TheoDisc Podcast

How do we really love God with our minds? For Christians the emphasis is often on loving the Lord with our heart, soul and strength, but when it comes to our minds, there can be some reticence. There can be a real pressure in the church to act as if we know it all, or a fear that theology and learning might lead us to not know what we believe. The call to love God with our minds has never been more important. On this episode of Theodisc, Kenny is joined by AJ Swoboda, who thinks that learning is deeply embedded in the Christian tradition. He contends that our faith gives us tools and examples of how we can learn to be the best learners – and not just for the sake of knowledge, but in order to be Christ’s faithful witnesses in our world. We hope you learn as much as we have from this episode! SHOW NOTES Get AJ’s book, ‘A Teachable Spirit’ -  https://amzn.eu/d/4NSunXm  Read AJ’s Substack - https://ajswoboda.substack.com/ Listen to our previous episode with AJ: https://theodisc.podbean.com/e/aj-swoboda-the-gift-of-thorns/ Listen to the Slow Theology Podcast: https://ajswoboda.com/slow-theology-podcast/

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny and Amanda Bedzrah talk about Bathsheba - one of the most misunderstood figures in the Old Testament, often labelled as a seductress who, along with David, is complicit in an adultress affair. But a closer reading of the biblical text shows that she is a victim of an abuse of power. Amanda's latest book, Becoming Queen Bathsheba, is a fictional account of Bathsheba’s experience based on fidelity to the Scriptures, historical and cultural research, and the experiences of women across the Old Testament. Kenny and Amanda's discussion deals with some sensitive issues around trauma and abuse of power, because they are central to the Bathsheba narrative. We hope you find this episode encouraging and healing, as Amanda prays at the end of this episode. SHOW NOTES Amanda’s website: https://amandabedzrah.com/  Amanda’s books: https://bit.ly/4284uLq The Empower A Woman Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amandabedzrah/videos

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by Prof Beth Allison Barr, who talks about her new book, Becoming the Pastor's Wife, where she argues against a theology that says that leadership is not available to women. She discusses the role of women and their service in roles of leadership in the gospels and the early church, and how, in the history of the church, women's roles have often been hidden, forgotten or dismissed. In the 20th century, the role of ‘the Pastor’s Wife’ was equated with a ministry calling in itself, not as a leadership role, but to support and uphold the ministry of the male pastor. Kenny and Beth explore the ways that the ministry of women is valid without being attached to or subsumed by the role of men, and this episode promises to ruffle a few feathers. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES Beth’s Books: https://bit.ly/4cqk5cL Beth’s website: https://www.bethallisonbarr.com/

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny chats with Prof John Walton about the BIG questions: Who are we and where did we come from? What happened at the beginning? And what is Genesis actually trying to tell us? This discussion unpacks the human condition, 'cultural rivers', and original sin, to name but a few of the themes that emerge when one has a chat with John Walton. Enjoy! SHOWNOTES John’s latest book New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis is available HERE.

Beholding Christ with Artists, Mystics, and Theologians of the Middle Ages On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by Dr Grace Hamman, who is an expert in medieval studies and recently published her first book, Jesus through Medieval Eyes, a fascinating look at how Christians in the Middle Ages viewed and depicted Jesus through art and literature, and what we can learn from them today. In this discussion, they look at how Jesus was viewed as a Knight, a 'good Christian', and even as Mother! Kenny and Grace had a genuinely engaging and insightful chat, that would make you want to listen more... Enjoy! SHOW NOTES Grace's blog and podcast - HERE Buy Grace's book - HERE

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by Rev Dr Kate Coleman who, in her latest book, Metamorph, asks us to consider transformation at the heart of leadership as revealed in the Scriptures. What we mean by ‘results’ and ‘success’ can shift our priorities and result in leadership that can disconnect what we do from who we are. They had a conversation about healthy leadership that focuses on personal, community, and missional transformation. Enjoy! SHOW NOTES Get a copy of ‘Metamorph’: https://amzn.eu/d/efFen1B Visit Next Leadership: https://nextleadership.co.uk 

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined again by Prof Scot McKnight who has written and taught extensively around the question: "What if we have got the Pharisees, and Jesus, wrong?" Scot argues that’s exactly what’s happened, and a more complete understanding of 1st Century Jewish tradition and culture contradicts much of what Christians have taught and believed about the Pharisees, shielding us from how Jesus might critique our own traditions. We hope you enjoy this episode! Scot’s books - HERE

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by political theologian, Dr Roger Haydon Mitchell, whose starting point when reading the gospels, or indeed the whole Bible, is in a joining together of politics and love. This episode highlights a number of current issues facing the church today, from talking politics at the dinner table to living our lives in a Christlike manner, and Roger certainly does not tiptoe around any controversies. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have! Show notes: The Kenotic Way by Roger Mitchell - https://www.ashburnham.org.uk/kenotic-way/ The Kenarchy journal - https://kenarchy.org/ Roger's Books - https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Roger-Haydon-Mitchell/author/B00ENXHCII   Subscribe to TheoDisc here - https://wtctheology.org.uk/theodisc-podcast/ 

Have we made spritual disciplines a lifehack? On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny's guest Kyle Strobel, invites us to consider that importing ancient practices of "spiritual formation" or "spritual disciplines" into our current cultural moment isn’t straightforward, and we need to be wary of the propensity in our time to market or refashion our spirituality into a cheaper, individualised, idealised version of what was originally intended. Kyle has written a post on a 'rule of life', which is what most of the conversation centres around. See the link for Kyle's substack below. Show Notes Kyle’s Substack: kylestrobel.substack.com Kyle’s books: amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B001JS6EZ2

On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by Kyle Hughes, who has detailed a journey of discovery in his book, ‘How the Spirit Became God’, and we’ll be talking not just about the development of a doctrine, but about how our understanding of the Spirit affects our practice and our experience of being drawn into the very life of God. Our belief in the Holy Spirit as the divine third person of the Trinity wasn’t always very clear, and the early church and Christian thinkers had to embark on a substantial journey of understanding the Spirit as co-equal with the Father and the Son. We hope you enjoy this episode with Kyle Hughes on How the Spirit became God. You can purchase Kyle's book here: https://amzn.eu/d/isNWilf Subscribe to TheoDisc here: https://theodisc.podbean.com/