OnScript

Steven Nemes - Theological Authority in the Church

Episode: In this episode Chris Tilling interviews Steven Nemes about his forthcoming book, Theological Authority in the Church (Eugene, Or.: Cascade, forthcoming [2023]). This new book by Steven Nemes argues, via an interpretation of the New Testament texts themselves, in favor of a “low” conception of ecclesial authority in theology. It maintains that no one in the Church has any further authority than that of derivatively, fallibly, and in principle reversibly relating and bearing witness to the teachings of Jesus and the works of God in Him. It concludes with an essay about the consequences of this thesis for the practice of Christian theology and the nature of Christian faith itself. It draws principally from the thought of Huldrych Zwingli and Adolf von Harnack.

Guest: Steven Nemes has a PhD in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he studied under Profs. Oliver Crisp and Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen. He is the author of Orthodoxy and Heresy, a volume in the Cambridge Elements in the Problems of God series, as well as of two forthcoming books, Theology of the Manifest: Christianity without Metaphysics, forthcoming with Lexington Press/Fortress Academic, and Theological Authority in the Church: Reconsidering Traditionalism and Hierarchy, forthcoming with Cascade Books. He currently works as an instructor of Latin and Greek at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy. He is happily married to Rachel, and they have a 6-month-old son named Cristian.

Steven appeared in a previous episode, debating divine simplicity here.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to join the big leagues and become a regular donor.

Caryn Reeder – The Samaritan Woman’s Story after #ChurchToo

Episode: Erin speaks with Caryn Reeder about the Samaritan Woman, the reception history of John 4, and its impact on the experiences of women in the church today, which Caryn treats in her newest book: The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 after #ChurchToo, published by IVP Academic.

Guest (adapted from Westmont's website): Dr. Reeder earned a B.A. from Augustana College, an M.A. in biblical studies from Wheaton College, and an M.Phil. in Old Testament and Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Cambridge. She came to Westmont in 2007. Her research interests include the household, gender, and violence in the Bible and biblical worlds. Her recent research addresses women, children, and warfare in the Gospel of Luke, and the interpretation of the story of the Samaritan woman in the context of women's lives in the church. She also teaches in the Gender Studies program. She's the author of The Enemy in the Household: Family Violence in Deuteronomy and Beyond (IVP Academic) and The Samaritan Woman's Story: Reconsidering John 4 after #ChurchToo (IVP Academic), discussed in this episode. 

Book (from the publisher's website): Most Christians have heard a familiar description of the Samaritan woman in John 4: she was a sinner, an adulteress, even a prostitute. Throughout church history, the woman at the well has been seen narrowly in terms of her gender and marital history. What are we missing in the story? And what difference does our interpretation of this passage make for women and men in the church?

Caryn A. Reeder calls us to see the Samaritan woman in a different light. Beginning with the reception history of John 4, she pulls back layers of interpretation entangled with readers' assumptions on women and sexuality. She then explores the story's original context, describing life for women and expectations regarding marriage and divorce in the first century. With this clarified lens, Reeder's exegesis of the passage yields refreshing insights on what the Gospel says—and does not say—about the woman at the well.

Throughout the book, Reeder draws connections between interpretations of this text and the life of the church. The sexual objectification of the Samaritan woman and minimization of her positive contribution has ongoing consequences for how women are seen and treated—including in the failure of many Christian communities to respond well to accusations of abuse. In the age of #MeToo and #ChurchToo, The Samaritan Woman's Story offers a bold challenge to teach the Bible in a way that truly honors the value and voices of women. 

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

If you enjoyed this episode ... Check out our interview with Dr. Reeder about family violence in the Bible. 

Malka Z. Simkovich - Discovering Second Temple Literature

Episode: In this episode, Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich takes us on an exciting tour of Second Temple Literature, giving us a sense of the stories, personalities, and history that shaped this remarkable and diverse body of literature. 

Guest: Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at Catholic Theological Union. She’s also the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at CTU. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016) and Discovering Second Temple Literature: The Scriptures and Stories That Shaped Early Judaism (JPS 2018). 

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Han-luen Kantzer Komline - Augustine and Turning Points in Christian History

Episode: In this episode, co-host Amy Hughes talks with Han-Iuen Kantzer Komline about all things Augustine! We covered it all! Just kidding, we barely scratched the surface of everyone's favorite bishop from Hippo. We discuss her work on Augustine and the will, as well as her latest project, co-authoring the fourth edition of Turning Points with Mark Noll and David Komline.

Guest: Han-luen Kantzer Komline is Associate Professor of Church History and Theology at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, USA and the author of Augustine on the Will: A Theological Account (Oxford University Press, 2020), which received the Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise in 2020.  Her research focuses on early Christian theology.  Many of her publications concern topics in Augustine or his relationship to other thinkers, ranging from Ambrose and Cyprian to Karl Barth and Marilynne Robinson.  She has also published on more recent figures such as John Calvin, Jürgen Moltmann, and Erich Przywara, and serves as co-editor of the International Journal of Systematic Theology.  Kantzer Komline’s research has been supported by fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, the Louisville Institute, the Augustinian Institute at Villanova, and the Humboldt Foundation. Her current book project, The Idea of the New in Early Christian Thought, analyzes how Christians of late antiquity conceptualized and defended the innovative character of the Christian faith.

Kantzer Komline serves as co-editor of the International Journal of Systematic Theology, on the steering committee of the Development of Early Christian Theology section for the Society of Biblical Literature, and as an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America.  She enjoys writing for both scholarly and popular venues, from Studia Patristica to Christianity Today, and is the co-author, with Mark Noll and David Komline, of Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity (4^th edition, Baker Academic, 2022). (adapted from the Western website)

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Andrew Byers - John and the Others

Episode: Erin speaks with Rev. Dr. Andy Byers about John's Gospel, Jewish Relations, and the "sectarian hermeneutic" that dominates Johannine studies. Andy's newest book on John's Gospel, John and the Others, published by Baylor University Press in 2021, advances the bold thesis that John's Gospel gives us a model of identity and alterity, an identity that is "other" without being "anti."

Guest: Rev. Dr. Andrew Byers is Tutor in New Testament at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. Before moving to Cambridge in 2021, he served as Director of the Free Church Track and Lecturer in New Testament at Cranmer Hall, St John's College, Durham University. Originally from the States, Andy has 13 years of pastoral ministry experience and he writes not only for the academy but also for wider audiences and the church. He studied Forestry at the University of Georgia, earned an MDiv at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University, and received a ThM at Duke Divinity School. He completed his PhD at Durham University; his thesis was on ecclesiology in John's Gospel.

Book (from the publisher's website): In John and the Others, Andrew Byers challenges the "sectarian hermeneutic" that has shaped much of the interpretation of the Gospel and Letters of John. Rather than "anti-Jewish," we should understand John as opposed to the exclusionary positioning of ethnicity as a soteriological category. Neither is this stream of early Christianity antagonistic towards the wider Christian movement. The Fourth Evangelist openly situates his work in a crowded field of alternative narratives about Jesus without seeking to supplant prior works. Though John is often regarded as a "low-church" theologian, Byers shows that the episcopal ecclesiology of Ignatius of Antioch is compatible with Johannine theology. John does not locate revelation solely within the personal authority of each believer under the power of the Spirit, and so does not undercut hierarchical leadership.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Patrick Schreiner - Political Gospel

Episode: How can the way of the kingdom be the way of the dove? How can the way of subversion come through submission? How can the way of the lion be the way of the slaughtered lamb? Drawing from his new book, Political Gospel, biblical scholar Patrick Schreiner helps Christians rethink their political framework and practices. Co-hosted by Matthew Bates.

The Book: Patrick Schreiner, Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World (B&H: Nashville, 2022). Christians are constantly being accused of being too political or not political enough. Often, the accusations are fair. Christians tend to get stuck in one of two political ditches: we either privatize our faith or make it partisan. We think religion and politics should be separate and never intermingle, or we align so tightly with a political party that we conflate the gospel with a human agenda. In Political Gospel, Patrick Schreiner argues Christianity not only has political implications but is itself a politic. The gospel at its very core is political––Jesus declared Himself to be King. But He does not allow you to put Him in your political box. In a supercharged political climate, Political Gospel explores what it means for Christians to have a biblical public witness by looking to Scripture, the early church, and today. Should we submit to governing authorities or subvert them? Are we to view them as agents of the dark forces or entities that promote order? In these pages, we’ll see that Christians live in a paradox, and we’ll see how to follow Christ our King right into the political craziness of our day. (Publisher's description).

Guest: Patrick Schreiner is the Director of the Residency PhD program and Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously taught at Western Seminary in Portland Oregon (2014–20) and received his Ph.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (2014). In addition to the book we are presently discussing,  Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World (B&H), Patrick is the author of a number of books, including a commentary on Acts (B&H), The Visual Word (Moody), The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts (Crossway), Matthew, Disciple and Scribe (Baker Academic), and The Ascension of Christ (Lexham), Patrick has quite a few others too. Patrick serves as an elder at Emmaus Church in North Kansas City. He is married to Hannah and they have four children.

OnScript's Review: Can we get beyond partisan politics and endless newsfeeds to a healthier place? Patrick Schreiner's Political Gospel calls Christians to live in a subversively wise way. We do this by submitting to the government and working for a better future in a Jesus-shaped way. We must bear witness to Jesus the king, showing what allegiance means in every sphere of life. This book is urgent and wise. -- Matthew W. Bates, author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone; Professor of Theology, Quincy University

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Ian McFarland - The Word Made Flesh

Episode: (Republish) Has the Chalcedonian Definition stood the test of time and theological challenge? Ian McFarland thinks so and advocates for a "Chalcedonianism without reserve" in his newest book, The Word Made Flesh: A Theology of the Incarnation (WJK, 2019). McFarland joins co-host Amy Hughes to talk about what he means by this phrase and how churches who affirm the language laid out at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 (Catholic, Protestant, and most Orthodox traditions) don't always follow through on the implications. What is the disconnect here and why does it matter? Spoiler alert: It has something to do with the gospel... (This is a republished Episode)

Guest:  Dr. Ian A. McFarland currently serves as Robert W. Woodruff Chair of Theology at Emory University's Candler School of Theology, where he returned after four years as Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. He had previously been on the Candler faculty from 2005–2015 and before that taught at the University of Aberdeen. Professor McFarland's research has focused on Christology, theological anthropology, and the doctrine of creation. His interests also include the use of the Bible in theology, the relationship between theology and science, and the thought of Maximus the Confessor. He is the sole author of six books, including The Word Made Flesh: A Theology of the Incarnation (2019) and From Nothing: A Theology of Creation (2014); he also served as lead editor for the Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology (2010).

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Amy Peeler - Women and the Gender of God

Episode: Is God more male than female? Most theologians have hastened to say 'no', but still many theologians have urged that the male analogy is more suitable in speaking about God's relationship with the world or people. But how does the conversation shift when we place the incarnation at the theological center of this conversation? That is the question that Amy Peeler asks in her Women and the Gender of God. What does the uniqueness of Jesus's birth from a virgin teach us about God and Gender? Co-hosted by Erin Heim and Matt Bates.

The Book: Amy Peeler, Women and the Gender of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2022). A robust theological argument against the assumption that God is male. God values women. While many Christians would readily affirm this truth, the widely held assumption that the Bible depicts a male God persists—as it has for centuries. This misperception of Christianity not only perniciously implies that men deserve an elevated place over women but also compromises the glory of God by making God appear to be part of creation, subject to it and its categories, rather than in transcendence of it. Through a deep reading of the incarnation narratives of the New Testament and other relevant scriptural texts, Amy Peeler shows how the Bible depicts a God beyond gender and a savior who, while embodied as a man, is the unification in one person of the image of God that resides in both male and female. Peeler leads the way in reasserting the value of women in the church and prophetically speaking out against the destructive idolatry of masculinity. (Publisher's description, abridged).

Guest: Rev. Dr. Amy Peeler is Associate Professor of Theology at Wheaton, where she serves in the Graduate School. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Div from Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to Women and the Gender of God, she is author of numerous articles and book chapters as well as a monograph on Hebrews titled You Are My Son . She also penned Hebrews: An Introduction and Study Guide, with co-author Patrick Gray.

OnScript's Review: It is a truism to say that the eternal God is beyond gender. But Peeler shows that a masculine God nevertheless lurks near the surface in many Christian theologies. Rather than rejecting Scripture or the Christian tradition, she presses into them deeply. In so doing she discovers that the incarnation holds untapped resources that encourage us to speak more truly about God and gender. A stimulating read. -- Matthew W. Bates, Professor of Theology, Quincy University

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Timothy Beal - When Time is Short

Episode: This episode takes you to the wilds of Alaska and Florida's byways to talk about our denial of death as a species.

Guest: Dr. Timothy Beal is Distinguished University Professor and Florence Harkness Professor of Religion at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. He’s the author of 16 books, including The Book of Revelation: A Biography, Biblical Literacy: The Essential Bible Stories Everyone Needs to Know, Roadside Religion: In Search of the Sacred, The Strange, and the Substance of Faith, and The Rise and Fall of the Bible: The Unexpected Story of an Accidental Book. He’s also written When Time is Short: Finding Our Way in the Anthropocene (Beacon Press, 2022), discussed in this episode.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.

Katie Marcar – Divine Regeneration and Ethnic Mapping in 1 Peter

Episode: Erin speaks with Dr. Katie Marcar about metaphors of divine regeneration in 1 Peter, metaphors of generation in other Jewish texts from the Second Temple period, seed metaphors, breastmilk metaphors, and how all of these topics work together to form an audience's sense of ethnic identity. Dr. Marcar is the author of the book Divine Regeneration and Ethnic Identity in 1 Peter: Mapping Metaphors of Family, Race, and Nation, published by Cambridge University Press in 2022.

Guest: Dr. Katie Marcar is a Teaching Fellow in Biblical Languages at the University of Otago, New Zealand. She completed a Masters in Biblical Studies at Edinburgh University before completing a PhD in New Testament Studies at Durham University. In her doctoral thesis, she studied the theme of divine regeneration in 1 Peter. Dr. Marcar's research interests include textual criticism, the use of the Hebrew Scriptures in the New Testament, and the influence of Jewish apocalyptic thinking on New Testament texts. Katie is a Lay Minister in the Anglican Church in New Zealand. She is actively engaged in church ministry, preaching, and youth work.

Book (from the publisher's website): In this book, Katie Marcar examines how 1 Peter draws together metaphors of family, ethnicity, temple, and priesthood to describe Christian identity. She examines the precedents for these metaphors in Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity in order to highlight the originality, creativity and theological depth of the text. She then explores how these metaphors are combined and developed in 1 Peter to create complex, narratival metaphors which reframe believers' understanding of themselves, their community, and their world. Integrating insights on ethnicity and race in the ancient and modern world, as well as insights from metaphor studies, Marcar examines why it is important for Christians to think of themselves as one family and ethnic group. Marcar concludes by distilling the metaphors of divine regeneration down to their underlying systematic metaphors.

Give: Visit our Donate Page if you want to help OnScript continue by becoming a regular donor.