The Two Cities

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.

Following upon our conversation on "Racial Justice" in the previous episode, John Anthony Dunne and Grace Sangalang Ng are joined by Dr. Walter Augustine, Director of Intercultural Education and Research in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion at Biola University and an adjunct professor of theology and ethics at Talbot School of Theology. In this episode we extend our theological reflections on racial justice from the previous episode with further conversation on related issues of systemic racism, white privilege, “Black Lives Matter," the role of the church in the present racial tension, and the reasons to be hopeful regarding change and reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of horrific events from last week in Minneapolis with the murder of George Floyd on Memorial Day by a police officer and the subsequent series of protests and riots throughout the United States, we discuss the need to think theologically about racial justice. Rev. Daniel Parham joins John Anthony Dunne and Grace Sangalang Ng to address gaps in our theological education regarding racism, the cliché of "colorblindness" as an apathetic reaction to the necessity of properly addressing racism, and the importance of racial justice as a component of our Christian orthopraxy.Resources mentioned in this episode can be found below: BooksWoke Church: An Urgent Call for Christians in American to Confront Racism and Injustice by Eric MasonOne Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race and Love by John PerkinsVideosInterconnected: Confronting Racial Prejudice Between Asian American and African American CommunitiesOrganizationsBe the Bridge Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What value does Philosophy have in our lives? In a time of crisis like the present global pandemic in which we find ourselves, we might be particularly convinced that Philosophy is irrelevant or unhelpful. Broader societal trends seem to confirm this line of thought with the way that we privilege a certain kind of productivity over against living a well-lived life of purpose and meaning. Joining us to advocate for the inherent practicality of Philosophy and its crucial importance for us right now is Dr. J. Aaron Simmons, Professor of Philosophy at Furman University in South Carolina. In this episode, Amber Bowen and John Anthony Dunne chat with Dr. Simmons about the role of Philosophy in higher education and the present crisis. Particular stress is placed on the value of thinking well about all things, even leisure activities like playing the drums and trout fishing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.