Mere Fidelity

Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts, Brad East, and James Wood trace the evangelical spiritual formation movement from Richard Foster through Dallas Willard to John Mark Comer. They explore why disciplines resonate today amid technological distraction and desire for embodied faith, while navigating tensions between individual and communal formation, liturgy's role, and concerns about practices becoming self-optimization divorced from gospel foundations.
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Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.
Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, 30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to 
Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships
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Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:06 – Tracing the Spiritual Formation Movement
08:35 – Why Spiritual Disciplines Resonate Today
19:45 – Technology, Attention, and the Appeal of Forms
25:00 – Critiques: Self-Optimization and Theological Drift
33:12 – The Role of Set Prayers and Liturgy
44:50 – Inhabiting Forms vs. Formalism
53:00 – Suffering as Spiritual Formation
58:47 – The Danger of Christian Elitism
01:12:54 – The Parable of the Three Bricklayers

Hosts Derek Rishmawy and Brad East are joined by Myles Werntz to discuss his Christianity Today Award of Merit-winning book, Contesting the Body of Christ: Ecclesiology's Revolutionary Century. Rather than systematic argument, Werntz uses narrative case studies examining how diverse Christian communities—from African Pentecostals to Korean Presbyterians—have embodied and contested the classical marks of the church.
His starting premise: assume the Holy Spirit is at work in churches confessing Christ, then investigate what's happening. The conversation tackles tough questions about theological boundaries, ecumenical charity, and faithful disagreement when salvation is at stake.
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Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.
Get 40% of the Baker Book of the Month, Reading The Psalms As Scripture by James Hamilton and Matthew Damico, by using the promo code MEREFIDELITY at checkout. Get the book here: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781683597766_reading-the-psalms-as-scripture
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Key Topics
Why the 20th century was revolutionary for the church (Vatican II, Pentecostalism, decolonization, ecumenical movement)
Contestation as intrinsic to ecclesial life, not a bug but a feature
Theological guardrails: the Nicene Creed, Scripture, faith-hope-love
Limit cases: when does disagreement become denial of God's work?
How to argue faithfully in a non-Roman Catholic ecclesiology
Guest
Myles Werntz, Professor of Theology at Abilene Christian University
A podcast from Mere Orthodoxy

Derek Rishmawy, Alastair Roberts and Brad East talk with Dr. Jason Staples about his book 'Paul and the Resurrection of Israel.' The discussion explores the themes of restoration eschatology, the role of Gentiles in Paul's theology, and the nature of Israel's restoration. Staples argues that Paul's understanding of Israel is broader than just ethnic Jews, emphasizing the inclusion of Gentiles in the restoration narrative. The conversation also touches on the concept of infectious holiness and the church's role as the assembly of Israel, highlighting the theological implications of these ideas for contemporary Christianity.
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Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership
Get 40% of the Baker Book of the Month, Reading The Psalms As Scripture by James Hamilton and Matthew Damico, by using the promo code MEREFIDELITY at checkout. Get the book here: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781683597766_reading-the-psalms-as-scripture
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00:00 Introduction to the Conversation
 
01:30 Not All Israelites Are Jews
 
09:47 Restoration Eschatology Explained
 
18:00 They're ALL Coming Back
 
26:08 Infectious Holiness
 
30:28 Reassimilation of the Other Tribes
 
40:15 Symphonic Gospels
 
47:27 The Transformation of Jews and Gentiles
 
01:02:51 Cut Off and Grafted In
 
01:09:13 Nations Qua Nations

Derek, Brad, and Alastair talk with Leah Sargeant about her book The Dignity of Dependence. They discuss why the world is built for male bodies, how pregnancy exposes universal human dependence, whether artificial wombs would help anyone, what's wrong with workplace dynamics, and why autonomy is a dangerous cultural idol.
 
Chapters
 
00:00 Introduction to The Dignity of Dependence
 
01:07 Unpacking the Feminist Manifesto
 
03:15 The Intersection of Feminism and Dependence
 
06:24 Christian Perspectives on Feminism
 
08:06 Navigating Interchangeability in Society
 
12:37 Accommodating Differences in a Standardized World
 
17:40 The Role of Dependence in Human Experience
 
21:54 The Asymmetry of Dependence and Fertility
 
29:54 The Power of Asking for Help
 
31:10 Marketization of Relationships
 
32:24 The Impact of Endless Choices
 
33:54 Debt and Relationships
 
36:25 Navigating Dependence and Dependability
 
38:16 The Dignity of Dependence
 
39:47 The Intersection of Dependence and Dignity
 
43:28 Gender Dynamics in Dependence
 
46:23 Skepticism Towards Artificial Wombs
 
50:44 Technical Challenges in Podcasting
 
51:56 The Ethics of Artificial Wombs
 
53:28 The Experience of Motherhood
 
55:54 Navigating Technological Consequentialism
 
57:33 The Role of Suffering in Life
 
59:00 Gender Dynamics in Professional Environments
 
01:00:29 Historical Context of Gender Roles
 
01:03:00 The Nature of Workplace Relationships
 
01:05:47 HR Dynamics and Workplace Culture
 
01:08:05 The Intersection of Gender and Professionalism
 
01:16:48 Concluding Thoughts on Dependence and Gender

div]:bg-bg-000/50 [&_pre>div]:border-0.5 [&_pre>div]:border-border-400 [&_.ignore-pre-bg>div]:bg-transparent [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.standard-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pl-2 [&_.progressive-markdown_:is(p,blockquote,ul,ol,h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6)]:pr-8"> _*]:min-w-0 standard-markdown"> Post-liberalism has escaped the internet and entered mainstream politics—but what does it actually mean? Derek, James, and Alastair map three competing visions: nostalgic return to pre-modern order, retrieval of Christian liberalism, or genuine revolution forward.



 
 


 

 

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