The Two Cities

In this episode we’re talking about Kintsugi & Justice with Haejin Shim Kintsugi, who is a lawyer who runs her own law firm in NYC, Shim & Associates, and an entrepreneur who has started four businesses, including Academy Kintsugi, which uses the Kintsugi method to teach people about the beauty of mending our brokenness to create something new as an act of co-creation that honors the originally created work. Over the course of our conversation, Haejin explains the history and purpose behind the art form in Korean and Japanese cultures, and shares wonderful reflections about how this artistic approach to broken vessels influences her legal practice. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Stephanie Kate Judd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk about forgiveness with Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, who is Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School, an ordained episcopal priest serving as the minister at the Memorial Church at Harvard, a co-host of the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and the author of the book we discuss on this episode, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account (published by Yale University Press). As Rev. Dr. Potts explains, accounts of forgiveness in broader Christian thinking tend to place the onus of forgiveness on victims, virtually requiring that their feelings of anger or grief change and lead to reconciliation with the one who harmed them. In contrast to this, Rev. Dr. Potts gives an account of forgiveness that is a separate matter from reconciliation, and something that can accommodate an honest recognition of wrongdoing and the feelings of anger and grief that it has caused. Fundamentally, forgiveness for Rev. Dr. Potts is about non-retaliation against one’s enemy. As we explore this together, over the course of our conversation, we address how this idea relates to the justice system, social media, literature (including Harry Potter), the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, and the teachings of Jesus. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re talking about Preaching to a Divided Nation with Rev. Dr. Paul Hoffman, who is lead pastor of Evangelical Friends Church of Newport in Rhode Island, an adjunct professor of homiletics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and co-author with Matthew Kim of the book that we’re discussing today, Preaching to a Divided Nation: A Seven-Step Model for Promoting Reconciliation and Unity (published by Baker). In our conversation, Rev. Dr. Hoffman shares with us some of the seven steps proposed in the book, and what the four main "isms" are that undermine our unity. Overall, Rev. Dr. helps us think about the importance of finding commonality in our shared identities, esp. for those who have a shared identity in Christ. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, and Rev. Daniel Parham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we close out our series on Palestinian Liberation Theology by discussing Lament and Hope in the face of the occupation with Lamma Mansour, who is a Palestinian Christian from Nazareth currently pursuing her doctorate in social policy at Oxford University. Over the course of the conversation, we talk with Lamma about how the occupation affects higher education, and how that drives her current research on social policy. Lamma also offers us her vision of hope in the midst of the occupation, which provides a rich note with which to end our conversation on this topic. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Brandon Hurlbert and Dr. Nico Catman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the penultimate episode of our series on Palestinian Liberation Theology, we talk about living in the shadow of Christian Zionism with Tony Deik, who is currently a residential researcher at Tyndale House in Cambridge, where he is working on his PhD research in New Testament, as well as a lecturer in Biblical Studies at Bethlehem Bible College, and a networking team member of the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation. Over the course of our conversation tell us his personal story, and stresses his surprise at the prominence of Zionism in Christian circles, especially within evangelicalism, and he addresses various problems that he sees with wedding together Christianity and Zionism. Towards the end we discuss how his perspective and experience as a Palestinian Christian informs his reading of the Bible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we continue our series on Palestinian Liberation Theology talking about Women Behind The Wall with Shadia Qubti, who is a Palestinian Christian from Nazareth and has worked in peacebuilding and advocacy initiatives for 15 years in Israel and Palestine. She is the host of Women Behind the Wall, which features stories of women living in Israel and Palestine, and she is currently pursuing a degree in Interreligious and Indigenous Studies at Vancouver School of Theology (Canada). Over the course of our conversation we discuss the importance of indigenous theologies for thinking through the Israel-Palestine conflict better. We also discuss the amazing work that Shadia does on her podcast and some of the stories that she is able to tell of women’s experiences in Palestine. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Brandon Hurlbert and Stephanie Kate Judd. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode in our series on Palestinian Liberation Theology we discuss the intersectionality of the Palestinian experience by discussing matters of identity from a feminist perspective with Marah Sarji, who is a Christian Palestinian working on a master’s degree in Anthropology from Tel Aviv University. Over the course of the episode, Marah talks with us about the complexities of her identity, being a Christian Palestinian woman living in Jerusalem. In particular, Marah shares so much with us about her lived experience feeling unable to identify fully with the broader culture, sometimes passing as an Israeli, and hearing men “break the silence” with her about what they formerly did in the West Bank as members of the IDF. Marah’s main emphasis is that Palestinian Liberation Theology from a feminist perspective should not only seek liberation from Zionism, but also from patriarchy, and should also seek the liberation of all Palestinians, not simply Christians. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Dr. Nico Catman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk about Palestinian Liberation Theology with John Munayer, who is an instructor at Bethlehem Bible College, and who serves at Musalaha ministry, which promotes reconciliation between Palestinians and Israelis. In our conversation, John explains what Palestinian Liberation Theology is and how it relates to other forms of Liberation Theology by way of its similarities and distinct contextual emphases. Along the way we ask John a number of questions about specific points of interest to glean what Palestinian Liberation Theology might specifically contribute to the conversation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, such as the question of the land, as well as policies and solutions to bring about a just resolution. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Dr. Nico Catman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re beginning a short series on Palestinian Liberation Theology, starting with a discussion on Zionism and the Nakba with Yousef AlKhouri, who is a Christian Arab Palestinian residing in Bethlehem, Palestine, where he is a lecturer in Biblical Studies and Mission at Bethlehem Bible College, and he is currently working on his doctorate in contextual interpretation at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Over the course of our conversation, Yousef provides helpful historical context for Zionism and the traumatic experience of the Nakba, when Palestinians were forcefully displaced from their homes. As he articulates this, he shares many gut-wrenching stories of his personal and familial experiences of occupation, and also conveys his heart for constructive theological reflection on the contested issue of the land. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Nico Catman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk about the role of art and the imagination in shaping empathy with Dr. Mary McCampbell, Associate Professor of Humanities at Lee University in Tennessee and the author of Imagining our Neighbors as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy (published by Fortress). As Dr. McCampbell explains, the origin for the idea of the book is the quote by Graham Greene, “Hate was just a failure of imagination.” Over the course of our conversation she unpacks for us why she felt that this book was necessary now, in our current moment, and we discuss both the ways that art can open us up to empathy and also how bad art, like the God’s Not Dead franchise, can constrict our imagination. Since Dr. McCampbell’s book addresses several artistic examples from literature, TV, film, and music, we look closely at a few examples, including: Sufjan Stevens’s albums, The Age of Adz and Carrie and Lowell, and the recent backlash against the casting decision for the new Little Mermaid live action film. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen and Dr. John Anthony Dunne.Dr. Mary McCampbell’s website is https://marywmccampbell.com/and her substack is https://marymccampbell.substack.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.