The Englewood Review of Books Podcast

Chris had the chance to sit down at CCDA with two first-time podcast guests Alexia Salvatierra & Greg Jarrell for a conversation themed around Alexia's new book, and especially what majority-culture Christians can learn from marginalized, immigrant communities across the globe.

Special thanks to IVP for granting the space to record this conversation at the conference!

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Buried Seeds: Learning From the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities by Alexia Salvatierra & Brandon Wrencher
• Greg's review of 'Buried Seeds' for ERB
• Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Making and Taking of Neighborhoods by Greg Jarrell (forthcoming from Fortress Press)
• Globalization and Theology (Horizons in Theology) by Jeorg Rieger
• Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Social Imagination by Avery Gordon
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization by Elaine Enns & Ched Myers

Chris sits in the host seat for a wide-ranging discussion of asceticism with three fantastic panelists. They talk about the place of asceticism in Christian history and tradition, as well as the relevance of ascetic practices in our cultural context.

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Teresa of Calcutta: Dark Night, Active Love by Jon Sweeney
• The Pope Who Quit: A True Medieval Tale of Mystery, Death and Salvation by Jon Sweeney
• St. Francis of Assisi: His Life, Teachings and Practice by Jon Sweeney
• Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus by Laura Fabrycky
• Streams in the Wasteland: Finding Spiritual Renewal with the Desert Fathers and Mothers by Andrew Arndt
• Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta by Mother Teresa
• The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers by Henri Nouwen
• Where God Happens: Discovering Christ in One Another by Rowan Williams
• The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery by Henri Nouwen
• The Mystical as Political by Aristotle Papanikolaou
• Awake and Alive: Thomas Merton According to His Novices ed. by Jon Sweeney
• Mother of the Light: Prayers to the Theotokos by Rev. Maximos Constas
• the Collected Ghost Stories by M.R. James
• Mink River by Brian Doyle
• Paul and the Gift by John Barclay
• Exiles: A Novel by Ron Hansen

Joel takes over the podcast for a Biblical Studies-themed discussion with two fantastic scholars. They discuss their scholarly work, but also consider the challenges and blessings of writing for both academic and popular-level audiences.

Michael J. Gorman is the Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where he has taught since 1991. He is a New Testament scholar who specializes especially in the letters, theology, and spirituality of the apostle Paul. He is the author of many articles on biblical interpretation and on ethics, and nearly 20 books, most recently Romans: A Theological and Pastoral Commentary from Eerdmans.

Nijay Gupta is a second-time guest on the ERB podcast! He is currently professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, and has also written much on the Apostle Paul including Worship That Makes Sense to Paul and Paul and the Language of Faith. He has also written numerous academic articles for journals such as Journal for the Study of the New Testament and The Catholic Biblical Quarterly and is co-editor of the planned second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (InterVarsity Press). His most recent book is "15 New Testament Words of Life" from Zondervan.

Books/Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Romans: A Theological and Pastoral Commentary by Michael Gorman
• Worship That Makes Sense to Paul by Nijay Gupta
• Paul and the Language of Faith by Nijay Gupta
• 15 New Testament Words of Life: A New Testament Theology for Real Life by Nijay Gupta
• Cruciformity: Paull's Narrative Theology of the Cross by Michael Gorman
• Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters by Michael Gorman
• A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies: Understanding Key Debates by Nijay Gupta
• Paul and the Gift by John Barclay
• Paul and the Power of Grace by John Barclay
• "The This-Worldiness of the New Testament's Otherworldly Spirituality" (Essay) by Michael Gorman
• Colossians (Commentary) by Nijay Gupta
• Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness - Following the Lamb into the New Creation by Michael Gorman
• The Roman Guide to Slave Management: A Treatise by Nobleman Marcus Sidonius Falx by Jerry Toner
• Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World by Patrick Schreiner
• The Lost Letters of Pergamum: A Story From the New Testament World by Bruce Longenecker
• Foretaste of the Future: Reading Revelation in Light of God's Mission by Dean Flemming
• fiftywordstories.com (Eileen Mardres)
• fiveminutelit.com (Eileen Mardres)
• Midwest Futures by Phil Christman

Chris sits in the host seat to welcome a brand-new guest, James K. A. Smith, alongside a very familiar panelist to those who follow ERB, Jen Pollock Michel, for a discussion on the subject of "living faithfully in time." Enjoy!

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• In Good Time: 8 Habits for Reimagining Productivity, Resisting Hurry, and Practicing Peace by Jen Pollock Michel
• How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now by James K. A. Smith
• The Sabbath by Abraham Joshua Heschel
• Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
• A Month of Sundays by John Updike (In the Library of America Collection John Updike: Novels 1968-1975)
• The Divine Hours (3-book series) by Phyllis Tickle
• Cultural Liturgies (3-book series) by James K. A. Smith
• You Are What You Love by James K. A. Smith
• Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith by Jen Pollock Michel
• Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World: Essays by Barry Lopez
• Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez
• Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave
• Glittering Vices: A New Look at the 7 Deadly Sins and Their Remedies by Rebecca DeYoung
• Hell of a Book: A Novel by Jason Mott
• A Hermeneutic of Wisdom: Recovering the Formative Agency of Scripture by J. de Waal Dryden

• The Art of Dying: Living Fully in the Life to Come by Rob Moll & Clarissa Moll
• Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss by Clarissa Moll
• A Hold in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing by Amanda Held Opelt
• Telling the Bees and other Customs by Mark Norman
• Death in Early America by Margaret Coffin
• Surprised by Paradox by Jen Pollock Michel
• Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis
• Telling the Truth by Frederick Buechner
• A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss by Jerry Sittser
• Black Widow by Leslie Gray Streeter
• The Hot Young Widows Club by Nora McInerny
• The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail by Wallace Stegner
• Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love by John Gottman
• Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God by Tim Challies
• Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
• The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris
• Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman

Joel takes over the podcast for another wide-ranging "reviewer round-up" with two excellent first-time guests. They talk a lot about books that intersect with the conversation about race in America, and of course, list off the titles they are currently reading.

Joshua E. Livingston is a writer and community developer currently residing in Indianapolis. He is the director of Cultivating Communities and the author of Sunrays on the Beachhead of the New Creation (Wipf & Stock, 2021).

Myles Werntz is associate professor of theology and director of Baptist studies at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. He is the author or editor of several books, including Bodies of Peace, A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence, and the brand new book, From Isolation to Community: A Renewed Vision for Christian Life Together (Baker Academic).

Books and Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism by Jonathan Tran
• Josh's written review of Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism
• Sunrays on the Beachhead of the New Creation by Josh Livingston
• Bodies of Peace: Ecclesiology, Nonviolence & Witness by Myles Werntz
• A Field Guide to Christian Nonviolence: Key Thinkers, Activists & Movements for the Gospel of Peace by David Cramer & Myles Werntz
• From Isolation to Community: A Renewed Vision for Christian Life Together by Myles Werntz
• The Loneliest Americans by Jay Caspian Kang
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong
• How to Be Normal: Essays by Phil Christman
• Myles' written review of How to Be Normal
• Midwest Futures by Phil Christman
• Breaking Ground: Charting Our Future in a Pandemic Year by Plough/Comment
• Racecraft: The Soul of Inequality in American Life by Barbara Fields & Karen Fields
• Heathen: Religion and Race in American History by Kathryn Gin Lum
• Shared Wisdom: Use of the Self in Pastoral Care and Counseling by Pamela Cooper-White
• The Psychology of Christian Nationalism: Why People are Drawn in and How to Talk Across the Divide by Pamela Cooper-White
• That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church by Gary B. Agee
• Humbler Faith, Bigger God: Finding a Story to Live By by Samuel Wells
• The Internet is not What You Think it is: A History, a Philosophy, a Warning by Justin E. H. Smith
• Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Tools for Conviviality by Ivan Illich
• H20 & the Waters of Forgetfulness by Ivan Illich
• Deschooling Society by Ivan Illich
• Confessions by Augustine (Translated by Sarah Ruden)
• Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time by Sarah Ruden
• Simone Weil: An Anthology
• Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
• Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview by Randy Woodley
• Lisey's Story by Stephen King

This episode is all about celebrating and reading great literary works. Jen is joined by first-time guest Jessica Hooten Wilson, as well as repeat guest Karen Swallow Prior, who are both outstanding guides through the world of classic literature. They discuss the value of great literature, the historical difference between Catholic and Protestant novelists, and of course what they are currently reading.

Jessica Hooten Wilson is the Louise Cowan Scholar in Residence at the University of Dallas. She is the author of numerous books, including The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints, published in 2022 by Brazos Press. Her book, Giving the Devil his Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov, received a 2018 Christianity Today Book of the Year Award in the Culture & the Arts.

Karen Swallow Prior is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She’s the author, most recently, of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books and hosts the recently launched podcast Jane and Jesus. She lives in rural Virginia with her husband and sundry dogs, horses, and chickens. 

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints by Jessica Hooten Wilson
• Giving the Devil His Due: Demonic Authority in the Fiction of Flannery O'Connor and Fyodor Dostoyevsky by Jessica Hooten Wilson
• On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books by Karen Swallow Prior
• The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture by Jean Leclercq
• A Good Man is Hard to Find And Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
• Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
• Dante, Bunyan and the Case for a Protestant Aesthetics (Article in Journal of Systematic Theology) by William Dyrness
• The Novel: A Biography by Michael Schmidt
• There There by Tommy Orange
• Green Ember Series by S. D. Smith
• The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
• Purgatorio by Dante Alighieri Translated by Mary Jo Bang
• The Western Wind by Samantha Harvey
• Read and Reflect with the Classics Series by Karen Swallow Prior

Joel hops into the host seat for a fun and freewheeling conversation with a few ERB reviewers about recent publications they've written about, what they are looking forward to in publishing, and of course, what we are all currently reading.

Justin Cober-Lake is a pastor in central Virginia. He holds an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Virginia and has worked in academic publishing for the past 15 years. His editing and freelance writing have focused mostly on cultural criticism, particularly pop music.

Sara Easterly is an adoptee and the author of the award-winning memoir, Searching for Mom, and a member of the Redbud Writers Guild and Freedom Road Institute’s Global Writers’ Group. Her adoption- and faith-focused articles and essays have been published by Psychology Today, Red Letter Christians, Godspace, Her View From Home, and Severance Magazine, to name a few. Sara is also the founder of Adoptee Voices, leading writing groups and managing an e-Zine to help other adoptees express their stories. Find her online at saraeasterly.com.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace by Melissa Florer-Bixler
• Justin's Review of "How to Have an Enemy" on ERB
• Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power by Andy Crouch
• Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World - And How to Repair it All by Lisa Sharon Harper
• Sara's Review of "Fortune" on ERB
• Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by March Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
• Christian Ethics: A New Covenant Model by Hak Joon Lee
• Justin's Review of "Christian Ethics" on ERB
• The Crucifixion of the Warrior God: Interpreting the Old Testament's Violent Portraits of God in Light of the Cross by Greg Boyd
• Cross Vision: How the Crucifixion of Jesus Makes Sense of Old Testament Violence by Greg Boyd
• All the White Friends I Couldn't Keep: Hope - and Hard Pills to Swallow - About Fighting for Black Lives by Andre Henry
• My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church by Amy Kenny
• Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration by Karen Gonzalez
• Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
• The Destruction of the Canaanites: God, Genocide and Biblical Interpretation by Charlie Trimm
• The Philosophy of Modern Song by Bob Dylan
• Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
• How (and why) to make your lover's head disappear by Gero Mannella
• Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep by Tish Harrison Warren
• How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur
• The Goldfinch: A Novel by Donna Tartt
• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
• Reimagining Adoption: What Adoptees Seek from Family and Faith by Sally Ankerfelt and Gayle Swift
• Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation by Peter Marshall
• Nemesis Games by James S. A. Corey

Chris takes over the podcast today for a thoughtful and incisive discussion on the insidious nature of hierarchy and how it impacts so much of human society and structures. He is joined by two first-time guests, Beth Allison Barr and Jonathan Brooks, who bring a wealth of personal experience and academic rigor to the conversation.

Books/Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr
• Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods by Jonathan Brooks
• The Invention of Race in the European Middle Ages by Geraldine Heng
• God is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland
• Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World - And How to Repair it All by Lisa Sharon Harper
• Bonhoeffer's Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance by Reggie Williams
• If God Still Breathes, Why Can't I? Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority by Angela Parker

Jen is joined by two first-time guests, Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel, to discuss the new re-release of their 2017 bookThe Way of the Dragon or The Way of the Lamb, while also touching on the more general concept of healthy or toxic uses of power in the church in our culture today.

Jamin Goggin serves as a pastor at Mission Hills Church. He has been in pastoral ministry for seventeen years. Jamin speaks and writes in the areas of spiritual formation, ministry and theology. He holds two Masters degrees and a PhD in systematic theology. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Kristin, and their four children.

Kyle Strobel is a professor of spiritual theology and formation at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University and writes on spiritual formation, theology, and Jonathan Edwards. Kyle lives in Southern California with his wife, Kelli, and their two children, and serves on the preaching team of Redeemer Church.

Books & Writing Mentioned in this Episode:

If you’d like to order any of the following books, we encourage you to do so from Hearts and Minds Books(An independent bookstore in Dallastown, PA, run by Byron and Beth Borger) 

• The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus' Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel
• A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
• Becoming Elizabeth Elliott by Ellen Vaughn
• Life of St Anthony of Egypt by St Athanasius
• Naming the Powers by Walter Wink
• Practices of Power: Revisiting the Principalities and Powers in the Pauline Letters by Robert Moses
• Song of Songs by Bernard of Clairvaux
• The Elusive Presence by Samuel Terrien
• God without Measure by John Webster 
• Moral Reflections on the Book of Job by Gregory the Great 
• Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons by Evagrius
• The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling