Living Theology
The Allender Center Podcast
The Allender Center
4.7 • 647 Ratings
🗓️ 26 September 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For many, theology brings to mind dusty bookshelves, abstract arguments, and rigid dogmas. But what if theology wasn't static? What if it could move, breathe, and shape the way we live, love, and lead in the world?
In this episode, Dr. Dan Allender and Rachael Clinton Chen are joined by Dr. Lauren D. Sawyer to talk about living theology—a way of engaging God and Scripture that doesn't stay confined to the context of books, a classroom, or even church, but instead has "feet" that walk into our everyday lives. Lauren shares about The Seattle School's new Certificate in Living Theology, a one-year online program designed to bring theology into conversation with psychology, culture, story, and community.
Together, they explore why theology is never neutral, how our contexts shape what we believe, and why listening and dialogue are as essential as doctrine. You'll hear how living theology is less about arriving at final answers and more about cultivating a faith that is reflective, embodied, and responsive to the complexities of our time.
If you've ever longed for a way of doing theology that feels deeply connected to life, justice, and relational depth, this conversation is an invitation to consider what it means for theology to truly come alive.
Learn more about the Certificate in Living Theology: theseattleschool.edu/programs/living-theology-certificate
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | At the Allender Center, we know story and relational healing can reshape the way we see ourselves and the world. |
| 0:13.9 | What if theology could be approached with this same care? |
| 0:16.8 | The certificate in living theology, hosted by the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology |
| 0:21.9 | is a fully online one-year program that explores how theology is formed, challenged, and renewed |
| 0:29.6 | in conversation with culture, history, and lived experience. |
| 0:34.6 | In this program, you'll engage in live online classes that invite rigorous and reflective |
| 0:40.8 | dialogue, and you'll join in listening labs that cultivate presence, discernment, and deeper connection. |
| 0:48.1 | With the guidance of experienced mentors, you'll learn to integrate theological insight |
| 0:53.3 | with psychological awareness and relational |
| 0:56.1 | depth, shaping a faith that can engage the complexities of our time. |
| 1:01.9 | Discover how theology and story can come alive together. Learn more at theseattle |
| 1:06.9 | school.edu. |
| 1:24.7 | Thank you for listening to the Allender Center podcast. I'm Dr. Dan Allender. |
| 1:26.3 | And I'm Rachel Clinton-Cent. We're fiercely committed to providing hope and healing to a fragmented world. |
| 1:31.0 | And restoration for the heart. |
| 1:33.4 | Thank you for joining us. |
| 1:34.7 | Let's get this conversation started. |
| 1:40.3 | You know, Rachel, sometimes we need to give sort of a trigger warning to a particular episode. |
| 1:53.6 | This seems like one we need to offer. |
| 1:56.8 | We're going to be talking about theology. |
| 2:00.8 | Don't turn us off. |
| 2:04.9 | Oh, no. |
... |
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