Professors, In Rooms, Getting Coffee

In this episode of Professors in Rooms Getting Coffee, Justin and Stephen wrap up the conversation about Stephen's disseration. The conversation includes consideration of the complex distinctions between the perspectives of Iraq and the US leading up to the Gulf War, as well as cultural issues in the conduct of the 2003 war in Iraq.   The discussion includes recognition of both material and cultur...

In today's episode, we dive into Stephen's research on global Christian reasoning. We consider the four cultural frameworks Stephen evaluated in this context, and examine their impact on interpretations of several Bible passages. But before we get into all the intriguing details of Stephen's dissertation, we catch up with our hosts, Stephen and Justin, as they discuss the challenges of living in a...

Episode Overview Welcome back to another episode of "Professors, in Rooms, Getting Coffee"! In this episode Stephen and Justin talk about how Stephen sought to challenge established answers within political science by approaching questions about culture from a different angle while maintaining the rigors of academic methodology. The episode explores cultural differences in the perception and inter...

Important Update: New Patreon Address! We've moved to https://patreon.com/envisionberlin     Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts. Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss...

Important Update: New Patreon Address! We've moved to https://patreon.com/envisionberlin     Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts. Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss...

Important Update: New Patreon Address! We've moved to https://patreon.com/envisionberlin     Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts. Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss...

Important Update: New Patreon Address! We've moved to https://patreon.com/envisionberlin     Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts. Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss...

Important Update: New Patreon Address! We've moved to https://patreon.com/envisionberlin     Exciting news for our listeners: More Bonuses: Explore old favorites and fresh exclusives from all Envision Berlin podcasts. Free Transcripts: We're posting free beta transcripts for all our episodes on our new Patreon page. Dive deeper into our conversations, revisit your favorite moments, and never miss...

In their introductory conversation, Justin and Stephen discuss the insight that led to the creation the Advent Special ( Episode 19 ) Lament. Then, Professor and Filmmaker* Jonathan Vinson joins to conclude the conversation about beauty. Justin asks about the sometimes disappointing quality of Christian film and music.  Jonathan shares about theme in storytelling, and the ways in which Christian a...

Christmas often comes as a time of light and joy, but it is often highlighted against a backdrop of sorrow. Justin and Stephen explore how lament, agreeing with God that things are not as they should be, can allow us to see more clearly what the arrival of Jesus as Messiah means historically, today, and as we look forward.  They consider the question of faith in the midst of difficulty and how cry...

Professor and Filmmaker Jonathan Vinson joins to discuss his own journey of discovering beauty and how he defines it today. Justin and Stephen ask whether beauty is necessarily good or true . Together, they consider the relationship between aesthetic appeal and truth, and whether something can be both untrue and beautiful, or aesthtically unpleasing and true. Justin and Stephen also discuss their...

Justin and Stephen consider the implications of Ephesians for how Christians might approach life today, including how hope and despair stemming from contemporary politics may reveal eschatological drift. This episode is the last in the series on Justin's Ph. D. dissertation, which considered anti-imperial readings of Ephesians.  Justin's dissertation is now available  as a book  (also at Amazon )....

Justin and Stephen discuss the relationship between truth and humility, and Stephen suggests that encounters with truth should always be humbling. Justin considers the process of doctrinal development, and the guys process the risks involved with fossilization of doctrine. He also asks about what happens when we choosing to make doctrinal statements in areas where they may not be necessary. Stephe...

Stephen asks Justin about Ephesians 2 and Ephesians 5. Justin suggests that in Ephesians 2, the author contrasts the  way in which Jesus brings peace with the way that the Roman Empire brought peace. In a particularly difficult section of Ephesians 5, Justin considers whether the author's household code of ethics is set in contrast with the Roman Empire's code of household ethics.  In their highli...

Stephen asks Justin what happened in Ephesians , as they start into the final series on Justin's dissertation. In today's episode, they talk through Ephesians 1:3-14, and whether this passage is intended to challenge Roman imperial ideology. Along the way, they discuss difficulties around interpretive ideas like supercessionism and predestination. Justin gives a refresher on the speeach act idea t...

Justin and Stephen conclude the conversation with Marcus Dip Silas about relational knowing and the nature of truth. In today’s episode (pt. 3 of 3), they consider how truth is encountered and shared. Marcus talks about beauty and truth in cooking, and Justin shares about a project in which his students make a soundtrack for the Gospel of John. Marcus and Justin reflect on what Georgia O’Keeffe an...

Justin and Stephen continue the conversation with Marcus Dip Silas about relational knowing and the nature of truth. In today’s episode (pt. 2 of 3), they consider what truth does . They consider how educational approaches reflect and perpetuate ideas of what truth is, and ask what effective measures of truth are, and what happens when authority interacts with truth selectively. Justin and Stephen...

Marcus Dip Silas dropped by the Studio in Berlin to discuss relational knowing and the nature of truth with Justin and Stephen. In today’s episode (pt. 1 of 3), Marcus shares how his own background, including the postcolonial context where he grew up and his multiracial experience, are important to understanding how he considers what truth is. Justin also joined Stephen in the studio in Berlin for...

Justin and Stephen conclude the second series on Justin’s dissertation about Ephesians and the Roman Empire. Justin explains socially constructed institutional facts and provides key Speech Act Theory definitions. Stephen asks Justin whether his approach overly complicates Biblical interpretation. Justin and Stephen also explore the question of their own implied audience, what we know what the Bib...

Justin and Stephen continue the discussion of Justin’s dissertation about Ephesians and the Roman Empire. In the second part of this three part series, they talk about Speech Act Theory. Justin applies the ideas of Speech Act Theory to Ephesians 5 and Romans 13. In their highlights, lowlights, and insights, Justin shares about a good deal on a book, Stephen talks about trying to maintain multiple...

Justin and Stephen turn back to considering Justin’s dissertation about Ephesians and the Roman Empire. In the first part of this three part series, they talk about hermeneutics, and how many interpretive decisions are made before we even realize it. Justin talks about some of the limits of other approaches of Bible study, and then explains the relationship between implied and empirical authorship...

Megan Yoder joins Justin and Stephen again for the final installment of this 3 part series. In this episode, Megan reflects on Christian symbolism, arts and artists in the church, and hope. Justin talks about the joys of Spring, and he and Stephen also reflect again on the war in Ukraine, including ways in which they think about their own responses to the conflict. We have show notes for you at pr...

Megan Yoder joins Justin and Stephen again to help them think through the intersection of Art with Beauty and helps them expand their view to include intersections of Art with Truth, Wisdom, and Goodness. In part 2 of this 3 part series, Megan reflects on how Art might influence scholarship. Justin and Stephen also reflect on the war in Ukraine, and Stephen reflects on the weird dual-reality of li...

Megan Yoder joins Justin and Stephen to help them think through the intersection of Art with Beauty and them helps them expand their view to include intersections of Art with Truth, Wisdom, and Goodness. In part 1 of this 3 part series, Megan considers the ways in which Art expresses Truth, along with the limitations of words. Justin makes a couple of important corrections from Episode 4, and the...

In Part 3 of 3 of this series, Justin discusses the Roman Imperial Eschatology in the 1st Century, and how it impacted the way 1st Century readers of Ephesians would have understood the Gospel of Jesus. Stephen follows up on the question from Part 1, about whether current events should impact our reading of scripture, and the guys talk about strengths and weaknesses of contextual readings of scrip...