Richard Burnett joins the podcast today to discuss his new book, "Machen's Hope: The Transformation of a Modernist in the New Princeton" (Eerdman's, 2024), a spanning biography on J. Gresham Machen, the founder of Westminster Theological Seminary and a main figure of the anti-modernist revolt at Princeton. This text attempts to reevaluate many of t…

Dr. Vince Bantu of the Meacham School of Haymanot joins us today to discuss his recent book "Those for Whom the Lamp Shines: The Making of Egyptian Ethnic Identity in Late Antiquity" (UC Press, 2023) which explores the formation of the identity of Egypt, and especially Egyptian Christians, in part through the lens of the Coptic Church's Anti-Chalce…

Dr. Jamie Kreiner joins us today to discuss her recently published translations of dialogues between John Cassian, a 4th century theologian credited with importing the ideas of early Christian monasticism to the Latin world, and various Egyptian monks on the subjects of distraction, concentration, and freedom from vice. In this podcast, Kreiner dis…

Join us for our interview with Brian Zahnd on his recently released book, "The Wood Between the Worlds: A Poetic Theology of the Cross" (IVP, 2024). Following a pilgrimage where he spent time contemplating the crucifix in many different churches, Zahnd realized the kaleidoscopic possibilities behind an interpretation to and an emotional response to…

Today's podcast features an interview with Dr. Gregory Wiebe concerning his book "Fallen Angels in the Theology of St. Augustine" (Oxford University Press, 2021). For our long-time listeners, this subject matter's inclusion in the podcast will come at no surprise. This conversation presents a wide-spanning dialogue on Angelology and Demonology in t…

For a fun twist, my dad asked if he could interview me about my new book The Way of Humility, St. Augustine's Theology of Preaching (Catholic University of America Press, 2023). I had a very good time and appreciate all the time he took to read it. He has read plenty of my bad high school papers, but this one took a lot more time. I am blessed that…

Glen L Thompson's The Jingjiao: the Earliest Christian Church in China (Eerdmans Press, 2024) provides a thorough introduction to a very little known history of the centuries old story of Christians in China. Dr. Thompson comes on the podcast to provide some background on the book and some really fascinating stories, including how a Chinese Christi…

For today's episode, we interview Dr. Brad Littlejohn on his recently published book Why Do Protestants Convert? (co-authored with Chris Castaldo). In this podcast, we explore some of the reasons behind the recent trend of conversions from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, especially among prominent Protestant intellectuals.…

Today we sit down with Dr. Tiffany Kriner, Associate Professor of English at Wheaton College, whose new book "In Thought, Word, and Seed: Reckonings from a Midwest Farm" (Eerdmans, 2023) discusses her recent life on a farm in Northern Illinois and how her interactions with the land have reconfigured her own faith. This literary work, engaging with …

Today our longtime Editorial Assistant, Grant Bellchamber, joins us for an interview with Dr. Dru Johnson on his recently published book "What Hath Darwin to Do With Scripture?: Comparing the Conceptual Worlds of the Bible and Evolution" (IV Press, 2023). We discuss the evolutionary notions of scarcity and fit in relation to the Old Testament write…

We welcome my good friend Drew Martin to the podcast today to talk about his book The Covenant with Moses and the Kingdom of God (Brill, 2023). His work crosses disciplinary boundaries like history, theology, and political theory. We talk mostly about how covenant theology works and how that overlaps with political theory.…

In her book, Augustine on the Will (Oxford University Press, 2019), Dr. Kantzer Komline discusses Augustine's theological stance on the will, which developed throughout his lifetime, and its implications for his theology and Western thought as a whole. On this podcast, we've invited her for an in-depth discussion on Augustine's theology and his bro…

Ty Paul Monroe, an associate professor of Theology at Assumption University, joins the podcast to discuss his new book, “Putting on Christ: Augustine’s Early Theology of Salvation and the Sacraments” (CUA Press, 2022). With his deep, theological approach to a reading of Augustine, his work fits right in with our host’s own academic work. Join us as…

Jacob Wright offers a compelling proposal for Why the Bible Began (Cambridge University Press, 2023) in his book of that title. This book was chosen as one of the best books of 2023 by the New Yorker. In our conversation, we talk about what it means that the Bible laid the foundation for a people and the scribes who wrote, edited, and collected the…

Andrew Hofer’s new study The Power of Patristic Preaching (Catholic University Press, 2023) surveys several key early Christian theologians and preachers. We talk through Origen, Leo the Great, and Gregory the Great, three figures we haven’t discussed much on this podcast. Also, if you enjoy the podcast, please consider subscribing to our Patreon, …

Join us as we delve into Dr. Benjamin Laird's latest book, 'Creating the Canon' (IVPress, 2023), offering a comprehensive exploration of the intriguing journey behind the New Testament's origins. Dr. Laird focuses on the pivotal concept of apostolic authority and unravels the challenges and rewards associated with emphasizing this narrative in the …

In a monumental third interview, we venture into the fascinating world of Paul Hinlicky, a multifaceted individual who wears two significant hats: farmer and theologian. Join us as we explore the compelling narrative of how he embarked on this unique path, the intricacies of his agricultural endeavors, and the profound intersection between his Chri…

We have Scot McKnight on again to talk us through his new translation of the New Testament with IVPress called The Second Testament. We talk through translation choices, different methods of translation, and why it’s so important to read the bible in Greek.

Emily Dumler-Winckler brings our conversation into the modern period with her book Modern Virtue: Mary Wollstonecraft and a Tradition of Dissent (Oxford University Press, 2022). Dr. Dumler-Winckler has some insights into the nature of tradition and how Wollstonecraft fits into the virtue tradition. Also, we discuss Wollstonecraft’s lesser known the…

Dr. KJ Drake works through the history of the doctrine known as the Extra-Calvinisticum in his book The Flesh of the Word: The Extra Calvinisticum from Zwingli to Early Orthodoxy (Oxford University Press, 2021. Although this is not a popularly discussed doctrine it drives at the heart of what the Reformers were debating in the early years of the Pr…

Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez gives his case for a new way of thinking about theology in his book Theological Fragments (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023). We talk about our experience teaching undergrads at a Jesuit university and how that has shaped Dr. Rosario’s approach to teaching and doing theology.…

Grant Kaplan has been working on the relationship between Faith and Reason in the Christian tradition (Catholic University Press, 2022). We discuss differing Catholic and Protestant approaches to the question and why many of the ancient doctors of the church have the greatest insights.

Paul Hinlicky comes back on the pod to discuss Between Humanis Philosophy and Apocalyptic Theology: The Twentieth Century Sojourn of Samuel Stefan Osusky (T and T Clark, 2016). This fascinating man confronted some of the great historical disasters of the twentieth century from Communism to Nazism and found that the biblical faith of his childhood w…

Matthew Lynch talks with us about his new book Flood and Fury: Old Testament Violence and the Shalom of God (IVPress 20223). We cover how the question of violence has to be considered canonically as well as dig into the weird stories of the Nephilim. CONTENT WARNING: Rape; in the context of Old Testament studies…

Today we talk with Dr. Scot McKnight professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary about his recently released book Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple (Zondervan, 2023). We talk about his own background with Revelation as well as our mutual love for baseball. I hope you will enjoy this episode.…

Dr. Paul Hinlicky is Professor Emeritus of Theology at Roanoke College in Virginia. Dr. Hinlicky talks with us about early Christian reception of the Greek philosophical tradition in a work entitled Divine Complexity (Fortress Press, 2010). We also delve into his work in Slovakia and his connection to Robert Jenson.…

This week we do a deep dive into Augustine's rhetorical theology. We talk about the ways Augustine as a rhetorician framed his theology in different ways using the tools he learned from his particular trade. Dr. Gronewoller's book, Rhetorical Economy in Augustine's Theology (Oxford University Press, 2021) has many fascinating elements, but we focus…

In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad rejoin forces to discuss St. Augustine's Enchiridion and his definition of hope. Trevor is currently writing his PhD thesis on hope in the field of philosophical theology, so we are certainly in for an apt and in-depth conversation on this important aspect of the Christian life and theology. We hope you enjoy …

We sat down this week with Hannah Nation to discuss her recently published book under Intervarsity Press, '"Faithful Disobedience". Nation speaks on leaders of the faith in an environment that is growing increasingly hostile toward Christianity. We hope you enjoy the interview!

In this episode, we talk with Brad East whose book The Church's Book (Eerdmans Press, 2022) explores the relationship between the church and scripture. It was an illuminating book and conversation where Dr. East expounds upon the book and how Robert Jenson, among other theologians, can help us understand what the bible is.…

In this final episode on the Christological Controversies, Tom, Trevor, and Chad work their way through the Chalcedonian definition and what that means for how Christians understand the two natures of Christ.

Tom, Trevor, and Chad continue their conversation over the Christological Controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries. In this episode, we cover the question over the name “theotokos” for Mary and why this was such a hot topic for Nestorius and Cyril. This is the second of three in the series on this important topic of early Christianity.…

Dr. Benjamin Wheaton comes on the podcast to explore his thesis in Suffering Not Power: Atonement in the Middle Ages (Lexham Press). Although many have thought since Gustav Aulen that a kind of Christus Victor was the predominate view, Wheaton explains why we should nuance that view and see other ways of viewing the atonement in Dante, and several …

Jordan Daniel Wood discusses his recently released monograph The Whole Mystery of Christ: Creation as Incarnation in Maximus the Confessor (University of Notre Dame Press, 2022). Dr. Wood talks us through some the controversial aspects of his thesis, but why it can still be understood as an orthodox perspective. We even cover a little bit of Hegel …

Ross McCullough comes on the show to discuss his new book Freedom and Sin: Evil in a World Created by God (Eerdmans Press). Although a bit more on the philosophical theology side, this podcast follows his argument of an asymmetrical approach to God's causality and human responsibility. I found his thesis very thought provoking. Thanks to Eerdmans P…

In this episode, Tom, Trevor, and Chad return to the format of earlier podcasts and discuss a few texts from early Christian thinkers. In this case, we are talking about Apollinaris of Laodicea and Theodore of Mopsuestia. They represent early christological thinking from an Alexandrian and Antiochene point of view. Thanks for listening and I hope y…

Dr. Jacob Wood returns with a more earthy description of nature and grace. In this episode, we have a brief discussion of the doctrine of analogy which then moves into a conversation about how farming has shaped Dr. Wood's academic research. Thanks for listening!

Dr. Benjamin Quinn shares with us a little about the importance of Augustine in contemporary thought and education. We also learn more about how Augustine understood wisdom and how that fits with the wisdom tradition in the Old Testament. His new book Christ the Way is now out with Lexham Press.

Today's episode is a bucket-list episode. We interview Dr. Stanley Hauerwas! Dr. Hauerwas has recently published Fully Alive: the Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth with the University of Virginia Press. We talk about this work and a little about how Hauerwas understands the task of theology.

We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Myk Habets. We discuss Dr. Habets books Heaven: An Inkling of What's To Come. Dr. Habets provides some insight into why we should look forward to heaven and how to talk about heaven with your family.

Is even the Devil redeemed? We talk through this question with Dr. Michael McClymond whose book The Devil's Redemption (Baker Academic) has received multiple awards, including the Gospel Coalition's Book of the Year.

Hannah Nation comes on to talk about Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church (Kirkdale Press). Our conversation gives some background to the Chinese house church pastors who preached these sermons and the history of the House Church movement in China. We have much to learn about how to suffer well from these Chinese br…

In today's episode we talk about Ambrose of Milan and his famous hymns. Music in church has not always been a given. We have Ambrose to thank for this great blessing.

It was a pleasure to speak with Dr. Jonathan Tran about his new book Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism. Dr. Tran begins with some fascinating engagement with political theory and a history of Delta Chinese, before moving into the metaphysical and theological underpinnings of his positive proposal in the latter chapters. Our conver…

We are back with our old format in this episode. Tom, Trevor, and Chad discuss Basil of Caesarea's Against Eunomius Books 2 and 3. The conversation centers on how to speak about God given what we know from scripture. It is a conversation that includes philosophy of naming and language broadly. This touches on some of the most foundational issues in…

Dr. Hart comes on to discuss his new book Tradition and Apocalypse with Baker Academic Press. We discuss the theological nature of tradition, why analytics are destroying baseball, and his translation of the New Testament. Check out our Pattern at www.patreon.com/ahoct, Twitter @theologyxian, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ahistoryofchristiantheo…

Dr. Kelly Kapic comes on the show to discuss his new book You're Only Human with Brazos Press. We bring his work into conversation with historical theologians, like Tertullian and Augustine.

Greetings all! The conversations with Tom and Trevor are back. We begin with a discussion about why we think about the Trinity and difficult topics like this at all, and then launch into a conversation about the unbegotten Father and the begotten Son. We are grateful any and all support, whether it is a like on twitter or Facebook, or a donation: h…

in this long overdue interview, Dr. Charles Kim interviews Dr. Myk Habets, head of the school of theology at Laidlaw College in New Zealand. Dr. Habets has done much of his academic work on T F Torrance, the great Scottish Reformed theologian and specifically on the doctrine of Thesis. The recording became corrupted after the conversation. Our apol…

We continue our series of conversations on the overlap of philosophy and theology with Dr. Jonathan T. Pennington's book Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life (Brazos Press). Dr. Pennington brings the bible into conversation with the philosophies of ancient Greece and offers a constructive proposal for how t…