The Two Cities

In this episode, we're joined by Adam La Salle, the author of Perfect Vision: How Seeing Through God's Eyes Gives Us Sight. Adam is someone who has had a lifetime of reflecting on physical sight, forgiveness, the true essence of beauty, seeing through other people's eyes, and perseverance, all of which he discusses with us in this episode. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Stephanie Kate Judd.

In this episode, we're joined by Professor Christopher Stanley, who is Professor Emeritus of Theology at St Bonaventure University in New York, and he’s the author of a number of books, including the historical fiction trilogy called “A Slave’s Story” that we’re discussing in this episode, with the volumes A Rooster for Asclepios, A Bull for Pluto, and A Ram for Mars. In our conversation, we overview Professor Stanley's historical fiction trilogy, the value of historical fiction as a medium of academic historical investigation, and how much work Professor Stanley put into making this series grounded in scholarship and accessible to the non-expert. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Rev. Dr. Josh Carroll and Dr. John Anthony Dunne.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Mathew Kim and his wife, Sarah Kim. Dr. Kim is Professor of Preaching and Leadership at Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, and the author of Becoming a Friendlier Church: A Pathway to Genuine Community (published by Baker Academic). In our conversation, we talk about how churches can become more inviting (and not just more extroverted) in order to build better and more authentic community. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Adishian and Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng. 

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Alexiana Fry, who is guest researcher at the University of Copenhagen and the author of Esther Keeps the Score: Trauma, Body, and Politics in the Hebrew Bible (SCM Press). Our conversation explores what a trauma-informed reading of Esther would look like, highlighting how much more complexity there is to a biblical narrative that is already quite a complicated story (despite how simply it gets retold so often). Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Rev. Dr. Madison Pierce.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Karen Swallow Prior, the 2025–2026 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the author of several books, including You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about the difference between passion and calling, and how pursuing the transcendentals of the true, good, and the beautiful is the best framework for reconceiving what our callings actually are. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Stanley Ng, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Dr. Sydney Tooth.

In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Mario Baghos, who is Senior Lecturer in Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia. He's the owner of the YouTube channel, TERRA SYMBOLICA, and the author of a recent peer-reviewed essay on Orphic legends and Descent into Hades themes in the hit TV show, Twin Peaks. In our conversation, Dr. Baghos brilliantly and breathlessly surveys the full swath of Twin Peaks and the way it coheres with so many iterations of the Descent into Hades motif. It's a fascinating conversation full of nerdy Twin Peaks insights on religious and mythological imagery germane to the show. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities includes: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Kris Song.