Crackers and Grape Juice

To close out the Advent season, Teer and Jason talk with Dr. Matt Milliner, professor of Art History at Wheaton College, about the Mother of God, finding the subversive IN the tradition, and how God debilitates himself to show us how he loves us. No matter what. Merry Christmas from the gang at Crackers and Grape Juice.

Jason and Teer dive into Dr. Jeff Mallinson's book Sexy: The Quest for Erotic Virtue in Perplexing Times. Listen as they talk about the effects of purity culture and how Jeff counters that in his new book.

Part 2 of Jason's conversation with fan favorite, Reverend Fleming Rutledge, to talk about her latest book, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. To dig more into her book and themes, go to www.adventbeginsinthedark.com to subscribe to C&GJ’s daily Advent devotional.

Friend of the podcast, fellow Princeton alum, and host of the New Persuasive Words podcast, Scott Jones joined Jason for a quick run down unpacking the stained glass language readers have encountered during our daily devotional series “Advent Begins in the Dark,” which you can subscribed to at www.adventbeginsinthedark.com.

Jason sat down with fan favorite, Reverend Fleming Rutledge, to talk about her latest book, Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. To dig more into her book and themes, go to www.adventbeginsinthedark.com to subscribe to C&GJ’s daily Advent devotional.

Christian Piatt returns to the podcast to talk about the latest installation in his Surviving the Bible series.Christian is:A Contributor to the Huffington Post;A Blogger for Patheos;A Contributor to Red Letter Christians;A Contributor to The Ooze, and;A Contributor to Burnside Writers Collective, among others. Connect with Christian on Twitter or Facebook for the latest news and updates, or contact Christian for more information about his services.From the publisher - A lot of us have tried to read the Bible. And we've failed. Christian Piatt has too. But now, using the annual lectionary as his guide, he has put together a devotional that allows us to read through major parts of the Old and New Testaments and finally understand them in plain English. Every week has several Scripture readings, explanations of confusing terms, a story, a deeper dive into interesting themes, and a closing prayer.You can use it as a weekly study or browse a thematic list for something you're curious about. It's an ideal resource to use with a friend or small group, but it's set up to be accessed by anyone who has enough curiosity, openness, and desire to grow.Start anywhere. Set it down and come back to it. There's no "wrong way" to use Surviving the Bible. Engage ancient texts in new ways that make sense, here and now, maybe for the first time. Any way you use it, it's sure to challenge and inspire.http://www.fortresspress.com/product/surviving-bible-devotional-church-year-2019#

Scot McKnight joins the show to talk about his latest book, 'It Takes a Church to Baptize'https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1587434164From the back jacket - The issue of baptism has troubled Protestants for centuries. Should infants be baptized before their faith is conscious, or does God command the baptism of babies whose parents have been baptized?Popular New Testament scholar Scot McKnight makes a biblical case for infant baptism, exploring its history, meaning, and practice and showing that infant baptism is the most historic Christian way of forming children into the faith. He explains that the church's practice of infant baptism developed straight from the Bible and argues that it must begin with the family and then extend to the church. Baptism is not just an individual profession of faith: it takes a family and a church community to nurture a child into faith over time. McKnight explains infant baptism for readers coming from a tradition that baptizes adults only, and he counters criticisms that fail to consider the role of families in the formation of faith. The book includes a foreword by Todd Hunter and an afterword by Gerald McDermott.

Addison Hart joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, 'The Letter of James: A Pastoral Commentary'. https://www.amazon.com/Letter-James-Pastoral-Commentary/dp/1532650140From the back cover: The Letter of James is perhaps needed more than ever today. In this commentary, Hart argues that the epistle is indeed the work of James of Jerusalem, “the brother of the Lord,” that it was an encyclical letter, and that its chief concern was to combat a distorted version of Paul’s gospel. It is a work with a singular purpose: to bring the churches back to the most basic teachings of Jesus. In its defense of orthopraxy as the primary Christian standard, its denunciation of those with wealth who exploit or neglect the poor, its hard words for those who have taken on the mantel of “teacher” without first learning to restrain their tongues, and above all its exhortation to relearn the truth that “faith without works [of love] is dead,” James could be talking to churches in our own time. This commentary presents James afresh, as a living guide with a perennial message for those who seek to follow Jesus. It is pastoral in intent, written for those who teach and preach, those who desire a more authentic discipleship, and those who practice lectio divina—the meditative reading of Scripture._____________________Addison Hodges Hart is a retired priest (of both the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches, M.Div.), former college chaplain for Northern Illinois University, teacher, spiritual director, and former ecumenical/interfaith director (for the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois). He is the author of six previous books, published by Eerdmans, the most recent being The Ox-Herder and the Good Shepherd: Finding Christ on the Buddha's Path (2013), Strangers and Pilgrims Once More: Being Disciples of Jesus in a Post-Christendom World (2014), and The Woman, the Hour, and the Garden: A Study of Imagery in the Gospel of John (2016). He currently lives with his wife in Norway, along with two Newfoundland dogs, a herd of cats, and some goats.

The intersection of faith and doubt is viewed either as a badge of honor for some Christians but for others, doubt has no place. In his new book, 'Faith in the Shadows:Finding Christ in the Midst of Doubt,' pastor and author Austin Fischer explores this intersection, drawing on his own experience as a doubting pastor.https://www.ivpress.com/faith-in-the-shadowsAustin Fischer is the Teaching Pastor at Vista Community Church. His first book – 'Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed' - was published by Wipf & Stock in January 2014. He writes and speaks and you can follow him on Twitter @austintfischer.www.http://austinfischer.com/