The Apocalyptic Paul Booth is a series of episodes dedicated to apocalyptic readings of the apostle Paul’s letters. Interviews situate Pauline apocalyptic—a stream of similar interpretations of Paul's writings originating in the work of exegetes like Rudolf Bultmann and Ernst Käsemann—among other interpretations (the Old and New Paul readings, for instance) as well as among Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic literature.

Here we interview Jamie Davies (PhD, St Andrews), Tutor of New Testament and Director of Research at Trinity College, Bristol (UK). His research largely concerns apocalyptic thought in the New Testament and other Second Temple Jewish and Christian literature, with a particular focus on the letters and theology of Paul. He is the author of Paul Among the Apocalypses (T&T Clark, 2016), The Apocalyptic Paul: Retrospect and Prospect (Cascade, 2022), and Reading Revelation: A Literary and Theological Commentary (Smyth & Helwys, in press 2023).

COUPON CODE:

*Use code “DAVIES23” for 40% off* Dr. Davies’ book, The Apocalyptic Paul. (Good through 6/6/2023.)

PODCAST LINKS:

Dr. Davies’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamiePDavies

Dr. Davies’ academia.edu page: https://trinitycollegebristol.academia.edu/JamieDavies

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Blackwell, Ben C. Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination.

Bowens, Lisa M. African American Readings of Paul: Reception, Resistance, and Transformation.

Davies, Jamie. The Apocalyptic Paul: Retrospect and Prospect.

———. Paul Among the Apocalypses?: An Evaluation of the ‘Apocalyptic Paul’ in the Context of Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature.

Eastman, Susan Grove. Paul and the Person: Reframing Paul's Anthropology.

Gaventa, Beverly Roberts. Apocalyptic Paul: Cosmos and Anthropos in Romans 5–8.

Hart, David Bentley. Tradition and Apocalypse: An Essay on the Future of Christian Belief.

Käsemann, Ernst. The Testament of Jesus: A Study of the Gospel of John in the Light of Chapter 17.

Martyn, J. Louis. The Gospel of John in Christian History: Seven Glimpses into the Johannine Community.

———. History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel.

O’Regan, Cyril. “Two Forms of Catholic Apocalyptic Theology.”

OUTLINE:

(02:14) – Ethiopian coffee, evening tea

(03:40) – Defining “apocalyptic”

(06:24) – Apocalyptic vis-à-vis other perspectives on Paul

(09:39) – Old and New Perspectives

(11:23) – Where to start

(13:59) – “An accidental Paul scholar”

(15:59) – Paul among other biblical apocalyptic

(18:59) – Desert island: Barth, Kasemann, Gaventa

(20:49) – Pauline apocalyptic after Kasemann and Martyn: did we forget John?

(24:30) – Jewish apocalyptic literature, supersessionism

(28:22) – Pauline apocalyptic and Jewish apocalyptic

(31:43) – Johannine apocalyptic

(34:36) – Why do apocalyptic Paul scholars like Barth so much?

(37:14) – Non-Protestants entering the fold: O’Regan, Hart

(40:10) – Pauline apocalyptic in an interdisciplinary and generous mode

(44:03) – Apocalyptic epistemology

(47:28) – New directions in Pauline apocalyptic

(50:22) – Teaching apocalyptic to ministerial students

(53:34) – How to connect with Jamie

The Grind is a series of interviews with young scholars and PhD students on the many ways of "making a way" in the theological academy, and all the trials and joys therein.

Steven Nemes (PhD Theology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 2021) is an instructor of Latin and Greek at North Phoenix Preparatory Academy and an academic theologian who writes about phenomenology, theology, and the intersection of the two. 

Here we discuss life in Pasadena during Dr. Nemes' PhD days, his discovery of philosophy and theology, and his experience working outside the academy post-PhD.  

COUPON CODE:

*Use code “NEMES23” for 40% off* Dr. Nemes’ new book, Theological Authority in the Church: Reconsidering Traditionalism and Hierarchy.

PODCAST LINKS:

Dr. Nemes’ website: https://stevennemes.com/

Dr. Nemes’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/snemes2

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Kitamori, Kazoh. Theology of the Pain of God.

Nemes, Steven. Orthodoxy and Heresy.

———. Theological Authority in the Church: Reconsidering Traditionalism and Hierarchy.

———. Theology of the Manifest: Christianity without Metaphysics.

Radner, Ephraim. A Brutal Unity: The Spiritual Politics of the Christian Church.

Schaeffer, Francis A. The God Who Is There.

OUTLINE:

(01:49) – Herbal tea and soda water

(05:51) – Arizona State – Fuller Seminary

(08:59) – From Francis Schaeffer to Michel Henry to Kazoh Kitamori

(16:37) – Theological authority: Protestantism beyond the need for theological certainty

(23:19) – Applying to PhD programs

(29:06) – Picking a dissertation topic: phenomenology of Scripture

(31:36) – Phenomenology of religion: Catholic and Protestant

(37:58) – PhD paradise in Pasadena

(42:44) – PhD funding: Templeton grant

(44:11) – Planning for post-PhD life/job apps/first job

(51:14) – Staying active in the academic community as a non-academic (professionally speaking)

(56:03) – Working outside the academy

(59:29) – Balancing (theological) work and family life

(01:03:03) – Advice for prospective PhD students

(01:06:43) – New book: Theological Authority in the Church

The Luminaries series is a collection of interviews with premier thinkers working in the theological academy and the church.

In this Luminaries interview, I talk with Dr. H. Paul Santmire, a historian and pastoral scholar in the disciplines of ecological theology, environmental ethics, and Christian liturgy and spirituality.

On this episode, Dr. Santmire and I discuss eco-theology, Martin Luther, modern Lutheran theology, Barth and Bonhoeffer, and doing theology from the margins.

COUPON CODE:

*Use code “SANTMIRE23” for 40% off* Dr. Santmire’s Wipf and Stock books, Behold the Lilies (2017), Celebrating Nature by Faith (2020), and EcoActivist Testament (2022): https://wipfandstock.com/search-results/?contributor=h-paul-santmire

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: [coming soon]

Dr. Santmire’s website: https://hpaulsantmire.net/

Dr. Santmire’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/HPaulSantmire

Dr. Santmire’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRevDrHPaulSantmire

Dr. Santmire’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hpaulsantmire/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship.

———. Letters and Papers from Prison.

Santmire, H. Paul. Behold the Lilies: Jesus and the Contemplation of Nature—A Primer.

———. Celebrating Nature by Faith: Studies in Reformation Theology in an Era of Global Emergency.

———. EcoActivist Testament: Explorations of Faith and Nature for Fellow Travelers.

———. South African Testament: From Personal Encounter to Theological Challenge.

———. The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology.

OUTLINE:

(01:52) – Orange juice, virgin mary

(03:02) – Lutherans (and Luther), Nazis, the Holocaust, Bonhoeffer

(10:42) – Studying with Paul Tillich, Heiko Oberman, and Martin Heinecken

(14:04) – The influence of Christian liturgy

(17:04) – “Behold the lilies” vs. “Consider the lilies”

(22:28) – Nature and civilization

(26:34) – American Lutheran (eco)theology

(31:53) – Jürgen Moltmann

(34:12) – Tradition-specific approaches to global issues

(38:25) – Karl Barth and theology of nature

(46:36) – God and humanity (and nature?)

(48:23) – Advice to eco-activists: do nothing for a spell

(52:28) – Eco-justice organizations

(56:02) – Interracial work in apartheid South Africa

(01:00:47) – Theology that starts from the margins

Presian Renee Burroughs earned her ThD at Duke Divinity School and currently teaches at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where she is also a fellow of Wake Forest’s Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. She is the author of “Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture” (Cascade, 2022).

In this standalone interview, Presian talks about her experience as a Duke Divinity student, the apostle Paul, applying Pauline scholarship to the church context, the role of creation in Paul’s writing, and what Paul’s ecological ethic might mean for industrial agriculture and the food system in America today.

COUPON CODE:

Use code "PRESIAN23" at checkout for 40% off Dr. Burroughs' Wipf and Stock books:

Creation's Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725294875/creations-slavery-and-liberation/

Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry in Honor of Susan G. Eastman: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532601040/practicing-with-paul/

* (Coupon code is good through 4/25/2023.) *

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: [coming soon]

Presian’s website: https://presianburroughs.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Burroughs, Presian Renee. Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture.

———, ed. Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry in Honor of Susan G. Eastman.

Martyn, J. Louis. Galatians. The Anchor Bible.

OUTLINE:

(01:35) – Coffee, OJ, water, chai latte

(02:56) – “Narrowly evangelical” to “broader evangelicalism”

(06:44) – Grappling with the inspiration of Scripture

(09:01) – Life at Duke Divinity

(13:01) – Authentically Christian professors

(17:34) – Pauline scholarship and the church: overlapping complexities

(23:48) – Paul and the not-so-uniform church

(27:20) – Honoring Susan Eastman

(31:44) – Scripture’s story of creation and science’s story of earth

(35:33) – Paul and politics

(43:35) – Creation in Paul’s thought

(47:11) – Humanity and creation: dominion or servant leadership?

(51:03) – Deforestation in ancient Rome

(55:16) – Eco-ethical principles in Paul’s writing

(01:03:15) – Applying Paul’s ecological ethic to America’s food system

(01:10:02) – Compost, food co-ops, and more beans (less meat)

The Barth Booth is a virtual exhibit devoted to the life and work of Karl Barth. The exhibit is hosted on the Wipf and Stock Blog and includes a set of interviews with Barth scholars, as well as a selection of Wipf and Stock’s books by and about Barth. You can find the link to the booth below.

Dr. Stanley Hauerwas is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law at Duke Divinity School. In 2001, Time Magazine named him "America's Best Theologian." He is the author of a great many books, including his most recent, Fully Alive: The Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth. 

PODCAST LINKS:

The Barth Booth: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/03/07/the-barth-booth/

Crackers and Grape Juice: https://crackersandgrapejuice.com/

"Jesus is Lord, everything else is bullsh*t" t-shirt: https://crackersandgrapejuice.bigcartel.com/product/hauerwas-mafia-shirt

Water Avenue Coffee (Portland, OR): https://wateravenuecoffee.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Barth, Karl. Anselm: Fides Quarens Intellectum.

———. Church Dogmatics. 14 vols.

———. Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century.

Hauerwas, Stanley. Fully Alive: The Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth.

———. With the Grain of the Universe: The Church’s Witness and Natural Theology.

Hunsicker, David B. The Making of Stanley Hauerwas: Bridging Barth and Postliberalism.

Niebuhr, Reinhold. The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation.

Scheeben, Matthias Joseph. Nature and Grace.

OUTLINE:

(02:06) – Colombian coffee and water

(02:56) – Discovering Barth at Yale Divinity

(05:00) – “Barth is always new”

(07:06) – Saying what needs to be said without apology

(08:16) – “Jesus is Lord, and everything else is bullsh*t"

(10:32) – Barth and the dialectical theologians

(12:16) – Barth’s ecclesiology

(15:57) – Barth’s reading

(17:21) – Barth and Anselm

(21:01) – Barth and Wittgenstein

(23:42) – Barth and postliberalism

(25:08) – Theological language that “does work”

(28:32) – Barth’s apocalypticism

(33:26) – Barthian humanism and “high humanism”

(35:33) – Barth and America

(37:51) – Barth’s “complex simplicity”

(40:25) – Dogmatics in Outline and CD 4/2

(42:19) – The future of Barth

The Barth Booth is a virtual exhibit devoted to the life and work of Karl Barth. The exhibit is hosted on the Wipf and Stock Blog and includes a set of interviews with Barth scholars, as well as a selection of Wipf and Stock’s books by and about Barth. You can find the link to the booth below.

Dr. Kara Slade is Associate Rector of Trinity Church in Princeton and Canon Theologian of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey. Dr. Slade earned a PhD in theology at Duke University and is the author of The Fullness of Time: Jesus Christ, Science, and Modernity (Cascade, 2023).

PODCAST LINKS:

The Barth Booth: [coming soon]

The Barth Center: https://barth.ptsem.edu/

Karl Barth Graduate Student Colloquium: https://pts.events/2023-barth-graduate-student-colloquium/

Mockingbird Ministries: https://mbird.com/

Health-Ade Kombucha: https://health-ade.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics.

———. Dogmatics in Outline.

———. The Epistle to the Romans.

———. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction.

Busch, Eberhard. The Great Passion: An Introduction to Karl Barth’s Theology.

Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race.

Myers, Ben. The Apostles’ Creed: A Guide to the Ancient Catechism.

Nikolaus of Haguenau, and Matthias Grünewald. Isenheim Altarpiece.

Scarry, Elaine. On Beauty and Being Just.

Slade, Kara. The Fullness of Time: Jesus Christ, Science, and Modernity.

OUTLINE:

(01:45) – Coffee, kombucha, Coke

(03:25) – Theology from the church, for the church

(07:34) – The interwovenness of different doctrines in Barth

(11:09) – God’s conclusive action in Jesus Christ

(16:38) – Barth and “bro theology”

(19:41) – Beach reads: Dogmatics in Outline

(23:16) – CD 4/1

(27:23) – Barth and North American Anglicans

(34:26) – Barth’s doctrine of reconciliation

(38:35) – The inseparability of dogmatics and ethics

(42:40) – Barth studies in North America today

(48:37) – The “time of the resurrection” and the time of scientific modernity

(57:26) – Barth and Kierkegaard

(01:00:21) – The nuanced Barth

(01:02:26) – Kait Dugan, the Barth Center, Willie Jennings

The Barth Booth is a virtual exhibit devoted to the life and work of Karl Barth. The exhibit is hosted on the Wipf and Stock Blog and includes a set of interviews with Barth scholars, as well as a selection of Wipf and Stock’s books by and about Barth. You can find the link to the booth below.

Dr. Kaitlyn Dugan is the Director of the Center for Barth Studies and co-author of The Finality of the Gospel: Karl Barth and the Tasks of Eschatology (2022) and Karl Barth and Liberation Theology (2023). Dugan's own research and writing focus on Pauline apocalyptic theology, eschatology, Karl Barth, Christian liberation theologies, and theologies of death.

PODCAST LINKS:

The Barth Booth: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/03/07/the-barth-booth/

Center for Barth Studies: https://barth.ptsem.edu/

2023 Karl Barth Conference: https://pts.events/2023-barth-conference/

2023 Barth Graduate Student Colloquium: https://pts.events/2023-barth-graduate-student-colloquium/

Karl Barth Resource Guide: https://issuu.com/ptsem/docs/barth_resource_guide

Outline of Church Dogmatics: https://barth.ptsem.edu/wp-content/uploads/CD-Outline_pdf.pdf

Synergy Kombucha: https://gtslivingfoods.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Barth, Karl. Anselm: Fides Quaerens Intellectum.

———. Church Dogmatics. 14 vols.

———. Deliverance to the Captives.

———. Dogmatics in Outline.

———. The Epistle to the Romans.

———. Evangelical Theology: An Introduction.

Busch, Eberhard, ed. Barth in Conversation. 3 vols.

Chalamet, Christophe. Dialectical Theologians: Wilhelm Herrmann, Karl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann.

Nimmo, Paul T. Being in Action: The Theological Shape of Barth’s Ethical Vision.

Ziegler, Philip G. Militant Grace: The Apocalyptic Turn and the Future of Christian Theology.

OUTLINE:

(01:55) – Kombucha and lapsang tea

(05:53) – The Barth Center

(09:41) – Gordon-Conwell – Princeton – Aberdeen

(14:35) – Philip Ziegler and Pauline apocalyptic

(16:30) – Barth’s “expansive vision of God’s grace”

(18:55) – Barth on God’s “Yes” and “No”

(28:48) – The caricatured Barth

(36:12) – Can Barth’s theology handle the tragic?

(41:07) – Church Dogmatics 4.1

(44:17) – Barth resource guide

(48:52) – Influences: Herrmann, Kierkegaard, Calvin, Luther, Anselm, …

(55:20) – Barth and the political

(01:00:24) – The horizon for Barth studies: The Holy Spirit and actualism

(01:04:59) – 2023 Karl Barth Conference and Graduate Student Colloquium

The Luminaries series is a collection of interviews with premier thinkers working in the theological academy and the church.

Professor John Swinton is a renowned practical theologian and the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen.

On this episode, Dr. Swinton and I discuss his career prior to entering the theological academy, a theology of mental health challenges, the experience of time for those living with disabilities, and confronting the problems of both “radical evil” and “banal evil.”

PODCAST LINKS:

USE CODE “DELIVER23” AT CHECKOUT FOR 40% OFF PROF. SWINTON'S NEW BOOK, Deliver Us from Evil: A Call for Christians to Take Evil Seriously: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666734003/deliver-us-from-evil/ 

* (Coupon code is good through 2/28/2023.) *

Blog post: [coming soon]

Jasmine Pearl Tea: https://thejasminepearl.com/

SOURCES MENTIONED:

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Arendt, Hannah. Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil.

———. The Origins of Totalitarianism.

Hull, John M. Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness.

Koyama, Kosuke. Three Mile an Hour God.

Luhrmann, T. M, and Jocelyn Marrow, eds. Our Most Troubling Madness: Case Studies in Schizophrenia across Cultures.

Swinton, John. Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship.

———. Deliver Us from Evil: A Call for Christians to Take Evil Seriously.

———. Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges.

World Health Organization, International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems.

OUTLINE:

(02:02) – Black tea (with coffee beans), Coke Zero, and (thoughts of) Scotch

(03:30) – From nursing to the theological academy

(07:18) – Distinguishing practical theology as a subdiscipline

(10:26) – Diagnostic descriptors as experienced by diagnosed persons

(15:32) – Problematizing the DSM

(20:31) – Describing the experience of mental health challenges

(24:24) – Living with mental health diagnoses in the West

(30:12) – Advice for those living with mental health challenges

(31:45) – Advice for churches trying to welcome those with mental health challenges

(32:59) – The “temporarily able-bodied”

(35:40) – The speed of Western time and the speed of God’s time

(42:20) – Living in God’s time

(44:47) – “You’ve changed”: personal identity amidst the changes that come with disability

(51:06) – Evil according to Paul the Apostle, Susan Eastman, and Hannah Arendt

(58:57) – Resisting evil

Steven DeLay earned his PhD in philosophy at Oxford in 2017 and is the author of several books of philosophy and fiction, including a handful now with Wipf and Stock.

In this standalone interview, Steven talks Kierkegaard, phenomenology, philosophy for Protestants, and the relationship between theology and fiction.

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/02/07/standalone-episode-steven-delay-kierkegaard-phenomenology-and-the-relationship-between-philosophy-and-theology-and-fiction/

Steven’s author page: https://wipfandstock.com/author/steven-delay/

Steven’s website: https://stevendelay.com/

Steven’s academia.edu page: https://oxford.academia.edu/StevenDeLay

Temple Coffee Roasters: https://templecoffee.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvht9V0Pndgvwh5vkpe0GGw

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Bergo, Bettina. Anxiety: A Philosophical History.

Chrétien, Jean-Louis. Conscience et roman 1: La conscience au grand jour.

Clemente, Matthew. “As If It Were True: An Interview with Richard Kearney.”

DeLay, Steven. In the Spirit: A Phenomenology of Faith.

———. Phenomenology in France: A Philosophical and Theological Introduction.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment.

Falque, Emmanuel. Crossing the Rubicon: The Borderlands of Philosophy and Theology.

Fowles, John. The Magus: A Novel.

Graves, Adam J. The Phenomenology of Revelation in Heidegger, Marion, and Ricoeur.

Heidegger, Martin. Being and Time.

Hopp, Walter. Phenomenology: A Contemporary Introduction.

Kierkegaard, Soren. Fear and Trembling.

Marion, Jean-Luc. Being Given: Toward a Phenomenology of Givenness.

———. A Brief Apology for a Catholic Moment.

———. God Without Being: Hors-Texte.

———. The Idol and Distance: Five Studies.

———. Negative Certainties.

———. Reduction and Givenness: Investigations of Husserl, Heidegger, and Phenomenology.

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées.

Plantinga, Alvin. Warranted Christian Belief.

Rudd, Anthony. Painting and Presence: Why Paintings Matter.

Sellars, Wilfrid. Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind.

OUTLINE:

(01:28) – Decaf coffee, black coffee

(04:14) – Favorite books of 2022

(07:09) – Rice University – Oxford University

(09:43) – A conversion via Kierkegaard

(12:35) – Literature – philosophy – phenomenology – theology

(16:52) – Barth, Bultmann, and Rudolf Otto

(18:46) – Why should Christians read philosophy?

(23:05) – The merits of reading atheists and agnostics

(29:13) – Heidegger, onto-theology, and negative theology

(32:45) – Phenomenology a Catholic science?

(39:38) – Philosophy for Protestants

(41:30) – The GOAT of phenomenology

(44:16) – The hermeneutical critique of phenomenology

(47:41) – Desert island: phenomenology books

(49:38) – Philosophy and fiction

(59:31) – Steven’s forthcoming work

The Grind is a series of interviews with young scholars and PhD students on the many ways of "making a way" in the theological academy, and all the trials and joys therein.

Cody Bivins-Starr is a PhD student in theological ethics at the University of Aberdeen and is writing his dissertation on a theology of madness under the direction of Dr. Brian Brock.

In this interview for our podcast series, The Grind, Cody and I talk about applying to PhD programs, dissertation research, PhD supervisors, and much more.

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2023/01/24/the-grind-cody-bivins-starr-on-considering-madness-theologically-picking-a-phd-supervisor-and-researching-for-a-dissertation/

Cody's academia.edu page: https://aberdeen.academia.edu/CodyBivinsStarr

The Tao of Tea (Portland, OR): https://taooftea.com/

Sisters of the Road (Portland, OR): https://sistersoftheroad.org/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvht9V0Pndgvwh5vkpe0GGw

SOURCES MENTIONED:

Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics II.2: The Doctrine of God.

Brock, Brian. “Parenting as political resistance: Disability and ‘dealing with’ late-modern medicine.”

Fanon, Frantz. The Psychiatric Writings from Alienation and Freedom.

———. The Wretched of the Earth.

Foucault, Michel. The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979.

———. Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison.

———. Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason.

OUTLINE:

(01:28) – Assam tea and espresso tonic

(03:08) – From Grudem to Hauerwas to Barth and Bonhoeffer

(06:43) – Barth and political theology

(09:38) – Assemblies of God – Anglican – Mennonite

(16:36) – A theological account of madness

(23:04) – Picking a PhD program/supervisor

(30:53) – Pros and cons of PhD programs in the UK

(37:09) – Pains and joys of the PhD process

(44:08) – Reading non-theological sources

(50:45) – Mapping life post-PhD

(55:31) – Advice for prospective PhD students