Faith Improvised

In this shorter-than-normal episode, I share a few reflections and recommend Bridget Eileen Rivera’s book, Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church (Brazos Press).

I share some updates on what I've been doing over the break, I recommend Gregory Alan Thornbury's really interesting book, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock (Convergent), and I talk about Paul’s argument regarding Israel in Romans 10. I also mentioned this article: "'An American Tradition': Lessons from a year covering conspiracy theories,...

I recommend J. Russell Hawkins's excellent new book, The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 9.

I offer some reflections on random topics, but especially about the notion of 'kayfabe' as a way of understanding behaviors in the world. I refer to Gregory Thornbury's article "On Metaphor and Kayfabe," which can be found here (https://daviddark.substack.com/p/on-metaphor-and-kayfabe). And I talk about the conclusion to Paul's second major movement in Romans 8.

In this episode I offer some thoughts on whether Romans 7 can help Christians who struggle with addictions, and consider Jesus' abrasive and insulting statement to the Syrian-Phoenician woman in Mark 7.

I recommend Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry's insightful book, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 7.

I recommend Danté Stewart's brilliant memoir, Shoutin' in the Fire: An American Epistle, and I talk about the communal and cosmic shape of Paul's exhortations in Romans 6.

In this episode, I give an update of what I've been up to on my little hiatus, I list a few books I'm currently enjoying, and I begin talking about the second major movement of Paul's argument, which starts in Romans 5:12-21.

I'm taking a little break from the podcast and plan to be back at it soon!

I recommend Tim Otto's beautiful and hope-filled book, Oriented to Faith: Transforming the Conflict Over Gay Relationships, and I talk about the final passage in the first major movement of Paul’s argument in Romans (Rom 5:1-11).

I recommend Rebekah Eklund's wonderful new book, The Beatitudes Throughout The Ages , and I talk about how Paul argues for the unity of the Roman Christians by citing Abraham in Romans 4.

I recommend The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale University Press), one of the most brilliant and breathtaking books I've ever read, and I talk about Paul's argument in Romans 3:21-31.

I recommend Spencer Ackerman's new book, Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump , and I talk about the conclusion to Paul's opening argument in Romans 3:1-20.

I recommend Michael Gormans excellent book Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness: Following the Lamb into the New Creation, and I talk about how Paul's argument progresses in Romans 2, in which he confronts the group in the Roman churches that is passing judgment from a sense of moral superiority.

I recommend an excellent work on the Book of Acts, Kavin Rowe's World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age (Oxford University Press), and I talk about Paul's opening rhetorical move in Romans 1:18-32.

I recommend Beverly Roberts Gaventa's wonderful book, When In Romans: An Invitation to Linger with the Gospel According to Paul (Baker Academic), and I start talking about Paul's opening rhetorical move in Romans 1:18-32. I also mention the following podcasts and books: "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" "The Ezra Klein Show" Stanley Stowers, A Rereading of Romans: Justice, Jews, and Gentiles (Yale...

In this episode, I recommend Chuck DeGroat's timely and wonderful book, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse , and I talk about the introduction of Paul's letter to the Romans. I also talk a bit about identity politics, responding to Charles Murray's article, “Identity Crisis: How the Politics of Race Will Wreck America,” published this month i...

In this episode I recommend David Fromkin's masterful and fascinating work, A Peace To End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East , and I give an overview of how I see the major movements of Paul's argument in his letter to the Roman house churches.

I recommend Lisa Bowens's compelling new book, African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation (Eerdmans), and I talk about where I intend to go with the podcast in this third season (and beyond), reporting on my research in Paul's letter to the Romans. 

In this episode, I recommend a great new book by Brian Brock called, Disability: Living Into The Diversity Of Christ's Body , and I talk about social justice, the gospel, and how the church does not merely have some kind of relationship to social justice, but rather, according to Paul, the church is God’s social justice.

I have a discussion with my friend Steve Watkins about a load of stuff, but especially about some of the impulses behind death of God thinkers, which I find really fascinating.

I recommend an excellent new book, Reparations: A Call for Repentance and Repair , by Duke L. Kwon and Gregory Thompson, and I talk about the grammar of the gospel and compare that to the grammar of evangelicalism.

I recommend Ijeoma Oluo’s new book, Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America , and I respond to a question about women in ministry by sort of flipping the script and reflecting on the problem of men in ministry. I also recommend Nijay Gupta's excellent blog series, " Why I Believe in Women in Ministry ," an index to which is found here (https://www.patheos.com/blogs/cruxsola/2019/06/wh...

I recommend a magisterial work by Frances FitzGerald, The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America , and I reflect a bit on some recent articles on the cultural dynamics of evangelicalism. I refer to these three articles: Timothy Dalrymple, "The Splintering of the Evangelical Soul: Why We're Coming Apart, and How We Might Come Together Again," Christianity Today, April 16, 2021 . J. Kameron Car...

I recommend Ta-Nehisi Coates's brilliant book, Between the World and Me , an absolutely powerful memoir that’s a personal letter to his son, and I intended to talk about a few recent articles on the contemporary state of American evangelicalism, but ended up extending some thoughts on the sorts of things I routinely re-think.