Kingdom Roots

In this episode, Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk with Dr. Isaac Soon about his recent monograph, A Disabled Apostle.Isaac Soon is Assistant Professor of Early Christianity in the Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies. He is the author of A Disabled Apostle: Impairment and Disability in the Letters of Paul (Oxford University Press, 2023). A graduate of Alphacrucis University College (B.A. in Biblical Studies), Excelsia College (M.Th), the University of Oxford (M.Phil. in New Testament), and Durham University (Ph.D. in Theology and Religion). He received a Durham Doctoral Studentship for his doctoral work and was a finalist for a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Oxford in 2021. From 2021–2023 he was Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (New Testament) at Crandall University, in Moncton, New Brunswick.Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

Dr. Suzanna Krivulskaya, a historian from California State University San Marcos, dives into the intriguing intersection of religion and sexuality in American history. She unveils how sexual scandals have shaped Protestantism, drawing on cases from the 1830s to today. The discussion reveals the media's evolving role and the challenges of accountability in the church. Krivulskaya emphasizes the need for awareness and transformation amidst these recurring issues, urging both institutions and individuals to engage critically with the past.

Thomas G. Long, Bandy Professor of Preaching Emeritus at Candler School of Theology, shares insights from his extensive experience in sermon writing. He discusses the transformative journey from aspiring doctor to preacher and the ethical art of crafting sermons that resonate with congregations. Long emphasizes the kingdom of God as an active revelation through parables, while navigating the delicate intersection of preaching and politics. His reflections offer a deeper understanding of authentic preaching and its significance in today’s society.

In this episode, Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk with Dr. Amy Jill Levine.Amy Jill Levine (“AJ”) is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, at Vanderbilt. Her publications include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi; Jesus for Everyone, Not Just Christians, six children’s books (with Sandy Sasso); The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III, the first biblical commentary by a Jew and an Evangelical); The Jewish Annotated New Testament (co-edited with Marc Brettler), The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently (with Marc Brettler), The Pharisees (co-edited with Joseph Sievers), Jesus for Everyone, Not Just Christians, and thirteen edited volumes of the Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Literature. Her Beginner’s Guide series includes Sermon on the Mount, Light of the World, Entering the Passion of Jesus, The Difficult Words of Jesus, Witness at the Cross, Signs and Wonders, The Gospel of Mark, and The Gospel of John.  The first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute, an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, the first winner of the Seelisberg Prize awarded by the International Council of Christians and Jews, and the 2023 recipient of the H. Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation from Archbishop of Canterbury, AJ describes herself as an unorthodox member of an Orthodox synagogue and a Yankee Jewish feminist who works to counter biblical interpretations that exclude and oppress. Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

In this episode, Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk with Dr. Rob Dalrymple about his recent commentary, Revelation: A Love Story. Rob Dalrymple has been a professor, dean, and lead pastor for over 35 years at the college, seminary, and the local church. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Determinetruth ministries, whose vision is to provide a platform of training for pastors, leaders, and members of local churches by providing sound biblical teaching through various mediums to “challenge the church to be the church.” Rob hosts the determinetruth podcast, writes a weekly blog on Patheos, and has scores of videos on the Determinetruth YouTube page on the kingdom of God and justice. He is a leading voice on Scripture and the Middle East in the evangelical world. His writings include Revelation: a Love Story (A commentary on the book of Revelation); Understanding the New Testament and the End Times; Follow the Lamb: A Guide to Reading, Understanding, and Applying the Book of Revelation; as well as Land of Contention: Biblical Narratives and the Struggle for the Holy Land.Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

In this episode, Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk with Dr. Matthew Bates about his recent book, Beyond The Salvation Wars.Matthew W. Bates (PhD, Notre Dame) is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary with expertise on the gospel and salvation. His book Why the Gospel? (Eerdmans, 2024) won the Christianity Today award in popular theology and was Outreach magazine’s “Resource of the Year” in theology and Bible. His acclaimed academic titles include Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker Academic, 2017) and The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2015). He also co-founded and co-hosts the popular OnScript podcast.Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

In this episode, Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk about Dietrich Bonhoeffer with Dr. Mark Theissen Nation. Mark grew up in a non-Christian home, the son of a World War II veteran. At age seventeen he became a Christian in a General Baptist church; within a year he became a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Since then, he has had many vocations: as evangelist, a youth minister, a social worker, the founder and director of a Christian peace and justice organization, a pastor, and the director of The London Mennonite Centre, London, England. For sixteen years he was professor of theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. He has written or edited eleven books, two about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The first, published by Baker Academic Books in 2013, is Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging the Myth, Recovering His Call to Peacemaking. In 2022 his book, Discipleship in a World Full of Nazis: Recovering the True Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, was published by Cascade Books. His first writing on Christians in Nazi Germany was in 1980. Mark has two adult children and four grandchildren and is married to Mary. He is currently (interim) co-pastor of a Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Virginia.Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

In this episode Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett reimagine the original Christmas story by talking about the stories of Mary and Joseph.Ethereal Vistas by Denis Brodovskyi

In this episode Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett talk with Dr. Jesse P. Nickel about his recent book, A Revolutionary Jesus: Violence and Peacemaking in the Kingdom of God.Jesse Nickel (PhD, University of St Andrews) is on the faculty of Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, where he teaches in the biblical studies program. He is the author of The Things that Make for Peace: Jesus and Eschatological Violence (de Grutyer, 2021) and co-editor of It’s About Life: The Formative Power of Scripture (Regent College Publishing, 2023). Jesse is passionate about continuing to get to know Jesus more deeply with both his mind and heart, and teaching others about the already/not-yet, shalom-centred kingdom of God. Forthcoming publications“Eschatological Violence,” in The Oxford Handbook of Bible and Violence, edited by Paul Middleton and Matthew Collins (Oxford University Press, forthcoming).

Dr. Drew J. Strait dives into how faith communities can confront the challenges of Christian nationalism. He explores the historical roots of nationalism within Christianity and the complexities that arise in today’s polarized society. A focus on peace and nonviolence underscores the message as congregations are encouraged to mobilize for justice. The discussion highlights the importance of countering radicalization through Jesus' teachings and fostering dialogues that promote social justice while adhering to peace theology.