A History of Christian Theology

Grant Kaplan has been working on the relationship between Faith and Reason in the Christian tradition (Catholic University Press, 2022). We discuss differing Catholic and Protestant approaches to the question and why many of the ancient doctors of the church have the greatest insights. 

Paul Hinlicky comes back on the pod to discuss Between Humanis Philosophy and Apocalyptic Theology: The Twentieth Century Sojourn of Samuel Stefan Osusky (T and T Clark, 2016). This fascinating man confronted some of the great historical disasters of the twentieth century from Communism to Nazism and found that the biblical faith of his childhood was the only thing which could carry him through the dark times. 

Matthew Lynch talks with us about his new book Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God (IVPress 20223). We cover how the question of violence has to be considered canonically as well as dig into the weird stories of the Nephilim.CONTENT WARNING: Rape; in the context of Old Testament studies

Today we talk with Dr. Scot McKnight professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary about his recently released book Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple (Zondervan, 2023). We talk about his own background with Revelation as well as our mutual love for baseball. I hope you will enjoy this episode.

Dr. Paul Hinlicky is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Roanoke College in Virginia. Dr. Hinlicky talks with us about early Christian reception of the Greek philosophical tradition in a work entitled Divine Complexity (Fortress Press, 2010). We also delve into his work in Slovakia and his connection to Robert Jenson. 

This week we do a deep dive into Augustine's rhetorical theology. We talk about the ways Augustine as a rhetorician framed his theology in different ways using the tools he learned from his particular trade. Dr. Gronewoller's book, Rhetorical Economy in Augustine's Theology (Oxford University Press, 2021) has many fascinating elements, but we focus mainly on how rhetoric helps Augustine better explain the problem of evil. 

In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad rejoin forces to discuss St. Augustine's Enchiridion and his definition of hope. Trevor is currently writing his PhD thesis on hope in the field of philosophical theology, so we are certainly in for an apt and in-depth conversation on this important aspect of the Christian life and theology. We hope you enjoy the conversation!

We sat down this week with Hannah Nation to discuss her recently published book under Intervarsity Press, '"Faithful Disobedience". Nation speaks on leaders of the faith in an environment that is growing increasingly hostile toward Christianity. We hope you enjoy the interview!

In this episode, we talk with Brad East whose book The Church's Book (Eerdmans Press, 2022) explores the relationship between the church and scripture. It was an illuminating book and conversation where Dr. East expounds upon the book and how Robert Jenson, among other theologians, can help us understand what the bible is. 

In this final episode on the Christological Controversies, Tom, Trevor, and Chad work their way through the Chalcedonian definition and what that means for how Christians understand the two natures of Christ.