The Two Cities

(CW: Sexual Content). In this episode we are joined again by Sheila Wray Gregoire, the author of The Great Sex Rescue, to talk about her two newest books, The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex and The Good Guy’s Guide to Great Sex (both published by Zondervan). In our conversation, Sheila explains why she was motivated to revise her Good Girl’s Guide from ten years ago, and why she wanted to add a companion volume for guys too. She situates her new books relative to prominent evangelical books on sex from the past, noting several problematic features within them. Our discussion with Sheila was informative, thought provoking, and hilarious, and it highlights well the ways that Sheila wants to change the way we talk about sex in the church. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Aimee Byrd for the fourth time to discuss her newest book, The Sexual Reformation: Restoring the Dignity and Personhood of Man and Woman (published by Zondervan). Over the course of the conversation we talk about how the core ideas of Aimee’s new book stem from her reading of the Song of Songs, which she interprets in a typological fashion akin to various readings of the text throughout Church History. Ultimately, she is calling for a reformation of how we view sexuality, and what the theology of our sexes is, building further upon the groundwork that she laid in her previous book, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (also by Zondervan). Team Members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of our Christian Anti-Judaism series (which began with our introductory episode [Episode #106] on 02/02/2022), we turn to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and interfaith dialogue with Larry Behrendt, who is an attorney and treasurer at his synagogue, having been involved in inter-religious dialogue for over ten years, and Dr. Anthony Le Donne, who is professor of New Testament at United Theological Seminary (Ohio). Together they are the authors of Sacred Dissonance: A Richer Faith through Jewish-Christian Dialogue (published by Hendrickson). At the outset Larry and Anthony discuss how their interfaith dialogue first began, how it eventually turned into a book, and some of the realizations and discomforts that came about from the process. Over the course of our conversation Larry and Anthony discuss the asymmetries of experience between Christians and Jews that make dialogue difficult, and the kind of “holy envy” that comes about through appreciation of the other side (as well as how problematic that envy can when it extends to appropriation). Team members of the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the penultimate episode of our Christian Anti-Judaism series, we turn to discuss Christian theology in the wake of the Holocaust and the Shoah with Rev. Dr. Mark Lindsay, who is Joan F. W. Munro Professor of Historical Theology at Trinity College, Melbourne, and an Anglican Priest in the diocese of Melbourne. In our conversation, Rev. Dr. Lindsay begins with the determination at the Second Vatican Council in 1965 that neither biblical nor post-biblical Jews ought not to be collectively charged with deicide. He uses that moment to look back over two millennia of church history to see the anti-Jewish and anti-Semitic rhetoric and theology, including various forms of supersessionism, that developed with precisely the opposite view. As for a way forward for Christian theology, Rev. Dr. Lindsay highlights the need for constructive work to be conducted in the light of the “open wound” of the Holocaust, pointing to such work as Karl Barth’s Christology and theology of election as some important examples. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of our Christian Anti-Judaism series we have another discussion on supersessionism, following last week’s look at supersessionism in Paul. For this conversation we turn to Hebrews with Dr. Madison Pierce, who is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the author of Divine Discourse in the Epistle to the Hebrews: The Recontextualization of Spoken Quotations of Scripture (published by Cambridge University Press). Over the course of our conversation Dr. Pierce helpfully situates her approach over against the common understanding of the purpose of the letter that contends that the author is trying to get the audience to avoid “falling back” from Christianity into Judaism. Dr. Pierce also addresses a number of thorny issues in Hebrews relevant for our conversation, including the cultic system, the priesthood, and the notion of a new covenant, and she delineates between different senses in which Hebrews might and might not be supersessionistic. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Jennifer Guo, Dr. Chris Porter, and Dr. Logan Williams.Here is the link to the Figuring the Enemy project that Chris mentioned in the cold open to the episode: http://www.figuringtheenemy.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of our Christian Anti-Judaism series, we take a closer look at supersessionism. Specifically, we discuss whether Paul was a supersessionist with Dr. J. Brian Tucker, who is Dean of Faculty and Professor of New Testament at the Plymouth campus of Moody Theological Seminary (Michigan), and the author of Reading Romans After Supersessionism (published by Cascade). In our conversation, Dr. Tucker talks about various problems with supersessionistic readings of Paul that disaggregate Israel from continuing to have their discrete identity as the covenant people of God. Dr. Tucker very helpfully connects the ills of supersessionism to societal problems like misogyny and racism. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Kris Song, and Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of our Anti-Judaism series we turn to discuss the nature and purpose of Israel’s election. Specifically, we discuss how this may have been understood by the Apostle Paul relative to the kinds of understandings that we find in the Hebrew Bible. Joining us for this conversation we have Dr. Joel Kaminsky, who is Morningstar Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Religion at Smith College, and Dr. Mark Reasoner, who is Professor of Biblical Theology at Marian University. The two of them co-wrote an article that situates their understanding of these matters in contrast to the position of Prof. N. T. Wright. Our discussion largely centers on the arguments that they make in their article, which is entitled, “The Meaning and Telos of Israel’s Election: An Interfaith Response to N.T. Wright’s Reading of Paul,” which was published in journal Harvard Theological Reviewin 2019 (Volume 112, Issue 4). Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Kris Song, and Dr. Logan Williams.Cf. Dr. Joel Kaminsky’s recent reflection on how humor may illuminate Jewish/Christian relations (with a slightly revised title from what was shared on the episode): “The Value of Jokes In Jewish-Christian Dialogue.”Cf. Dr. Joel Kaminsky's recent lecture on how the theme of Election in the Bible unites but also divides Jews and Christians: “Does the Idea of “God’s Chosen People” Divide Jews and Christians?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joining us for a conversation on Anti-Judaism and the Gospel of John, we are joined by Professor Adele Reinhartz, who is Professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa. She is also the general editor of the journal of biblical literature, the president of the Society of Biblical Literature, and the author of a number of studies on the representation of Jesus in film and the Gospel of John, including Cast Out Of The Covenant: Jews and Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of John (published Fortress/Lexington). Over the course of our discussion, Prof. Reinhartz shares deeply from her own personal experience as a Jewish woman navigating the guild of New Testament studies who went on to become an expert on the Gospel of John, which is traditionally regarded as very anti-Jewish, providing us with many anecdotes and insights along the way. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, Brandon Hurlbert, Dr. Chris Porter, Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carrying on with our Christian Anti-Judaism series, we discuss the early reception of John the Baptist as a key figure for the “parting of the ways” between Christianity and Judaism. Joining us for this discussion is Dr. Nathan Shedd, who is the author of A Dangerous Parting: The Beheading of John the Baptist in Early Christian Memory (published by Baylor University Press). In our conversation, Dr. Shedd discusses the collective memory of John the Baptist’s violent and traumatic death, which was unfortunately weaponized in some anti-Jewish ways by early Christians as a polemical critique of Jews and Judaism. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, and Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we close out Black History Month, we wanted to highlight how the topic of our present series on Anti-Judaism intersects with Anti-Blackness. Joining us for this conversation is Liz Loeb, who completed a PhD in Law and Society from NYU, worked as a Civil Rights Attorney, and is presently a Community Organizer for an interfaith organization called Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light. Speaking from her legal experience, activism, interfaith organizing, and lived experience, Liz helpfully highlights the interconnectedness of all forms of discrimination and injustice inspired by White Supremacy. Team Members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Chris Porter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.