The Two Cities

Presently in our global situation, science is playing a crucial role in helping to squash the pandemic. Some, however, are skeptical of scientific expertise and tend to favor fringe ideas and conspiracy theories. In this episode, we wanted to take a step back and talk about the relationship between science and faith more broadly. It seems that many of the scientific skepticism flows downstream from a rejection of evolution, climate change, and other scientific consensuses. Joining Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Brandon Hurlbert to discuss this issue is Seth Price, a PhD Candidate in Physics at Durham University, who shares his story about being a person of faith and a scientist, and who helps us think through issues like intellectual humility, the relationship between the Bible and science, and the concept of the "God of the Gaps." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this all-women episode, Amber Bowen discusses the unique experiences of women in the theological academy, including the challenges that women have to navigate as well as the particular benefits that they bring to the theological task. Joining Amber for this rich conversation are two special guests to The Two Cities: Dr. Jill Firth (PhD, Ridley College), who is Lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia, and Dr. Christa McKirland (PhD, University of St Andrews), who is Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Carey Baptist College in Auckland, New Zealand. The episode is filled with personal reflection, theological insight, and deep encouragement regarding the importance of women being equal contributors in the academy.Here is the link to the BYU Magazine article on women that Dr. Christa McKirland mentioned on the podcast, “When Women Don’t Speak.”Here is the link to Logia's webpage: http://logos.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/logia/The edited volume that Dr. Jill Firth mentioned is called, Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture: Papers by Australian Women Scholars in the Evangelical Tradition, edited by Jill Firth and Denise Cooper-Clarke. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following up on an earlier episode, “PhDs & The Devotional Life," from April 22nd, 2020, John Anthony Dunne and Brandon Hurlbert discuss the dynamics of preaching in the local church with PhD level education. How does a PhD help one prepare for preaching? In what ways does it hinder preaching? How can we ensure that we are genuinely connecting with the people in our churches and not simply preaching 'at them'? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To put it as understatedly as possible: conflicts have characterized much of 2020. From the conflicts that have emerged while being cooped up with family during quarantine, to the conflicts with extended family who share their abrasive political opinions on social media, and finally to the massive racial reckoning that has emerged in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, conflicts have been pervasive, unavoidable, and disheartening. Of course, deep down we all know that as we get closer to November things will only get worse. Towards a more productive approach to handling conflict, Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham are joined by Dr. Tony Merida, Pastor for Preaching at Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, North Carolina and Dean of Grimké Seminary, to talk about his new book, Christ-Centered Conflict Resolution: A Guide for Turbulent Times (B&H, 2020). In this episode we discuss conflict resolution, conflict avoidance, and the power of forgiveness. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Amber Bowen and John Anthony Dunne are joined by Dr. Aaron Griffith (Th.D., M.Div., Duke Divinity), who is currently Assistant Professor of History at Sattler College (Boston, MA), to discuss his upcoming book God's Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2020). Over the course of our conversation we discuss the history of the evangelical posture towards criminal punishment, the way that the criminal justice system began to be politicized in America, evangelical attitudes towards capital punishment and the tension between retributive and restorative approaches to justice respectively, and the rhetorical strategy behind politicians appealing to "law and order." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our conversation on Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory (CRT), we conclude our series with some ecclesial reflections as it pertains to pastoral concerns and the nature of Christian engagement with CRT. Along the way we talk about what it means to be a Christian peacemaker, whether evangelical quest for political power is an objective good worth pursuing, and if the Bible contains hegemonic discourse. This episode, which builds upon the previous episodes with philosopher Dr. Scott Coley (“Understanding Critical Theory") and ethicist Dr. Matthew Arbo (“Critical Theory & Ethics"), contains final reflections from five Two Cities team members: Amber Bowen, Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Amber Bowen and John Anthony Dunne discuss Critical Theory with special guest Dr. Scott Coley, who is Lecturer in Philosophy and Director of the Global Encounters program at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Over the course of the conversation we address the history and origin of Critical Theory, including its chief aim to upend Modernity's conviction that empirical science is the ultimate arbiter of truth, splitting apart all statements into facts and opinions, and thus relegating issues of morality to the latter category. As we provide some context for Critical Theory, we then transition to understand how Critical Race Theory (CRT) relates to Critical Theory, and address what CRT's unique perspective is. There's been a lot of noise on social media, esp. recently in the midst of the present racial reckoning in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder, about whether CRT is incompatible with evangelical Christianity. We discuss some strengths and weaknesses to the theory as well as some problems with the way that evangelical responses to CRT typically take shape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are many ongoing debates about “Black Lives Matter” v. “All Lives Matter,” though it does seem that, broadly-speaking, people have been coming around to recognizing what the slogan “Black Lives Matter” truly means, and why it’s crucial that we all affirm it without qualification. Yet, some disputes obviously persist. As a possible way forward, we discuss the topic of Transcultural Identity. Transcultural Identity is about the ways in which our identities are sometimes not so easily placed within neat categories or boundaries. In this episode, Dr. Christopher Porter and Dr. John Anthony Dunne discuss Transcultural Identity as a helpful way to address both the universalism and particularism of all people in the midst of the ongoing racial concerns and hang ups in the aftermath of the racial revolution inspired by the murder of George Floyd. Along the way we discuss Paul’s letter to the Galatians and the way that Paul navigates the unity of Jews and Gentiles in Christ vis-à-vis their continual ethnic and cultural differences. We also address the example of Peter, who retreated from eating with Gentiles in Antioch out of fear for how that might look to Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and Paul’s desire to be “all things to all people,” as expressed in 1 Corinthians 9. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled 5–4 against President Trump's attempt to repeal former President Obama's executive order on Immigration, known as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). In this episode, John Anthony Dunne and Rev. Daniel Parham are joined by Jon Garcia, a PhD student in Religion at USC. Over the course of our conversation we talk about the implications of this ruling, President Trump's possible determination to try to repeal DACA once more, the relationship between immigration policy and growing nationalism in America, the nature of the conservative argument in favor of voting for Trump in 2016 on the grounds of gaining conservative justices given the two rulings from last week that went against certain conservative positions (i.e. regarding LGBT rights and immigration), and how certain cultural and societal trends have particularly led white evangelicals to be disinclined towards seeing immigration as a subject worth Christian reflection and action. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our newsfeeds are inundated with memes and videos promoting all sorts of ideological perspectives, and much of that is curated by the networks that we choose to incorporate into the spheres of our respective social media accounts. As a result, it's easy to create insular and isolated social bubbles that keep us from understanding where others outside those bubbles are coming from, or from knowing what's truly going on in the world. In this episode, Amber Bowen, John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham discuss some of these  dynamics, such as the use of memes by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X to critique present-day protests, and the arguments against kneeling as a form of protest by contending that kneeling should only be reserved for God. For many of us, these memes are helpful because they are short and easy-to-understand, but given the echo chamber of social media, these memes often serve to reinforce a confirmation bias where we're likely to passively consume rather than critically engage what passes through our newsfeeds because the memes cohere with what we already think or because they align with what we would like to think about the world. Given our general human inclination to approve of what we prefer to be true rather than what's actually true, we turn our discussion in this episode to address the importance of cultivating a habit of discernment. As our discussion unfolds, we articulate that being a discerning person looks like: (A) being suspicious and skeptical, and allowing our curiosity to drive us to dig deeper, (B) utilizing and engaging a variety of sources, (C) seeking wise counsel from others, (D) checking our heart attitudes, and (E) prayerfully committing ourselves to the heart of God in service of others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.