Mutuality Matters

After a so many episodes of Blake referencing her work, Dr. Cynthia Westfall is finally a guest on the show! 

Join hosts Blake and Erin and guest Dr. Cynthia Westfall in their discussion about those verses that are always brought into question around gender theology. The conversation is so good, we had to break it into TWO parts!

Cynthia Long Westfall, PhD, is assistant professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario. She is the author of Discourse Analysis of the Letter to the Hebrews: The Relation­ship Between Form and Meaning (T. & T. Clark, 2006), and Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ (Baker Academic, 2016) and has been part of an urban mission to the inner city in Denver for more than twenty years. For the last five years, she has also been involved in urban ministry in the Greater Toronto area.

Join hosts Blake and Erin and guest Dr. Cynthia Westfall in their discussion about those verses that are always brought into question around gender theology. The conversation is so good, we had to break it into TWO parts!

In this episode, the hosts and their guest, Eugene Hung, not only touch on Marvel‘s Agents of Shield and church youth group camp culture, but also unpack the ”Man Box.” The conversation also turns to intersectionality and gender-based violence, as Eugene walks through his story and our theology on these pressing issues.

Erin, Blake, and their guest Nicole Foster tackle a lot in this episode, touching on all things race, woman leadership, and marriage. Buckle up for an episode that is sure to make you laugh along with the conversation while planting some new thoughts, just like it did for our hosts. 

Nicole Foster is an educator from Dallas TX. She works at a high school for at-risk teens and founded “Lady Life;” a mentoring program for young women in her school. She also travels as a professor of Old Testament through Richmond Bible Institute and is currently the founder and minister of Hippie Theologian - an online community of public theology; giving voice to theological issues that concern society at large. She has her Bacholers in History from Southern Methodist University and her Masters of Divinity from Redeemer Seminary. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Trinity School for Ministry where she studies the theological culture of online religious forums such as Hippie Theologian.

Find her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube too!

If you have been listening for awhile now, you may catch a couple callbacks in this episode, as Erin and Blake discuss singleness with their guest Dr. Christina Hitchcock.

From Hamilton analysis to discussing the gender of God, the conversation between hosts Erin and Blake and Dr. Natalie Carnes covers topics we've all wanted to talk with a theologian about.

Natalie is a constructive theologian who reflects on traditional theological topics through somewhat less traditional themes, like images, iconoclasm, beauty, gender, and childhood. For this work, she draws on literary and visual works as sites of theological reflection, and her interest in doing so takes her into questions of religious knowledge and authority. What are the possibilities and limitations of different theological genres? Her third book, forthcoming spring 2020, is a theological narrative entitled Motherhood: A Confession. It mirrors the structure and themes of Augustine's Confessions to offer a different story that reflects on different flesh as to consider what it means to be human in the face of the divine.

Currently, she is working on a new project, co-authored with Matthew Whelan, that explores intersections of poverty, aesthetics, luxury, and art. In it, they pursue the question: What is the place of art in a world of poverty and suffering?

Natalie lives in Waco with her husband and three children. Visit her site!

In this episode, host Erin has a conversation with Sandra Van Opstal that challenges some of the narratives about diversity, inclusion, and unity. 

Sandra is a second-generation Latina and a pastor at Grace and Peace Community on the west-side of Chicago.  She is a preacher, liturgist and activist who is re-imagining the intersection of worship and justice.

In her fifteen years with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Sandra mobilized thousands of college students for God’s mission of reconciliation and justice in the world. Sandra served as Director of Worship for the Urbana Missions Conference, Chicago Urban Program Director, Latino National Leadership Team (LaFe), and Northwestern University Team leader (Multiethnic fellowship).

Sandra’s influence has also reached many others through her leadership and preaching on topics such of worship and formation, justice, racial identity and reconciliation, and global mission. She has been featured at Wheaton College, North Park University, The Justice Conference, Evangelical Covenant conferences, Willow Creek Association conferences, and various churches.  Sandra serves as a board member for Evangelicals for Justice and the Christian Community Development Association.  Sandra was also the Worship Director for the IFES World Assemblyin Mexico 2015,  Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering in Jarkarta 2016 and Global Gathering in South Africa 2018. She is also the Executive director and Co-founder of Chasing Justice 

In addition to her ministry experience, Sandra holds a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois and has been published in multiple journals. She has authored God’s Graffiti Devotional, Still Evangelical, The Mission of Worship and The Next Worship.

In this episode, Erin quotes from the book Prophetic Lament, which is also highly recommended.

"Jesus spends a lot of time telling men to get over themselves." 

Join hosts Erin and Blake and their special guest Carrie A. Miles as they walk through the often-overlooked sociological and anthropological context of gender in the Bible. It's no small task, but with the help of some useful analogies like from Les Misérables and Pride & Prejudice and the insightful stories from Carrie's' work, the hosts and guests have crafted quite the conversation that answers a lot of questions. 

Carrie A. Miles is the author of The Redemption of Love: Rescuing Marriage and Sexuality from the Economics of a Fallen World , New Man, New Woman, New Life and Face-to-Face.  As executive director of Empower International Ministries, Carrie travels throughout Africa and India, helping Christian leaders discover the biblical message of what God intended us to be to each other when He created us as male and female, and how we can reclaim His redemptive purpose in our lives. She holds a doctorate in social and organizational psychology (University of Chicago) and is a non-resident scholar at the Institute for the Studies of Religion at Baylor University in Texas.

Learn more about Carrie Miles here: http://www.carriemiles.com

In this episode, Erin and Blake interview Dr. William G. Witt, and they tackle some of the classic arguments you have been waiting for, like passages like 2nd Timothy 2. Naturally, the hosts and guest also share personal stories about gender roles and gender theology.

 

Dr. William G. Witt is an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. He has his BA, from Rockmont College, an MA from St. Thomas Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Notre Dame. His research interests are historical and contemporary theology; the relation between Medieval and Reformation theology; spiritual theology and the history of Christian spirituality; theological methodology; philosophical theology, especially, the transformation of classical epistemology and metaphysics by the uniquely Christian doctrines of creation, incarnation, and grace. He is the author of the recently published: Icons of Christ: A biblical systematic theology for Women’s Ordination slated to be released on Oct 30th 2020. Check out his site here: http://willgwitt.org

They say never meet your heroes, but Erin did! And she was not disappointed! In this episode, Erin and Blake have a conversation with author and theologian, Carolyn Custis James. They touch on topics such as the biblical themes in Frozen 2, the story of Ruth, and the theology of the "blessed alliance." 

Carolyn Custis James is an award winning author who thinks deeply about what it means to be a female follower of Jesus in a postmodern world. Her speaking and writing ministry is dedicated to addressing the deeper needs and issues confronting both women and men as they endeavor to extend God’s kingdom together in a messy and complicated world. Carolyn is an adjunct faculty member at Missio Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a consulting editor for Zondervan’s Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament. She speaks regularly at church conferences, colleges, and for other Christian organizations both in the US and abroad and is a guest lecturer at various theological seminaries.

Find her work on her website: https://carolyncustisjames.com and follow her on Twitter at @carolynezer. 

Pick up any one or more of her incredible books!

Finding God in the Margins: The Book of Ruth (2018)

Malestrom:  Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World (2015)

Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women (2011)

The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules (2008)

Understanding Purpose (2006)

Lost Women of the Bible: The Women We Thought We Knew (2005)

When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference (2001)