Dr. Craig Ott: On the So-Cal Life, Intercultural Mission, and the Ministry of Catan

Episode four introduces listeners to Dr. Craig Ott, Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, ReachGlobal Chair of Mission and Director of the PhD.in Intercultural Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Craig also received his MDiv and PhD from TEDS, and his familiarity with the school stretches a long way. 

Dr. Josh Jipp and Dr. James Arcadi have a lively conversation with Craig, ranging from his upbringing and conversion in Southern California during the Jesus Movement through to his current work on contextualization in teaching and learning. Craig eventually found his way to TEDS as a student, where he discusses the impactful experiences with professors who sustained intellectual rigor with passionate evangelism (not to mention his experience meeting his now wife and fellow colleague, Alice). Craig and Alice now both teach at TEDS, and they bring with them rich experiences of having served as missionaries to Germany and as church planters, a time during which they had to learn lessons about how to bring the gospel to new places, with new questions and challenges. Apologetics, missions, intercultural studies and evangelism integrate into a profound set of sensitivities that Craig now brings into the classroom and beyond.

Along the way, listeners will discover… 

• How much Josh knows about the Premier League (speaking of cross cultural experience…)
• Whether it is a good idea for spouses to edit one another’s books
• Which board game serves as a helpful analogue to contextualization

To learn more about Dr. Craig Ott, have a look at the PhD. in Intercultural Studies program at TEDS, at his new book Teaching and Learning across Cultures, his earlier book The Church on Mission or his recent chapel message.