OnScript

Q&A - Matt Lynch and Matt Bates

Episode: You've spoken. We've listened.  You've asked for more episodes giving a window into the secret lives of OnScript co-hosts. Or at least, you've asked us to allow more time for chat between hosts. So we'll try to do a bit more of that. In this episode, Matt Lynch and Matt Bates, the co-founders of OnScript, ask each other questions about Paul, hell, life, violence, divine-human appearances in the OT, faith as allegiance, Matt B.'s new book, books we've read, and more. Enjoy, and share the word!

Hosts: Matt Bates (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame) is Assistant Professor of Theology at Quincy University. He writes with a posture of faith seeking understanding, with a desire to serve the church, academy, and any reader of goodwill. He's the author of Gospel Allegiance (Brazos, 2019), Salvation by Allegiance Alone (Baker Academic, 2017) is now available for order. His recent The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2015) focuses on how certain reading strategies helped early Christians to see that the one God can be differentiated as multiple persons. He has also written on the Apostle Paul’s method of interpreting Scripture: The Hermeneutics of the Apostolic Proclamation (Baylor University Press, 2012). A current book project, to be published by Eerdmans, explores the process by which Jesus came to be enthroned as king, as well as the theological implications for us today.

Matt Lynch is Academic Dean and Lecturer in Old Testament at Westminster Theological Centre in the UK. He's the author of Monotheism and Institutions in the Book of Chronicles (Mohr Siebeck, 2014), and Portraying Violence in the Hebrew Bible  (Cambridge, forthcoming 2020), and has written various articles on the Old Testament. He also blogs regularly at theologicalmisc.net. Matt is particularly interested in helping students grasp the theological and literary contours of the Old Testament, wrestle through its ethical and historical challenges, and understand its ongoing significance.

Sharon Ketcham - Reciprocal Church

Episode: What is the relationship between the individual Christian and the community of faith? How do we navigate the pendulum swings between an overemphasis on the individual at the expense of community and an overemphasis on community at the expense of the individual? In this episode, OnScript host Amy Brown Hughes talks with her colleague Sharon Ketcham about her new book Reciprocal Church: Becoming a Community Where Faith Flourishes Beyond High School, how often we talk about faith as a "product," what theological anthropology must undergird our ecclesiology, and where hope lies in the future of the church.

Guest: Sharon Galgay Ketcham is professor of theology and Christian ministries at Gordon College in Massachusetts. She earned her Ph.D. in theology and education from Boston College. Sharon’s two decades of experience in ministry include serving the local church, researching, writing, teaching, and mentoring. As a practical theologian, she is a scholar for the Church and invites people to reflect theologically on lived Christian faith. She is the author of Reciprocal Church: Becoming a Community Where Faith Flourishes Beyond High School in which she proposes a new vision for a person’s relationship with the church and the accompanying values and practices that allow faith to flourish for persons and communities. Sharon lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two children.

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

Joseph Gordon - Divine Scripture in Human Understanding

Episode: We all know that for Christians, Scripture is crucial--it's the lifeblood of the church. But when we press deeper, what is it? What do words like authority and inspiration mean? How does the Bible best fit into a broader Christian theology? Joseph K. Gordon joins OnScript host Matthew Bates to talk about Joe's exciting new book, Divine Scripture in Human Understanding.

Guest: Joseph K. Gordon is Associate Professor of Theology at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. His research and theological reflection have focused on questions about the history, nature, and purposes of Christian Scripture, on theological anthropology, and on theologies of history. Divine Scripture in Human Understanding is his first book. He has published articles in Theological Studies, Nova et Vetera, Method: A Journal of Lonergan Studies, The Stone-Campbell Journal, and The Lonergan Review. He is currently writing an introduction to the life and thought of Bernard Lonergan for the Cascade Companions series (Cascade/Wipf & Stock). An “outside theologian,” he is an amateur naturalist and herpetologist and enjoys playing floor hockey and soccer with his students, and, most of all, spending time with his wife and one-year-old son.

The Book: Joseph K. Gordon, Divine Scripture in H.uman Understanding: A Systematic Theology of the Christian Bible (University of Notre Dame Press, 2019). Divine Scripture in Human Understanding addresses the confusing plurality of contemporary approaches to Christian Scripture―both within and outside the academy―by articulating a traditionally grounded, constructive systematic theology of Christian Scripture. Utilizing primarily the methodological resources of Bernard Lonergan and traditional Christian doctrines of Scripture recovered by Henri de Lubac, it draws upon achievements in historical critical study of Scripture, studies of the material history of Christian Scripture, reflection on philosophical hermeneutics and philosophical and theological anthropology, and other resources to articulate a unified but open horizon for understanding Christian Scripture today. Following an overview of the contemporary situation of Christian Scripture, Joseph Gordon identifies intellectual precedents for the work in the writings of Irenaeus, Origen, and Augustine, who all locate Scripture in the economic work of the God to whom it bears witness by interpreting it through the Rule of Faith. (Publisher’s description, abridged).

The OnScript Quip (our review): If we are to live in light of Scripture, it is imperative to discern what it is and how it functions. In Divine Scripture in Human Understanding, Joseph Gordon answers essential meta questions about the Bible, convincingly locating Scripture in the redemptive economy of three-in-one God. This is a gift to the church.  — Matthew W. Bates, Quincy University, OnScript

(Theology) Fr John Behr - Origen and the Early Church, Pt 2

Theology Track Episode: Live from Nashotah House, WI (3rd year running), here's part 2 of our interview with Fr John Behr. Amy Brown Hughes talks with Fr John Behr about Origen and all things Patristic. In addition to more of the interview, we've got some Q&A in this episode. If you missed Part 1, visit HERE.

Guest:  The Very Reverend Dr John Behr is a British Eastern Orthodox priest and theologian.  He is the former Dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, where he is currently the Director of the Master of Theology Program and the Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professor of Patristics. He was ordained to the diaconate on September 8, 2001 and the priesthood on September 14, 2001. He is the editor of the Patristic Series released by St. Vladimir's Press. He was elected dean of the seminary on November 18, 2006, and served as dean from 2007 until 2017, when he was named Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professor of Patristics. He's the author of numerous books, including translation works, e.g., Origen: On First Principles (Oxford), Irenaeus: On the Apostolic Teaching (St Vladimir's Press), The Way to Nicaea, Vol. 1 (St. Vladimir's Press), and Formation of Christian Theology, Vol. 2: The Nicene Faith (St. Vladimir's Press). (adapted from Wikipedia, no less) 

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

If you like this: Check out our episode with Amy Brown Hughes and Lynn Cohick on their book Christian Women in the Patristic World, as well as our episode with Meghan Henning on her book Educating Early Christians Through the Rhetoric of Hell, and our episode with Matthew Thomas on his book Paul’s ‘Works of the Law’ in the Perspective of Second Century Reception.

 

 

(Theology) Fr John Behr - Origen and the Early Church, Pt 1

Theology Track Episode: Live from Nashotah House, WI (3rd year running), we've got a two-part interview. Amy Brown Hughes talks with Fr John Behr about Origen and all things Patristic. This episode requires theological safety gear, helmet, orange cones, ... everything. Enjoy part 1! More next week. 

Guest:  The Very Reverend Dr John Behr is a British Eastern Orthodox priest and theologian.  He is the former Dean of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, where he is currently the Director of the Master of Theology Program and the Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professor of Patristics. He was ordained to the diaconate on September 8, 2001 and the priesthood on September 14, 2001. He is the editor of the Patristic Series released by St. Vladimir's Press. He was elected dean of the seminary on November 18, 2006, and served as dean from 2007 until 2017, when he was named Father Georges Florovsky Distinguished Professor of Patristics. He's the author of numerous books, including translation works, e.g., Origen: On First Principles (Oxford), Irenaeus: On the Apostolic Teaching (St Vladimir's Press), The Way to Nicaea, Vol. 1 (St. Vladimir's Press), and Formation of Christian Theology, Vol. 2: The Nicene Faith (St. Vladimir's Press). (adapted from Wikipedia, no less) 

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

If you like this: Check out our episode with Amy Brown Hughes and Lynn Cohick on their book Christian Women in the Patristic World, as well as our episode with Meghan Henning on her book Educating Early Christians Through the Rhetoric of Hell, and our episode with Matthew Thomas on his book Paul’s ‘Works of the Law’ in the Perspective of Second Century Reception.

 

 

Darren Sarisky - Reading the Bible Theologically

Episode: Erin Heim and Chris Tilling interview Darren Sarisky about his recent book Reading the Bible Theologically (Cambridge).

Guest: Darren Sarisky is Departmental Lecturer in Modern Theology at the University of Oxford (Trinity College). He works in the area of Christian doctrine or systematic theology.  His primary research specialization is theological hermeneutics of the Bible, that is, the interconnection between biblical reading and Christian doctrine.  In this work, Dr Sarisky brings theological insights from early Christian theologians into conversation with voices from our own day.  He has also written on theologies of retrieval, which are approaches to theology that make significant recourse to classic texts from within the Christian tradition.

Dr Sarisky has recently completed his second monograph, Reading the Bible Theologically, which is part of the Current Issues series from Cambridge University Press in its.  The subject of the book is the nature of theological interpretation.  The ongoing discussion of theological exegesis is one of the most significant discussions taking place today in Theology and Religious Studies.  Though a great deal of energy is being directed at present into this debate, there is nevertheless a lack of clarity regarding the defining characteristics of the enterprise itself.  Dr Sarisky aims to make a contribution there.

This new book builds on Dr Sarisky’s first work, Scriptural Interpretation: A Theological Exploration, which was published in 2013 by Wiley-Blackwell within its Challenges in Contemporary Theology series.  The book brings an important fourth-century theologian, Basil of Caesarea, into dialogue with two leading lights in contemporary theology, Stanley Hauerwas and Rowan Williams.  The question on which the book focuses is what is happening, in specifically theological terms, when the Bible is read by the church.  The text culminates with a constructive contribution to the discussion that presents a thoroughly theological account of reading, including analyses of the identity of the reader, the nature of text being read, the practice of reading itself, and the social context of interpretation.

Prior to coming to Oxford, Dr Sarisky held academic appointments in Cambridge (as a Teaching Associate and a Junior Research Fellow) and at King’s College London (as a Lecturer in Systematic Theology). (From the Trinity College website).

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

If you like this: Check  out our interview with Fred Sanders on his book The Triune God.

Dru Johnson - Human Rites

Episode: This week's ep features a public talk from OnScript's Dru Johnson on his recent book Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments  (Eerdmans, 2018). Special thanks to Christ Church Jerusalem who recorded this event, and let us re-post it here. Enjoy!

Guest:  Dru Johnson (Ph.D., University of St Andrews) is Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at The King’s Collegein New York City and a Research Fellow at the Logos Institute (University of St Andrews, Scotland). His main area of research has focused on the philosophical and intellectual world of biblical literature.

His most recent books include a forthcoming trade book titled Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments (Eerdmans, 2018); The Universal Story: Genesis 1–11 (Lexham, 2018); Epistemology and Biblical Theology: From the Pentateuch to Mark’s Gospel (Routledge, 2017); and  Knowledge by Ritual: A Biblical Prolegomenon to Sacramental Theology(Eisenbrauns, 2016). See all of his books at Amazon. He is an editor for the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism monograph series, so you can also send him proposals for monographs!

More at his website: drujohnson.com.

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.

If you like this episode: Check out our original episode with Dru (before he was a host) on his book Knowledge by Ritual, and Dru's interview with Jonathan Pennington.

Jonathan Greer - Behind the Scenes of the OT

Episode: Jonathan Greer joins the show to talk about a big project he just co-edited on the history, context, archaeology, culture, and world of the Old Testament. Jonathan shares from his own work digging at Tel Dan, a very significant site for understanding the Jerusalem Temple and worship in ancient Israel. They discuss major archaeologists, the historicity of events in the Bible, the interaction of faith and critical study, and much more.

Guest: Jonathan Greer is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Hesse Memorial Archaeological Laboratory at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He has written extensively on the history and context of the Bible. He's the author of Dinner at Dan: Biblical and Archaeological Evidence for Sacred Feasts at Iron Age II Tel Dan and Their Significance  (Brill, 2013) and the co-editor with John Hilber and John Walton of Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts (Baker Academic, 2019).

If you like this episode: Check out our episodes on the Isaiah Seal Impression, and The Ancient World of the Bible.

Ellen Davis - Opening Israel's Scriptures

Episode: Matt Lynch has been eagerly awaiting this book (Opening Israel's Scriptures), and the chance to talk with one of his favorite OT scholars. That day has come! Matt speaks with Ellen Davis about the intersection of critical and theological biblical interpretation, the manna economy in Exodus, ecology and the Bible, Wendell Berry, violence in the Old Testament, lament, & more!

Guest: Professor Ellen Davis. Prof. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. She’s the author of 11 books and many articles. Her books include Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship, and Ministry, and Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching. Today we’re discussing her book Opening Israel’s Scriptures (OUP, 2019), which is a comprehensive theological reading of the HB/OT. 

Upcoming Event! Join us on Tues, July 23rd, 6:30pm, at Nashotah House Theological Seminary for a free live event (okay, bring a few $$ for drinks) with the Very Rev Dr John Behr and Dr Amy Brown Hughes. Register for free HERE.

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Ryan O'Dowd - Wisdom Literature and Commentaries

Episode: Ryan O'Dowd is the rare combination of Anglican Priest and scholar of the wisdom literature (though he agrees with Will Kynes's critique of the wisdom genre). In this episode, Dru and Ryan talk about his recent commentary on Proverbs in the Story of God series, his life as a pastor-scholar, and how being an academic is like being a model.

Guest: Ryan O'Dowd is a pastor of Bread of Life Anglican Church of Ithaca, New York, and senior fellow at Chesterton House, Cornell University. His teaching and research interests include biblical law, wisdom, and poetry, as well as Christian theological approaches to ethics, work, and vocation. Ryan holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve with 30 years of combined service in Active Duty and Reserve status. His books include The Wisdom of Torah: Epistemology in Deuteronomy and the Wisdom Literature (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009); Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction, with Craig Bartholomew (Apollos, 2011); and Proverbs (The Story of God Bible Commentary; Zondervan 2017).

Give: Help support OnScript as we grow and develop. Click HERE.