The Two Cities

Continuing our conversation on the role of faith in our political discourse and political engagement, in the present episode Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Brandon Hurlbert talk with Michael Spalione about his doctoral research on the topic of war within political theology. Having just recently passed his viva in pursuit of a PhD in political theology from Trinity College, Bristol through the University of Aberdeen, Michael helps us think about the topic of war from a Christian perspective in a way that gets beyond partisan emphases on strong militaries, etc, and builds upon a perspective that attempts to be consistently and holistically pro-life. Rooted in the "ecclesial turn," Michael explains that the church is a kingdom with its own political system that needs to be recognized. Throughout the episode Michael draws upon his thesis and incorporates some of its theological, philosophical, and exegetical insights into our discussion. We cover quite a bit of ground: everything from the pacifistic influences of metal and hardcore music to what cannibalism can teach us about compromise and moderation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this tumultuous election season in the States, in which partisan entrenchment often leads to a lack of kindness and respect across the aisle, we have brought in a guest from across the pond to help sort us out. Joining Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Brandon Hurlbert is special guest Rev. Baroness Maeve Sherlock, who is Curate at St. Nics Durham in England, and is also a member of the House of Lords in the British Parliament. In this episode we discuss the differences between British and American politics, the legitimacy of one-issue voting, the separation of church and state, and how our voting energy as Christians ought to be invigorated by a desire for human flourishing.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2012 there was global interest in a small Coptic fragment the size of a business card that records Jesus saying the words "my wife." The fragment was presented to a group of scholars at a Coptology conference in Rome by Dr. Karen King of Harvard Divinity School, who herself had received it from a private collector. This presentation naturally drew immediate media attention. Very soon after this, it was discerned to be a forgery. But the story of how that was progressively uncovered, and also how some at Harvard, including King, resisted such a conclusion, is nothing short of remarkable. Recently, a journalist named Ariel Sabar, who was there in Rome back in 2012, and who had been chronicling all of the unfolding events for years, finally wrote it all up in a book, called Veritas: A Harvard Professor, A Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife (New York: Doubleday, 2020). It's a remarkable read, full of so many weird twists and turns. Sabar originally wrote a much shorter piece for the Atlantic back in 2016, which contains the original unveiling of the secret identity of the private collector who gave the manuscript to King, who was also quite likely the forger of the document—Walter Fritz. Here is the link to that Atlantic piece.One of the significant scholarly contributions along the way in determining that the Gospel of Jesus's Wife was a forgery came from Dr. Christian Askeland,  who earned a PhD from Cambridge University in New Testament textual criticism with a focus on the Coptic manuscripts of the Gospel of John. Dr. Askeland was able to definitively prove that a separate Coptic fragment, which also came from Mr. Fritz, was certainly a forgery. In this episode, Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Logan Williams are joined by Dr. Askeland to discuss his involvement in, and his perspective on, this crazy saga. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing our conversation on the Enneagram, we wanted to dive deeper into some of the lesser known aspects of the popular personal formation tool. In particular, we wanted to discuss the issue of Childhood Wounds, which essentially deal with the way that our personality types were shaped by experiences that we had with our primary care givers as kids. Taking this a step further, in this episode we wanted to explore this issue of the Enneagram in dialogue with Attachment Theory. Towards that end Dr. Josh Caroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Grace Ng are joined by Dr. Eurice Lee-Seo (PsyD, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University), who is a clinical psychologist at the Southern Oregon Veteran Affairs. Over the course of our integrative dialogue we explain Attachment Theory and the Childhood Wounds of the Enneagram in their own right, and then we turn to see explore how therapies inspired by Attachment Theory might relate to the path forward for the nine Enneagram types in the light of their Childhood Wounds, and also whether certain Enneagram types naturally relate more closely with the respective attachment styles.The key study referenced in this episode by Arthur and Allen that integrates Attachment Theory with the Enneagram can be found at this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we carry on our conversation on the Enneagram from last week ("The Enneagram—What Is It?") by diving more deeply into how we have all responded to the unique challenges of 2020. Engaging this topic is our largest panel of team members to date on The Two Cities podcast: Amber Bowen (Type 4), Dr. Josh Carroll (Type 7), Dr. John Anthony Dunne (Type 7), Paloma Herrera (Type 7), Brandon Hurlbert (Type 1), Grace Sangalang Ng (Type 6), Rev. Daniel Parham (Type 3), and Dr. Chris Porter (Type 3). Over the course of the episode we cover multiple topics from movements in stress, how our wings impact our management of stress, etc. In the end we emphasize the importance of thinking about the Enneagram in the context of community, and also the importance of community for seeing how people of various Enneagram types contribute to the richness of our experiences. In particular, we reflect on this dynamic as academics in relation to the annual international conferences every November—another thing that the global pandemic has significantly altered for us in 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Enneagram is a well-known "personality test." For many, it is used as a simple means of compartmentalizing people. For others, it is a helpful tool to raise personal awareness and promote healthy growth. In this initial episode on the Enneagram, Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Brandon Hurlbert, and Rev. Daniel Parham promote the idea of viewing the Enneagram as a tool rather than a test. We begin by overviewing the nine types, situating them within the three intelligence centers (8, 9, and 1 in the body center, 2, 3, and 4 in the heart center, and 5, 6, and 7 in the mental center). From there we discuss the concept of "wings," and how the adjacent types inform and temper our dominant types. We also address how the Enneagram is not static, and that it takes into account what our types look like in times of health (integration) and stress (disintegration). We conclude by reflecting on how we all came to learn about the Enneagram in the first place. This episode is meant to introduce people to the Enneagram, but also to establish an important way to think about it relative to some common misperceptions. This will serve to set up future episodes on the Enneagram as well.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we discuss how churches can be more inclusive of people with disability and varying ability. John Anthony Dunne talks with Brittany Hurlbert, whose work is in educational and therapeutic settings, working primarily with people who have autism. After explaining what autism is, what its relationship to asperger's is, and some general misconceptions, we discuss some biblical principles for thinking about our differing abilities. Topics addressed include the issues of how we should think about "cures," what ministering with those with disabilities can look like, and what people with disabilities can teach us directly. Throughout the conversation we briefly acknowledge some scholarship from Grant Macaskill and Amos Yong on these topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.