OnScript

R. T. Mullins & Steven Nemes Debate Divine Simplicity

Episode: Unusually for OnScript, we held a debate. Or perhaps it is better called a friendly chat between two scholars who disagree. On what? On the question of divine simplicity and modal collapse. What does this mean, you may ask? Well, Christian theologians have traditionally held to what is called the doctrine of divine simplicity. This view is defended by Steven Nemes. This is the view that God is an absolutely simple reality, not subject to the various forms of composition and complexity which characterise created realities. This doctrine strongly emphasises the difference between the simple reality of God and the multiple or complex reality of created things. One common objection to this view, here presented by Ryan Mullins, is that divine simplicity leads to what is called “modal collapse.” A “modal collapse” occurs when the various different modalities all collapse into a single category. If God is an absolutely simple reality, then the question must be asked: would it have been possible for God not to create this particular world, or even not to create at all? If God is the creator of the world in virtue of Himself, and if God’s essence is an absolutely simple reality that could not have been otherwise than it actually is, then does it not follow that the world is just as necessary as God’s own essence? Alternatively, in order to secure the genuine contingency and freedom of creation, would we not have to say that there is in God a distinction between the way He is necessarily (His essence) and the way He is contingently (the creator of the world), thus introducing composition and complexity into the being of God? 

This was a fascinating peek into debates well above Chris Tilling’s pay grade. Glady, both Nemes and Mullins had a gift for making their arguments transparent and understandable to those outside their discipline. Nevertheless, you may want to listen to the episode a couple of times to appreciate the wrinkles of the discussion.

Guests: 

R.T. Mullins (PhD, University of St Andrews), is a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh. He has published on topics such as God and time, the Trinity, the Incarnation, disability theology, and the problem of evil. His book, The End of the Timeless God was released in 2016 by Oxford University Press. His book God and Emotion will be out in 2020 through Cambridge University Press. He has previously held research and teaching fellowships at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Cambridge, and the University of St Andrews. When not engaging in philosophical theology, he is often found at a metal show.

Steven Nemes is an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University, where he teaches philosophy, and a doctoral candidate in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. His dissertation is titled “A constructive-theological phenomenology of Scripture.” He has published articles in journals such as Open Theology, Journal of Analytic Theology, Heythrop Journal, Irish Theological Quarterly, and Neue Zeitschrift für Systematische Theologie und Religionsphilosophie. He is newly married to Rachel and they live with a nearly hairless Sphinx cat whom they affectionately call “Honey Moo-Moo,” since they obtained her after their honeymoon.

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Jeannine Brown - The Gospels as Stories

Episode: We're back with our fourth annual live-recorded podcast episode at Nashotah House Theological Seminary! Dr. Jeannine Brown joined us this year to discuss her book The Gospels as Stories(Baker Academic, 2020). Tune in for conversation about the importance of narrative thinking, intertextuality, and women among the disciples, and for a very special speed round.

Guest: Dr. Jeannine K. Brown is professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jeannine is the author of Scripture as Communication (2007), Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation (2011), and two commentaries on Matthew (2015, in the Teach the Text Series and 2018, in the Two Horizons series). She co-edited the second edition of Jesus and the Gospels (2013). She is also the co-author of Relational Integration of Psychology and Christian Theology, and the book under discussion in this episode, The Gospels as Stories: A Narrative Approach to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Baker, 2020). Jeannine thoroughly enjoys teaching in churches and ministries on the topics of Bible interpretation and the New Testament. She is married to Tim Brown, singer-songwriter, and has two adult daughters, Kate and Libby (modified from the Bethel website).

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Esther Acolatse - Powers, Principalities, and the Spirit: Biblical Realism in Africa and the West

 Episode: When you read a passage in Scripture or hear about someone's experience with the supernatural (be it angelic, demonic, etc), what is your instinct? Explain it using specific hermeneutical tools? How? Do you chalk it up to cultural difference? Do you dismiss it? Embrace it? In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks with Reverend Esther Acolatse Ph.D. about her book Powers, Principalities, and the Spirit: Biblical Realism in Africa and the West. That there are few resources on exousiology (theology of the powers) in the Western academy and churches presents a problem because, as Acolatse points out, Scripture does. Jesus does. The Apostles do. The global South does. So, what are those "rulers," "authorities," "cosmic powers," and "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" outlined in Ephesians 6? How do we read the Bible faithfully and interrogate our hermeneutical, theological, cultural, and ecclesial assumptions? Let's begin to find out together.

Guest: Rev. Esther E. Acolatse, Ph. D, is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and World Christianity at Knox College, University of Toronto, Canada. She holds a BA (Hons. Double Major) Psychology and Religions from the University of Ghana, Legon, an MTS (Religion and Society) from Harvard University, and a Ph. D (Practical Theology) from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native Ghanaian, her teaching and research explore the intersection of psychology and Christian thought, and within that, the gendered body, methodological issues in the practice of theology of the Christian life, and the relevance of these themes in the global expression of Christianity especially African Christianity in dialogue with Western Christianity.

Her current research focuses on issues around ecclesial implications of care practices with migrant families and implications for rethinking missions in the global church. She is also interested in cultural anthropological dimensions of medicine, health, and healing, and their implications for suffering, death, dying, and care at the end of life. Apart from numerous articles and essays and two major monographs For Freedom or Bondage: A Critique of African Pastoral Practices (Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, MI), 2014 and Powers, Principalities, and the Spirit: Biblical Realism in Africa and the West (Eerdmans), 2018. An ordained minister of the PC (USA), she formerly taught Pastoral Theology and World Christianity at Duke Divinity School.

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R. Alan Streett - Caesar and the Sacrament

Episode: Was baptism spiritual, political, or both? And to what degree was baptism seen as saving in the New Testament and early Christianity? Why? In his provocative and important new book Caesar and the Sacrament, R. Alan Streett shows that baptism was a politically subversive action that involved swearing an oath of allegiance to a new king. Co-hosted by Matt Bates.

The Book: R. Alan Streett, Caesar and the Sacrament: Baptism: A Rite of Resistance (Cascade, 2018). Foreword by Walter Brueggemann. When the earliest Christ-followers were baptized they participated in a politically subversive act. Rejecting the Empire's claim that it had a divine right to rule the world, they pledged their allegiance to a kingdom other than Rome and a king other than Caesar (Acts 17:7). Many books explore baptism from doctrinal or theological perspectives, and focus on issues such as the correct mode of baptism, the proper candidate for baptism, who has the authority to baptize, and whether or not baptism is a symbol or means of grace. By contrast, Caesar and the Sacrament investigates the political nature of baptism. Very few contemporary Christians consider baptism's original purpose or political significance. Only by studying baptism in its historical context, can we discover its impact on first-century believers and the adverse reaction it engendered among Roman and Jewish officials. Since baptism was initially a rite of non-violent resistance, what should its function be today? (Publisher’s description).

Guest: R. Alan Streett is Senior Research Professor of Biblical Theology at Criswell College. His other books include Subversive Meals: Eating the Lord’s Supper under Roman Domination during the First Century (Pickwick, 2013) and Heaven on Earth: Experiencing the Kingdom of God—Here and Now! (Harvest House, 2013).

OnScript's Review: When we recover the first-century context for Christian baptism, we discover its explosive sociopolitical power. Those who were baptized were rejecting Rome's empire built on coercive violence, instead pledging a sacrament (oath) of allegiance to a cruciform king. Caesar and the Sacrament is a must read for those investigating salvation in early Christianity. --Matthew W. Bates, author of Gospel Allegiance, for OnScript

Jackson Wu - Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes

Episode: How does Jesus's death rescue not only humanity from its shame, but save God's face? The honor-shame framework changes how we think about the gospel, faith, sin, and glory. It challenges our individualistic readings and theologies. Biblical scholar and missiologist Jackson W. draws upon his years spent as a missionary in China in his award-winning book, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes (IVP Academic, 2019). Co-hosted by Matt Bates.

Guest: Jackson W. also writes under the name Jackson Wu. These are pseudonyms that Jackson uses due to the sensitive nature of his cross-cultural mission work in China. Jackson W. is the theologian-in-residence for Mission One. He recently relocated to Arizona, having lived in East Asia since 2003, where he first served as a church planter before starting a seminary for Chinese house church leaders. He earned an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary before getting a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a member of the Asian/Asian-American Theology steering committee within the Evangelical Theological Society. He serves as the book reviews editor for Themelios’ Mission and Culture section. His other books include Saving God’s Face and One Gospel for All Nations.

The Book: Jackson W., Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul's Message and Mission (IVP Academic, 2019). Christianity Today's 2020 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Biblical Studies. What does it mean to “read Romans with Eastern eyes”? Combining research from Asian scholars with his many years of experience living and working in East Asia, Jackson directs our attention to Paul's letter to the Romans. He argues that some traditional East Asian cultural values are closer to those of the first-century biblical world than common Western cultural values. When read this way, we see how honor and shame shape so much of Paul's message and mission. (Publisher’s description, abridged).

OnScript's Review: Jesus's death saves not only humanity from shame, but also God. Jackson W. provides a fresh framework for reading Romans. His detailed interpretative work reinvigorates our understanding of sin, faith, righteousness, glory, and much more. The result is theologically rich. Highly recommended. --Matthew W. Bates, author of Gospel Allegiance, for OnScript

John Kincaid - Justification, Righteousness, and Divine Sonship in Paul

Episode: In a previous episode Chris Tilling and Matt Bates interviewed two of the co-authors (Barber and Pitre) of the book, Paul, A New Covenant Jew. The third co-author of this book, John Kincaid, talks with Chris Tilling about his own chapter on justification, divine sonship, and “cardiac righteousness”, as well as his own future work on justification more generally, and his forthcoming work for the series Lectio Sacra. This episode therefore looks at the cutting edge of cutting-edge scholarship by also talking about impending work and ideas not yet published!

 

Guest: John Kincaid, PhD is the Administrative Chair of University-Wide Programs at the University of Mary. He is the co-author of Paul, A New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology, with Brant Pitre and Michael P. Barber, Eerdmans, 2019. Originally from Pittsburgh, Dr. Kincaid received his PhD in theology from Ave Maria University in 2015. Before receiving his PhD, Kincaid received a ThM from Duke University, an MA in theology from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a BA in theology from Geneva College. Before arriving at the University of Mary in 2019, Kincaid was previously a member of the theology faculty at John Paul the Great Catholic University as well as Franciscan University of Steubenville. His research interests center on Pauline theology and its reception history, the soteriology of Augustine and Aquinas, and the challenge of contemporary biblical hermeneutics. Kincaid is currently finishing a manuscript on the theme of justification in the Pauline letters as well as working on a co-written manuscript on biblical interpretation with Michael Waldstein. He and his wife Kristen have six children.

 

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Carmen Imes - Why Sinai Still Matters

Episode: Carmen Imes has been on a podcast tour, and we're thrilled that she joined us for this episode to discuss her book Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still Matters. We discuss the often misunderstood prohibition on taking God's name in vain, the relevance of Sinai for Christians, and much more.

Guest: Dr. Carmen Imes is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Prairie College in Alberta. She's the author of Bearing YHWH’s Name at Sinai: A Re-Examination of the Name Command of the Decalogue (Eisenbrauns). Her book Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters (IVP) is a distillation of her academic volume for a lay audience. Her forthcoming book is Reading the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. Carmen is an active member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Although she enjoys hanging out with other Bible geeks at conferences, her passion is to help the Bible come alive for laypeople. Carmen blogs at www.carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com and writes regularly for The Well, InterVarsity’s blog for women in the academy and professions. She enjoys speaking in church settings and for retreats and other events.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Jaco Gericke - A Philosophical Theology of the Old Testament

Episode: How should we read the Old Testament? Is there only one valid interpretation or a plurality of interpretations? If the latter, then how do we maintain intellectual humility and find valid methods for addressing the texts of Scripture? For a first-ever joint episode with the Center for Hebraic Thought, Dru talks to Dr. Jaco Gericke of North-West University, South Africa about his journey to philosophical theology, and some of his current research, particularly his recent book, A Philosophical Theology of the Old Testament: A historical, experimental, comparative and analytic perspective. Along the way, they discuss atheism, the necessity of bringing a philosophical perspective to biblical studies, developing reliable methods for reading Scripture, and even some terrible jokes.

Guest: Jaco Gericke is Associate Research Professor of Theology and Philosophy at North-West University, South Africa. He is also the author of What is a God?: Philosophical Perspectives on Divine Essence in the Hebrew Bible (Bloomsbury) and The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion (SBL Press).

Event: A socially-distanced live (outdoor) event at Nashotah House Theological Seminary on July 21st. More info HERE.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.

Shownotes:

• 1:18 Introducing Dr. Jaco Gericke and his research
• 8:06 Why Dr. Gericke doesn’t like to call himself an atheist and why he still studies the Old Testament
• 13:41 The difficult with the terms “biblical theology” and “philosophical theology”
• 24:55 The necessity of humility and openness to a plurality of interpretations for understanding scripture
• 30:06 James Barr and the renewed philology movement
• 35:20 Ways to do philosophical theology in the Old Testament
• 46:32 How philosophical theology prevents us from reading our own philosophical categories into the text
• 50:43 Speed Round

Brant Pitre & Michael Barber - Paul, a New Covenant Jew

Episode: Who was Paul? How might we understand him as a Jew? What type of Jew was he? How do our answers impact our interpretation of Paul’s theology of justification, Christology, the death of Christ, and more besides? In this episode, Matthew Bates and Chris Tilling talk to two of the co-authors of the new book, Paul, a New Covenant Jew: Rethinking Pauline Theology, by Brant Pitre, Michael P. Barber and John A. Kincaid (Eerdmans, 2019). After presenting a case for thinking about Paul as a new covenant Jew, the authors discuss Paul and apocalyptic, Pauline Christology, the cross and atonement theology, justification through divine sonship and the Lord’s Supper. Sparkling with fresh insights, this book contributes to numerous debates in exciting ways. This is, as one reviewer put it, “Paul the pop-up book”!

Guests: A future episode with Chris Tilling will include an interview with John Kincaid, particularly his chapter on justification. In this episode, Matt and Chris talk to Michael Barber and Brant Pitre. Michael is Associate Professor of Scripture & Theology at the Augustine Institute in Denver, CO. Brant Pitre, (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame). Brant Pitre is Professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans and Distinguished Research Professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute. He is the author of numerous books, including Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile (Baker Academic, 2005), Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (Image Books, 2011), Jesus the Bridegroom (Image Books, 2014), Jesus and the Last Supper (Eerdmans, 2015), and The Case for Jesus (Image Books, 2016).

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Joshua Farris - Theological Anthropology

Episode: What am I? Why am I here? Why do I exist? In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks to Joshua R. Farris about the existential crisis-inducing subject of theological anthropology. Farris has written a new book An Introduction to Theological Anthropology: Humans, Both Creaturely and Divine (Baker Academic, 2020), a treatment of all of the central questions of what it means to be human from a broadly Reformed perspective. There's no way to have a short conversation on the nature of the soul or what constitutes a human person or death or really anything having to do with what it means to be human - good thing there's a new book on the subject!

Guest: Joshua R. Farris (PhD, University of Bristol, UK) is the Chester and Margaret Paluch Professor at Mundelein Seminary, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, and part-time Lecturer at Auburn University Montgomery. He was a Visiting Fellow at The Creation Project, Carl F.H. Henry Center at TEDS (Spring 2018) and Assistant Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University. He was born in South Carolina. Raised a charismatic who later became a Southern Baptist and arrived at the Reformed Episcopal Church. Joshua is a chief editor (with Charles Taliaferro) of the Ashgate Research Companion to Theological Anthropology (Ashgate, 2015). He is co-editor (with S. Mark Hamilton) of Idealism and Christianity: Idealism and Christian Theology, Vol. 1 (Bloomsbury, 2016), co-editor of Christian Physicalism: Philosophical-Theological Criticisms(with R. Keith Loftin). Additionally, he has co-edited Being Saved: Explorations in Human Salvation. He has published his monograph, The Soul of Theological Anthropology: A Cartesian Exploration and An Introduction to Theological Anthropology: Humans, Both Creaturely and Divine (Baker Academic, 2020). He is co-editing (with Benedikt Paul Gocke) Rethinking Idealism and Immaterialism: A Historical and Philosophical Study. Joshua is also co-editor of Re-envisioning Reformed Dogmatics series (with Cascade) and the international advisor/editor for Perichoresis, Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies, and the European Journal of Philosophy of Religion. Joshua has published Around 40 refereed articles many of which are in top-tier journals as well as reviews for both philosophical and theological journals. He serves as a referee for several philosophical, theological, and interdisciplinary journals. Joshua has also presented at various academic conferences on inter-disciplinary studies, philosophy, theology, and ethics. He preached for three years at a Presbyterian church and has varied ministry experience with youth and adults. He is married with one child whom they adopted as an embryo (called ‘snowflake baby’). For fun, he reads, watches film, and hikes (although not nearly enough).

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you would like to support OnScript’s work.