ORT Shorts

In this episode Dr. Oord engages with the new book from Ulrick Dam entitled Inspire, Equip, Empower: How to Lead with Love, Inspire Your People, and Build a Thriving Church.
Author Ulrick Dam understands Church leadership is hard and can be messy, exhausting, and often lonely. Yet it can also be life-giving, transformative, and grounded in the radical way of Jesus.

Inspire, Equip, Empower offers a new path forward – one rooted in relational leadership, bold compassion, and everyday courage. This book won’t give you three magic steps. But it will give you tools, stories, and a framework to build a church that thrives on love, justice, and empowerment.

In this episode Dr. Oord engages with the new little book from Ian Todd entitled Veridical-Experiential Theology (VET): Christianity that takes 'extraordinary' evidence seriously.
In the book, author Ian Todd explores three areas of evidence are considered: near-death experiences (including out-of-body experiences), reincarnation and miraculous healings. The result is that VET is neither theologically conservative/fundamental nor ultra-liberal but is compatible with progressive theologies such as Open and Relational Theology.

In this episode Dr. Oord engages with the book from Jonathan Bentley entitled Shadowing St. Francis: A Pilgrimage of Sacred Emergence in the Age of AI.
Blending travel narrative with open and relational theology, Shadowing St. Francis follows Jonathan Bentley from Florence to Assisi to Rome, walking the ancient path of a man who still has something to say — to those exhausted by certainty, wounded by the church, and wondering what faith looks like in a world of algorithms and anxiety.

In this episode Dr. Oord continues to engage with the book Renewing Faith: Reigniting Faith and Ministry through Process and Open and Relational Theologies, a compilation of essays written for pastors, spiritual leaders and seekers ready to reimagine Christianity for today's world.
Dr. Oord reads a portion of one of the essays entitled A Faith Adventure, by Carlton Larsen who recounts the ways in which process theology has reinvigorated his faith.

In this episode Dr. Oord engages with the book Renewing Faith: Reigniting Faith and Ministry through Process and Open and Relational Theologies, a compilation of essays  edited by Sheri Kling.
Broken down into 7 sections, the book is written for pastors, spiritual leaders and seekers ready to reimagine Christianity for today's world.
Rooted in the real-life experiences of people and communities who are courageously rethinking and renewing their faith, these pages explore:
Renewing Faith – Can faith become life-giving again?
Renewing God – What if God is deeply relational and always present?
Renewing Jesus – How is Jesus still saving us today?
Renewing Message – Can ancient texts still inspire transformation?
Renewing Worship – What remains sacred and nourishing in our rituals?
Renewing Spirit – How do practices of the Spirit bring healing and wholeness?
Renewing Community – What does a renewing church or ministry look like?