Once in a sycamore I was glad: Ben Myers on Poetic Orthodoxy

Kelly M. Kapic (PhD) is professor of theological studies at Covenant College. In this episode, Josh interviews Kelly about You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News. Rather than sharing better time-management tips to squeeze more hours out of the day, Kelly Kapic offers a better way to make peace with the fact that God didn't create us to do it all. Kapic explores the theology behind seeing our human limitations as a gift rather than a deficiency. 

From America's beginning, Christians have often merged their religious faith with national identity. But what is Christian nationalism? How is it different from patriotism? Paul D. Miller, a Christian scholar, political theorist, veteran, and former White House staffer, provides a detailed portrait of—and case against—Christian nationalism. Building on his practical expertise not only in the archives and classroom but also in public service, Miller unravels this ideology's historical importance, its key tenets, and its political, cultural, and spiritual implications.

Andrew Abernethy (PhD TEDs) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College.  In this episode, Josh talks to Andy about his unexpected route to becoming a Bible professor, and about Andy's new book, Savoring Scripture: A Six-Step Guide to Studying the Bible. Andy's primary research area has been in Isaiah, though Psalms, the Latter Prophets, biblical theology, and the topic of eating attract his attention too. He has written numerous articles and is also the author of several books: Eating in Isaiah (Brill, 2014); The Book of Isaiah and God’s Kingdom (IVP, 2016); God’s Messiah in the Old Testament (Baker, 2020); Discovering Isaiah (Eerdmans/SPCK, 2021).

Thomas S. Kidd is a prolific scholar of American history and he now serves as research professor of church history at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Kidd completed a Ph.D. in history at the University of Notre Dame, where he worked with historian of religion George Marsden. He also earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at Clemson University in South Carolina. Kidd has authored numerous books including Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh (Yale University Press, 2022), Who Is an Evangelical? The History of a Movement in Crisis (Yale University Press, 2019), American History, vols. 1 and 2 (B&H Academic, 2019), Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2017), George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father (Yale University Press, 2014), Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots (Basic Books, 2011), God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution (Basic Books, 2010), and The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America (Yale University Press, 2007).

Dr. Ben Myers is a poet, a professor, and the director of the Honors Program at Oklahoma Baptist University.  Josh and Ben discuss why poetry matters; they read some favorite poems (including the John Berryman poem that forms the title of this episode), and they discuss how the Christian story provides a framework for discerning beauty and good art.  Ben Myers is the author of A Poetics of Orthodoxy: Christian Truth as Aesthetic Foundation.

Ken Schenck (PhD Durham) is Vice President for University Partnerships at CampusEdu.  Ken is a New Testament scholar who has worked for years in Christian education, serving at Indiana Wesleyan University, Wesley Seminary, and Houghton College. Given Ken's writings on the subject, Josh asks Ken about the challenges facing Christian colleges and seminaries--and about the way forward. This episode is sponsored by Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Go to OKWU.edu to find out more.

Aimee Byrd is an author, speaker, podcaster, and old school blogger. In this episode, Josh interviews Aimee about her latest book, The Sexual Reformation: Restoring the Dignity and Personhood of Man and Woman (Zondervan). The book explores how the Song of Songs should shape our view of God, the church, and male and female dignity.

O. Alan Noble (PhD Baylor) is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, editor-in-chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and author of numerous publications. Alan's books include, Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age, and You are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World--which is the topic of this conversation. Josh and Alan talk about what makes modern life uniquely dehumanizing, why the myth of self-belonging contributes to anxiety, how the Heidelberg Catechism can help, what drew Alan to literature, and why Christians should read Cormac McCarthy.

Brandon Smith (PhD, Ridley) is assistant professor of theology and New Testament at Cedarville University. He cofounded the Center for Baptist Renewal, helped lead the Christian Standard Bible translation, and he hosts the Church Grammar podcast. Brandon's research interests include the Trinity, theological interpretation, biblical theology, and early church theology (especially AD 100-400). In this episode, Brandon talks with Josh about Brandon's early years on Twitter, lessons  learned, and the unique challenges that social media pose for Christian maturity.

In this episode, Josh McNall interviews Dalene Fisher about fiction, faith, and female agency. Dalene Fisher (PhD, Kent) is Assistant Provost and Dean of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Her new book (Resisting the Marriage Plot) explores the work of four beloved female novelists: Jane Austen, Anne Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Mary Wollstonecraft. Each of these authors appealed to the Christian faith through their heroines to challenge cultural expectations regarding women, especially in terms of marriage. Although Christianity has all too often been distorted to oppress women, Fisher demonstrates that in the hands of these novelists and through the actions of their characters, it could also be a transformative force to liberate women.