The Two Cities

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Tate Paulette, who is an Archeologist and Associate Professor of History at NC State University and the author of In the Land of Ninkasi: A History of Beer in Ancient Mesopotamia (published by Oxford University Press). Kicking off our series on ancient wine and beer in biblical literature and relevant traditions, we begin by talking with Dr. Tate Paulette about...

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Mark Glanville, who is an Old Testament scholar and jazz pianist, the Director of The Center of Mission and Leadership at St. Andrews Hall at the University of British Columbia, the host of the podcast, Blue Note Theology, and the author of Preaching in a New Key: Crafting Expository Sermons in Post-Christian Communities (published by IVP Academic). In our conve...

Spoiler alert and content warning! In this episode we review the third season of the smash hit Korean show on Netflix, Squid Game. As we debrief our experience watching the third season, we talk about the crazy ending, what surprised us the most about what the third season did and didn't do, what we appreciated and disliked about the season, and how this season fits alongside the first two seasons...

In this episode we review and debrief the seventh season of Black Mirror , the technologically-dystopian anthology series on Netflix (on which Amber Bowen and John Anthony Dunne produced a collection of essays ). We talk about key themes and new emphases that appear this season as we work through each of the six episodes in detail. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber...

In this episode we review season 2 of the hit streaming show on Apple+ called Severance. We're joined by Dr. Nick Fox, who is Assistant Professor of Christian Studies and the Chair of the Biblical, Theological, and Ministry Studies at Crown College, and the editor of the forthcoming volume, Theology, Philosophy, and Severance (published by Rowman & Littlefield and Bloomsbury). In our conversat...

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Daniel Hill, assistant professor of Christian Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and the author of Bearing Witness: What the Church Can Learn from Early Abolitionists (published by Baker Academic). In our conversation Dr. Hill helps us to think about the importance of creativity in how to help people at the mar...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Dale C. Allison Jr., who is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of Interpreting Jesus (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation we talked about why Prof. Allison chose to write this book as a collection of essays, how he used the volume as a venue to chart some...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Christy Cobb and Dr. Katherine Shaner to talk about their new edited volume, Ancient Slavery and Its New Testament Contexts (published by Eerdmans). Dr. Christy Cobb is Associate Professor of Christianity in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Denver, and Dr. Katherine Shaner is Associate Professor of New Testament at Wake Forest University...

In this episode we’re joined by Aimee Byrd, who is the author of eight books, including the new one that we discuss in this episode, Saving Face: Finding My Self, God, and One Another Outside a Defaced Church (published by Zondervan). Over the course of our conversation we talk about the rich value of faces, the metaphorical nuances to “saving face,” and the ultimate goal of beholding the face of...

In this episode we’re joined by Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley, Pastor at Mosaic Waco, Special Advisor to the President for Equity and Campus Engagement at Baylor University, and the author of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward (published by Baker). Over the course of our conversation we talk about how Jesus is calling Christi...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Joan Taylor, who is Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King’s College, London, and the author of Boy Jesus: Growing Up Judean in Turbulent Times (Zondervan Academic). Over the course of our conversation we talk about what our sources are for accessing Jesus’s childhood, what we think we can know about it, how his family life and th...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. James Barker, who is Associate Professor in the Department of History at Western Kentucky University and the author of Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: John and the Synoptics (published by Eerdmans). In this episode we discuss Dr. Barker’s theory of Gospel development, which entails the idea that each of our canonical Gospels were aware of the previously writt...

Over the course of our conversation, Prof. MacCulloch explains the impetus behind his book as unsettling many “settled facts” about the Christian history of sexuality. We talk about differing views on sex before the Fall, sex in the eschaton, modern approaches to sexuality like purity culture, when weddings began to be held in churches, and some of the terrifying legends about homosexuality perpet...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. David Bennett is a post-doctoral research fellow in theology and ethics at the University of Oxford and he’s the author of A War of Loves: The Unexpected Story of a Gay Activist Discovering Jesus (published by Zondervan). In our conversation we review and discuss the portrayal of Jesus’s sexuality and desire for a relationship and a family in The Last Temptation...

In this episode we’re joined by Sheila Wray Gregoire, who is a speaker, author of several books, and manager of the podcast and website, BareMarriage.com. She’s also the author (along with her husband, Keith) of the book that we’re discussing on this episode: The Marriage You Want: Moving Beyond Stereotypes for a Relationship Built on Scripture, New Data, and Emotional Health (published by Baker)....

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Matthew Novenson, who is the Helen H. P. Manson Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary and the author of Paul and Judaism at the End of History  (published by Cambridge University Press). In this conversation we talk about how eschatology and Paul’s belief that he was living at the end of history impacts his theological vision. W...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Tzvi Novick, who is Abrams Jewish Thought and Culture Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, Judaism: A Guide for Christians (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation we talk about why Professor Novick wrote this book to correct misconceptions and misrepres...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Jerusha Neal, who is Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School and the author of Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place (published by Baylor University Press). In this conversation we talk about climate-informed homiletics and specifically what Dr. Neal gleaned from indigenous preaching that others can learn and incor...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Michelle Knight, who is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, The Prophet’s Anthem : The Song of Deborah and Barak in the Narrative of Judges (published by Baylor University Press). In this conversation we talk about Deborah’s role in the...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Jennifer Powell McNutt, who is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College and the author of the book that we discuss in this episode, The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (published by Brazos). Over the course of the epis...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Beth Allison Barr, who is the James Vardaman Professor of History at Baylor University and the author of Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry (published by Brazos). Over the course of our conversation we talk about how the common notion in certain Christian circles that the pastor’s wife is the highest...

In this episode we’re talking about the new volume on Religion, Theology, and Stranger Things: Studies from the Upside Down on Evil, Ethics, Horror, and Hope (Rowman & Littlefield). We’re joined by the editors Dr. Andy Byers (lecturer in New Testament at Ridley Hall in the Cambridge Theological Federation) and Dr. Adam Powell (lecturer in medical humanities at Durham University), as well as a...

In this episode we debrief and review the new documentary about the hit TV show from the mid and late 2000s— LOST . The documentary ( Getting LOST ) is a nostalgic treat for fans made by fans 20 years after the airing of the pilot in 2004 with loads of creative and acting representation (available on Amazon Prime). Joining us for this conversation is Leslie Garcia, an MSt student at the University...

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Steve Walton, Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, Acts 1–9:42 in the Word Biblical Commentary series (published by Zondervan Academic). In our conversation, Prof. Walton shares with us how he got to be involved in the WBC series, what he likes most about the...

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. M. John-Patrick O’Connor, who is Associate Professor of New Testament at Northwest University, and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, The Last Will Be First: Divine Judgment in the Gospel of Mark (published by Baylor University Press). In our conversation we discuss the “grammar of judgment” present in the Gospel of Mark as it relates...