e79: Engaging the Gadfly: A Conversation with Casey Sigmon

🧑🏽 Your Host, Bruce Reyes‑Chow

Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow is a 3rd Generation Filipino/Chinese American and an active speaker, writer, coach, and podcaster on topics of faith, leadership, activism, culture, race, and technology. An ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he also works with organizations on immigration, decarceration, and Palestinian liberation. He is the author of six books, most recently Everything Good about God is True: Choosing Faith with his next book, "Prophets, Priests, Pastors & Poets: Being and Becoming the Ressurected Christ," due out in Fall 2026. He and his wife live in San Jose, CA.

✊🏽 About Our Guest

Rev. Casey Thornburgh Sigmon, MDiv, PhD, is the Associate Professor of Preaching & Worship and Director of the Pause/Play Center for Preachers (a Compelling Preaching Initiative of the Lilly Endowment) at Saint Paul School of Theology. She earned her MDiv from McCormick Theological Seminary and her PhD from Vanderbilt. Her latest book, Engaging the Gadfly: Reflective Online, Hybrid, and In-Person Preaching in a Digital Age, offers a practical theological framework for preachers discerning how to faithfully navigate technocultural shifts brought about by social media and Artificial Intelligence. In addition to being a member of the Academy of Homiletics, Sigmon is a member of the North American Academy of Liturgy. Her research in this area is on progressive modern and contemporary worship music on the margins of the CCM industry. At Saint Paul, she supervises the specialization in Modern Worship Music. An ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Sigmon has served churches in Tennessee, Kansas, and Missouri.

🎧 Episode Summary

In this episode of The Amalgamation, Bruce Reyes-Chow sits down with Professor, Pastor, and Podcaster Rev. Dr. Casey Sigmon for a wide-ranging, delightfully nerdy conversation about digital ministry, preaching, and how technology is reshaping faith communities.

Casey is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship and the Director of the Pause Play Center for Preachers at Saint Paul School of Theology. Together, Bruce and Casey explore the evolving landscape of online and hybrid worship, the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on preaching, and how different generations engage technology in faith spaces.

The conversation moves fluidly between practical ministry challenges and big-picture cultural questions—especially around attention, embodiment, and what it means to genuinely connect in digital environments. Along the way, they reflect on younger generations, question assumptions about in-person worship, and share thoughtful (and humorous) observations about post-pandemic church life.

Casey also discusses insights from her latest book, Engaging the Gadfly, and offers listeners a meaningful closing practice: noticing and naming “reverse pet peeves”—small things that unexpectedly bring joy or gratitude.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in preaching, digital ministry, or how faith adapts (and sometimes resists adapting) in a rapidly changing technological world.

🔗 Episode Links & Resources

1. Casey on IG