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#198:What It Means to Be in Christ with Michael Gorman

Pauline scholar Michael Gorman joins Terri Elton and Dwight Zscheile to talk about what life in Christ means for discipleship today.

What did Paul think God was doing about what’s wrong with us and the world? For Pauline scholar Michael Gorman, the answer centers on life in Christ. Paul uses the language of being in Christ well over a hundred times, and when he writes “you,” he usually means a whole community. Michael joins Terri Elton and Dwight Zscheile to talk about the Christ hymn in Philippians 2; the cross as both the source and the shape of the Christian life; and justification as God creating a people who practice God’s justice.

Michael, who holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary and University and is the author of Life Transfigured, also talks about why the language of church membership falls short, and about the Friday night Bible study and prayer group he and his wife have hosted in their home for 36 years. For church leaders wondering how disciples are formed today, he points to ongoing community, preaching shaped by scripture, and a deep openness to the work of the Holy Spirit.

Resources Mentioned:

Life Transfigured by Michael Gorman
St. Mary’s Seminary and University
Philippians 2:1-11, the Christ hymn (also called the kenosis hymn)
2 Corinthians 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation”
2 Corinthians 5:19-21, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself”
Colossians 1:27, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
The Gospel of John and 1 John, which Michael names alongside Paul for their language of indwelling
Scot McKnight and his term “Christoformity”
Richard Hays and his phrase “scripture-shaped communities”
Martin Luther’s theology of the cross and theology of glory

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Crash Course: Church
Following Jesus to Purpose and Meaning with Angela Williams Gorrell
Walking the Narrow Road: Milestones in Church History with Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski

Featuring

Michael Gorman

The Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland

Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland. A leading voice in Pauline scholarship, he has published commentaries on 1 Corinthians and Romans and is the author of Cruciformity, Apostle of the Crucified Lord, and Becoming the Gospel. His newest book, Life Transfigured, explores Paul’s teaching not as a set of abstract doctrines but as lived theology, showing how the apostle’s vision of resurrectionally cruciform living speaks to contemporary challenges facing individuals, congregations, and the wider church.

Hosts

Dwight Zscheile

Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011), editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012), and co-editor (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) of The Starter’s Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (Church Publishing, 2025).

A graduate of Stanford University (B.A.), Yale University (M.Div.), and Luther Seminary (Ph.D., Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia, and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.

Terri Elton

Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

About Pivot Podcast

Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.

Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.

Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.

Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.

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