The Two Cities

The Two Cities Podcast
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Oct 1, 2025 • 53min

Episode #297 - Wine & Christian Spirituality with Dr. Gisela Kreglinger

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Gisela Kreglinger, who is the author of several books on wine, namely, The Spirituality of Wine (with Eerdmans), The Soul of Wine (with IVP), and most recently, Cup Overflowing: Wine’s Place in Faith, Feasting, and Fellowship (with Zondervan Reflective). In this conversation we discuss the nature of wine as a blessing, America's fraught history with alcohol, and how we can cultivate better attitudes towards drinking today. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Kris Song. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sep 24, 2025 • 1h 2min

Episode #296 - Ascetic Eucharists with the Very Rev'd Dr. Andrew McGowan

In this episode we're joined by the Very Rev’d Dr. Andrew McGowan, an Anglican priest, Dean and President of the Berkeley Divinity School of Yale University and the McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies and Pastoral Theology, and he’s the author of Ascetic Eucharists: Food and Drink in Early Christian Ritual Meals (with Oxford University Press). In this conversation we talk about eucharistic practices that used water instead of wine or no cup at all in the eucharist, and we think about eucharistic norms and ideals for modern practices today. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Josh Carroll and Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sep 17, 2025 • 57min

Episode #295 - Sober Spirituality with Rev. Erin Jean Warde

In this episode we’re joined by Rev. Erin Jean Warde, who is an episcopal priest and recovery coach, as well as the author of the book we’re excited to discuss in this episode, Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol (published by Brazos). Over the course of our conversation, Rev. Warde shares a bit of her story with us and talks about the difficulty of being sober in Christian spaces. Among other things we also discuss the eucharist, some matters of hermeneutics, and whether all Christians are called to sobriety. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sep 10, 2025 • 51min

Episode #294 - The Church & Alcoholics Anonymous with Professor Stephen R. Haynes

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Stephen R. Haynes, who is Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and the author of several books, including the one we’re excited to discuss in this episode, Why Can’t Church Be More Like an AA Meeting? And Other Questions Christians Ask about Recovery (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, Professor Haynes tells us about his own journey, the history of alcoholics anonymous and its relationship to other recovery groups, how best to think scientifically as well as theologically about addiction, and what the church could learn about the ethos of alcoholics anonymous. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Sep 3, 2025 • 58min

Episode #293 - Drinking with the Saints with Professor Michael Foley

In this episode we're joined by Professor Michael Foley, who is Professor of Patristics in the Great Texts program at Baylor University, and the author of Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour (published by Regnery History). Professor explains how is book is designed to pair beer, wine, and cocktail recipes with the feasts days of the church calendar that honor various saints. Along the way we talk about interesting pairing choices that he made for different saints and nerd out about various cocktails and craft cocktail techniques. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 27, 2025 • 1h 3min

Episode #292 - Wine & Beer in the Talmud with Professor Jordan Rosenblum

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Jordan Rosenblum, who is the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Director of the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, and he’s also the author of Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature (published by the University of California Press). In our conversation we discuss how the Talmud relates to the Mishnah, how topics of drinking in the Talmud provide a helpful in-road into the wider sea of Talmud, key Rabbis that feature prominently with reference to wine and beer, and the matter of the four cups of the Passover seder. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 20, 2025 • 52min

Episode #291 - Wine & the Mishnah with Rabbi Drew Kaplan

In this episode we’re joined by Rabbi Drew Kaplan, who is Campus Rabbi for Cincinnati Hillel, hosts The Jewish Drinking Show podcast (over 175 episodes and counting), and publishes a weekly newsletter and Torah portion sheet on drinking that covers the Tanakh, Rabbinic Literature, Jewish history, Jewish practice, and more. In our conversation we talk about the appearances of wine and beer in the Mishnah, when wine is particularly a matter of controversy for the Rabbis, and how the Mishnah relates to contemporary normative practices among different Jewish denominations. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Stanley Ng. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 13, 2025 • 58min

Episode #290 - Dionysus & the New Testament with Professor Courtney Friesen

In this conversation, we’re joined by Professor Courtney Friesen, who is Professor of Classics and the Director of Graduate Studies in Classics at the University of Arizona and the author of Reading Dionysus: Euripides’ Bacchae and the Cultural Contestations of Greeks, Jews, Romans, and Christians (published by Mohr Siebeck). In our conversation we talk about the Bacchae and its interpretation as well as other legends and myths about Dionysus. This leads us to several topics of relevance in the New Testament, especially the alleged drunkenness at Pentecost in Acts 2 and Jesus turning water to wine at Cana in John 2. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Aug 6, 2025 • 52min

Episode #289 - Drunkenness in the Old Testament with Dr. Rebekah Welton

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Rebekah Welton, who is Lecturer in Hebrew Bible at the University of Exeter and the author of ‘He Is A Glutton and a Drunkard’: Deviant Consumption in the Hebrew Bible (Published by Brill). In our discussion we talk about broader conceptions in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible of feasting, excessive consumption, and drunkenness, as well as look closely at passages like Deuteronomy 21 and the law about the rebellious son. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jul 30, 2025 • 56min

Episode #288 - Wine, Soil, and Salvation with Rev. Dr. Mark Scarlata

In this episode we’re joined by Rev Dr Mark Scarlata, who is Tutor and Senior Lecturer in Old Testament at St. Mellitus College, the Vicar-Chaplain at St. Edward, King and Martyr Church in Cambridge, and the author of Wine, Soil, and Salvation in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament (published by Cambridge University Press). In our conversation we discuss the broader role of wine in the Bible and its theological significance throughout in terms of both salvation and judgment. In particular, Rev. Dr. Scarlata emphasizes the ecological themes of land, soil, and creation that relate to the biblical imagery of wine. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Stanley Ng. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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