The Alabaster Jar

On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick is joined by Dr. Carol M. Kaminski to discuss the importance of the tribe of Judah in understanding the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. She traces the promises about the Davidic line back to Genesis and explains how figures like David, Solomon, and the prophets point ahead to Jesus's birth in Bethlehem as the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation.

Episode Breakdown:

0:03 – The tribe of Judah in the Old Testament
3:49 – Messianic Prophecy throughout the Bible
8:58 – Biblical prophecies and their fulfillment in Jesus Christ
15:30 – Advent, Hope, and the Kingdom of God
19:08 – Old Testament covenants fulfilled in the birth and reign of Jesus

Episode Resources:

1–2 Chronicles (The Story of God Bible Commentary) by Dr. Carol M. Kaminski

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology. Learn more about The Center for Women in Leadership at: https://www.leadershipwithoutapology.org/.

On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Kelly Dippolito talk with Shannon Harris, author of The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife. Shannon shares her personal journey of living within the confines of societal expectations as a pastor’s wife, emphasizing the emphasis on performance and the struggle for perfection. They also delve into Shannon’s childhood, her experience in the purity culture, and the criticism and surveillance she faced within her church community. Through her story, Shannon explores breaking free from societal constraints and how she found her own voice and identity in the intersection of faith, theology, and ministry.

Episode Breakdown:

0:03 – The illusion of the good Christian wife and personal growth
5:13 – Sexual history, purity culture, and performance in a Christian context
10:30 – Church culture, perfectionism, and personal transformation
17:57 – Theology and culture’s impact on women’s lives
22:46 – Gender roles and personal identity in the Bible
27:28 – Identity, trauma, and healing through storytelling

Episode Resources:

The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife by Shannon Harris

Shannon Harris (Bonne)

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology.

On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick talks with Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing, theologian, and author of “Mary’s Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ.” She discusses the inspiration behind her book, which stems from her work in supporting survivors of abuse and her realization of the significance of Mary’s voice in the scriptures. This episode also delves into the theological depth and relevance of Mary’s story, emphasizing her role as the primary witness to the incarnation of Jesus and its impact on believers today as well as how Dorothy Sayer’s theology has been formational in Dr. Orr-Ewing’s understanding of Advent in her own life.

Episode Breakdown:

0:03 – Mary’s voice and its significance in Advent
5:39 – Mary and the Magi in the Christmas story
10:43 – Mary’s role in the Bible and her significance as a witness to Jesus’ birth
16:44 – Women’s roles in the Bible and Christian art
22:09 – The impact of Dorothy Sayers’ work on understanding the incarnation
27:24 – Faith, grief, and the true meaning of Christmas

Episode Resources:

Mary's Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing
Where Is God in All the Suffering? (Questioning Faith) by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing

Why Trust the Bible? Answers to Ten Tough Questions by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing

Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy L. Sayers

The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology.

On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Lynn Cohick and Kelly Dippolito talk with Melissa Pillman, a Pastor and Elder at Missio Dei Wrigleyville in Chicago. They discuss Melissa’s experiences as a female pastor, her journey toward embracing her role, and the importance of being recognized as a pastor within her church.

The conversation also delves into the church’s involvement in supporting asylum seekers in Chicago, their collaboration with other churches, and the challenges they face in finding adequate funding and support for their efforts.

Episode Breakdown:

0:03 – Pastoral roles and identity
5:17 – Naming and recognizing spiritual gifts and serving the immigrant community
9:46 – Housing asylum seekers in a Chicago church
15:13 – Using churches as sanctuaries for immigrants
20:10 – Church support for immigrant families
24:55 – Church identity and response to crisis
30:12 – Recognizing and cultivating spiritual gifts in pastors and their communities

Episode Resources:

Missio Dei Wrigleyville

The Letter to the Ephesians (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT)) by Dr. Lynn H. Cohick

World Relief

Faith Community Initiative

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology.

On this episode of The Alabaster Jar, Dr. Scot McKnight joins Dr. Lynn Cohick, Kelly Dippolito, and Sareen Musselman to discuss women and ministry, toxic church culture, and strategies for transforming toxic patterns into healthy cultures in churches. The conversation focuses on defining tov (Hebrew word for “goodness”) as rooted in ordinary life and how it can manifest in church culture.

The episode delves into the traits of a narcissistic leader, introduces strategies for transforming toxic church patterns, and emphasizes the importance of centering empathy, truth-telling, and theology.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 - Goodness in church culture and ordinary life
4:25 - Narcissistic leadership in churches
9:36 - Leadership and organizational culture in a church setting
14:25 - Assessing toxicities in churches and institutions
19:23 - Church culture and ownership
25:25 - Toxic culture in churches and seminaries
30:13 - Gender roles in Christianity and Jesus' treatment of women

Episode Resources:

A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing by Dr. Scot McKnight

Pivot: The Priorities, Practices, and Powers That Can Transform Your Church into a Tov Culture by Dr. Scot McKnight

Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar H. Schein & Peter Schein

Episode Sponsor:

The Alabaster Jar is brought to you by The Center for Women in Leadership, a newly formed 501©3 nonprofit organization whose purpose is to equip women in a context that is biblically rooted, theologically robust, and ethnically diverse to thrive as leaders in the academy and the Church. Follow them on Instagram @leadershipwithoutapology.

In this special podcast episode, we brought together three professors from Northern Seminary to talk about the recent Gospel Coalition article by Josh Butler. Dr. Beth Felker Jones has written a book called Faithful: A Theology of Sex and as a systematic theologian, she is able to help us understand human sexuality from a theological perspective. Beth recently wrote a piece on her Substack that gave us eight reasons why Butler's piece was bad theology. Dr. Lynn Cohick is a New Testament scholar and has written a commentary on Ephesians. She is well-suited to address the Ephesians 5 text Butler's article was based upon. Dr. Scot McKnight has written extensively about the culture of the church in his book, A Church Called Tov, which looks closely at themes of abuse. Scot recently responded in his own Substack to Butler's article by giving three considerations about the culture that produced it. Content Warning: Please be aware that Butler's article included graphic descriptions of sex and some of the conversation in this podcast will include some frank conversation about sex, reference intimate partner violence, and refer to some theology which is very bad for women.

Sue Diaz, a research librarian and Northern Seminary student, joins us to discuss her research into the life, death and legacy of Saint Cecilia. She shares her recent experience visiting Italy and contributing to the development of a visual museum of ancient artistic depictions of women in partnership with the Center for Women in Leadership. A research librarian by profession, she spent thirty years chasing information and pursuing data in academic and corporate settings. She followed God’s call to attend Northern Seminary in 2019 to prepare for ministry in the afternoon of life. Sue resides in Edwardsville, Illinois, with her husband Jon; their daughter Alicia studies engineering at a university in Arizona. Purchase "The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati" by Joan Carol Cruz: https://www.amazon.com/Incorruptibles-Incorruption-Bodies-Various-Catholic/dp/0895550660

Dr. Beth Felker Jones returns to the Alabaster Jar to discuss the legacy of Saint Julian of Norwich and her impact on developing our theology for today. We discuss practices for engaging scripture in our individual contexts in anticipation of the second edition release of her book Practicing Christian Doctrine. Find Beth online at her newsletter, church blogmatics https://bethfelkerjones.substack.com/

Old Testament scholar and professor, Dr. Libby Backfish, joins Lynn and Sareen for a conversation about the Psalms and engaging the ancient languages. We explore how the Psalms invite us to worship God and experience the beauty of God's creation. Join us for a robust discussion on textual criticism, the significance of the Septuagint, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies through Jesus and women of the Old Testament. Learn more about Libby: https://jessup.edu/about/faculty/elizabeth-h-p-backfish-ph-d/ Link to purchase Libby's book: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/hebrew-wordplay-and-septuagint-translation-technique-in-the-fourth-book-of-the-psalter-9780567687111/

Dr. Miriam O'Regan returns to the podcast to discuss her research into the influence of St Brigid in the history of the church in Ireland. She describes examples of St. Brigid's compassion, hospitality and commitment to sharing her faith that serve to inspire our own faith today. We discuss St. Brigid as pioneering monastery founder and an example of the generations of strong women of faith and action in Ireland. Dr. Miriam O'Regan, worshipper and lover of God, holds a doctorate in the field of early years education. She has also been part of church planting teams in Ireland and Europe, serving in Paris, France; Delft, the Netherlands; and Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. She currently serves on the Core Team of Redcross Church of Ireland, Co. Wicklow. She is keenly interested in the early church in Ireland and Celtic Christianity. Keep up with Miriam on Twitter at @DrMiriamORegan1