How Moms Can Disrupt Negative Cycles in Church, Families, and Communities
EP250 w/Dr. Sandra Richter
I am so excited to introduce you to my new friend, Dr. Sandy Richter. Not only does she have the BEST NAME EVER (Sandy), but she is brilliant and articulate and funny and kind. I didn’t want this conversation to end.
In Part 1, Dr. Sandy Richter and I explore themes of motherhood, faith, and the complexities of Scripture. We discuss the challenges faced by women in biblical times and the cyclical nature of disobedience in the Book of Judges. We discuss the sacrifices made by early generations of believers, the generational drift in faith, and the struggles of parenting in a faith context. Richter shares insights on the life cycle of the church, the need for revival, and how mothers can disrupt negative cycles in their families and communities.
If you are looking for insights into Biblical womanhood, look no further than the Book of Judges and this conversation.
We Discuss:
What is on Dr Richter’s To-Don’t List
A funny story about Prince Harry
How Sandy (Cooper, not Richter) decided she would never again purposely read the book of Judges. And how God (sort of) duped Sandy and lured her back in.
The dark life cycle of disobedience in the Book of Judges
How that cycle overlaps with the Life Cycle of The Church
How to recognize these cycles to embrace our generation’s version of revival
The Third Generation Phenomenon: The third generation of believers has been sheltered, leading to a drift in faith, and how we as moms can disrupt this cycle by balancing protecting our children with allowing them to take risks in faith.
More about Dr. Sandy Richter:
The Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College and a graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Richter has dedicated her career to making Scripture accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences. She has applied her many years in the classroom, her technical research, and her years of archaeological experience to writing books and Bible studies and creating videos that bring the Bible to life for the current generation.
Sandy is a mom to two perfect daughters: Noel and Elise. Raising them, discipling them, and loving them has meant that this working mom has been deeply involved in what it looks like to balance professional and family responsibilities. She has taught every age of Sunday School, launched a “Toddler Church” at St. Pat’s Anglican in Lexington, KY, and continues to invest deeply in the spiritual journeys of her children. She is currently working with IVP to launch a line of children’s books on environmental theology and if life lasts long enough, hopes to create a Bible-wide curriculum for toddler and young elementary-aged children as well.
She is an undergraduate professor in southern California. That means that all of the cultural trends that are coming down the pike appear in her classroom first! What does this highly individualistic, social media-saturated, ecclesiological disillusioned, and morally confused generation
need to encourage them forward in their spiritual journeys? That is a question she engages in and attempts to answer every day.
You can check out her Substack newsletter here:
Love,
Sandy