Reverend Ben Patterson has served as campus pastor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara since 2001, where he organized the chapel program, mentored students, and encouraged spiritual growth within the college community. He is a contributing editor to Christianity Today and Leadership Journal, and has previously written for The Wittenburg Door.
Ben has authored six books, including Waiting: Finding Hope When God Seems Silent, God’s Prayer Book: The Power and Pleasure of Praying the Psalms, and When God Showed Up: A Memoir of the Surprising Work of the Holy Spirit at Hope College 1994–2000. Before joining Westmont, Ben served at various churches, including New Providence Presbyterian Church in New Jersey and Irvine Presbyterian Church in California, where he was the founding pastor.
In this interview Ben shares candid reflections on his spiritual journey, spanning over many decades: including his initial steps in Christianity, and how he navigated through various denominational beliefs and practices. He also shares about the profound impact that prayer can have – like, he actually believes that prayer does stuff! Patterson offers wisdom on living a life of faith, remaining accessible, and the simplicity of everyday holiness. And all done with an exceptional and lovely tone that is filled with humor and hope.
Names mentioned in this interview:
C. S. Lewis, Hal Lindsey, Karl Barth, G.K. Chesterton, Nietzsche, Julie Canlis, Wayne Rice, Mike Yaconelli, Denny Rydberg, The Wittenburg Door, Babylon Bee, Mad Magazine, Ray Charles, Simon and Garfunkel, Jerry Falwell, Andrew Murray, J. Edwin Orr, Hudson Taylor, P. T. Forsyth, Eugene Peterson, Earl C. Rosenberger, Matt Canlis, Jonathan Haidt, Abraham Heschel, Samuel Johnson, W. Bingham Hunter, Thomas à Kempis.
Books:
The Late Great Planet Earth (Hal Lindsey)
Mere Christianity (C.S. Lewis)
Pilgrims Regress (C.S. Lewis)
Theology of the Ordinary (Julie Canlis)
He Has Made Me Glad: Enjoying God’s Goodness With Reckless Abandon (Ben Patterson)
The Soul of Prayer (P. T. Forsyth)
The God Who Hears (Bingham Hunter)
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness (Jonathan Haidt)
Backyard Pilgrim: Forty Days at Godspeed (Matt Canlis)