The Two Cities

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Winn Collier (@winncollier), Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Christian Imagination and Director of the Eugene Peterson Center for Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary (@westernsem) and author of A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene Peterson (@authenticmedia). In this episode, we talk about the life of Eugene Peterson and the themes that shaped his ministry and writing, especially his concern for pastoral integrity and his emphasis on living faithfully in one’s own context. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Sydney Tooth (S_E_Tooth). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we're joined by Lucy S. R. Austen (@LucySRAusten) writer, editor, and author of the biography Elisabeth Elliot: A Life (@crossway). Over the course of our conversation, we discuss the process of biography writing and how one seeks to tell the story of a complex and influential person like Elisabeth Elliot. We explore the various cultural and relational influences on Elliot’s life and teaching and discuss how biographies can raise questions about our own view of ourselves and our lives. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Sydney Tooth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: suicide and mental healthIn this episode, we're joined by Dr. Charles Marsh, Commonwealth Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Project on Lived Theology (@LivedTheology) at the University of Virginia and author of Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (@AAKnopf) and Evangelical Anxiety: A Memoir (@HarperOneBooks). In this conversation we discuss the art of life-writing, exploring how to write honestly about the complexity of life and theology through biographies and memoirs and the formative role such works can through depicting lived theology. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Brandon Hurlbert and Dr. Sydney Tooth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Jeremiah Gibson and Julia Postema, licensed psychotherapists and certified sex therapists based in Utrecht, The Netherlands, hosts a podcast called Sexvangelicals. As we talk about in our discussion with them, their specialization as therapists is helping couples coming out of negative religious backgrounds. In our conversation we talk about their perspective on topics like evangelical purity culture, sexuality and religion, etc., from their professional vantage point as people who themselves grew up in conservative Christian contexts. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, the Rev. Dr. Christopher Porter, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Prof. James McGrath, who is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University and the author of the book that we’re discussing here, Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about biographical details that we can glean about John the Baptist, whether and how Mandaean literature can fill out our knowledge of the historical figure, how John innovated ritual immersion, John’s potential relationship to Qumran, and why the Gospel authors seem so anxious to clarify how John relates to Jesus. Team members from The Two Cities on the episode include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Scott Coley, who is Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Mount St. Mary’s University, and the author of the book we’re discussing in this episode: Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about the inner workings of the religious right and the kinds of legitimacy narratives it finds in scripture which perpetuate various problematic hierarchies on the basis of race, gender, etc. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, the Rev. Daniel Parham, and the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne Adishian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Sean McGever, who is Area Director for Young Life in Phoenix and teaches at Grand Canyon University, and who is the author of Ownership: The Evangelical Legacy of Slavery in Edwards, Wesley, and Whitefield (published by IVP). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. McGever informs us about the relationship that three prominent evangelists from the 18th century had with slavery, namely, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, and George Whitefield. We talk further about the legacy of each of their movements and the implications that this history has for us today. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, the Rev. Daniel Parham, the Rev. Dr. Christopher Porter, and the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Matthew Elia, who is assistant professor of theology, race, and environment at Saint Louis University, and the author of The Problem of the Christian Master: Augustine in the Afterlife of Slavery (published by Yale University Press). Over the course of our conversation we talk about what Augustine had to say about slavery, as well as how Augustine relates to the master class of his day. Dr. Elia interrogates this history by bringing Augustine into conversations that he is not normally brought into, such as Black Studies. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Prof. David Pechansky, who is Professor Emeritus at the University of St. Thomas, and the author of the book we’re discussing in this episode, Solomon and the Ant: The Qu’ran in Conversation with the Bible (published with Cascade). Over the course of our conversation we talk about various thematic parallels that emerge when the Bible is intentionally juxtaposed with the Qu’ran. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aimee Byrd discusses finding hope in church disillusionment and the importance of storytelling for healing and unity. Topics include trauma recovery, faith, vulnerability in religious experiences, and creating safe spaces in church leadership. The power of personal storytelling is highlighted for healing and connection within the Christian community.