ALT txt: photo of our guest Dr. Meghan Henning and two of our co-hosts: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Stephanie Kate Judd with the title of the episode: “Hell & Disability in Early Christian Literature with Dr. Meghan Henning.” Continuing our series on Disability & Theology we are joined by Dr. Meghan Henning to talk about Hell & Disability in Early Christian Literature. Dr. Henning is Associate Professor of Christian Origins and the Director of...
In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Matthew Novenson, who is Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, to talk about his new book, which is a collection of essays on Paul’s writings, entitled, Paul, Then and Now (published by Eerdmans). Dr. Novenson explains that this collection is meant to be more meta, considering the way we approach Paul hermeneutically. As part of this project, he is concerned to defamiliarize Paul for...
(CW: Sensitive Themes). In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Karen O’Donnell to talk about Theology and Reproductive Loss. Dr. O’Donnell is Program Leader for Contemporary Spirituality Studies at Sarum College and the author of The Dark Womb: Re-Conceiving Theology Through Reproductive Loss (published by SCM Press). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. O’Donnell explains how important it is to explore the connection between theology and our bodies, emphasizing that all theology is embodied....
At my local church here in Minneapolis, Mill City Church, we’ve been reading through and preaching through the New Testament, and the plan was always to preach through Revelation for Advent. This was planned long before 2020 became the “apocalyptic” year that we all think of it as. At present, one of the particularly relevant aspects of Revelation for our cultural moment is the notion among some concerned Christians that maybe the COVID-19 vaccine might...
N.T. Wright joins The Two Cities podcast for a special interview episode about his upcoming new book, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath (London: SPCK / Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020). His new book is an expansion and development of a short article that he wrote for TIME magazine on March 29th, entitled, “Christianity Offers No Answers About The Coronavirus: It’s Not Supposed To.” In this episode, John Anthony...
One week ago I had the privilege of presenting Prof. N. T. Wright with a Festschrift (German for ‘celebration writing’), which is a sub-genre of scholarly books comprised of essays from former students, colleagues, and long-time friends. This kind of book celebrates the contributions of a particular scholar, typically on the occasion of a major birthday or retirement. Festschriften are usually intentionally broad, containing a hodgepodge of essays that contributors choose to submit in honor of a particular scholar...
My new article in Journal of Biblical & Theological Studies is now officially out. The paper is entitled, “Eschatological Emphases in 1 Thessalonians and Galatians: Distinct Argumentative Strategies Related to External Conflict and Audience Response.” In this article I am addressing a couple of different issues at once. To begin, there is the issue of the chronological ordering of Paul’s letters. Most scholars tend to think that 1 Thessalonians is the earliest and most primitive example of...
The Ideology of Love in Film We have all seen it; a film wherein a lover pursues another for the duration of the movie, creating tension and perpetuating the feeling of an unattainable partner. This is necessary for the plot and for the ideology of love to function. If the lover’s partner is obtained in one climactic scene, as they are in many films, the political ramifications are tremendous. The longing is no longer there, the...
We should pray that those in hell suffer to the uttermost. Dante’s Inferno provides a glimpse into the historical theology of hell in a particular medieval iteration. One of Dante’s many points is that God’s judgment precipitates in the idea of contrapasso–the punishment resembles or contrasts with the sin itself. The main idea with contrapasso is the φύσιν (physin), or “natural order” (Rom. 1:26) that is contradicted by sin. Contrapasso contradicts that contradiction. Although all of God’s attributes are present...
This past week has been tough. Orlando, Paris, Tel Aviv, and many others have been a constant source of tears, heartache and mourning for the global community I know for me, death has hit home in a different way. Last week, my Grandma passed away at 89 years old. She was an amazing woman who was first and foremost, a Christian. She loved Jesus in so many ways, and in every way she embodied a older...
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