The Two Cities

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Michelle Knight, who is Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, The Prophet’s Anthem : The Song of Deborah and Barak in the Narrative of Judges (published by Baylor University Press). In this conversation we talk about Deborah’s role in the book of Judges, how scholars have been reticent to regard her a proper judge and prophet, and some of the intertextual connections between Deborah’s song and her story in the Psalms and the New Testament. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Dr. Madison Pierce.

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Jennifer Powell McNutt, who is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College and the author of the book that we discuss in this episode, The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today (published by Brazos). Over the course of the episode we talk about the many misunderstandings about Mary Magdalene, how to disentangle her legacy from those misconceptions, and why it matters for the church today. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Madison Pierce, and Dr. Sydney Tooth.

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Beth Allison Barr, who is the James Vardaman Professor of History at Baylor University and the author of Becoming the Pastor's Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman's Path to Ministry (published by Brazos). Over the course of our conversation we talk about how the common notion in certain Christian circles that the pastor’s wife is the highest path to ministry for women is a post-Reformation construction that is socially conditioned. Professor Barr talks about some of the weird how-to books that she engaged for this project, and some of the odd approaches to Scripture that are required to make this perspective seem legitimate. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, Dr. Grace Ng, Dr. Madison Pierce, and Dr. Sydney Tooth.

In this episode we’re talking about the new volume on Religion, Theology, and Stranger Things: Studies from the Upside Down on Evil, Ethics, Horror, and Hope (Rowman & Littlefield). We’re joined by the editors Dr. Andy Byers (lecturer in New Testament at Ridley Hall in the Cambridge Theological Federation) and Dr. Adam Powell (lecturer in medical humanities at Durham University), as well as a few of the many contributors, including: Dr. Siobhán Jolley (Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Research Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery), Dr. Brandon Grafius (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary), and Dr. Jana Riess (author, writer, former professor at Miami University, and former religious studies editor at Publisher’s Weekly). Additionally, two of our Two Cities team members also contributed to the volume: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne Adishian. We talk about how the volume came together, what topics and themes we wrote about for the book, what personally drew us to the show, and what we’re hoping to see in season 5. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Warne.

In this episode we debrief and review the new documentary about the hit TV show from the mid and late 2000s—LOST. The documentary (Getting LOST) is a nostalgic treat for fans made by fans 20 years after the airing of the pilot in 2004 with loads of creative and acting representation (available on Amazon Prime). Joining us for this conversation is Leslie Garcia, an MSt student at the University of Oxford, who formerly received a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and, like all of us, is a huge LOST nerd. Over the course of our conversation together, we talk about some of the great moments of LOST, prompted by the documentary, as well as dig into some of the controversial elements that the documentary raises like the toxicity of the writing room. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Dr. Kris Song.

In this episode we’re joined by Professor Steve Walton, Senior Research Fellow in New Testament at Trinity College, Bristol, and the author of the book that we’re discussing in this episode, Acts 1–9:42 in the Word Biblical Commentary series (published by Zondervan Academic). In our conversation, Prof. Walton shares with us how he got to be involved in the WBC series, what he likes most about the series compared to others, and some of the key themes that he sees developed in the first third of the Book of Acts. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Madison Pierce.