The Two Cities

By The Two Cities PodcastSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Arts Books

The Two Cities episodes

October 21 Episode #352 - Backrooms with Special Guest Dr. Brandon Grafius
In this episode, we talk about the hit horror film from earlier this year, Backrooms (2026). For this discussion, we're joined by Dr. Brandon Grafius, who is academic dean and professor of biblical studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and the author of Concerning Dust and Ashes: Affects of Horror in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press). Over the course of our conversation, we talk about what the Backrooms represent, shared trauma, the horror of endless monotony, and what the Backrooms signal about the future of Horror films. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne.
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48 min
October 14 Episode #351 - Obsession with Special Guest Dr. Laura Robinson
Carrying on with spooky season, in this episode, we discuss the 2026 film, Obsession. We're joined by a special guest, Dr. Laura Robinson, who teaches NT as an adjunct at Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary, co-hosts the New Testament Review podcast, writes at her Substack, Not Peer Reviewed, and has a forthcoming publication called That’s Not What the Bible Says (Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we discuss monkey paw stories, possession narratives, wish fulfillment, coercion, and what "love" has to do it. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Rev. Dr. Madison Pierce.
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1 hr 6 min
October 07 Episode #350 - Widow's Bay
In this episode, we're talking about the Emmy Award-winning show on Apple TV, Widow's Bay. We discuss our favorite moments, why it's such a great show, our pet theories, and where we think the story will head in season 2. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Rev. Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Brandon Hurlbert, and Rev. Dr. Madison Pierce.
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1 hr
September 30 Episode #349 - Concerning Dust and Ashes with Professor Brandon Grafius
In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Brandon Grafius, who is academic dean and professor of biblical studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, and he’s the author of several works on religion and horror, including the book that we’re excited to talk about in this episode, Concerning Dust and Ashes: Affects of Horror in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press). Over the course of our conversation, we discussed horrifying elements in the Bible. Specifically, we discuss how horror cannot be limited to narrative or scary monsters, but should be rooted in an affective mood that the text evokes. With this in mind, Dr. Grafius highlights how there’s so much more terror in the Bible than is often acknowledged. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert.
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51 min
September 23 Episode #348 - Be Afraid with Dr. Kutter Callaway
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Kutter Callaway, the William K. Brehm Chair of Worship, Theology, and the Arts and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Seminary. He is also the author of Be Afraid: What Horror Reveals About Facing the Darkness (IVP Academic). During our conversation, we discuss what horror fiction in film and TV reveals about our fears and how we can find God within the horror genre. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne.
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1 hr 14 min
September 16 Episode #347 - Death of the Pastor's Wife with Special Guest Aimee Byrd
CW: Abuse, Spiritual Abuse, Grooming, Self-Harm

In this episode, we're joined by special guest Aimee Byrd to help us debrief the three-part docu-series on Netflix, Death of the Pastor's Wife. Aimee is the author of several books, including Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, The Hope in our Scars, The Sexual Reformation, Saving Face, and a few others. Over the course of our conversation, we discussed the grim details of this docu-series and processed together what we can learn from this tragic story as the church. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng.
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49 min
September 09 Episode #346 - The Four Senses of Scripture with Dr. Patrick Schreiner
In this episode we're joined by Dr. Patrick Schreiner, who is Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology, Gene and Jo Downing Endowed Chair of Biblical Studies, and Director of the Residency Ph.D. Program at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO. And he's the author of the book we're discussing in this episode, The Four Senses of Scripture: Learning from Ancient Ways of Reading the Bible (Baker Academic). Over the course of our chat we discuss what the four senses are, what the literal sense compares to the spiritual senses, and what is deficient about the ways that we typically teach exegesis and hermeneutics in theological education. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Adishian, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Rev. Daniel Parham.
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1 hr
September 02 Episode #345 - Every Table An Altar with Pastor Ian Simkins
In this episode, we're joined by Ian Simkins, who is Pastor at Bridge Church outside Nashville, TN, and he's the author of the book we're discussing in this episode, Every Table an Altar: Reclaiming Connection in a World of Division, Distraction, and Loneliness (Zondervan). We talk about what makes meals so significant, what the value is of using the table as a means of community building, and why our kingdom imaginations need to be oriented towards table fellowship after the model of Jesus. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Rev. Dr. Josh Carroll, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Dr. Grace Sangalang Ng.

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58 min
August 26 Episode #344 - The Odyssey
In this episode, we're talking about Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. We talk about our expectations going into it, what we thought about the small and major changes that Nolan made to Homer's epic, and how we regard the major interpretative moves that were made relative to the representation of the gods and the Trojan horse. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: the Rev. Dr. Nathaniel Adishian, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, and Dr. Brandon Hurlbert.
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49 min
August 21 Episode #343 - Archeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John with Professor Paul Anderson
In this episode, we're joined by Professor Paul Anderson, who is Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox University, and he's the Editor of Archeology, Jesus, and the Gospel of John: What Recent Discoveries Show Us (Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, we discuss the essay contributions to Professor Anderson's new book and situate those in conversation with recent discussions on the Gospel of John. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter.

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1 hr 3 min

About The Two Cities

From the publisher's feed

The Two Cities is a podcast dedicated to Theology, Culture, and Discipleship. Originally beginning as a blog back in 2011 (thetwocities.com), we have extended our eclectic array of theological…