BRIDGING THEOLOGY

Co-hosts Beth Stovell and Jon Stovell speak with Pete Enns about his research and writing, including his new book, Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming (or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God) (HarperOne, 2023). Dr. Peter Enns (PhD, Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University, St. Davids, PA. He has taught courses at several other institutions including Harvard University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. Enns is a frequent contributor to journals and encyclopedias, and is the author of several books, including, The Bible Tells Me So: Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It (HarperOne), The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously (with Marc Brettler and Daniel Harrington, Oxford University Press), Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and The Problem of the Old Testament (Baker), and The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins (Baker).  

Co-host Beth Stovell speaks with Gisela H. Kreglinger about her research and writing, including her new book, Cup Overflowing: Wine’s Place in Faith, Feasting, and Fellowship (Zondervan 2024).   Gisela H. Kreglinger (PhD) grew up on a winery in Franconia, Germany, where her family has been crafting wine for many generations. She holds two Master’s degrees in Biblical Studies from Regent College and a PhD in historical theology from the University of St. Andrews. She teaches Christian Spirituality in the academy, churches, on her annual wine pilgrimages, and every time an opportunity opens up around the dinner table, preferably with a glass of well-crafted wine to inspire her musings on wine, faith, and the importance of cultivating joy and conviviality. Kreglinger is also the author of Cup Overflowing, The Spirituality of Wine, and The Soul of Wine.

Co-hosts Beth Stovell and Ryan Reed speak with Derek Ryan Kubilus about his research and writing, including his new book, Holy Hell: A Case against Eternal Damnation (Eerdmans, 2024). Derek Kubilus is an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, serving the East Ohio Conference and appointed to Ashland First UMC. He is a member of the Order of St. Luke and the former host of the Cross Over Q podcast. His new book is Holy Hell: A Case Against Eternal Damnation published with Eerdmans.

Co-host Beth Stovell speaks with May Young about her research and writing, including her new book, Walking with God through the Valley: Recovering the Purpose of Biblical Lament (InterVarsity Academic 2025). May Young (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of biblical studies and chairs the Department of Biblical Studies, Christian Ministries, Intercultural Studies, and Philosophy at Taylor University. She has contributed to several volumes focused on lament, including Reading the Psalms Theologically (Lexham) and World Christianity and COVID-19: Discourses and Perspective (Routledge). She is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature and serves on the board of directors of the Institute of Biblical Research, as well as the editorial board for Sacred Roots.

In this engaging conversation, Matthew Croasmun, director of the Life Worth Living program at Yale, dives into the intersections of faith, scholarship, and community. He shares insights from his new book on what constitutes a meaningful life. The discussion highlights the importance of viewing church and classrooms as sacred spaces for introspection and growth. Croasmun also reflects on the emotional dimensions of a good life, the transformative power of literature, and even indulges in a lighthearted chat about multiverses and personal choices.

Co-host Beth Stovell speaks with Meghan Henning and Nils Neumann about their research and writing, including their new book, Vivid Rhetoric and Visual Persuasion: Ekphrasis in Early Christian Literature (Eerdmans, 2024). Meghan Henning is associate professor of Christian origins at the University of Dayton. Her previous books include Educating Early Christians through the Rhetoric of Hell and Hell Hath No Fury: Gender, Disability, and the Invention of Damned Bodies in Early Christianity. Nils Neumann is professor of biblical theology at Leibniz University Hannover. His previous books include Armut und Reichtum im Lukasevangelium und in der kynischen Philosophie and Lukas und Menippos.

Co-hosts Candace Smith and Jon Stovell speak with Catherine Meeks about her research and writing, including her new book, A Quilted Life: Reflections of a Sharecropper's Daughter (Eerdmans, 2024). Catherine Meeks recently retired as executive director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. She is also the retired Clara Carter Acree Distinguished Professor of Socio-Cultural Studies at Wesleyan College. A sought-after teacher and workshop leader, Dr. Meeks works with people who have been marginalized because of economic status, race, gender, or physical ability as they pursue liberation, justice, and a more abundant life.

Co-hosts Beth and Jon Stovell speak with Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt about their research and writing, including their new book, Know the Theologians (Zondervan, 2024). Jennifer Powell McNutt (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and Associate Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College, Fellow in the Royal Historical Society, award-winning author and professor, and Reformation scholar. David W. McNutt (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Senior Acquisitions Editor of Theology for Zondervan Academic with HarperCollins, Lecturer in Core Studies at Wheaton College, and Theology and the Arts scholar. Both are ordained ministers in the Presbyterian Church and co-founders of McNuttshell Ministries, which seeks to bridge the church and the academy with faith in a nutshell.

Co-hosts Jon Stovell and Candace Smith speak with Rick Ostrander about his research and writing, including his new book, Academically Speaking: Lessons from a Life in Christian Higher Education (Eerdmans, 2024). Dr. Rick Ostrander is Executive Director of the Michigan Christian Study Center. He holds a doctorate in American History from the University of Notre Dame. He also holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Notre Dame, a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree in theology from Moody Bible Institute. As a scholar of American religion and an academic administrator, Dr. Ostrander maintains an active interest in Christian higher education.  His publications include The Life of Prayer in a World of Science (Oxford, 2001), Head, Heart, Hand: John Brown University and Evangelical Higher Education (University of Arkansas, 2003), and “Spirituality and the Discipline of History,” in Searching for Spirituality in Higher Education (Peter Lang, 2007).  A Fulbright Scholar to Germany in 2004, Dr. Ostrander complements his interest in American higher education with an active interest in global affairs and international education. Dr. Ostrander’s book, Why College Matters to God: Academic Faithfulness and Christian Higher Education, was published in 2009 by Abilene Christian University Press and revised in 2012.  It is one of the leading texts used by Christian college and universities for first-year seminars and new faculty orientations. Rick and his wife Lonnie have four children.  He is an avid cyclist who logs thousands of miles a year on his road bike.

Co-hosts Candace Smith and Jon Stovell speak with Debra J. Mumford about her research and writing, which focuses on African American Prophetic Preaching, Prosperity Preaching, Eschatology and the Reign of God, and preaching and health. Debra J. Mumford, is ordained minister in American Baptist Churches, USA and affiliate minister with the Alliance of Baptists. She joined the Louisville Seminary faculty in 2007. She majored in mechanical engineering at Howard University and worked in engineering before answering her call to ministry. Mumford served as a youth pastor, associate minister and church administrator in several congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her scholarly interests include African American prophetic preaching, prosperity preaching, eschatology and the reign of God, and preaching and health. Mumford’s publications include Exploring Prosperity Preaching: Biblical Health, Wealth, & Wisdom, Judson Press; “Slave Prosperity Gospel” for Homiletic; “The Gospel of Prosperity: Jesus, Capitalism and Hope” in Homiletical Theology: Theologies of the Gospel in Context, forthcoming; The Journal for the Society of Pentecostal Studies; “Preaching on Homosexuality in the Black Church” for the African American Lectionary; “Preaching and Plagiarism” for The Presbyterian Leader; “Prosperity Preaching and African American Prophetic Preaching” for the Review and Expositor: A Consortium Baptist Theological Journal; “Trayvon Martin: A Tragic Catalyst for Change” and “Obamacare: the Good, the Bad, and the Hope for the Future” for The Thoughtful Christian. Since 2008, Mumford has served as a mentor for the Louisville Youth Group, a grassroots organization that provides resources and a safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people ages 14 to 20.