The Two Cities

CW: gender-based discrimination, religious traumaAimee Byrd is the author of several books, including Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and The Sexual Reformation.In this episode we hear Aimee recount her experiences of trauma in conjunction with her ministry as an author and speaker. She shares about her gender-based discrimination and the harm caused by her denomination, how she has processed the trauma, and how to be a good ally to those experiencing harm.Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Madison Pierce, and Rev. Dr. Christopher Porter.Series Disclaimer: This series explores the concept of “trauma,” its sources, and its expressions from a range of perspectives. Some of our guests are licensed mental health professionals; some are those with formative experiences of trauma; and others are those who explore trauma through various theoretical frameworks. We hope that this series provides useful information to all that enables them to begin to be trauma-informed and to love others and themselves better. Our series is by no means meant to replace the important work of one-on-one time with a trauma-informed professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: gender-based violence, sexual assault, religious trauma, intimate partner violenceDr. Katie Cross is Lecturer in Practical Theology at Christ’s College at the University of Aberdeen. She is the author of The Sunday Assembly and Theologies of Suffering and the co-editor of Feminist Trauma Theologies and Bearing Witness. (Bonus note: Her co-editor is last week’s guest Karen O’Donnell!)In this episode we learn about feminist trauma theologies. Dr. Cross explains how her work with the Sunday Assembly, an atheist community, and their understandings of suffering and trauma led to her explorations of trauma theologies broadly and feminist trauma theologies specifically. She explains the importance of bearing witness to stories and carefully sitting with those who have experienced trauma.Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Madison Pierce.Series Disclaimer: This series explores the concept of “trauma,” its sources, and its expressions from a range of perspectives. Some of our guests are licensed mental health professionals; some are those with formative experiences of trauma; and others are those who explore trauma through various theoretical frameworks. We hope that this series provides useful information to all that enables them to begin to be trauma-informed and to love others and themselves better. Our series is by no means meant to replace the important work of one-on-one time with a trauma-informed professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: generational trauma, genocideDr. Karen O’Donnell is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Worship and Human Community at Westcott House at the Cambridge Theological Federation. She is the author of Broken Bodies and The Dark Womb, and the co-editor of Feminist Trauma Theologies and Bearing Witness. (Bonus note: Her co-editor is next week’s guest Katie Cross.)In this episode we explore trauma theologies with Dr. O’Donnell, who introduces us to the concept of trauma theologies and relates those to trauma theories. She helps us to understand how trauma and processing trauma affects our bodies, and she explains how various types of trauma connect with the work of Christ–both in the Incarnation and in the Eucharist.And while you’re at it, be sure to check out our previous episode with Dr. O’Donnell about theology and reproductive loss (here).Series Disclaimer: This series explores the concept of “trauma,” its sources, and its expressions from a range of perspectives. Some of our guests are licensed mental health professionals; some are those with formative experiences of trauma; and others are those who explore trauma through various theoretical frameworks. We hope that this series provides useful information to all that enables them to begin to be trauma-informed and to love others and themselves better. Our series is by no means meant to replace the important work of one-on-one time with a trauma-informed professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CW: domestic and family violenceIn this episode we explore an important source of trauma for many: family and insecure attachment. For this conversation we're joined by Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor, and the author of ⁠⁠Strong Like Water⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Try Softer⁠⁠. Aundi defines attachment and we explore some typical attachment “styles.” We also talk about how secure attachments are formed and explore how to find safety in adulthood and how to care for those around us to provide them with more feelings of safety and security.Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Dr. Madison Pierce.Series Disclaimer: This series explores the concept of “trauma,” its sources, and its expressions from a range of perspectives. Some of our guests are licensed mental health professionals; some are those with formative experiences of trauma; and others are those who explore trauma through various theoretical frameworks. We hope that this series provides useful information to all that enables them to begin to be trauma-informed and to love others and themselves better. Our series is by no means meant to replace the important work of one-on-one time with a trauma-informed professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Revd Dr. Chuck Degroat is a licensed therapist, as well as a Professor of Pastoral Care and Christian Spirituality, and Executive Director and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Western Theological Seminary. He is the author of many books, including When Narcissism Comes to Church, Leaving Egypt, and Toughest People to Love.In this episode we begin our series on “trauma” with an introduction to trauma. We explore some definitions of trauma, various misunderstandings of trauma, trauma and resilience, typical trauma responses, and how to begin processing our own trauma.Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Madison Pierce, Rev. Dr. Chris Porter, Dr. Sydney Tooth, and Dr. Logan Williams.Series Disclaimer: This series explores the concept of “trauma,” its sources, and its expressions from a range of perspectives. Some of our guests are licensed mental health professionals; some are those with formative experiences of trauma; and others are those who explore trauma through various theoretical frameworks. We hope that this series provides useful information to all that enables them to begin to be trauma-informed and to love others and themselves better. Our series is by no means meant to replace the important work of one-on-one time with a trauma-informed professional. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Jeremiah Coogan, who is Assistant Professor of New Testament at the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University, and he’s a co-author of Encountering AI: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations which is a book-length special issue of the Journal of Moral Theology, which we discuss in this episode. Our conversation focuses on the contemporary matters of artificial intelligence that demand our ethical consideration, such as the ways that humans are programming A.I. presently, rather than simply what sort of doomsday scenario might occur in the future. We cover such topics as the alignment problem, longtermism, large language models, and the use of A.I. in education. Team members on episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we debrief our experiences in San Antonio for the 2023 annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). In the first half of the episode we talk about the papers that our team members presented, and then we shift to reflect on some of our major highlights from the conference. After our own comments and reflections conclude, we shift to our live recordings in the book stalls with various colleagues enjoying the conference, including: Dr. Bryan Dyer, Dr. Christoph Heilig, Kent Hendricks, Dr. Travis West, Dr. Holly Beers, Dr. Andrew King, Dr. Dru Johnson, Dr. David Moffitt, Dr. Jamie Davies, Dr. Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn, Dr. Paul Sloan, Dr. Matthew Sharp, Eric Foster-Whiddon, and David Burnett. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Jennifer Guo, Dr. Madison Pierce, Rev. Dr. Chris Porter, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celebrating our 200th episode, we engage listener feedback with a variety of content, including: answers to your theological and practical questions, Logan singing in Hebrew, bloopers, and the new music that we will be using for the next 100 episodes. Cheers to you, and thanks for listening!Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, Jennifer Guo, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, Stephanie Kate Judd, Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng, Stanley Ng, Rev. Dr. Chris Porter, Rev. Daniel Parham, Dr. Madison Pierce, Dr. Kris Song, Dr. Sydney Tooth, Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne, and Dr. Logan Williams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Fellipe do Vale, theologian and author, explores the connection between gender and love. He discusses the complexity of gender, proposes an integrated approach between theology and gender theory, and emphasizes the importance of understanding gender through the lens of love. The podcast also delves into Augustine's inconsistent views on gender, examines gendered goods and stereotypes, and discusses the role of love in addressing violence against women.

CW: References to self-harm. In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Isaac T. Soon, who is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Crandall University in New Brunswick, and the author of A Disabled Apostle: Impairment and Disability in the Letters of Paul (published by Oxford University Press). Drawing upon the cultural model of disability, Dr. Soon explains that Paul likely had three kinds of disabilities, in terms of how these conditions were stigmatized in the ancient world, including: demonic oppression, circumcision, and dwarfism. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, and Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.