From Babylon, With Love is an outreach ministry of Zoe House Church.  It exists to help Christians of any background craft a deeper Christian life for a post-Christian world. 

We understand the role of Christians and the Christian Church to be neither imperialist nor sectarian, neither triumphalist nor fearful, neither domineering nor withdrawn.  Rather, we believe Christ has called us to be in the world, not of the world, for the sake of the world.  To be faithful witnesses to Christ in the places he has called us, we believe we need to deepen our understanding of Christianity, deepen our approach to the Scripture and the basic practices of the Christian life, deepen our understanding of church history, deepen our capacity to think more critically and carefully about our own traditions and the world around us, and deepen our ability to enjoy what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful.  From Babylon, With Love aims to make a small contribution to those lofty ends.

If you would like to support this venture, please consider becoming a PATRON (SAINT) of the pod by clicking on the DONATE BUTTON and scheduling a monthly (or one-time) PayPal donation.  A big thanks to everyone who listens and much love to all who share, review, and subscribe!

Host:

Pastor David Woods holds Master’s degrees in English, Writing, and Theology from the University of California, Irvine, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Fuller Theological Seminary.  He earned his Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Irvine, specializing in the classical and scriptural foundations of Medieval and Renaissance literature. He teaches Ancient and Medieval World History at Pacifica Christian High School and is an ordained minister at Zoe House Church, where he has preached and pastored for 18 years. He is also a senior fellow of The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute.

Co-Hosts:

Pastor John Hallowell earned his degree in Classical Languages (Greek, Sanskrit, Ecclesiastical Latin) and Math (with a Computer Science minor), from California State University, Long Beach.  He has served in ordained ministry in Orange County, CA, for over 40 years, preaching, teaching, and shepherding God’s people through every season of life.  He is a computer programmer (software developer and webmaster) and the pastor of Zoe House Church.

Laura Hashimov is the English Department Chair at Pacifica Christian High School.  Laura earned a B.A. in English from Vanguard University and an M.A. in English from UC Irvine. Laura taught a variety of writing courses at the collegiate level and wrote her Master’s thesis on Charles Dickens.  She is an Orange County native, an avid reader, and is active in ministry at her church in Costa Mesa.

Rev. Hayden Butler is the Associate Rector of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Newport Beach, CA. Rev. Butler studied as an undergraduate at Biola University and the Torrey Honors Institute. He earned Master’s degrees in English Literature and Theology from UCI and Regent School of Divinity.  He was made a Deacon in 2014, and then ordained as a Priest in 2016. He serves as an assisting priest in the areas of parish education and spiritual direction. He is also a founding faculty member of Pacifica Christian Orange County and former chair of the English Department.