Westminster John Knox Press Radio

WJK Radio 33: Elaine A. Heath Explores Women, Sex, and God in Twilight

What better day to talk about vampires and werewolves than Halloween? Elaine A. Heath is here to discuss her new book, The Gospel according to Twilight: Women, Sex, and God. Does Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster series offer any theological insight? Could the Twilight books be sending dangerous messages to young girls? Heath offers her take just in time for the release of Breaking Dawn, Part One. 

Elaine A. Heath is Associate Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. An active participant in the emerging church conversation, she is an ordained United Methodist minister.

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Related Resources

Connie Neal, The Gospel according to Harry Potter, Revised and Expanded Edition

Ralph C. Wood, The Gospel according to Tolkien

Additional titles in the Gospel according to. . . series

 

Music Credit

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

WJK Radio 32: N. T. Wright and the New Testament . . . for Everyone!

Renowned scholar N. T. Wright joins us to celebrate the completion of his groundbreaking New Testament for Everyone series. The final two volumes, The Early Christian Letters for Everyone and Revelation for Everyone, continue Wright’s trademark of bringing the most up-to-date biblical scholarship to life with engaging writing, inspiring anecdotes, and faithful interpretation. The series is now available as a complete, eighteen-volume set.

N. T. Wright, until recently the Bishop of Durham, is currently Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews and is one of the world’s leading Bible scholars. Wright is the acclaimed author of many books, including Surprised by Hope, After You Believe, and Simply Christian.

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Related Resources:

N. T. Wright, additional volumes in the New Testament for Everyone series 

John Goldingay, Old Testament for Everyone series

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

 

WJK Radio 31: Wendy Farley Gathers Those Driven Away

Wendy Farley is here for an insightful discussion about her latest book, Gathering Those Driven Away: A Theology of Incarnation. Farley presents a powerful expression of Jesus Christ as experienced by those who are marginalized and persecuted in contemporary society. She speaks to gay and lesbian persons, women, racial minorities, and anyone else who has ever felt wounded by the church.

Wendy Farley is Professor in the Department of Religion at Emory University. She is the author of Tragic Vision and Divine Compassion and The Wounding and Healing of Desire.

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Related Resources:

Michelle Voss Roberts, Dualities

Wonhee Anne Joh, Heart of the Cross

Marvin M. Ellison and Kelly Brown Douglas, editors, Sexuality and the Sacred, Second Edition

Jack Rogers, Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality, Revised and Expanded Edition

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

WJK Radio 30: Doug Knight Unearths the Laws of Ancient Israel

Douglas A. Knight joins us for an illuminating discussion about law, power, and justice in ancient Israel. Using socio-anthropological theory and archaeological evidence, Knight argues that while the laws in the Hebrew Bible tend to reflect the interests of those in power, the majority of ancient Israelites—located in villages—developed their own unwritten customary laws to regulate behavior. His book, Law, Power, and Justice in Ancient Israel, will be available in August.

Douglas A. Knight is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Professor of Jewish Studies at the Divinity School of Vanderbilt University. He is the general editor of the Library of Ancient Israel, and a leading Old Testament scholar.

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Related Resources:

Raymond Westbrook and Bruce Wells, Everyday Law in Biblical Israel

Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager, Life in Biblical Israel

Additional volumes from the Library of Ancient Israel series

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

 

WJK Radio 29: Barbara Brown Taylor Reflects on Feasting on the Word

Beloved author and preacher Barbara Brown Taylor visits with us to discuss the completion of the landmark series, Feasting on the Word, which she co-edited with David L. Bartlett. We'll speak with Barbara about her experiences, and get her thoughts on new and forthcoming projects in the Feasting on the Word family.

The twelve volumes of Feasting on the Word, which cover all of the Sundays in the lectionary cycle, are now available as a user-friendly, searchable CD-ROM.

Barbara Brown Taylor is Harry R. Butman Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Piedmont College in Piedmont, Georgia, and Adjunct Professor of Christian Spirituality at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is an Episcopal priest and the popular author of numerous books.

 

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Related Resources:

Carol Wehrheim, general editor, Feasting on the Word Curriculum: Teaching the Revised Common Lectionary

Kathleen Long Bostrom and Elizabeth Caldwell, editors, Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word, Year B

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

 

WJK Radio 28: Allan Cole Responds: What Makes a Good Spiritual Life?

What makes a good spiritual life? Allan Hugh Cole Jr. helps us try to answer that question in this month's episode. In his new book, A Spiritual Life: Perspectives from Poets, Prophets, and Preachers, Cole gathers two dozen leading Christian writers who share their understandings of what makes a good spiritual life.

Allan Hugh Cole Jr. is Academic Dean and Nancy Taylor Williamson Professor of Pastoral Care at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he is the coauthor of Losers, Loners, and Rebels: The Spiritual Struggles of Boys, and author of Good Mourning and The Life of Prayer.

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Related Resources:

Marjorie J. Thompson, Soul Feast: An Invitation to the Christian Spiritual Life

Brian D. McLaren, A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey

Lynne M. Baab, Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

WJK Radio 27: Michael Duffy Makes Sense of Sex

Many singles struggle with decisions about sex. Michael Duffy visits with us to offer thoughtful guidance on the issue. His book, Making Sense of Sex: Responsible Decision Making for Young Singles, offers a framework for sexual decision making for single twenty-somethings. His book is appropriate for non-Christians and Christians alike. 

Michael Duffy is Professor of Theological Studies at Hanover College in Indiana, where he teaches a popular course on sexual ethics. He is also the author of The Skeptical, Passionate Christian.

 

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Related Resources:

Michael Schwartzentruber, Lois Huey-Heck, Mary Millerd, and Charlotte Jackson, The Spirituality of Sex

Marvin M. Ellison and Kelly Brown Douglas, editors, Sexuality and the Sacred, Second Edition

Meg Hickling, Meg Hickling's Grown Up Sex: Sexual Wholeness for the Better Part of Your Life

Dale B. Martin, Sex and the Single Savior: Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

WJK Radio 26: John Fea Responds: Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?

Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? The answer to that question is frequently debated by politicians, historians, and evangelicals. John Fea visits with us to offer his thoroughly-researched response. His new book, Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? A Historical Introduction, is an even-handed primer that approaches the title's question from a historical perspective. Fea unpacks what has been said over time about America being a Christian nation, helping readers see past the emotional rhetoric of today to the recorded facts of our past.

John Fea is Associate Professor of American History and Chair of the History Department at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. Visit www.philipvickersfithian.com for more information about John Fea and his work.

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Related Resources:

David Dark, The Gospel according to America: A Meditation on a God-blessed, Christ-haunted Idea

Diana Eck, A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation

Jacques Berlinerblau, Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics - 75% OFF!

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

 

WJK Radio 25: Michael J. Gilmour on the Spirituality of Bob Dylan

Since the early 1960s, music fans have found Bob Dylan’s spirituality fascinating, and many of them have identified Dylan as a kind of spiritual guru. Scholar and longtime fan Michael J. Gilmour discusses Dylan’s spiritual mystique in this month's episode. His new book, The Gospel according to Bob Dylan: The Old, Old Story for Modern Times, is now available, and can be purchased at 40% OFF from The Thoughtful Christian. 

Michael J. Gilmour is Associate Professor of New Testament and English Literature at Providence College in Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of Gods and Guitars: Seeking the Sacred in Post-1960s Popular Music and editor of Call Me the Seeker: Listening to Religion in Popular Music.

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Related Resources:

Rodney Clapp, Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction

Greg Garrett, We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel according to U2

Steve Turner, The Gospel according to the Beatles

Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz, The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen 

 

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte

WJK Radio 24: Don McKim Responds to Presbyterian Questions

Popular Presbyterian author and editor Don McKim joins us to discuss More Presbyterian Questions, More Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith. This follow-up to the Geneva Press best seller is a study-friendly guide that articulates the basic tenets of the faith and answers some of the most frequently asked questions about being a Presbyterian.

Donald K. McKim is Executive Editor for Westminster John Knox Press. McKim has served as Academic Dean and Professor of Theology at Memphis Theological Seminary and as Professor of Theology at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Iowa. He is the author or editor of over twenty-five books.
 

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Related Resources:

Donald K. McKim, Presbyterian Beliefs: A Brief Introduction 

Louis B. Weeks, To Be a Presbyterian, Revised Edition 

Ted V. Foote Jr. and P. Alex Thornburg, Being Presbyterian in the Bible Belt: A Theological Survival Guide for Youth, Parents, & Other Confused Presbyterians

Music Credit:

“Shadows,” by David LaMotte