OnScript

Episode: In this episode, Erin hosts Fleming Rutledge for a fireside chat before a live audience at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford. Listen as Fleming shares pearls of wisdom from her decades of ministry as a preacher and a writer. Guest: Fleming Rutledge was ordained to the diaconate in the Episcopal church in 1975, and was one of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Episco...

Episode: Triple-crown episode!! Sheblatzm is back for the 3rd time, and he's not holding back. This episode will revolutionalize the way you think about theology, science, and yourself. But it's not all pie-in-the-sky theologizing here. No way. Through accessible communication Sheblazm tells heart-wrenching but ultimately heart-warming stories of life on the front lines of science and theology whe...

Episode: Has the Chalcedonian Definition stood the test of time and theological challenge? Ian McFarland thinks so and advocates for a "Chalcedonianism without reserve" in his newest book,  The Word Made Flesh: A Theology of the Incarnation  (WJK, 2019). McFarland joins co-host Amy Hughes to talk about what he means by this phrase and how churches who affirm the language laid out at the Council of...

Episode:  This episode takes you on a wild ride through the land of the Bible, the world of Josephus, into the ER after crashed planes, by the Dead Sea, and includes encounters with Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and a fire-breathing dragon. Brace yourself! Guest: Dr. Wave Nunnally is Professor of Early Judaism and Christian Origins at Evangel University in Springfiled, MO. He is the author of numerous a...

Episode: In this third episode of a mini-series on "faith" (pistis), Jeanette Hagen Pifer brings a different method to bear on pistis, looking at what we might glean from wider conceptual categories related to "faith," like persuasion and boasting. And she was a missionary in the former Soviet Union before becoming a professor! Join her and OnScript co-host Matthew W. Bates, as they discuss Jeanet...

Episode: After years of relative silence, conversations about "faith" (pistis) in the New Testament and early Christianity are suddenly blossoming. Pistis is essential. But because it's multifaceted and can be used in so many contexts, Nijay Gupta compares it to a Swiss Army knife. OnScript co-host Matthew Bates welcomes guest Nijay Gupta to speak about Nijay's exciting new book, Paul and the Lang...

Episode: Dru Johnson speaks with James Diamond about why Jewish theology matters, and how he understands themes like love, death, freedom, names of God, angels, the philosophical quest, and Zionism in light of the Hebrew Bible and the Jewish Rabbinic, philosophical, and mystical traditions. This episode focuses on his book  Jewish Theology Unbound (OUP).  Guest: Professor James A. Diamond is the J...

Episode: In this episode Matt Lynch sits down with Dan Pioske to talk about the way we know about ancient Israel. Most scholars have been so text-based in their assumptions about memory transmission in the ancient world. They assume that texts & docs were the main way knowledge was preserved. Pioske suggests that there's another major way knowledge transmits--through the land. This episode explore...

Episode: Jesus was faithful to us in dying on the cross. But how does this inform faith? And does Jesus' faithfulness stop at the cross, or does it extend into his on-going life as the resurrected and exalted one? What might all of this say about the disputed pistis Christou phrase? And did you know that in addition to coauthoring a book, David Downs and Benjamin Lappenga have run a marathon? Or t...

Episode: We're going back to the dirt in this episode with Cynthia Shafer-Elliott. We talk about bee hives, the Daniel diet, Ezekiel bread, gender & archaeology, and why Cynthia is willing to get up at 4am for weeks at a time each summer. Guest: Cynthia Shafer-Elliott is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies in the The Faculty of Theology and School of Christian Leadership at...

Episode: In this week's episode co-host Dru Johnson interviews co-host Matt Lynch, and there's a surprise mystery guest! Guest: Matt Lynch is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Old Testament at Westminster Theological Centre, UK, where he's served for the last 7 years.  He's also the co-founder of OnScript with Matt Bates. He completed his Ph. D. at Emory University in 2012, and worked for two years as...

Episode: In this episode, Willie James Jennings joins host Amy Hughes to talk about his  The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race  ten years after its publication. This compelling work is indispensable for current theological and cultural conversations about race, colonization, Scripture, supersessionism, and the relationship between humans and land. Guest: The Reverend Dr. Will...

In this inbetwepisode, Dru interviews scholars and publishers at the book tables and receptions at the annual meeting of the Society for Biblical Literature (which also includes the American Academy of Religion, Institute for Biblical Research, American Schools of Oriental Research, and more!). Order of appearance: Robin "the rain in Spain" Parry (Wipf & Stock) Marc Cortez (Wheaton) Rodrigo de Sou...

Episode: Michael Bird speaks with Matt Bates and Erin Heim about his new joint venture with N.T. Wright, The New Testament in Its World . We discussed Mike's take on well-worn issues in New Testament Studies, what it's like to write a book with N.T. Wright, scary Australian animals, and more. Guest: Michael Bird is Academic Dean and lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. M...

Episode: Benjamin Sommer speaks with Matt Lynch about Torah, Sinai, Jewish perspectives on the authority of the Hebrew Bible, Psalms, and way more. Guest: Benjamin D. Sommer is Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC. He's the author of Revelation and Authority: Sinai in Jewish Scripture and Tradition (Yale University Press, 2015), A Prophet Reads Scr...

Episode:  This is a re-release. Larry Hurtado passed away recently, and in memory of his contributions to biblical studies, we're re-releasing this 2016 episode. Apologies for the episode.  Larry Hurtado and OnScript host Matthew Bates smash gods. Well, actually Larry is the one who brings the heavy artillery, drawing from his recent Destroyer of the Gods (Baylor University Press, 2016). What does...

Episode: What hath penal substitution to do with recapitulation? Or Christus Victor with moral influence? Turns out, quite a lot. Of the making of many books and ideas on atonement there is no end. Could there be room for a new approach? In this episode, Josh McNall joins host Amy Hughes for a conversation on his new book  The Mosaic of Atonement: An Integrated Approach to Christ's Work  in which...

Episode: Chris Tilling presents his work on Karl Barth's Romans commentary. He argues that Barth's reading of Romans is worth the attention of biblical scholars, even though Barth is a systematic theologian. Go figure! This is part 2 of a 2-part episode. Host: Chris Tilling is Graduate Tutor and Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies at St Mellitus College. Chris co-authored How God Became Jesus...

Episode: Chris Tilling presents his work on Karl Barth's Romans commentary. He argues that Barth's reading of Romans is worth the attention of biblical scholars, even though Barth is a systematic theologian. Go figure! This is part 1 of a 2-part episode.  Host: Chris Tilling is Graduate Tutor and Senior Lecturer in New Testament Studies at St Mellitus College. Chris co-authored How God Became Jesu...

Episode: Philip Ziegler joins Erin Heim to discuss apocalyptic theology, Pauline literature, and the implications of both for Christian discipleship. They discuss Ziegler's new book, Militant Grace , which constitutes a serious theological engagement and response to the apocalyptic turn in Pauline studies. Along the way, Professor Ziegler shares with us the influence friends and mentors like J. Lo...

Episode: Seth Heringer's Uniting History and Theology argues that Christians do not need to use the historical-critical method to make historical claims but should instead write boldly Christian history. By using the historical method, grounded as it is in an incomplete understating of German historicism, they close off investigation of the past from the aesthetic and, importantly, from God. This...

Episode: You've spoken. We've listened.  You've asked for more episodes giving a window into the secret lives of OnScript co-hosts. Or at least, you've asked us to allow more time for chat between hosts. So we'll try to do a bit more of that. In this episode, Matt Lynch and Matt Bates, the co-founders of OnScript, ask each other questions about Paul, hell, life, violence, divine-human appearances...

Episode: What is the relationship between the individual Christian and the community of faith? How do we navigate the pendulum swings between an overemphasis on the individual at the expense of community and an overemphasis on community at the expense of the individual? In this episode, OnScript host Amy Brown Hughes talks with her colleague Sharon Ketcham about her new book  Reciprocal Church: Be...

Episode: We all know that for Christians, Scripture is crucial--it's the lifeblood of the church. But when we press deeper, what is it? What do words like authority and inspiration mean? How does the Bible best fit into a broader Christian theology? Joseph K. Gordon joins OnScript host Matthew Bates to talk about Joe's exciting new book, Divine Scripture in Human Understanding. Guest: Joseph K. Go...

Theology Track Episode: Live from Nashotah House, WI (3rd year running), here's part 2 of our interview with Fr John Behr. Amy Brown Hughes talks with Fr John Behr about Origen and all things Patristic. In addition to more of the interview, we've got some Q&A in this episode. If you missed Part 1, visit HERE . Guest:  The Very Reverend Dr John Behr is a British Eastern Orthodox priest and theologi...