The Allender Center Podcast

With some help from Marie Kondo's famous work around clutter and tidiness, Dan invites us to consider how approaching even the smallest decisions with a sense of delight might help draw us deeper into beauty and goodness.

Dan Allender launches a new series about decision-making, and how the category of delight might help us discern which path to take.

Dan Allender continues his conversation with Steve Call about fostering reconnection in marriage, which is not possible without deep empathy, honest engagement of trauma, and the fundamental art of play.

Dan and Becky Allender reflect on the year ahead, wondering about the themes and desires they feel for the coming months.

Dan and Becky Allender invite us to look back on the past year, to remember the highlights and low points, the delights and challenges, and to wonder what themes Jesus has been growing in us this year.

Dan and Becky Allender conclude our holiday series by talking about something that will be all too familiar for most listeners: family conflict.

Dan and Becky Allender continue their conversation about the holidays by discussing the deep sense of disappointment that so often leads to conflict.

Dan and Becky Allender reflect on the benefits and drawbacks of nostalgia—which can help inform our desire for goodness in the present, or can set up unrealistic expectations that inevitably lead to disappointment.

Dan Allender continues talking with therapist and author Andrew Bauman, whose book Stumbling Toward Wholeness offers a new, vital perspective on the familiar story of the Prodigal Son.

Dan Allender talks with therapist and author Andrew Bauman about his new book, Stumbling Toward Wholeness, and about the movement through shame and self-righteousness to kindness.

Dan Allender continues his conversation with Stasi Eldredge about defiant joy, honest engagement with sorrow, and the unrelenting hope that brokenness is not the end of the story.

Dan Allender is joined by Stasi Eldredge to talk about her new book, Defiant Joy, and the intimate connection between joy and sorrow.

Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel continue their conversation about The Tale, a stunning new film that raises crucial questions about arousal, contempt, and the necessity of telling our stories of trauma and abuse.

Dan Allender and Cathy Loerzel talk about The Tale, a fiercely important new film from HBO that is a vital addition to ongoing conversations about childhood sexual abuse.

Dan Allender, Rachael Clinton, and Beau Denton celebrate more than four years and 200 episodes of The Allender Center podcast. As they reflect on their favorite moments so far, they dream together about how the conversation might continue in the future.

Dan Allender and Jay Stringer conclude their conversation about sexual brokenness, the need for integrity and community in healing, and Jay's new book Unwanted.

Dan continues his conversation with Jay Stringer about sexual brokenness and the need to engage the particular stories that inform how we view ourselves and how we relate to others.

Dan kicks off a three-part conversation with minister and therapist Jay Stringer, whose book, Unwanted: How Sexual Brokenness Reveals Our Way to Healing, was released earlier this month.

This week, Wendell Moss continues his conversation with Sam Eldredge, originally recorded for the podcast from And Sons Magazine in Colorado.

This week, we're sharing a conversation from the folks at And Sons Magazine in Colorado. Teaching Staff member Wendell Moss talks with Sam Eldredge about the intersections of race, masculinity, and trauma.

This week, Dan talks with Dr. Craig Detweiler, President of The Seattle School, about the transfiguration narrative in Luke 9, and about how we respond to moments of divine beauty.

This week, Dan talks with Dr. Derek McNeil, Senior Vice President of Academics at The Seattle School, about Luke 22:24-34 and how our ongoing growth requires that we face both our capacity for betrayal and the ways we have been betrayed.

This week, Dan talks with Dr. Angela Parker, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at The Seattle School, about 1 Corinthians 4:8-13 and what it means to foster meaningful, nuanced conversations in the midst of difference.

This week, Dan talks with Dr. Chelle Stearns, Associate Professor of Theology at The Seattle School, about Philippians 2 and the idea that following the example of Christ means becoming more fully ourselves.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender continue their conversation about parenting adult children, particularly when the relationship is so broken that it seems beyond repair.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender start a two-part conversation about parenting adult children. How can we engage complex dynamics with curiosity and a hope of change, rather than maintaining the status quo or reenacting past harm?

This week, Dan and Becky Allender conclude our series on loneliness by discussing how the journey away from the shame of disconnection begins with an act of confession.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender continue their conversation about loneliness by looking at the particular ways it shows up in marriage and other intimate relationships.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender kick off a three-part series on loneliness. They begin by wrestling with some of the differences between sporadic, situational loneliness and chronic, existential loneliness.

This week, Dan continues his conversation with professor Nancy Kane about the work of spiritual formation. Nancy shares about the deep change she has seen in those who dare go beyond a Sunday morning faith.

This week, Dan talks with professor Nancy Kane about the work of spiritual formation. Nancy reminds us that following Christ is not just a matter of reading our Bible and going to church. It is a whole-bodied journey into the deepest needs and desires of the human heart.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender continue discussing the dynamics of hospitality by exploring what it means to be a good host as we welcome friends and relatives into our homes this summer.

This week, Dan and Becky Allender dive into the dynamics of hospitality and what it means to be a good guest or host. As we visit the homes of others, how can we enter their world with gratitude, humility, and delight?

This week, Dan shares his second recommendation for essential summer reading: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, a book that shines light into some of the darkest realities of our nation's systems of racism and injustice.

This week, Dan kicks off our Summer Reading series with a recommendation for Survivor Cafe by Elizabeth Rosner, a vivid look at the impact of generational trauma and the ways we tell the stories we have no language for.

This week, Dr. Chelle Stearns, Associate Professor of Theology at The Seattle School, continues talking with Dan about her work toward developing a theology of trauma and abuse. Chelle shares how learning from artists can help us enter those realms marked by an absence of language and meaning.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender is joined by Dr. Chelle Stearns, a violinist, theologian, and Associate Professor of Theology at The Seattle School. Chelle shares about her work in developing a theology of abuse, and about her deep conviction that we find God most often in places of immense sorrow and stunning beauty.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender continues his conversation with Dr. Craig Detweiler, President of The Seattle School. Craig, a writer and filmmaker, engages Dan's questions about a few favorite directors, and together they wonder about how stories of tragedy, comedy, and fantasy might all reflect something of the heart of the Gospel.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender talks with Dr. Craig Detweiler, President of The Seattle School, about how filmmaking and storytelling can help deepen our imagination for new ways of being in the world.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender and his long-time friend, Biblical scholar Dr. Tremper Longman III, conclude our series about the mystery of living with adaptive, creative wisdom in a fallen world—something far more complex than rote knowledge or easy answers.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender and his best friend, Biblical scholar Dr. Tremper Longman III, continue our series about the complex category of wisdom by discussing the need to remain open to change and to never stop learning. What does it mean to have both the integrity of deep convictions and the willingness to be proven wrong? As we'll hear today, that's one of the many conundrums of wisdom.

This week, Dr. Dan Allender and his long-time best friend, Biblical scholar Dr. Tremper Longman III, kick off a three-part series about the complex category of wisdom, starting with a loaded and crucial concept: the fear of the Lord.

This week, Rachael Clinton continues her conversation about Black Panther with Teaching Staff member Wendell Moss and Michael Thornhill of the Coalition for Christian Outreach. Rachael, Wendell, and Michael talk about Erik Killmonger, a complex and compelling character who has much to teach us about collective trauma and systemic harm.

This week, Rachael Clinton sits down with Teaching Staff member Wendell Moss and Michael Thornhill of the Coalition for Christian Outreach to launch a two-part conversation about the hit film Black Panther. Rachael, Wendell, and Michael discuss a few of the movie's memorable characters and begin unpacking how the narrative reflects the complexity and humanity of trauma and healing.

This week, Dan Allender and Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Program Development and Admissions, respond to feedback about our recent series on spiritual abuse. From the volume of responses, it is clear that this category strikes a deep and personal chord for many listeners, and we did not want to let this moment pass without acknowledging the complexity of this crucial conversation.

This week, Dan Allender and Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Program Development and Admissions, conclude their conversation on spiritual abuse by talking about the long, painful journey toward healing. After being controlled and harmed by others in such profound ways, what does it look like to name our experience, allow ourselves to be cared for, and rediscover the goodness of God in our relationships?

This week, Dan Allender and Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Program Development and Admissions, continue their conversation on the dynamics and fallout of spiritual abuse. Rachael vulnerably shares more of her own story to help unpack the betrayal, loss of trust, and deep shame that come when corrupt leadership is seen as the voice of God in a community.

This week, Dan Allender is joined by Rachael Clinton, Assistant Director of Program Development and Admissions, to begin a three-part conversation on the dynamics and fallout of spiritual abuse. Dan and Rachael discuss the pervasive and insidious realities of systems that use power to control and divide, fragmenting the beauty of a community that bears God's name.

This week, Dan Allender, Cathy Loerzel, and Rachael Clinton conclude their conversation about our upcoming online course, Story Sage. As they continue wrestling with what it means to engage stories with boldness and care, they begin to explore what might be the most volatile and dangerous terrain in this work: family of origin.

This week, Dan Allender, Cathy Loerzel, and Rachael Clinton continue their conversation about what it means to enter the stories of others with curiosity, attunement, and care. As we gear up for our new Story Sage online course, we're inviting you to consider how you might develop the capacity to enter stories of harm and heartache for the sake of healing.