The Two Cities

In this episode of our Anti-Judaism series we turn to discuss the nature and purpose of Israel’s election. Specifically, we discuss how this may have been understood by the Apostle Paul relative to the kinds of understandings that we find in the Hebrew Bible. Joining us for this conversation we have Dr. Joel Kaminsky, who is Morningstar Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Religion at Smit...

Joining us for a conversation on Anti-Judaism and the Gospel of John, we are joined by Professor Adele Reinhartz, who is Professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa. She is also the general editor of the journal of biblical literature, the president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and the author of a number of studies on the representation of Je...

Carrying on with our Christian Anti-Judaism series, we discuss the early reception of John the Baptist as a key figure for the “parting of the ways” between Christianity and Judaism. Joining us for this discussion is Dr. Nathan Shedd, who is the author of A Dangerous Parting: The Beheading of John the Baptist in Early Christian Memory (published by Baylor University Press). In our conversation, Dr...

As we close out Black History Month, we wanted to highlight how the topic of our present series on Anti-Judaism intersects with Anti-Blackness. Joining us for this conversation is Liz Loeb, who completed a PhD in Law and Society from NYU, worked as a Civil Rights Attorney, and is presently a Community Organizer for an interfaith organization called Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. Speaking fr...

In the second installment of our Christian Anti-Judaism series we discuss the Pharisees with Prof. Amy-Jill Levine, who is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies and Jewish Studies at Hartford Seminary, as well as University Professor of New Testament Studies and Jewish Studies Emerita, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, and Professor of New T...

Kicking off our series on Christian Anti-Judaism, we are joined by Dr. Matthew Thiessen to discuss Jesus & Ritual Purity. Dr. Thiessen is Associate Professor of New Testament at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and the author of the book we’re discussing in this conversation, Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospel’s Portrayal of Ritual Impurity Within First Century Judaism (publish...

In this episode we kick off our brand-new series on Christian Anti-Judaism. Here we introduce the key topics of the conversation, and provide some context for why we regard this conversation as an ethical imperative for Christians, since our collective history is steeped in anti-Judaism. Along the way, we define some of the key terms, including anti-Judaism, which we distinguish from anti-Semitism...

In this episode we’re talking about Intersectionality and Conversion with Dr. Valérie Nicolet and Prof. Marianne Kartzow. Dr. Nicolet is Associate Professor of New Testament at Institut Protestant de Théologie, Faculté de Paris, and Prof. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Oslo. They are co-editors of the book we discuss in this episode, The Comple...

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Mike Austin to discuss Gun Rights & Conspiracies. Dr. Austin is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Eastern Kentucky University, and the author of God and Guns in America published by Eerdmans. This episode extends our conversation on American Gun Culture from a biblical perspective into philosophical and legal arenas. In particular, as we disc...

In this episode we’re taking about American Gun Culture from a biblical perspective with Prof. Carly Crouch and Prof. Christopher B. Hays. Prof. Carly Crouch is Professor of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and Ancient Judaism, and Chair of the Department of Textual, Historical and Systematic Studies of Judaism and Christianity at Radboud University, Nijmegen (Netherlands), and Prof. Christopher B. Hays...

In this episode we discuss Asian-American Representation in Film with Abel Vang. Abel Vang is an awarded independent film producer, director, writer, and Assistant Professor of Entertainment Producing at Biola University. Some of his major film credits include: What Lies Below , Bedeviled , and the forthcoming, They Live In The Grey . Over the course of the conversation, Abel gives us loads of fir...

In this episode we revisit the subject of women in the academy with Dr. Beth Allison Barr and Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg. Dr. Barr is Professor of History and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Baylor University and the author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood (published by Brazos) and Dr. Renberg is Assistant Professor of History at Anderson University, having completed her PhD under the sup...

In this episode we celebrate 100 podcast episodes! In the spirit of celebration, we have an eclectic episode full of feedback from some of our previous guests as well as questions from listeners and responses from all twelve of our podcast hosts. In addition we conclude the episode with a number of bloopers followed by the origin story of our theme music, and the unveiling of our new theme music f...

On today's episode we're discussing the topic of Climate Justice in the wake of the recent COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland on October 31 through November 13 of 2021 (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties). We are joined by three guests from Australia: Pastor Ray Minniecon, Jarrod McKenna, and Dr. Byron Smith. Over the course of our conversation we talk about the severity of th...

In this episode we debrief our experiences listening to Christianity Today's podcast series, The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill, which is all about Mark Driscoll's leadership at a megachurch in Seattle from 1996 to 2014. Joining us for this conversation are Aimee Byrd, the author of Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (published by Zondervan), and Dr. Michael Bird, who is Academic Dean an...

In this episode we reflect on our experiences participating in the annual biblical studies, theology, and religion conferences that take place every November, including the Society of Biblical Literature, which most of our team participates in, as well as the American Academy of Religion and the Institute of Biblical Research (among others). In our conversation we talk about the papers that we pre...

In this episode we talk about what it is like to be a mother, an academic, and a Christian all at the same time. Joining us for this conversation are Dr. Stephanie Chan and Dr. Christina Lee Kim, both of whom contributed to the recent volume, Power Women: Stories of Motherhood, Faith, and the Academy (recently published by IVP). Dr. Chan is Associate Professor of Sociology at Biola University and...

In this episode we discuss doubt and deconstructing faith with Dr. A. J. Swoboda, who is Assistant Professor of Bible, Theology, and World Christianity at Bushnell University (Eugene, Oregon), and the author of After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It (published by Brazos). Over the course of our conversation we talk about what doubt and deconstruction are, and what healthy and un...

In this episode we discuss our appreciation of, and enduring fascination with, Netflix's breakout South Korean horror-drama, Squid Game. Over the course of our wide-ranging conversation we discuss the show's critique of capitalism and connect that critique to the historical and theological insights of Albert Hirschman and Kathryn Tanner. We also delve further into the ways that the show portrays h...

In this episode we review the new Dune film by Denis Villeneuve with Matthew William Brake, the series editor for the Theology and Pop Culture series published by Fortress and Lexington Press. Over the course of our conversation we talk about our appreciation of the film, how it did as an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, and how it compares to David Lynch’s much-maligned film version from...

In this episode we talk about Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein with Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, who is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books (published by Brazos), and the editor of a series published by B&H called A Guide To Reading and Reflecting, which in...

In this episode we discuss horror films with Dr. Murray Stiller, who is Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Redeemer University (Hamilton, Ontario). Over the course of our conversation we talk about why horror movies are so popular and why it’s important to be having a discussion like this. We address the tropes and themes that are germane to the genre of horror in its many iterations...

On this episode we discuss the ministry of women in the New Testament with Revd Canon Professor Dorothy Lee, who is Stewart Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity College, Melbourne, an ordained priest in the Anglican church, and the author of The Ministry of Women in the New Testament: Reclaiming the Biblical Vision for Church Leadership (published by Baker). In our conversation, Prof. Le...

In this episode we’re talking about What Jesus Learned From Women with Dr. James F. McGrath, who is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, the host of a podcast called ReligionProf, and the author of the book that we’re discussing here, What Jesus Learned From Women (published by Cascade). Dr. McGrath’s thesis is that there are many women in the Go...

As our final episode in our Apologetics series, we conclude by discussing apologetics pedagogy, education, and training with three recent graduates of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, which was formerly associated with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries as its training arm. Joining us to talk about the experience of studying there and their ongoing relationship with apologetics in...