The Vicars' Crossing

Welcome to this BONUS EPISODE of the Vicars’ Crossing. This episode is being released on The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe - December 12.  Mary is the Patron Saint of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas. Every year, thousands of people from all over the country make a pilgrimage to the Basilica in Mexico City. The day commemorates the apparition of our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego in th...

In this episode, we welcome Womanist biblical scholar, the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and of the Throne, numerous commentaries and co-editor of The Peoples’ Bible and The Peoples’ Companion to the Bible. She is also the author of a Women’s Lectionary for...

In this episode, we welcome associate professor of social ethics at Iliff School of Theology, Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre. A religious scholar, author, and ordained minister, De Le Torre was born in Cuba months before the Castro Revolution. He and his family migrated to the United States as refugees when he was an infant. He had a successful real estate business and at one point ran for state legisl...

Today we are excited to release this advent special.  We welcome friends of the Vicars’ Crossing, Bestselling authors Diana Butler Bass, and Michael Coren. Diana and Michael have both written books about Jesus this year. Dianna’s book FREEING JESUS - challenges the idea that Jesus can only be understood in static, one-dimensional ways and asks us to instead consider a life where Jesus grows with u...

In this episode we welcome Dr. Will Willimon -  Bishop Willimon is the Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Duke Divinity School. He is former Dean of the Chapel at Duke University and is considered by many as one of America's best-known and most influential preachers. Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and Director of...

Today we talk with author, speaker and Lutheran pastor Heidi Neumark. Heidi has served congregations in the South Bronx and presently in Manhattan. Her experiences in congregational and community leadership in the Bronx led to a highly acclaimed book, "Breathing Space: A Spiritual Journey in the South Bronx" She has chapters and sermons in numerous other books and writes regularly for th...

In this episode, we welcome New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books - Frank Schaeffer.  Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood. He’s an acclaimed writer who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as “pretty terr...

We welcome internationally renowned scholar and teacher, Amy-Jill Levine. Dr Levine is the author of numerous books including “The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner's Guide to His Most Perplexing Teachings,” “Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi,”  She is also the coeditor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament.  She has recently co-authored “The a Bible w...

Dr. Beth Allison Barr is professor of history and associate dean of the Graduate School at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she specializes in medieval history, women's history, and church history.  Her current best selling book THE MAKING OF BIBLICAL WOMANHOOD  moves the conversation about biblical womanhood beyond Greek grammar and into the realm of church history to show that this b...

n this episode we are excited to sit down with celebrated spiritual writer and sought-after speaker, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. In his new book REVOLUTION OF VALUES  - Jonathan outlines how Christians have misused Scripture to consolidate power, stoke fears, and defend against enemies. A solution to this rest with people who have been hurt by the attacks of Christian nationalism. Jonathan shows us...

After attending two universities in Britain as a young man, Michael returned to higher education in 2016, graduating from Trinity College, University of Toronto, three years later with a Master of Divinity (Honours) degree. He was ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada in October 2019 and is a Pastoral Associate at St. Christopher's in Burlington. Michael has received several awards for hi...

Peter Enns (Ph. D. Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University (St. Davids, PA). He has taught undergraduate, seminary, and doctoral courses at numerous other schools, including Princeton Theological Seminary, Harvard Divinity School, and Temple University.  Enns speaks and writes regularly to diverse audiences about the intersection of the ancient s...

AnnaLise Trudell is a gender-equity consultant and the manager of Education, Training & Research at Anova, the women’s shelter and sexual assault centre in London Ontario. She brings extensive analysis of the causes and impacts of gender-based violence and of prevention programming through her doctoral and postdoctoral research at Western University. As Manager at Anova for over a decade, she...

Growing up in a strict, fundamentalist church in the southern USA, a young Philip Yancey tended to view God as “a scowling Supercop, searching for anyone who might be having a good time—in order to squash them.” Yancey jokes today about being “in recovery” from a toxic church. “Of course, there were good qualities too. If a neighbour’s house burned down, the congregation would rally around and sho...

Dr. Josh McNall has taught at OKWU since 2009. He holds a Ph. D. in Theology from the University of Manchester (UK), an MA in theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a BA in Pastoral Ministry from OKWU. Josh also preaches regularly around the country and serves as the Ambassador of Church Relations for OKWU—a role that allows him to serve local Wesleyan Churches.  He blogs regularly...

Kate Bowler, PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and professor at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. In her twenties, she became obsessed with writing the first history of the movement called the “prosperity gospel”—which promises that God will reward you with health and w...

A prize-winning historian and Emmy Award nominee, Randall Balmer earned the Ph. D. from Princeton University in 1985 and taught as Professor of American Religious History at Columbia University for twenty-seven years before becoming the Mandel Family Professor in the Arts & Sciences at Dartmouth College in 2012; two years later, he was named Dartmouth Professor in the Arts & Sciences, and...

Daniel Bowman Jr. is the author of A Plum Tree in Leatherstocking Country and On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, & the Gifts of Neurodiversity. His work has appeared in several anthologies and in The Adirondack Review, American Poetry Journal, Art House America, Books & Culture, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, The Cresset, Christianity Today, Image Journal’s Good Letters, The Midwest Quarterl...

Drew E. Jackson is a poet who came late to writing poetry, although he would say that his love for the art form began with hip-hop, learning to put words together from Nas’ Illmatic. He writes at the intersection of justice, peace, and contemplation, having a passion to contribute toward a more just and whole world.  Born in Williamstown, NJ, Drew currently calls New York City home. He holds a B.A...

Jennifer Butler is committed to amplifying the connection between faith and social justice, has the heart of a community organizer, and is an ordained minister. She is the founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life, which works to change the narrative about the role of faith in politics, wins major policy victories, and empowers religious leaders to fight for the common good. Jennifer was...

Chanda Prescod -Weinstein is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Core Faculty Member in Women’s Studies at the University of New Hampshire, and like anyone, she has an origin story and a mission. She is a monthly columnist at New Scientist and a contributing columnist at Physics World. Read about why she co-led the call for a June 10, 2020 Strike for Black Lives at the Particles for Justice webs...

Tayiba Nasr Born and raised in Herat Afghanistan Tayiba is a Canadian citizen and has been living in Canada for 35 years and in London for 25 years. She is mother to 4 children who were born here. Tayiba has been active in the Afghan community in London for many years. She has been working for South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre as community support worker for the last 16 years. Tayiba has...

A native of Ireland, Professor Collins was a professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago from 1991 until his arrival at YDS in 2000. He previously taught at the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the subjects of apocalypticism, wisdom, Hellenistic Judaism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. His books include The Dead Sea Scrolls: A Biography; Early Judaism: A Comprehensive Over...

Kat Armas is a Cuban-American writer and podcaster from Miami, FL who holds a dual MDiv and MAT from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her first book, Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence and Strength (Brazos Press) explores the intersection of women, Scripture, and Cuban identity. She also engages these topics on her podcast, "The Protagonistas", which...

Dr. Noble has been teaching composition and literature for over a decade, beginning at Antelope Valley College in his home town of Lancaster, California, and then at Baylor University. He has contributed scholarship on Cormac McCarthy and has published a book with InterVarsity Press titled, Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age. In addition, Dr. Noble is Editor-in-Chief of the onl...