Context Matters

What happened to push Christianity from persecution to endorsement by the Roman Empire? This week Dr. Meredith Riedel explains the events that led up to the necessity of convening a church council made up of bishops from Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. The first councils hammered out the basic tenants of the Christian faith: How can God be human? Was Jesus divine? If he w...

How did we end up with the Bible that we read? Dr. Derek Cooper introduces us to the complexity of this sacred text. We think of the Bible as one singular book that was given to the church, but we forget that  people chose the scrolls and the letters that would belong to the biblical canon, and then they organized them to tell a complete narrative. We are not always aware of these issues, which at...

We start our conversation discussing how Paul introduced his gentile and God-fearing audience to Jewish scriptures, and how he dealt with the clash between power, status, and identity that was present among the diverse Christian communities. I cannot help but think how we still have much to learn from Paul’s instructions within our present context of communities crying out to be seen, heard, and v...

 As we continue this series that follow the Christian story as it developed in Jewish context and then spreads to a gentile context before severing itself from its original roots, we leave the land of the Bible to broaden our horizon line and explore how the apostle Paul translated the gospel message into the wider Hellenized society of the Roman empire. My guest this week is Dr Nijay Gupta. We di...

We talk about many of Dr. Notley’s works with great scholars. You can find these links below. The translation of David Flusser’s work: The Sage from Galilee Anson Rainey and Steven Notley: The Sacred Bridge Ze’ev Safrai and Steven Notley: Parables of the Sages To follow along with the El-Araj project and the discussion over the location of the gospel town of Bethesda, go to the El Araj page HERE ....

Read some of Dr. Lee’s writings with Missio Alliance HERE   Among other things, Dr. Lee edits an online journal you can access HERE And follow Dr. Lee on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kyuboem      

  Read some of Dr. Lee’s writings with Missio Alliance HERE   Among other things, Dr. Lee edits an online journal you can access HERE  And follow Dr. Lee on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/kyuboem    

Do you have a memory of a time when science and religion clashed in your brain? Or when what you thought you knew for a fact ended up not being true at all? These experiences can be disorienting but they also can lead to a richer, deeper, and more thoughtful faith. This week I interview Dr. Ken Kihlstrom who is the chair of the Physics Department at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA. Issues re...

Dr. Kamionkowski’s faculty page is HERE A link to her commentary is HERE Do not forget to check out the online educational site she has! https://kamionkowski-bet-midrash.com   And we talked briefly about Carol Meyes. You can find one of her books HERE .

Dr. Kamionkowski’s faculty page is HERE A link to her commentary is HERE Do not forget to check out the online educational site she has! https://kamionkowski-bet-midrash.com   And we talked briefly about Carol Meyes. You can find one of her books HERE .

Can a Rights of Passage experience help students go through this process of shaking off the beliefs of others and taking responsibility over their own faith decisions? Dr. Muhia Karinjahi describes the essential elements of a rights of passage experience and the importance of getting an entire community involved.

Muhia Karinjahi grew up in a village just outside of Nairobi. His parents were first generation Christians, he went to a Muslim primary school, and worked in an Indian engineering firm. We discuss how living cross culturally in his own country prepared him to love people well. We also discuss how each shift in Muhia's context impacted his religious beliefs.

What is experiential learning? Can we engage the whole mind, body, and emotions in the learning process? Dr. Rob Ribbe talks about the powerful experience of being in a place (say the wilderness) in which we are not in control. This feels so true of our current COVID19 context. We are in an uncomfortable time that push all of us into places of discovery about who we are.

What can we learn from the foundation of an Israelite house? And is the faith system for normal people in normal villages excitedly like what we read in the Bible? Archaeology has something to say about the real life of real people. This week I continue the conversation with Cynthia Shafer Elliott. She draws us into the value of archaeology and the spiritual practices of the majority of Israelites...

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be an archaeologist? Or what actually happens to an artifact from when it is discovered in the dirt to when it ends up in a museum?  Well this week I talk with Cynthia Shaffer Elliot, an archaeologist who specializes in domestic archaeology with a focus on economics, food preparation and consumption, religion, and the roles and relationships of the family....

Lawson talks about his growing up years and how he ended up studying the Bible in college. Lawson also went to Kenya, which became a great context for learning about the cultural context of the Bible. We also talk about how going to Israel/Palestine and exploring the land of the Bible transformed his academic career. Learn more about Lawson’s writing here Click HERE if you are interested in findin...

I have heard from many of you how impressed you were with Craig’s stories. This week we continue the conversation, and Craig jumps into questions such as: How does being a pastor of a church in which 80% of the congregants are experiencing homelessness change the way you preach? Why should we invest in social issues that are way too big to solve in this lifetime? Craig also shares how we can chall...

Craig Mayes is the Chief Spiritual and Community Life Officer at the Bowery Mission in New York City.  The Bowery Mission has served homeless and hungry New Yorkers since the 1870’s, when its neighborhood came to define the term “skid row.” Craig tells stories of his challenging seminary education and what motivated his move from a megachurch in Michigan to a homeless shelter in NYC. Explore Craig...

This is the second half of my conversation with Rabbi Nancy. We start with the affects of 9/11 on her multi-faith conversations. Then we move to the way such conversations have influence her career. And we finally talk about the Muslims, Jews, and Christians interpret the Sarah and Hagar narratives in Genesis. Listen—Enjoy—and send me an email! To find out more: Reconstructionist Rabbinical Colleg...

In this episode, we talk about multi-faith conversations and what the benefit is to speaking with people who have different religious beliefs than your own. Rabbi Nancy shares several personal stories about how she ended up in multi-faith conversations. To find out more: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College , Philadelphia, PA Rabbi Nancy’s book Strangers, Neighbors, Friends

 Lisa Abaya is a Philadelphia artist  seeking ways to integrate matters of spirituality into her work. We discuss the influence of geography on her art and also how she explores mysterious concepts of the Holy Spirit through the use of reflective materials. See a few of her pieces here, but I highly recommend going to her website ( https://www.abayaworks.com/permanenceoflight) ) to see a video of...

Lisa and I discuss what effect cultural diversity has on her art. We also talk about how essential art is within a church context, which makes me consider the value of using concepts of beauty to explore the Genesis narratives. See a few of her pieces here, but I highly recommend going to her website ( https://www.abayaworks.com/permanenceoflight) ) to see a video of how light changes her art from...

What is “Context Matters”? What is missing from our conversations about background of the Bible and the our modern understanding of it? It is complicated, but wonderful to explore if you bring a curious mind. Visit narrativeofplace.com for more from Dr. Cyndi Parker.

I invite Keri Jenkins to the podcasting table to discuss how context helps us understand one another. Keri gives an example of how biblical context helped her understand a tricky passage in the Bible. We conclude with how seeing the physical land where biblical events happened influence how we read the text. Visit narrativeofplace.com for more!