In All Things Podcast

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with theologian and historian Rev. Dr. Jennifer Powell McNutt about the relationship between science and theology. Together we discuss:

– How the narrative of a conflict between faith and science developed, and how this story of obscures important historical realities, especially during the Reformation

– The relationship between science and theology as well as between God’s two books: the book of creation and the book of Scripture.

– How we think about scientific investigation given the tension between suspicion (because of human sin) and confidence (because of the divine image and the reliability of human faculties)

– “Epistemic trespassing” and how pastors can live with the burden of being expected to weigh in on scientific issues, and how they build bridges between science and theology.

Books mentioned in this podcast:

History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science by John William Draper (1874)

A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology by Andrew Dickson White (1896)

Science and Theology in the Reformation by Charlotte Methuen (2008)

Since the Beginning: Interpreting Genesis 1 and 2 through the Ages ed. Kyle Greenwood (2018)

Follow Jennifer Powell McNutt on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jpowellmcnutt

Here is a link to Dr. McNutt’s First Mondays talk at Dordt University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-NTB-m2BQM  

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with singer-songwriter, author-beekeeper Andrew Peterson, about his new book The God of the Garden: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom. Together we discuss:

– How the Covid-lockdown forced AP to put down roots after being on the road for the last 25 years, and the sort of creativity that being rooted in a physical place can produce.

– Why trees have so captivated AP's imagination and anchored his memory.

– How working with our hands connects to working with words, music, and art.

– On planting seeds of hope amidst seasons of sadness, and what it means to remain open and vulnerable instead of hardening our hearts

– On telling stories that are deeply (not necessarily overtly) Christian, and how AP navigates the tension between Fall and Redemption. 

– On practices that nourish ordinary creativity among artists and non-artists alike.

The podcast includes a short reading of  the opening pages of the book (12:36). 

Order The God of the Garden from The Rabbit Room: https://store.rabbitroom.com/products/the-god-of-the-garden 

Follow Andrew Peterson: https://www.andrew-peterson.com/ 

Bible Project Podcast on Trees (mentioned at 11:50): https://bibleproject.com/podcast/humans-are-trees/ 

Here is a link to Ruth Clark's IAT review of The God of the Garden: https://inallthings.org/for-the-beauty-of-the-earth-a-review-of-the-god-of-the-garden/ 

***Production note: this is the first episode we were able to record in person. Special thanks to tech genius Alex Priore for making it happen.***

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Dan Stringer, a pastor and team leader for InterVarsity in Hawai'i. He is also the author of a new book, Struggling with Evangelicalism: Why I Want to Leave and What It Takes to Stay. Together we discuss:

• How Dan's background as a "third culture kid" who lived in five countries on three continents + being a part of 9 (!) different denominations gave him unique lenses to see evangelicalism's strengths and weaknesses. 

Order from IVP: https://ivpress.com/struggling-with-evangelicalism 

Follow Dan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RevDanStringer (@RevDanStringer) 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Terry Wildman, founder of Rain ministries and head of the translation team for the First Nations Version, an indigenous translation of the New Testament that involved a council of 12 and over 50 representatives from the native peoples of North America.

See the website here: https://firstnationsversion.com/

Order from IVP: https://www.ivpress.com/first-nations-version 

My co-host for this episode is Dr. Gayle Doornbos, professor of theology at Dordt. Together we discuss:

• The story behind this indigenous translation of the New Testament and the many contributing scholars

Terry also reads a beautiful passage of Scripture for us (from Hebrews 1).

Here is my written reflection on the translation (which I use in part to introduce the episode): https://inallthings.org/gained-in-translation-a-review-of-the-first-nations-version/

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Danté Stewart about his new book, Shoutin' in the Fire, a memoir about being Black and Christian in America. My guest co-host is Dr. Howard Schaap, professor of English at Dordt. Together we discuss: 

• What it means to "shout in the fire," holding onto an honest, vulnerable, and resilient faith amidst pain, anger, and despair.

Here is a link to Howard Schaap's review at our online journal: https://inallthings.org/the-prophetic-and-black-and-pentecostal-voice-a-review-of-shoutin-in-the-fire/ 

As mentioned in the intro, Danté mentions no less than 30 authors, and we have pulled together a list below:

Books mentioned by Danté:

Jesmyn Ward, Men We Reaped

Kiese Laymon, Heavy

Imani Perry, Breathe: A Letter to My Sons

Sarah Broom, The Yellow House

Darnell L. Moore, No Ashes in the Fire

Viet Thanh Nguyen, Nothing Ever Dies

Shawn Copeland, Enfleshing Freedom

Austin Channing Brown, I’m Still Here

Saidiya Hartman, Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments

Steven King, On Writing

N.K. Jemisin, The City We Became (fiction)

Robert Jones, Jr., The Prophets (fiction)

Octavia Butler, The Parable of the Sower (fiction)

Articles mentioned by Danté:

Elizabeth Alexander, “The Travon Generation”

Imani Perry, “Racism Is Terrible. Blackness Is Not.”

Authors mentioned by Danté:

James Baldwin

Toni Morrison

Deesha Philyaw

Maurice Ruffin

Jason Reynolds

Nikki Giovanni

James Cone

Kevin Quashie

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Willie James Jennings

Ashon Crawley

Gwendolyn Brooks

Zora Neale Hurston

Elizabeth Alexander

June Jordan

Amiri Baraka

Terrion Williamson

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with psychologist and researcher Elizabeth Hall about the psychology of doubt. This episode is in response to Dr. Hall's article, "Teaching Students to Doubt Well: The Roles of Intellectual Humility and Uncertainty Tolerance" (published in spring 2021 issue of Christian Scholar's Review). My co-host for this episode is Dr. Channon Visscher, professor of chemistry and planetary science at Dordt. Some topics we discuss:

• What do we gain from paying attention to the psychological dimensions of doubt?

To read the article: https://christianscholars.com/teaching-students-to-doubt-well-the-roles-of-intellectual-humility-and-uncertainty-tolerance/

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with theologians Richard Mouw and Matthew Kaemingk about a new book, edited by Matt and dedicated to Rich - Reformed Public Theology: A Global Vision for Life in the World (Baker Academic, 2021). The theme question of the episode: "why does theology matter for public life?" Some topics we discuss:

• What do you mean by "Reformed"? What is "public" theology? And what is the unique contribution of the Reformed tradition to public theology?

If you'd like to read more, In All Things is hosting a four-part review of the book, which will be posted here as they become available:

Part One: https://inallthings.org/an-unlikely-story-a-review-of-reformed-public-theology/

Part Two: https://inallthings.org/neo-calvinism-for-the-nations-reviewing-part-2-3-of-reformed-public-theology/ 

Part Three: https://inallthings.org/the-academy-and-aesthetics-a-review-of-reformed-public-theology/ 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about her NYT bestselling book Jesus and John Wayne (Liveright, 2020). The theme question of the episode: "what have we lost in our desire to win?" Some topics we discuss:

• What surprised Kristin in her research and in the book's reception

If you'd like to read more you can check out the In All Things review of Kristin's book (written by my guest co-host, Scott Culpepper): https://inallthings.org/what-has-jesus-to-do-with-john-wayne-a-review-of-jesus-and-john-wayne/ 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with J. Todd Billings, a theologian and author, about his book The End of the Christian Life (Brazos, 2020). Our theme question: what does it mean to embrace our mortality? Among the topics we discuss:

• On being immersed in the cancer community after a terminal cancer diagnosis

If you'd like to read more you can check out our review of the book (written by my guest co-host, Todd Zuidema) here: https://inallthings.org/memento-mori-a-review-of-the-end-of-the-christian-life/ 

On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Chandra Crane, a writer and leader in multiethnic ministry initiatives, about her new book Mixed Blessing (InterVarsity Press, 2020). Our theme question: what does it mean to see, steward, and celebrate multi-ethnicity? Among the topics we discuss:

• How multiethnic (mixed) people process questions like "where are you from?" and "what are you?" 

If you'd like to read more you can find an excerpt of Chandra's book here: https://inallthings.org/whole-people-wholly-reliant-on-jesus/