Crackers and Grape Juice

Author and editor Chris Hayes joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, " God and Guns: The Bible Against American Gun Culture."Using the Bible as the foundational source and guide, while also bringing contemporary sociological data to the conversation, seven biblical scholars and theologians construct a powerful dialogue about gun violence in America, concluding that guns are incompatible with the God of Christian Scripture. God and Guns is the first book to argue against gun culture from a biblical studies perspective. Bringing the Bible into conversation with contemporary sociological data, the volume breaks new exegetical and critical ground and lays the foundations for further theological work. The scholars assembled in this volume construct a powerful argument against gun violence, concluding that a self-identity based on guns is incompatible with Christian identity. Drawing on their expertise in the Bible’s ancient origins and modern usage, they present striking new insights involving psychology, ethics, race, gender, and culture. This collection, carefully edited for clarity and readability, will change conversations—and our culture.Contributors include T. M. Lemos, David Lincicum, Shelly Matthews, Yolanda Norton, and Brent A. Strawn.Don’t forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttp://www.twitter.com/crackersnjuice

Brian and Beau are, respectively, the President & Editor-in-Chief and the VP for External Affairs & Editor of Word and Way Magazine. They’re back on the podcast to talk about SCOTUS overturning Roe vs. Wade, the rise of Christian Nationalism in Republican politics, and how Christians should (or should not) celebrate Independence Day.Don’t forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttp://www.twitter.com/crackersnjuice

Rev. Dr. Kara Slade joined the podcast for the return of our annual live show at the Annual Conference of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Kara talked about her new book, "The Fullness of Time: Jesus Christ, Science, and Modernity," science vs. religion, and how we mark time. Don’t forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttp://www.twitter.com/crackersnjuice

Our guest is professor, ghost writer, and author, Tiffany Brooks, who’s written a new book on reconstructing a disillusioned faith. We have a right to encounter God where we are. We have a sacred responsibility to experience God authentically." What happens when the God we’ve been taught to believe in seems powerless to help us in the struggles of life? What do we do when the God we personally encounter no longer resembles the God we’ve been shown in narrow interpretations of the Bible? Many of those raised in the world of fundamentalist Christianity have been manipulated into accepting a false reality that runs counter to lived experience. The result is confusion, isolation, fear, shame, and trauma, often carried throughout one’s entire life. This book is for the victims of this spiritual abuse—anyone looking to reclaim their faith from legalism, nationalism, sexism, anxiety, intolerance, and other mechanisms of control utilized by God’s self-appointed gatekeepers. It’s for anyone who has learned that the real God is infinitely complex, that authentic faith is perfectly compatible with doubt, and that our suffering is not something we’ve earned. Gaslighted by God is not a book of easy answers—it’s a companion for those mourning the loss of a belief system who need their pain recognized and legitimized. Tiffany Yecke Brooks shows—through stories from her own life, conversations with Christians from a variety of backgrounds, historical anecdotes, and messy episodes from Scripture—that there can be faith after disillusionment. But it will be a different faith—bruised, battered, nuanced, and real, rather than one wrapped in tissue-thin platitudes and three-point sermons. It will be a faith empowered to see beyond who God “should” be to who God is.

The one and only Kara Slade will be joining Crackers&Grape Juice for a live pubcast next Wednesday (6/15/22) at 6:30pm in Hampton, VA at the St. George Brewing Company to help kick off Annual Conference. Her book "The Fullness Of Time" is a remarkable witness to the work of Karl Barth for the church today and we can't wait to hear what Kara has to share with us. All are welcome!

Mark Edwards joins the podcast to talk about his new book "Christ Is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers)."Christ Is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) welcomes you to the jungle of Barth's head-banging opus, the Church Dogmatics, with the beats, rhythms, and lyrics of Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Metallica, and more. Based on lectures at Princeton Seminary, Edwards distills Barth's treatment of key questions in philosophical and systematic theology, offering a playlist of greatest hits on trinity, Christology, prayer, and others. With the care of a scholar and the energy of a stack of Peaveys, Christ Is Time testifies that the eternal God "gives it away" as time through Jesus Christ. Let's face it: Karl's style is a bit Beastie. And since Depeche Mode can say it best, this just might be a match made in Nirvana. Go gaga.Mark James Edwards is an adjunct professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and The College of New Jersey; a Lecturer in the Department of Religion at Princeton University; and Director of Youth Ministry at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.____Don't forget to head over to https://www.crackersandgrapejuice.comClick on “Support the Show.”Become a patronSubscribe to CGJ+For peanuts, you can help us out….we appreciate it more than you can imagine.Follow us on the three-majors of social media:https://www.facebook.com/crackersnjuicehttps://www.instagram.com/crackersandgrapejuicehttp://www.twitter.com/crackersnjuice

The author of Monsters, Daniel van Voorhis is the host of the Christian History Almanac and a former co-host of the Virtue in the Wasteland podcast and an author and speaker at the 1517 legacy Project. After receiving his PhD in Modern history from the University of St. Andrews, Dr. van Voorhis spent 11 years teaching history and political science at Concordia University, Irvine and was most recently the Assistant Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. van Voorhis has published articles and chapters in books on subjects ranging from the Reformation to Modern American history. He speaks nationally in academic and general conference settings on topics from history, addiction, religion and politics. He has been married to Beth Anne since 2001 and has 2 sons, Coert (2009) and Raymond (2012). He grew up in Irvine and moved back to Orange County in 2006. He is fanatical in his love of the Los Angeles Rams. He realizes that his emotional state in the fall rises and falls with the fortunes of the prodigal team come home. His depressive bouts over the past few years are certainly correlated with the team being statistically, the worst in the NFL. He also has a cat that he named Waffles, immediately regretted, and has referred to as Kitty for almost 12 years. His literary influences include Nathaniel Zuckerman, Jack Torrance and Voltaire. His musical influences include Cap'n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters and the Zack Attack.

Our guest this week is Dr. Jeannine Brown who’s got a new commentary out on Paul’s most popular epistle, Philippians! Dr. Brown joins us to talk about Paul, Jesus, and a narrative understanding of the New Testament. Check it out, I think it was a fun conversation. The letter to the Philippians illuminates a warm relationship between the apostle Paul and the Philippian believers. Despite difficult situations being experienced on both sides, Paul finds ample reason to celebrate what God in Christ has done and is doing in the believers' lives. Jeannine K. Brown's commentary on Philippians explores the themes of this epistle and how its message is still relevant to Christians in the twenty-first century. Brown shows how motifs of joy, contentment, and unity abound as Paul reminds the Philippians of the supreme value of knowing Jesus the Messiah, and she highlights their significance for shaping the contemporary church toward living more deeply in its identity in Christ. This Tyndale New Testament commentary examines the text section-by-section―exploring the context in which it was written, providing thoughtful commentary on the letter to the Philippians, and then unpacking its theology. It will leave you with a thorough understanding of the content and structure of Paul's writing, as well as its meaning and continued relevance. The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries are ideal resources for students and teachers of theology, as well as for preachers and individual Christians looking to delve deeper into the riches of Scripture. Insightful and comprehensive, Jeannine K. Brown's commentary on Philippians is a brilliant introduction that will give you a renewed appreciation for this rich Pauline epistle and a greater knowledge of why it is important to the Christian faith.Jeannine K. Brown is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Her books include Scripture as Communication, The Gospels as Stories, and biblical commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew. She is also a coeditor of the second edition of The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels.

Our guest is Jim Belcher, author of the new book Cold Civil War: Overcoming Polarization, Discovering Unity, and Healing the Nation. America's political landscape is experiencing dangerous polarization and fragmentation, with the extremes pulling the country apart.Political philosopher Jim Belcher shows that this is not merely a binary opposition between conservativism on the right and liberalism on the left, but also between conflicting visions of order and freedom on both sides. Through his unique quadrant framework, Belcher traces the people and movements in each position, examines their underlying narratives, and articulates their respective contributions and dangers. This quadrant framework not only reveals how polarization divides us but also shows us how to move beyond the right-left stalemate.At the core of the competing visions are the seeds of a new vital center, a robust and surprising model that has the ability to transcend political tribalism and bring America back together again before it is too late.