Homebrewed Christianity

James McGrath: The A to Z of the New Testament

One of the ongoing tensions for Biblical scholars is the gap between the shared knowledge within the academy and the need for more awareness among the larger public. Most ministers are aware of the tension this creates in the congregation, but the public square is no better. A friend and New Testament scholar, Dr. James McGrath, is back on the podcast to discuss his new book to tackle this problem. You will not want to miss The A to Z of the New Testament: Things Experts Know That Everyone Else Should Too! James F. McGrath is Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature. His PhD from the University of Durham became the basis for his first book, John’s Apologetic Christology, published by Cambridge University Press in the SNTS Monograph Series. He has also written a “prequel†about the broader context of monotheism and Christology in ancient Judaism and Christianity, The Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in Its Jewish Context, published by University of Illinois Press. More recently, he has published What Jesus Learned from Women, which explores the topic of the historical figure of Jesus and the influence the women mentioned in the Gospels had on him. In addition to his work on the New Testament and early Christianity, Dr. McGrath also researches the Mandaeans (the last surviving Gnostic group from the ancient world) and their literature. The two-volume critical edition, translation, and commentary on the Mandaean Book of John (which he produced together with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) represents the first such academic edition of the complete work in English based on all known manuscripts. Another area of specialty is the intersection of religion and science fiction. On that subject, he is the author of Theology and Science Fiction and The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (Black Archive #52), editor of Religion and Science Fiction and co-editor of Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion and Doctor Who. He blogs at Religion Prof. Previous Episodes w/ James What Jesus Learned from Women Exploring the Matrix Resurrections Early Christian Monotheism   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thomas Jay Oord: Big God Questions

Thomas Jay Oord is back on the podcast! This episode has two different parts. The first is a live QnA from ORTcon23. The wide-ranging God questions came from the event attendees and were inspired by some fantastic conversations throughout the gathering. In the last bit, Tom and I discuss all the nerdy fun that went down at the Open & Relational stage at Theology Beer Camp.
God After Deconstruction: Check out our upcoming class, book, and in-person events Theology Beer Camp: head over here to get info on 2024 camp Check out the ORTcon 24 event this coming summer Check out ORTline 24 – an amazing online event with TONS of open and relational theologians Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation. Some Previous Tripp & Tom Pods Christ, Christmas, & the Incarnation the Death of Omnipotence! Brian McLaren & Thomas Jay Oord: a God Worthy of Love Process This! Process Theology QnA Authority, Atonement, Abortion, and a Big Hug from Pluriform Love to Divine Revelation Big God Twitter Takes Trump is (NOT) a Process Theologian & Other Questions Thomas Jay Oord wants you to know “God Can’t” Open and Relational Theology Throwdown Open and Relational Q&A with Thomas Jay Oord Why Go Wesleyan? Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hanna Reichel: Queering Barth & the Possibility of Theology

I am thrilled to have  Dr. Hanna Reichel on the podcast for the first time! Our conversation centers around their newest book After Method. Hanna Reichel is Associate Professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Reichel is an internationally recognized Barth scholar and constructive theologian. After Method assumes the impossibility of doing theology right–and moves beyond it. Organized as a conversation in two voices—with systematic-theological commitments represented by Karl Barth and constructive-theological commitments represented by Marcella Althaus-Reid—this book calls the redemptive potential of any methodological program into question. Indeed, the search for a full and complete theological account of reality has only further fragmented theological discourse. Thus, Hanna Reichel argues that method cannot “save” us—but that does not mean that we cannot do better. After Method harnesses the best insights systematic and constructive theologies have to offer in their mutual critique and gestures toward a “better” theology. Utilizing architectural metaphor, Reichel pulls from systematic and constructive approaches to develop an understanding of theological work as conceptual design, responsibly ordering and structuring given materials for a purpose. This necessitates a more realistic adaptation to reality for theology, expanding its standards to encompass the experiences and perceptions of people and speaking the truth available to it. The honesty, humility, and solidarity generated through the failure of method liberates theology to a more playful and tentative cruising of different approaches and redirects its attention to “misfits” and outsiders. Equally demanding and self-relativizing, the resultant ethos is better able to do justice to the reality of the world and the reality of God than doctrinal orthodoxy or methodological orthopraxy. Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have Yourself a Lord of the Rings Christmas Movie Marathon

I hope that no matter where you are in life, you have been able to enjoy the holiday season by eating good food, spending time with friends and family, or at least getting some rest. If the holidays don’t tend to provide comfort, then you can escape and take shelter in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy with Nick Polk from Tolkien Pop! as well as Tolkien Scholar Dr. Craig Boyd! As we enter the eye of the storm that is the holiday season, we will kick off our run of Christmas movies with The Lord of the Rings (the extended editions, of course). Because, in fact, The Lord of the Rings are Christmas movies. The Fellowship is led by a supernatural man with a white beard, the company departs from Rivendell to begin their quest on December 25th (Christmas Day), and there are plenty of Elves to go around! To solidify the argument even further, Tolkien wrote his children Letters from Father Christmas (Santa Claus) every year during the Christmas season in their adolescence. In these letters, Tolkien told of Santa and his elves fighting off a goblin army. We even see glimpses of Tolkien’s invented Elvish language script in the letters. The legendarium was partly developed in and through a Christmas fantasy world sandbox. We talk about all these things and more as a sort of “pregame†into our Christmas Movie Marathon and will come back with another “postgame†livestream with Dr. Craig Boyd and some other special guests that you won’t wanna miss. So, with all that said, let’s go on a Middle-earth Christmas adventure! Craig A. Boyd is Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Saint Louis University. Among the books he has published are The Virtues: A Very Short Introduction, with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University, 2021), Virtues and Their Vices, co-edited with Kevin Timpe (Oxford University Press, 2014), and A Shared Morality: A Narrative Defense of Natural Law Ethics (Brazos Press, 2007). His scholarly articles have appeared in such venues as The Heythrop Journal, Christian Scholar’s Review, Christianity & Literature, New Blackfriars, and American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly. Nick Polk (Tolkien Pop!) is the production editor for Mallorn, the academic journal of The Tolkien Society. His most recent research includes his essay entitled “Middle-earth in South Park: The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers as Parody.†Other than Tolkien, his other loves include his wife Kelly, coffee, and punk. Nothing sounds better than starting the day reading a Tolkien book with a cup of coffee and ending it in a moshpit with loved ones. One Stream to Rule them ALL: Prepping for a LOTR Christmas Movie Marathon https://t.co/xCDvZ3ZIHv — Theology Nerd (@HomebrewedXnty)  November 30, 2023   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Philip Clayton & Thomas Jay Oord: Christ, Christmas, & the Incarnation

This is a fun conversation with Thomas Jay Oord & Philip Clayton. We have a good time digging into some of the biggest theological questions surrounding Christmas and the Incarnation. Enjoy & then join our upcoming online class, The Cosmic Christ. Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation. As a scholar, Philip Clayton (Ingraham Professor, Claremont School of Theology) works at the intersection of science, philosophy, and theology. As an activist (president of EcoCiv.org, President of IPDC), he works to convene, facilitate, and catalyze multi-sectoral initiatives toward ecological civilization. As a disciple of Jesus, he finds himself energized by the Spirit in the Quaker community. Previous Podcast Convos w/ Philip Clayton How to Think Theologically On the Meaning of Life on the Mindfulness of Nature The Theology of Wolfhart Pannenberg w/ Philip Clayton Finding God in Everyone and Everywhere w/ Philip Clayton and Andrew Davis Can a process theologian be an Evangelical & other questions with Philip Clayton The #GodDebacle w/ Philip Clayton and LeRon Shults Philip Clayton on the Shape of Postmodern Theology Party Time with Philip Clayton for “The Predicament of Belief†Bootlegged Christianity with Philip Clayton, Jack Caputo, Bill Mallonee, Peter Rollins, & Jay Bakker Philip Clayton on The Resurrection, Trinity, Eschatology & the Predicament of Belief Coming to Jesus with Daniel Kirk & Philip Clayton   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Duns: Thinking within the Catholic Tradition

  Throughout the  Theology for Normal People series, we have featured interviews with theologians from different parts of the church. In this episode, Dr. Ryan Duns, a Jesuit priest and theologian at Marquette University, returns to the podcast to share how he thinks in and with the Catholic tradition. It was a beautiful and enlightening conversation that blends his narrative, exploration of the Catholic tradition, and wisdom he’s gained, introducing it to students in the classroom. I had so much fun we went on a Tolkien excursion at the end, which is a sign I’m having fun. Ryan G. Duns, SJ, (twitter) is a Jesuit priest and an assistant professor of theology at Marquette University. His locates his work the intersection of philosophy and systematic theology and is interested in regarding theology as practice or a way of life. He has published on Karl Rahner, Jean-Luc Marion, Renae Girard, and his most recent work has involved a sustained engagement with William Desmond’s metaphysics. His monograph Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age: Desmond and the Quest for God argues that, when read as a form of spiritual exercise (Pierre Hadot), Desmond’s philosophy can re-awaken a sense of the Transcendent. You can check out our previous conversation here: Spiritual Exercises for a Secular Age.   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Burge: The Sky is Falling & the Charts are Popping!

Ryan Burge is back and he has a bunch of charts to get us chatting! To stay up to date with Ryan’s regular release of graphs about religion, follow his substack here, IG here, and formerly twitter here. Ryan P. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University. Author of numerous journal articles, he is the co-founder of and a frequent contributor to Religion in Public, a forum for scholars of religion and politics to make their work accessible to a general audience. Burge is a pastor in the American Baptist Church. Previous Visits from Ryan Burge Graphs about Religion & Politics w/ Spicy Banter a Year in Religion (in Graphs) Evangelical Jews, Educated Church-Goers, & other bits of dizzying data 5 Religion Graphs w/ a side of Hot Takes Myths about Religion & Politics Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bethany Sollereder: Does Theology Make Progress?

My friend, Dr. Bethany Sollereder, is Lecturer in Science and Religion at the University of Edinburgh. She received her PhD in Theology from the University of Exeter and an MCS in interdisciplinary studies from Regent College, Vancouver. She specializes in theology concerning evolution and the problem of suffering. Her current work is about the theological possibilities and human vocation in the light of irreversible changes in ecological degradation. She is also interested in the intersection between psychology and faith, particularly how different approaches to theology can affect people’s experience of suffering. This interest led to the publication of “Why is There Suffering? Pick your own theological adventure” (Zondervan 2021), the first pick-your-own-ending theology book. Dr Sollereder is working in a broader research program in what she has called “Compassionate Theodicy.” Here's two of Bethany's Books to checkout  God, Evolution, and Animal Suffering: Theodicy without a Fall Why Is There Suffering?: Pick Your Own Theological Expedition Check out Bethany's previous visits to the podcast Celebration, Suffering, & the Future of Science + Religion Theology and the Ecological Crisis   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam Clark: Thinking Liberation

I am thrilled to have my friend Dr. Adam Clark back on the podcast. This conversation captures so many of his most potent observations about the task of thinking theologically in the key of liberation. Enjoy   Dr. Adam Clark is Associate Professor of Theology at Xavier University. He is committed to the idea that theological education in the twenty-first century must function as a counter-story. One that equips us to read against the grain of the dominant culture and inspires one to live into the Ignatian dictum of going forth to set the world on fire. To this end, Dr. Clark is intentional about pedagogical practices that raise critical consciousness by going beneath surface meanings, unmasking conventional wisdoms and reimagining the good. He currently serves as co-chair of Black Theology Group at the American Academy of Religion, actively publishes in the area of black theology and black religion and participates in social justice groups at Xavier and in the Cincinnati area. He earned his PhD at Union Theological Seminary in New York where he was mentored by James Cone. Previous Episodes w/ Adam: From Contemplation to Liberation The Living & Liberating Mystery Cancel Culture, Rogan, Whoopi, Chappelle, & the NFL Gary Dorrien & Adam Clark: James Cone and the Emergence of Black Theology Serene Jones & Adam Clark: Theology Matters and the Legacy of James Cone The Crisis of American Religion & Democracy: 1/6 a year later Christmas, BLM, Abortion, & the War on White Evangelicalism Jan 6th Theological Debrief: Adam Clark and Jeffrey Pugh Adam Clark: What is Black Theology? From Lebron James to the Black Panther: Black Theology QnA w/ Adam Clark Adam Clark: James Cone was right   Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Courage to Be 15 w/ Elgin Fuller & Aaron Simmons

When I started the podcast over 15 years ago, Elgin was an infant, and today he is here hosting the podcast! Elgin decided to join the upcoming class, Live Before You Die, and has been collecting a stack of questions as he read through Paul Tillich’s The Courage to Be. Yesterday, we were tailgating at the Wake Forest vs Florida State football game with Arron Simmons and his family. What does a podcaster do when their teenager has a bunch of questions about existentialism, and you are tailgating with an existentialist philosopher? You hand them mics! Dr. Aaron Simmons is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Furman University.
Here’s Aaaron’s website with tons of resources & his newsletter His previous visits to the podcast include Camping with Kierkegaard,  Faith After Deconstruction, ”Do I Have a Soul? & other cultural preferences in bold,” ”Off-Road Religion & Pandemic Philosophizing,” ”Smells Like Teenage Phenomenology” & “Whose Christianity, Which Postmodernism?”, Philosophy & the Experience of God
Youtube Channel, “Philosophy for Where We Find Ourselves”: TedX Speaker: “The Failure of Success” check out Aaron’s books here Follow the podcast, drop a review, or become a member of the HBC Community.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices