The Two Cities

In this episode, we're discussing Empire Criticism and the New Testament with Dr. Laura Robinson and Dr. Justin Winzenburg. Dr. Laura Robinson teaches NT as an adjunct at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary, is the co-host of the New Testament Review podcast, and writes at her Substack, Not Peer Reviewed. Forthcoming publication, That’s Not What the Bible Says (Eerdmans). Dr. Justin Winzenburg is Professor of New Testament and Director of Crown Honors at Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, and the author of Ephesians and Empire (with Mohr Siebeck). Together our two guests recently contributed to a Mohr Siebeck volume edited by Christoph Heilig in the WUNT series called Empire Criticism of the New Testament, and in our conversation we discuss their essays and the fresh ways that they're contributing to the progression of the conversation about imperial criticism in the New Testament. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Rev. Daniel Parham.

In this episode we discuss the A24 film about a podcast dedicated to discussing alleged paranormal activity, Undertone. For this conversation we're joined by Dr. Kutter Callaway, who isWilliam K. Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts; and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, and the author of Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals About Facing the Darkness (IVP). As we break down the film and chat about it, we discuss the themes of intergenerational trauma, demon possession, and whether the film has a pro-life message. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne.

In this episode, we talk about the hit horror film from earlier this year, Backrooms (2026). For this discussion, we're joined by Dr. Brandon Grafius, who is academic dean and professor of biblical studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and the author of Concerning Dust and Ashes: Affects of Horror in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about what the Backrooms represent, shared trauma, the horror of endless monotony, and what the Backrooms signal about the future of Horror films. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne.

Carrying on with spooky season, in this episode, we discuss the 2026 film, Obsession. We're joined by a special guest, Dr. Laura Robinson, who teaches NT as an adjunct at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary, co-hosts the New Testament Review podcast, writes at her Substack, Not Peer Reviewed, and has a forthcoming publication called That’s Not What the Bible Says (Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we discuss monkey paw stories, possession narratives, wish fulfillment, coercion, and what "love" has to do it. 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 talking about the Emmy Award-winning show on Apple TV, Widow's Bay. We discuss our favorite moments, why it's such a great show, our pet theories, and where we think the story will head in season 2. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Rev. Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Rev. Dr. Madison Pierce.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Brandon Grafius, who is academic dean and professor of biblical studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and he’s the author of several works on religion and horror, including the book that we’re excited to talk about in this episode, Concerning Dust and Ashes: Affects of Horror in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press). Over the course of our conversation, we discussed horrifying elements in the Bible. Specifically, we discuss how horror cannot be limited to narrative or scary monsters, but should be rooted in an affective mood that the text evokes. With this in mind, Dr. Grafius highlights how there’s so much more terror in the Bible than is often acknowledged. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert.

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kutter Callaway, the William K. Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Seminary. He is also the author of Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals About Facing the Darkness (IVP Academic). During our conversation, we discuss what horror fiction in film and TV reveals about our fears and how we can find God within the horror genre. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne.

CW: Abuse, Spiritual Abuse, Grooming, Self-HarmIn this episode, we're joined by special guest Aimee Byrd to help us debrief the three-part docu-series on Netflix, Death of the Pastor's Wife. Aimee is the author of several books, including Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, The Hope in our Scars, The Sexual Reformation, Saving Face, and a few others. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the grim details of this docu-series and processed together what we can learn from this tragic story as the church. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng.

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Patrick Schreiner, who is Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Gene and Jo Downing Endowed Chair of Biblical Studies, and Director of the Residency Ph.D. Program at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. And he's the author of the book we're discussing in this episode, The Four Senses of Scripture: Learning from Ancient Ways of Reading the Bible (Baker Academic). Over the course of our chat we discuss what the four senses are, what the literal sense compares to the spiritual senses, and what is deficient about the ways that we typically teach exegesis and hermeneutics in theological education. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Adishian, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham.