Created in the Image of God – Details, episodes & analysis

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Created in the Image of God

Wade Fransson

Religion & Spirituality

Frequency: 1 episode/3d. Total Eps: 277

Tune in every Tuesday for an inspiring journey on Created in the Image of God: Building Vibrant Communities. Wade Fransson and his distinguished guests explore the essence of human nature and the transformative power of unity in diversity through live-streamed discussions rooted in the Independent Investigation of Reality. This series advocates for authentic connections among individuals to foster thriving, inclusive communities. Anchored in spiritual truths and a collective quest for understanding, these conversations inspire growth and progress toward a harmonious world. soopllc.substack.com

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Shame-Free Conversations with Kelly Edmiston | Created In The Image of God 278

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 • Duration 01:03:28

Kelly Edmiston is a pastor, teacher, author, and speaker who is passionate about helping people break free from shame and move toward deeper healing and flourishing. Raised in a church tradition where women weren’t expected to preach or lead, Kelly now lives boldly into that calling—creating honest, grace-filled conversations around faith, identity, and topics many churches avoid. She is the author of Shame-Free Sex Talks, a practical and hopeful resource for helping families talk about relationships, emotional health, and sexuality without fear or silence.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Kelly joins Wade for a thoughtful conversation about spiritual formation, the goodness of the body, and why so many Christians struggle to speak honestly about relationships and sexuality. She explains why everyone is being formed by something, why the church has often treated the body as a barrier instead of a gift, and why healthy conversations have to begin not with panic or moralism, but with a deeper theological vision of what it means to be human.Drawing from her research, interviews, and pastoral work, Kelly offers a more grounded and grace-filled approach to conversations many families desperately need but don’t know how to begin. For anyone longing for a more honest, healing, and faithful way forward, this episode offers clarity, courage, and hope.

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Planet Narnia with Michael Ward | Created In The Image of God 277

Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 01:01:08

Michael Ward is a theologian, literary scholar, and leading voice in C.S. Lewis studies, serving as an Associate Member of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford. He is best known as the award-winning author of Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis, bringing together deep theological insight with a rich appreciation for imagination, literature, and faith. He has also held chaplaincy and research roles at Oxford and Cambridge, and helped lead major public tributes to Lewis, including the memorial in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Michael joins Wade for a rich conversation about Lewis’s theological imagination, the symbolic world behind Narnia, and why Lewis’s work still matters so powerfully today. Drawing especially on Planet Narnia, Michael explores the medieval vision of the seven heavens and how Lewis wove those cosmic meanings into the Chronicles in ways most readers never notice—but deeply feel.Together, they also touch on That Hideous Strength, The Abolition of Man, the Tower of Babel tradition, and the enduring power of stories to reveal truth. For anyone drawn to Lewis, Tolkien, imagination, or the meeting place of theology and literature, this episode offers both delight and depth.

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Patience, Public Faith & Modern Theology with Paul Dafydd Jones | Created In The Image of God 276

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 01:03:44

Paul Dafydd Jones is a theologian and Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia whose work explores Christian thought, public life, and the enduring questions of theology in the modern world. Educated at Oxford, Harvard Divinity School, Heidelberg, and Harvard University, he has written widely on Protestant theology, Christology, political theology, and the theology of patience. He is the author of The Humanity of Christ and Patience: A Theological Exploration, and co-editor of major volumes including the Oxford Handbook of Karl Barth and Karl Barth and Liberation Theology.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Paul joins Wade for a thoughtful conversation about theology’s public relevance in a fragmented age. Drawing on his teaching at a major public university, he reflects on why faith must be able to give an account of itself in the modern world—and why the best theology is never cut off from real questions of justice, freedom, discrimination, and ecological responsibility.Together, they explore Calvin, Karl Barth, Schleiermacher, liberation theology, and the challenge of integrating deep Christian tradition with contemporary moral and political concerns. For anyone wrestling with how serious theology can remain both intellectually honest and publicly engaged, this episode offers depth, nuance, and real substance.

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He Is With Me Through the Night with Sarah E. Frazer | Created In The Image of God 275

Monday, August 24, 2026 • Duration 49:23

Sarah E. Frazer is an author, Bible teacher, and encouraging voice for women walking through weariness, disappointment, and unexpected turns in life. Through her writing, courses, and Bible studies, she helps readers face fear, stress, and uncertainty with God’s peace and a deeper understanding of Scripture. She is the author of I Didn’t Sign Up for This: How to Rest in God’s Goodness When Your Story Shifts and has been featured by outlets such as Christian Today, First5, and Crosswalk.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Sarah joins Wade for a tender conversation about anxiety, sleeplessness, and the healing power of God’s Word—especially in the dark hours when fear feels loudest. She shares how a season of depression and spiritual struggle during pregnancy led her to the Psalms, and how hearing Psalm 27 read aloud in the middle of the night became a turning point in her experience of God’s peace.That journey eventually gave rise to her Psalms to Help You Sleep podcast and her upcoming book, He Is With Me Through the Night. Together, they explore why the Psalms speak so powerfully to fear, grief, and uncertainty, and how Scripture can become a place of rest when life does not go as planned.

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The Dark Odor of Death with Dan Allender | Created In The Image of God 274

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 • Duration 53:43

Dan Allender, PhD, is a pioneering therapist, professor of counseling psychology, and co-founder of The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, known for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of trauma, abuse, and the Christian story. For more than 40 years, the Allender Theory has helped hundreds of thousands engage their stories of harm in light of the gospel, reshaping how pastors, counselors, and ordinary people think about abuse, sexuality, marriage, grief, and healing. He is the author of influential books such as The Wounded Heart, The Healing Path, To Be Told, Redeeming Heartache, and—with Tremper Longman—The Cry of the Soul and Bold Love.In this deeply unusual episode of Created In The Image of God, the conversation becomes something more than an interview. As Wade describes the recent deaths of two sisters and his father, along with the family conflict and legal burdens that have followed, Dan responds not as a distant expert but as a wise guide into the disorienting terrain of grief, trauma, death, and meaning. Together, they explore what it means to read one’s own life honestly, to face the darkness without comparison or escape, and to ask whether even the most painful parts of our story might still be revelatory.This is a raw, searching conversation about death, family, authorship, suffering, and the possibility that even in the most disruptive chapters of life, something true and beautiful is still being revealed.

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Your Jesus Is Too American with Steve Bezner | Created In The Image of God 273

Monday, August 17, 2026 • Duration 48:33

Steve Bezner is a pastor, professor, and author who now serves as Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Theology at Truett Seminary at Baylor University. After more than a decade as Senior Pastor of Houston Northwest Church, Steve has become known for helping Christians think more clearly about discipleship, culture, and the ways American values can distort the way we follow Jesus. He is the author of Your Jesus Is Too American: Calling the Church to Reclaim Kingdom Values over the American Dream and has also invested deeply in pastoral training, church collaboration, racial reconciliation, and interfaith bridge-building.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Steve joins Wade for a conversation about the church, the kingdom of God, and why a growing number of people—especially young adults—seem hungry for a vision of life that is bigger than career success, political identity, or cultural tribalism. Drawing on his pastoral experience, Steve reflects on why the church can still offer something deeply compelling in a fractured age: not a partisan platform, but a different way of living in the world.Together, they explore what makes a healthy church, why politics so easily becomes ultimate, and how Christians can recover a vision of discipleship rooted more deeply in the kingdom of God than in the promises of the American dream. For anyone trying to understand faith, culture, and the church’s relevance right now, this episode offers a wise and needed challenge.

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God in the Neighborhood with Derek Vreeland | Created In The Image of God 272

Thursday, August 13, 2026 • Duration 51:53

Derek Vreeland is a pastor, author, and discipleship leader who serves as Discipleship Pastor at Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. Known for thoughtful, humorous, and authentic teaching, he is the author of several books, including Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities, Ethics, & Spiritual Lives, a 2024 ECPA Book Award finalist, and the God in the Neighborhood Bible study series. Through his writing, preaching, and Peaceable and Kind podcast, Derek has become a trusted voice on spiritual formation, peacemaking, and the way of Jesus.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Derek joins Wade to talk about the origins of God in the Neighborhood, a three-book Bible study series built around the unique language and imagination of The Message translation. Inspired by Eugene Peterson’s rendering of John 1:14—“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood”—the series traces the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the story of God joining us fully in our humanity.Together, they explore how fresh language can reopen familiar Scripture, why discipleship must stay centered on Jesus, and how the gospel speaks not only to personal faith, but to the life we share with others right where we live.

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Cultural Witness in a Fractured Age with Graham Tomlin | Created In The Image of God 271

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 54:08

Graham Tomlin is a British theologian, author, and former Church of England bishop who now leads the Centre for Cultural Witness, helping the church speak more clearly and imaginatively into public life. He previously served as Bishop of Kensington in the Diocese of London from 2015 to 2022, where he became a key pastoral voice in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire and its national memorial service. Before becoming a bishop, he spent many years in theological education as chaplain of Jesus College, Oxford, and as dean, principal, and now president of St Mellitus College.In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Tomlin joins Wade for a timely conversation about what it means for Christians to offer “cultural witness” in a rapidly changing world. Drawing on books like The Provocative Church, The Widening Circle, and Why Being Yourself is a Bad Idea, he explores how the church can engage a secular, polarized society without surrendering either theological depth or spiritual vitality.Together, they discuss how Christians can listen more carefully, speak more imaginatively, and embody a more faithful public presence in a fractured age. For seekers and believers alike, this episode offers a compelling vision of faith that is intellectually serious, spiritually alive, and publicly relevant.

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In Memory of John Esposito with Wade Fransson | Created In The Image of God 270

Wednesday, August 5, 2026 • Duration 01:08:16

This special episode of Created In The Image of God is dedicated to the memory of Professor John L. Esposito, the pioneering Georgetown scholar whose work helped generations of students, readers, and leaders think more clearly about Islam, pluralism, public life, and Muslim–Christian understanding. Scheduled to appear on the show, Esposito passed away on July 15, 2026, in Philadelphia as a result of complications from heart surgery. His absence is deeply felt, but so is the enduring influence of his life’s work.Wade Fransson takes this moment to reflect on life, death, and the strange weight of loss when it becomes deeply personal. Having lost two sisters and his father in the last two years, Wade shares thoughts shaped not just by ideas, but by grief, memory, and the reality of saying goodbye.This is a tribute, a meditation, and a personal reflection on what remains after a life ends: the questions, the love, the sorrow, and the legacy. In honoring John Esposito, the episode also opens space for a larger conversation about mortality, remembrance, and how we carry the lives of others forward."In this episode of Created In The Image of God, he reflects on the rise of authoritarianism, the globalization of Islamophobia, and the ways anti-Muslim racism distorts not only religion, but politics, diplomacy, and public life. He shares how Georgetown’s Center for Muslim–Christian Understanding was born out of a concern that Islam would be cast as the next global threat—and why that concern has only become more relevant.Together, we explore Muslim–Christian relations, the fractured legacy of the children of Abraham, and the challenge of building genuine understanding in a world still shaped by fear, rivalry, and inherited mistrust. For anyone looking for a wiser, more historically grounded way to think about Islam, pluralism, and our shared future, this conversation offers clarity, depth, and humanity.

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The Vulnerable Pastor with Mandy Smith | Created In The Image of God 269

Monday, August 3, 2026 • Duration 59:53

Mandy Smith is a pastor, author, and one of the clearest voices speaking into the need for sustainable, human‑scaled ministry. Best known for The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry, she has spent years exploring what it means to take Jesus seriously in a world that prizes power, polish, and control. Her writing asks a simple but disruptive question: if God really shows His strength in our weakness, what would it look like to live and lead as though that were true?In this episode of Created In The Image of God, Mandy reflects on the deep thread running through all her work—from weakness and dependence, to hospitality, emotional honesty, collaboration, and the hidden life of the kingdom. She shares how God has taught her to stop apologizing for being human, and how some of the very qualities often dismissed as “soft” or secondary can become channels of renewal in leadership, church life, and community.This conversation is for pastors, leaders, and anyone exhausted by performance-driven faith. Mandy offers a hopeful reminder that God’s kingdom often grows like yeast in dough—quietly, slowly, and in places the world has learned to overlook.

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Created in the Image of God – Details, episodes & analysis

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Created in the Image of God – Details, episodes & analysis

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