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Complex Creatures: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Jarrod Longbons
Exploring Spirituality and the common good
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- 2 days ago35 min
Portals in Our Pockets: Dillon Thornton on Technology and the Seven Deadly Sins
What is the smartphone in your pocket quietly forming you into? On this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons talks with pastor and theologian Dillon Thornton about his book Deathly (De)Vices: Our Ever-Present Portals to Seven Ancient Sins, which reads our screens through the old Christian language of the seven deadly sins. Drawing on Evagrius of Pontus, Aquinas, and a memorable story about violinist Fritz Kreisler, they trace how devices amplify vainglory, envy, sloth, and lust, and how pornography is uniquely deforming young men. Thornton reframes technology not as neutral but as spiritual formation: our phones echo Jesus's call to abide. The takeaway is bracing. You can live without it, and you might be more human if you did.#ComplexCreatures #DillonThornton #DeathlyDevices #SevenDeadlySins #SpiritualFormation #TechnologyAndFaith #DigitalDiscipleship #SocialMediaAndFaith #ChristianPodcast #FaithAndCommunity #SpiritualPodcast
- 2 weeks ago59 min
Three Revolutions, a Fourfold Crisis: Zachary Wagner on Men of Virtue, the Fruit of the Spirit, and the Aspirational Vision of Manhood
What if the crisis facing boys and men isn't a lack of rules, but a missing aspiration? A vision not just of what to avoid, but of who to become?In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with author, ordained minister, and New Testament scholar Zachary Wagner ( Director of Programs at the Center for Pastor Theologians, DPhil graduate of the University of Oxford, and co-host of the Pastor Theologians Podcast) to talk about his forthcoming book Men of Virtue: How the Fruit of the Spirit Forms Male Character in the Modern World (Brazos Press, May 26, 2026), the follow-up to his 2023 Non-Toxic Masculinity: Recovering Healthy Male Sexuality (InterVarsity Press).Zach lays out a framework he calls three revolutions leading to a fourfold crisis: the Industrial Revolution, which untethered male embodiment from meaning-making; the Sexual Revolution, which reshaped gender roles and intimacy; and the ongoing Technological Revolution, which is accelerating the displacement faster than we can metabolize it. The result is a generation of boys and men casting around for something, anything, to fill the void: parasitic masculinity influencers, martial arts as identity, deaths of despair. What if the answer the Church has been holding all along is the fruit of the Spirit?Together, Jarrod and Zach explore:Why "don't misbehave" is the lowest possible bar, and what an aspirational, virtue-rooted vision of manhood actually looks likeThe legacy of Wild at Heart, purity culture, and Joshua Harris, the good, the bad, and the wreckage left behindRichard Reeves's Of Boys and Men and why both left and right finally agree something is wrongThe fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — as a Christian alternative to neo-Stoic "bro-icism"Why organized sports, martial arts, and even fraternities historically emerged as responses to industrial displacementThe theological scandal of male embodiment, and why disdain for our own bodies isn't piety, it's pathologyThe three things boys and men need from older men: acceptance, aspiration, and delight , including the simple, unfashionable words "I like you."Zach's hope is straightforward but rare: a vision of masculinity that is distinctly Christian, biblically grounded, embodied, and aspirational, not a culture-war flag, not a list of prohibitions, but participation in the divine nature itself.#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #ZacharyWagner #MenOfVirtue #NonToxicMasculinity #BrazosPress #InterVarsityPress #FruitOfTheSpirit #ChristianMasculinity #BiblicalMasculinity #VirtueEthics #CenterForPastorTheologians #PastorTheologiansPodcast #JarrodLongbons #PeachtreeChristianChurch #RichardReeves #OfBoysAndMen #WildAtHeart #JohnEldredge #PurityCulture #MensMinistry #MaleFormation #SpiritualFormation #Discipleship #ChristianStoicism #FaithAndCulture #TheologyAndCulture #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualPracticesForTheCommonGood
- 3 weeks ago50 min
Just Call It Virtue: Jarrod and Alan on Masculinity Beyond the Checklist
When you hear the word "masculinity," what's the first image that shows up — for better or worse? And what changes if the real answer has less to do with being a man and more to do with being good?In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons steps out from behind his own show with producer Alan Barnes for a wide-ranging, unscripted conversation about masculinity — what we inherit, what we choose, and why the topic has become so hard to talk about.Together, Jarrod and Alan explore:How a holiday spent with nephews — rock climbing, ropes courses, trips to the nail salon — got Jarrod thinking about what we actually tell boys about being a good manPromise Keepers, Wild at Heart, and the cultural whiplash between "be a leader" and "be sensitive"The manosphere — from the Tate brothers to Jordan Peterson — as "a very bad answer to a very good problem"Why resentment is the engine drawing so many young men in, and how the economy and online dating feed itThe case against essentialism — why virtue (faith, hope, love, courage, prudence, temperance) belongs to everyone, expressed through each person's own temperamentJarrod's "real hot take": that what young men need most is an older man to look at them and say, I see you, and you're okayAlan's closing reflection on expressing who you are through the lens of virtue, responding instead of reacting, and learning to trust yourselfIt's not a checklist, and it's not the final word — but as Jarrod puts it, that's rather the point. We are complex creatures, and this is a conversation worth continuing.#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #Masculinity #Virtue #ChristianFormation #Discipleship #Mentorship #BoysAndMen #FaithAndCulture #SpiritualFormation #Fatherhood #ManosphereDiscourse #RootedAndRenewed #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch
- May 6, 202654 min
Rooted but Not Stuck: Jarrod Longbons on Traditioned Innovation, the Life-Giving Kernel, and a Hundred Years of Peachtree
What does it mean to carry tradition without becoming a relic — in a world that's either obsessed with novelty or stuck in nostalgia?In this episode of Complex Creatures, the tables turn: Alan O.W. Barnes steps out from behind the scenes to host, putting Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons in the guest seat for a wide-ranging conversation about traditioned innovation — the language Jarrod borrows from theologian L. Gregory Jones and Andrew Hogue's Navigating the Future — and what it looks like to lead a 100-year-old congregation in Midtown Atlanta into its next century.Drawing on John Henry Newman's image of doctrine as a river, Robert Webber's Ancient-Future vision, and a memorable story about a 1980s church bus ministry, Jarrod unpacks the difference between the purpose of a tradition and the container it arrives in — and why mistaking one for the other is how communities end up worshipping at the feet of relics.Together, Alan and Jarrod explore:Why tradition and innovation are a tension, not a conflict — and how Christianity itself is a traditioned innovation of JudaismThe "spirit and purpose versus container" framework, and how it changes everything from bus ministries to worship styleHow Holy Eucharist shapes Peachtree's architecture, liturgy, and even its strategic plan — "everyone has a place, everyone is called, everyone is welcome"The elders' prayer-card tradition, and what makes a small practice life-giving for decadesHow to safeguard against idolatry of place and trend-chasing — and why most "next steps" in church growth are really keeping up with the JonesesThe cautionary tale of trying to out–North Point North PointLectio divina, holy reading of the Church Fathers, and why Augustine on Genesis still has something to say to usCarey Nieuwhof's line that "churches in love with their mission will thrive; churches in love with their method will die"What the latest Barna and Pew numbers reveal about Gen Z, young men, and the surprising rise of Latin Rite Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Pentecostal worshipWhy high-demand, high-experience churches are growing — and what that says about what people are actually hungry forThe "manosphere" as a bad answer to a good question, and why men's ministry doesn't need to be complicated to matterHow Jonathan Haidt, The Anxious Generation, and a sober-from-network-news governor of Utah point toward spiritual practices for the common goodAnd one piece of fatherly advice for Jarrod's daughter Ruby — and a message in a time capsule for Peachtree Christian Church a hundred years from nowWhether you lead a congregation, sit in a pew, or just wonder how anything good survives the relentless churn of culture, this episode is an invitation to find the kernel — the thing actually worth carrying forward — and to let the rest get dressed up however the moment requires.Hashtags: #ComplexCreaturesPodcast #JarrodLongbons #AlanOWBarnes #TraditionedInnovation #AncientFuture #PeachtreeChristianChurch #Midtown #AtlantaChurches #LGregoryJones #RobertWebber #JohnHenryNewman #HolyEucharist #LectioDivina #ChurchFathers #SpiritualFormation #GenZAndChurch #MensMinistry #JonathanHaidt #AnxiousGeneration #ChurchGrowth #FaithAndCulture #ChristianPodcast #SpiritualPracticesForTheCommonGood #RootedButNotStuck
- Apr 29, 202659 min
The Slow Work of Pastoring: Dr. Steven Cone on Trading the Classroom for the Congregation
Theology lives differently in a pulpit than it does in a lecture hall. Dr. Steven Cone — author of An Ocean Vast of Blessing and Theology from the Great Tradition — joins Jarrod to talk about preaching the great tradition to a congregation, walking with people through beginning-of-life and end-of-life moments, and the slow, on-the-job work of becoming a pastor. A conversation about how the deep wells of Christian thought meet the daily work of ministry.#ComplexCreatures #PastorTheology #HigherEdInCrisis #LincolnChristianUniversity #RestorationMovement #PastoralMinistry #AcademicBurnout #CalledToPreach #FromProfessorToPastor #TheologyFromTheGreatTradition #ChurchOfChrist #FaithAndVocation #SeminaryLife #PastoralCare #ChristianLeadership
- Apr 1, 202638 min
Rooted to Become: Dr. Alex Fogleman on Catechesis, Discipleship, and the Ancient Art of Making Christians
What if the church's discipleship problem isn't new — and the answer has been hiding in plain sight for two thousand years?In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with theologian and educator Dr. Alex Fogleman — Associate Dean for Special Programs and Assistant Professor of Theology at Trinity Anglican Seminary, founding director of the Catechesis Institute, and director of the Catechesis Task Force for the Anglican Church in North America — to explore his new book Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice (Eerdmans, 2025).Catechesis — from the Greek katēcheō, meaning to instruct or resound — isn't just a category of religious education. It's a whole way of forming people into a way of life. Not just knowing, but becoming. And in a world where nominal Christianity is everywhere but deep formation is rare, Alex argues this ancient practice is exactly what the church needs to recover.Together, Jarrod and Alex explore:Why catechesis is about becoming, not just knowing — and what we lose when we treat faith as information transferHow secularized contexts (like Vancouver, BC, where only 2% attend church) are actually forcing the church back to something essentialWhat the early church got right about the "bridge" between pagan and Christian culture — and how it applies todayWhy AI might be able to teach content, but will never be able to catechizeThe hearth versus central air — why formation is always relational, never merely digitalWhat it would look like for every church to take catechesis as seriously as worshipAlex's one-sentence definition of his own book says it all: catechesis is the basic but comprehensive instruction in what Christians believe, hope, and love.That phrase alone is worth the conversation.#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #AlexFogleman #MakingDisciples #Catechesis #SpiritualFormation #EarlyChurch #ChurchFathers #Discipleship #FaithAndLearning #TrinityAnglicanSeminary #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #RootedAndRenewed #AncientFaithNewLife #AnglicansOfInstagram
- Mar 25, 202652 min
Made to Make: Jarrod Longbons on Creativity as Spiritual Practice
What if creativity isn't just something artists do — but something all of us are called to?In this special episode of Complex Creatures, Alan Barnes turns the tables and interviews Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons about a subject close to both of their hearts: creativity as a spiritual posture. Rooted in the conviction that we bear the image of a creative God, the conversation ranges from Jarrod's early-morning writing practice to the theology of Fred Rogers, from the flow state to the hard, unglamorous discipline of showing up before the ideas arrive.Together, Alan and Jarrod explore:What Jarrod has been writing — and why Mr. Rogers keeps showing up in a book about communicating the sacredHow the practices of writing, drawing, and making can become genuine forms of prayerThe flow state: what it is, where it comes from, and how to stop being precious about itWhy creativity requires a willingness to be wrong — and how that's actually a theological virtueThe difference between journaling and writing, and why it matters more than you thinkWhat our age of anxiety, algorithms, and authenticity demands of people who try to communicate sacred ideasWhether you make things for a living, dabble on weekends, or have convinced yourself you're "not creative," this episode is an invitation to reconsider — and maybe to get up at four in the morning and find out what's waiting for you there.Recommended reading: Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott · Patience with God by Tomáš Halík · Surprised by Jesus Again by Jason Byassee#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #CreativityAndFaith #SpiritualPractice #MadeToMake #ImageOfGod #FlowState #WritingAsSpiritualPractice #FredRogers #SacredCommunication #ChristianCreativity #ArtAndFaith #SpiritualFormation #ChristianPodcast #TheologyAndLife #PeachtreeChristianChurch
- Mar 18, 202646 min
Uprooted and Renewed: Jonathan "Boo" Powell on 22 Years in Ukraine and Coming Home
What does it mean to leave everything behind — your country, your career plans, your language — and build a life somewhere else? And what happens when that life is suddenly torn away?In this episode of Complex Creatures, Rev. Dr. Jarrod Longbons sits down with his friend Jonathan "Boo" Powell — Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF) and a former missionary who spent 22 years in Berdyansk, southeastern Ukraine, before the war with Russia forced him and his family home.Boo's story is one of radical rootedness and repeated uprooting — from a Georgia Tech student who expected a career in business, to a missionary learning Russian in an immersive crash course with an unlikely teacher, to a man returning to America without a credit score and rediscovering his calling right back where it started.Together, Jarrod and Boo explore:How a mission trip to Juárez, Mexico sparked a life-changing callThe hard, beautiful years of learning language, culture, and belonging in a foreign landWhat struggling Ukrainian villages taught them about the raw, unadorned gospelThe grief of exile — and the unexpected renewal that followedHow God was already at work before the missionaries arrivedWhat a generation of Georgia Tech students is teaching him about faith, mission, and fireThis is a conversation about the courage it takes to follow a calling — and the grace it takes to follow it again."I look up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord." — Psalm 121#ComplexCreaturesPodcast #MissionaryLife #UkraineMission #RootedAndRenewed #CampusMinistry #GeorgiaTech #GTCCF #FaithAndCalling #ChristianMission #CollegeMinistry #SpiritualFormation #CalledToGo #ChristianPodcast #FaithInAction #HomeComing
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Exploring Spirituality and the common good
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