Context Matters

Is it possible that Western Christianity and modern American life is shaping us to become people who are NOT good at doing justice, and loving mercy, and showing kindness? We know of such concepts but do we embody such concepts in the world around us? This week kicks off a several week conversation with scholars about different aspects of discipleship. We start today with a fellow Old Testament scholar, Dr. Michael Rhodes. He is a professor in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in Aukland, New Zealand. He is the author of Formative Feasting and Practicing the King's Economy. 

We start with the impetus for his new book Just Discipleship, which you can find HERE.  

What is biblical justice? Is it different from other forms of justice? 

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This is Part 2 of a conversation with Rev. Dr. Helen Paynter about her new book titled: Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. Today we discuss what to do when it seems like God is calling his people to violence, or what happens when the Israelites are violent with one another. How does the Bible give voice to those who suffer from violent attacks? And for those who study violence, where do they find a type of hope that can sustain them and their work?

Find out more about Dr. Paynter HERE

Some of the resources and links mentioned on this episode:

https://www.facebook.com/CSBVBristolBaptistCollege/

Twitter @CSBibleViolence

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@CSBibleViolence

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Doesnt-Tell-Me-So/dp/0857469894

https://www.amazon.com/Cursing-God-Imprecatory-Psalms-Christian/dp/1481316362

https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Brutal-Barbaric-Wrestling-Troubling/dp/0830852492

Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.

Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.

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We are in a time of global conflict and violence, and so this is a great time to pay careful attention  the newest book released by Rev. Dr. Helen Paynter called Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. Today we talk about why Dr. Paynter ended up studying a biblical view of violence and what her Center for Study of Bible and Violence is all about.

Find out more about Dr. Paynter HERE

Some of the resources and links mentioned on this episode:

https://www.facebook.com/CSBVBristolBaptistCollege/

Twitter @CSBibleViolence

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@CSBibleViolence

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Doesnt-Tell-Me-So/dp/0857469894

https://www.amazon.com/Cursing-God-Imprecatory-Psalms-Christian/dp/1481316362

https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Brutal-Barbaric-Wrestling-Troubling/dp/0830852492

Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.

Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.

Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

This is Part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Holberg about her recently released called Nourishing Narratives. Dr. Holberg is a Professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and co-director of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. Today we talk about how to imagine the real humanness of people in the biblical text and how that shapes our theology.

Discover more about Dr. Holberg HERE

Find her book Nourishing Narratives HERE

Read about the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing HERE

Watch a trailer for the film "They Shall Not Grow Old" HERE

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Dr. Jennifer Holberg recently released a book that talks about the power of story to shape our faith. Dr. Holberg is a Professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and co-director of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. This week we talk about how important context is for understanding people and story. Then we talk about how people not only gravitate towards narratives, but they are shaped by narratives. And what does that mean when we talk about faith?

Discover more about Dr. Holberg HERE

Find her book Nourishing Narratives HERE

Read about the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing HERE

Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.

Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.

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How does medieval history teach us more about Christianity? We get a glimpse into the past with in this week's episode with Dr. Grace Hamman. Dr. Hamman is a medievalist who specializes in Middle English. She has a new book called Jesus Through Medieval Eyes. She also hosts a podcast called Old Books with Grace. We have hosted a couple of episodes around the context of the split between the Eastern and Western Churches, but this week we get to talk about how the context of the western, European church influenced how the church talked about Jesus. 

Click here for more information about all the ways to know about Dr. Grace Hamman's work

Click here to sign up for Grace’s monthly newsletter, Medievalish.

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This is part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Gordon McConville who is Professor Emeritus at the University of Gloucestershire. We are discussing his book The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 for the Life of the Church. In this episode we explore the context and impact of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. What is unique about the suffering? What is the role of the servant? And how did New Testament writers use Isaiah to help them understand who Jesus was?

Find his book The Suffering Servant HERE

Find his commentary on Isaiah HERE

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Gordon McConville grew up in Northern Ireland, and studied Modern Languages at Cambridge and Theology in Edinburgh, before doing a PhD in Old Testament with Prof Gordon Wenham at Queen's University, He has taught at Trinity College, Bristol and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and is now Professor Emeritus at the University of Gloucestershire.

Find his book The Suffering Servant HERE

Find his commentary on Isaiah HERE

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We are taking advantage of the end of the year to take a reflective look back on where we have been in 2023. There are so many amazing guests that sat with us around the podcast table. We took a fresh look at books of the Bible we rarely hear sermons on, and we had a masterclass on how to interpret the Bible contextually. Each guest brought a nuanced view of scripture, and helped us think about how valuable it is to read the Bible with people who have diverse perspectives. What a gift it is to be in conversation with so many people. Let me know which episodes are on YOUR list! 

You will find links to the full episodes here.

Dr. Carol Kaminski: Gems in Genealogy

Dr. Kay Higher Smith and Dr. Alice Yafey-Deigh: Reading the Bible Around the World

Dr. Lewis Brogdon: Philemon Part 1 and Part 2

Kevin Kim and Sang Tian from Basil Tech: Studying the Bible with Technology and don't forget to look at Bible Dojo!

Rev. Jacob Breeze and Reading with the Spiritually Wounded Part 1 and Part 2

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Why is this concept of Being God’s Image a challenging concept to wholeheartedly believe not only about yourself but also other people. This is not really the messaging from society, right? But can you imagine if the modern church REALLY lived into this? How would this transform how we treated others, how we understand God, and what we think about beauty? Dr. Carmen Imes takes us through some significant themes of identity from her newest book. 

Find Dr. Imes book here: https://www.ivpress.com/being-god-s-image 

Find out more about Dr. Imes here: https://www.biola.edu/directory/people/carmen-imes

Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.

Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.

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