My son had spent most of his life in small towns. We had a wooded area in a backyard that he would explore, and when we took evening walks, he would run ahead of my wife and I till he got to the next corner. But in 2012, my family and I moved to the city of Chicago. The differences between small-town and big-city life became evident when my son and I were walking on Michigan Avenue. On the relatively empty sidewalks of rural Illinois, my son didn’t have to stay by my side. Michigan Avenue, however, presented different challenges.
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James Spencer earned his Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He believes discipleship will open up opportunities beyond anything God’s people could accomplish through their own wisdom. James has published multiple works, including Christian Resistance: Learning to Defy the World and Follow Christ, Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody, Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, and Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology to help believers look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear as they consider, question, and revise assumptions hindering Christians from conforming more closely to the image of Christ. In addition to serving as the president of the D. L. Moody Center, James is the host of “Useful to God,” a weekly radio broadcast and podcast, a member of the faculty at Right On Mission, and an adjunct instructor with the Wheaton College Graduate School. Listen and subscribe to James's podcast, Thinking Christian, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LifeAudio!
