glad you’re here on the porch with us! Save 25% off an annual subscription to Dwell here.

Vote Back Porch Theology for Podcast Impact Award at the K-LOVE Fan Awards! Vote here: KLOVEFanAwards.com! During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, I have the absolute delight of diving deep into some real-life stuff with two dear friends, Natalie Grant, and her husband, Bernie Herms. Unless you’re living off the grid and are listening to BPT through a coconut and dental floss, you’ve no doubt heard Natalie’s stellar voice because she’s been a recording artist for over twenty years and has more awards – including multiple female artist of the year awards – than you could fit in the back of a truck. And Bernie’s success as a music producer is every bit as extraordinary as Nat’s; he’s also been honored with a plethora of accolades, including several Grammys. If you feel like you’re running low on hope this season because the miracle you’ve been trusting God for hasn’t happened yet, Nat and Bernie’s story is going to provide both empathy and encouragement and will help reframe our perspectives regarding God’s sovereignty and our expectancy. Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here. Save 25% off an annual subscription to Dwell here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re wrapping up a 3-part series on Zephaniah in a series we called “The Theology of Compassionate Consequences”. It may initially sound like an oxymoron – a contradiction in terms - to pair the words “compassionate” and “consequences” together, kind of like “jumbo shrimp” or “act naturally” or “climb down”. It begs the question, “If God really is unconditionally loving, then why do we have to suffer consequences at all?” Here’s the deal y’all, God’s parameters aren’t punitive or pejorative…they are always promissory and protective. Psalm 16:5 says it best, “His boundary lines for me have fallen in pleasant places.” Alli, Dr. Howard & I are so happy you’ve chosen to carve out this time to hang out on the porch with us, please grab a cup of coffee and your Bible, then feel free to lean back and put your feet up. This is a safe place to lean further into the unconditional love of our Creator Redeemer. Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, the second in a series on God’s severe mercy – which is kind of like saying His divine discipline ALWAYS takes place under a canopy of grace - we’re swimming in the deep end of a colorful, albeit very concise book in the Old Testament called Zephaniah. His overarching theme regarding how our crooked hearts will consistently lead us off cliffs without God’s compassionate intervention reminds me of something one of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning, wrote: “If we gloss over our selfishness and rationalize the evil within us, we can only pretend we are sinners and therefore only pretend we have been forgiven.” Come hang out on the porch with Alli, Dr. Howard, and me. Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/ Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology – the first in a series of three – we’re going to delve into some pretty spicy subject matter in the colorful Old Testament book of Zephaniah regarding the overt rebellion of God’s people. We’re going to examine how our spiritual ancestors effectively thumbed their noses at God’s holiness, turned their backs on His kindness, and went out and did whatever nasty, selfish stuff their crooked little hearts desired. Plus, they did so despite His gracious warning that there would be serious consequences for their wicked behavior. My guess is things are about to get a little hot up in here so you might want to bring an iced latte to the porch today! Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/ Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re going to bring this 4- part series on prayer to a close, which is kind of like taking the very last bite of the very last brownie in a pan. It’s left me wanting more. A few nights ago, I found myself rereading some of the material I’d studied on prayer in preparation for this series and got lost in an old book my dad gave me many years ago by a saint named, E.M. Bounds. He was an attorney and Civil War soldier, who then became a pastor after being seriously wounded in the war, and ultimately a devoted practitioner and prolific author on prayer. I’d almost forgotten that great man of prayer was the pastor of a church right here in Franklin, TN in the late 1800’s, just a few miles from our house. So I drove past his old church, the First United Methodist Church on Fifth Avenue yesterday, and pondered a few of his observations on prayer: • Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet. • Prayer breaks all bars, dissolves all chains, opens all prisons, and widens all straits by which God’s saints have been held. • I would rather have prayer without words than words without prayer. And finally it was E.M. Bounds who described Christoformity as the consummate shape of prayer, “When we see how the life of Jesus was but one of prayer, then we must conclude that to be like Jesus is to pray like Jesus.” We’re calling today’s episode - our swan song on The Theology of Prayer - “How God Himself Said Grace.” So please grab a cup of coffee, your Bible, and a prayer journal – or my favorite thing to write notes on, which is a neon sticky pad – and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here. Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/ Lisa Harper’s Luke Study is available here.

Save 25% off an annual subscription to Dwell here. Today's episode on Back Porch Theology is really special. I mean, all of them are really special. It's kind of like choosing your favorite ice cream flavor, but this feels more like a real family episode, because I get to bring in some friends from the Found Collective. Found Collective is a new event for women to lean more fully into Jesus with Bible teachers and worship leaders. I've got three of my dear friends from the Found Collective, Hosanna Wong, amazing Bible teacher, spoken word artist, Kari Jobe, who's like a little sister, and one of my favorite modern-day psalmists, and Taya Gaukrodger. Taya is also just an amazing artist and worship leader, and we are just kind of hanging out on the porch talking about Jesus, talking about salvation and all that He's done for us. So, this is a little more testimonial than some of our other episodes, which means I hope you are wearing stretchy pants or something comfortable. I hope you've got some sweet tea or your favorite coffee. We want you to lean back, put your feet up, and just enjoy this time of leaning into the embrace of Jesus more fully on the porch. We are so glad you're here! For tickets to Found: Please visit https://foundcollective.com/ Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Learn more about The Chosen HERE. Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

Save 25% off an annual subscription to Dwell here. What happens with the supernatural starts to become more natural? During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re peeling off whatever emotional Spanx are left and getting totally vulnerable in the praxis of prayer. This is our third conversation in a 4-part series we’ve titled The Theology of Prayer. Our fervent hope and prayer is that the time we get to spend on the porch today will help demystify the glorious sacrament of prayer and serve as an encouraging catalyst for all of us to become more confident and consistent in our conversations with God. So please grab a cup of coffee – although decaf might be the best option since we’re going to learn a few anxiety-pulverizing prayers – your Bible, and a prayer journal if you have one and come exhale into the kindness of King Jesus with us. We’re glad you’re here. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Learn more about The Chosen HERE. Kerygma Sale! Invite a friend or two and take advantage of a $75 discount on two tickets or $150 off three tickets by entering the codes BIGBIBLES2 or BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/

How do you pray? During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, we’re rolling up our sleeves in this second of a 4-part series on prayer and getting practical because we’re going to talk about the awesomely vast and varied praxis of prayer. In my experience, far too many of us have been taught - overtly or tacitly - that there’s one “right” way to pray and unfortunately the implication we perceived is that we’re a square peg in the round hole of prayer and don’t know how to “correctly” commune with God. The prayers recorded in the redemptive history of God’s people are wonderfully diverse. There are short prayers and long prayers and quiet petitions and shouted pleas, they reflect both the rapture and the rupture of real people experiencing real life! What IS a common denominator in the conversations people had with our Creator in Scripture is the awareness that we humans can’t make it by ourselves - we NEED His divine help! So please grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea or thimble full of wheat grass juice, a couple of snacks, your Bible and a prayer journal if you have one - otherwise a couple of sticky notes will do - and come hang out on the porch with us. We’re really glad you’re here. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.

Ever wonder why do we pray? Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is the first of a four-part series we’re really excited and passionate about called The Theology of Prayer. Alli, Dr. Howard and I have talked and dreamed and pondered and of course prayed about doing a series on prayer for years, and I think the main reason it’s taken us so long to finally record this series is because the glorious rich, nuanced, profound, practical and transformative experience of communing with our Creator Redeemer is kind of like the mouth-watering brisket they serve at Buccees. Karl Barth – one of my favorite theologians wrote this, “To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.” Isn’t that good? I’m not nearly as wise as those saints but in my experience of being a Christ-follower for more than half a century now, I’ve found prayer to be the very scaffolding of my security and contentment. At this point in my life, prayer is as necessary and life-giving as breathing. We’re really looking forward to the next couple of episodes and we’re so grateful to get to share them with y’all. You can enjoy a $75 discount on your Kerygma tickets when you purchase two by applying the code BIGBIBLES2. Alternatively, if you buy three tickets, you’ll receive a $150 discount with the code BIGBIBLES3. Visit https://www.kerygmasummit.com/ Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.

During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology, the very last stop in our topsy-turvy tour through Judges, we’re going to hang out with a hot mess of a man who was my favorite character in biblical narrative – apart from Jesus, of course – when I was a little girl. His name was Samson and I’m not sure why I was so captivated by him when I was a kid because for most of his life, he was a rebel without a clue. Although Sam’s birth announcement was engraved by an angel, and he was doted on by good and godly parents who suffered through decades of infertility before they got pregnant with him, he rejected their morality and devotion to God and went careening in the opposite direction. I’m not going to spoil the audacious end of his story in this preview, but if you’ve been on the porch for the last few episodes, you know that divine redemption is always lurking in the darkest alleys of humanity. Dr. Tim Keller explained it beautifully, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” We’re serving up extra portions of hope on the porch today, so we’re delighted you’ve chosen to pull up a chair to chow down with us. Please grab your favorite beverage, and a Bible and let’s dive into this divine love story and remind our prone-to-wander selves of the miraculous redemption available to us because God’s faithfulness has always been weightier than our flaws! Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.

Save 25% off an annual subscription to Dwell here. During today’s podcast on Back Porch Theology we’re exploring one of the greatest leaders in the history of God’s people who just so happens to be a chick named Deb! She was both a judge and a prophetess. Which means she was kind of like a president and pastor rolled into one - the entire prone-to-wander nation of Israel turned to her for leadership, wisdom, and spiritual guidance. And another unlikely heroine makes her debut during Deborah’s timeline, too. Her name was Jael and let me tell you, that woman was LEGIT - she could have held her own against a burly, tatted MMA fighter twice her size! Even though these women’s stories take place long before David’s in redemptive history, they illustrate what God said to Samuel about Davey when he was anointed to be the future king of Israel before he even started shaving, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” In other words, God delights in using misfits in miraculous ways. Don’t forget, the book of Judges was a bleak chapter in the history of God’s people – there was no king on the throne, the Word of God was not being taught in the land, and most people were doing whatever crooked little hearts desired. It looked as if their toes were hanging over the edge of obscurity. And based on their rebellion and idolatry, they deserved to be fried into greased spots of oblivion by some divine lightning bolt. Instead, our Heavenly Father inserts a couple of unlikely heroes into their drama, which results in an epic military victory as well as a national revival. The brightest mornings often follow the darkest nights when we give God the sole authorship of our story. It a great day to hang out on the porch, so please grab your favorite beverage, your Bible, and a snack and come prop your feet up with us. We love getting to spend this time with you. Watch the Ark in the Darkness HERE. Learn more about The Chosen HERE.

Join the mission! Visit donate.accessmore.com to help fund more episodes and shows like this. During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology we’re diving into our second in a series called The Theology of ROAR that explores the cyclical, increasingly damaging nature of unconfessed sin. Unbridled rebellion is like a hoard of hungry termites on a piece of damp wood, it eats away at our emotional and relational integrity until there’s nothing left but dust and regret. But here’s the great news, throughout human history God has consistently interrupted the chaos of our rebellion with His compassionate spirit. And when Holy Spirit permeates our conscious, we become not simply cognizant that we’re unwell, we become aware that our Creator is also our Healer. Contrary to the flawed reasoning of many in modern culture, a heightened awareness of our own sin nature doesn’t lead to depression, instead it shifts our fallenness into the realm of real hope! It’s what Jesus was talking about in Mark chapter two when He said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” Today we’re going to get up close and personal with a dude who did just that. He started out as a weenie but ended up an epic warrior in God’s kingdom, once again proving that you can start bad and end up awesome when grace invades your story. We’re so grateful you’ve carved out this time to hang out on the porch with us; getting to lean into the unconditional love of God with y’all has become a habit we hope we don’t ever have to break! Which reminds me, if you haven’t already, will you please subscribe to BPT on whatever app you use to listen to podcasts? Your subscriptions ensure that Alli, Dr. Howard and I get to keep doing this podcast, so thank you very, very much.