When does church leadership become spiritual manipulation? And how do you disagree with a pastor who says, “God told me”? Preston talks with New Testament scholar Joshua W. Jipp about how even well-meaning Christian leaders can cross the line from serving people to controlling them.

Drawing on his book, How (Not) to Be a Tyrant, Josh explores what the Bible’s worst rulers reveal about power, ambition, and the temptation to use God’s authority to advance our own agendas. We discuss why charisma and results aren’t enough to identify a healthy leader, how fear can become a tool of control, and what makes Jesus’ approach to leadership radically different.

We also wrestle with church leadership structures, Paul’s use of authority, Romans 13 and Revelation 13, and when Christians should submit, push back, or leave. Along the way, we consider the faithful pastors whose humility and service rarely make the headlines.

Joshua W. Jipp (PhD, Emory University) is associate professor of New Testament at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of several books, including his most recent book, How (Not) to Be a Tyrant: Ten Lessons on Life and Leadership from the Bible’s Worst Rulers (Brazos Press).

CHAPTERS

00:00 When spiritual authority becomes control

00:39 Introducing Joshua W. Jipp

02:19 Why study the Bible’s worst rulers?

07:04 Leadership and power throughout the Bible

09:55 Did God want Israel to have a king?

13:32 Sponsors

15:53 The temptation facing well-meaning leaders

17:47 Using God to advance a leader’s agenda

18:59 Why success and charisma aren’t enough

23:16 Does the Bible prescribe a church leadership structure?

28:29 How can a servant leader exercise authority?

34:58 Subtle warning signs of controlling leadership

37:57 When disagreeing with a leader means disagreeing with God

39:46 Can other leaders genuinely push back?

40:59 How fear becomes a tool of control

42:18 Submitting to bad rulers: Romans 13 and Revelation 13

47:30 When should you push back on church leadership?

51:13 The faithful pastors who don’t make headlines

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Are Christians being fair in how we understand Islam? Palestinian Christian scholar Dr. Daniel Bannoura joins Preston Sprinkle to explore Islam and Christianity, religious violence, what the Quran says about Jesus, and the treatment of women.

In the fourth and final episode of our Understanding Islam series, Daniel helps me process my conversations with Javad Hashmi, Gabriel Said Reynolds, and Fariza Gulomikova, including some of the pushback the series received.

Daniel grew up in the West Bank and earned his PhD in Islamic Studies at Notre Dame, focusing on the biblical subtext of the Qur’an. We discuss the relationship between the Quran and Hadith, Islamic teachings about Jesus and the Trinity, and Daniel’s interpretation of the Quran’s passage on the crucifixion.

We also wrestle with Christianity’s own history of justifying violence and how politics, culture, and education shape Muslim communities. And I press Daniel on whether Christianity and Islam offer distinct visions for the treatment of women.

It’s a challenging conversation about real theological differences, our own assumptions, and what it means to love our Muslim neighbors faithfully.

Watch or listen to Extra Innings at https://patreon.com/theologyintheraw, where Daniel and I tackle your questions: Is Islam animated by dark spiritual forces? Is it a Christian heresy or a separate religion? What can Christians learn from Muslims? And how should we respond to fears about Sharia law in America?

CHAPTERS

00:00 A Palestinian Christian’s experience of violence

00:31 Understanding Islam: The series finale

02:22 Meet Dr. Daniel Bannoura

05:13 Learning to love Muslim neighbors

08:31 Reflecting on the Islam series

12:31 Was Javad Hashmi representative of Islam?

18:22 The Quran, Hadith, and Islamic scholarship

24:22 What does Islam teach about Jesus?

28:27 The Quran and the Trinity

30:08 Does the Quran deny Jesus’ crucifixion?

35:43 How religious traditions develop

38:14 Why focus on violence and women?

40:27 Comparing Christian and Muslim violence

44:30 Muslim diversity beyond the stereotypes

45:43 Colonialism, politics, and religious extremism

48:37 Women, culture, and education

52:08 Do Christianity and Islam treat women differently?

55:00 Jesus’ countercultural treatment of women

59:41 Your questions answered in Extra Innings

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Watch our Extra Innings conversation on Patreon, where John Mark Comer shares his evolving views on women in church leadership and the questions he’s still wrestling with: https://www.patreon.com/theologyintheraw

What is constant noise doing to our souls? And why can being alone with God feel so uncomfortable?

John Mark Comer joins Preston to discuss his latest book, Into the Quiet: Following Jesus in a World of Noise. We explore how noise affects our capacity to love God and others, what surfaced during John Mark’s 21-day solitude retreat, and why silence often brings us face-to-face with the pain we’ve been avoiding.

John Mark also shares why quiet doesn’t come naturally to him, how to practice solitude within the demands of everyday life, the difference between solitude and loneliness, and the surprising structure of the small church he helps pastor.

John Mark Comer is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Practicing the Way, which was named the 2025 Christian Book of the Year by the ECPA, and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, which has sold more than a million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. His latest book is Into the Quiet: Following Jesus in a World of Noise, which forms the basis of our conversation. John Mark is a pastor and the founder of Practicing the Way, an organization working to see the renewal of apprenticeship to Jesus in our time.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why solitude is so hard

00:49 Introducing John Mark Comer

03:57 Running, ministry, and friendship

07:24 Why your body matters for spiritual formation

10:27 Writing theology that people can understand

12:53 Noise is a threat to our souls

13:48 Sponsors

15:45 How noise affects our bodies and relationships

21:47 John Mark’s 21-day solitude retreat

24:32 What we learn when distractions are stripped away

27:36 Jesus’ rhythm of retreat and return

30:49 Becoming a person of quiet in an anxious world

34:45 Solitude for busy people and extroverts

38:39 Finding quiet within the life you actually have

42:08 The difference between solitude and loneliness

44:56 Inside John Mark’s small church community

47:51 Extra Innings: Women in church leadership

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