Delgado Podcast

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Hanna Reichel, an associate professor of Reformed Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. In this interview, Dr. Reichel shares their unique journey of faith, from growing up in Germany with minister parents to exploring various religious communities.. Discover how Dr. Reichel's global perspective on faith informs their understanding of the universal nature of the church and its diverse expressions across cultural contexts. Dive into their experiences within Catholic and Protestant settings, where doctrinal differences posed challenges and opportunities for belonging. Explore the intersection of theology with politics, economics, and justice as Dr. Reichel emphasizes the importance of inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals within religious communities. Gain insights into fostering understanding, making room for diverse identities, and creating environments of support. This conversation delves into the complexities of faith and identity, highlighting the need for open dialogue and affirmation in religious spaces. Topics: 00:00 Dr. Hanna Reischel: Academic research and theological interests 01:31 Global Faith Perspective & Diverse Expressions of Faith 03:52 Navigating Doctrinal Differences and Belonging in Faith Communities 07:07 Social Service Work in Argentina 08:30 Unpacking the Church's Role in Dictatorships and Colonialism 10:20 Theological Intersections with Politics, Social Justice, & Economics 12:03 Academic Research on Faith and Social Justice in Lebanon 15:27 Dealing with Dissatisfaction with Certain Churches 18:08 Challenges Faced by LGBTQ+ Believers and Non-Believers in Church 21:23 Affirmation and Expression of God's Love Through the Church" 22:56 Supporting LGBTQ+ Individuals in Your Local Congregation 25:55 On Writing "After Method: Queer Grace, Conceptual Design, and the Possibility of Theology" 29:27 The Language of Design Theory for Understanding Theology 32:37 The Weaponization of Sin: Marginalized Identities Discredited and Pathologized 33:28 Queer Theological Perspectives on Sin and Solidarity 34:38 Critical Theory and Pervasive Structures in Our World 36:58 Understanding Queer Grace & Queerness of God Blog: https://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/hanna-reichel/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/j4kRMOL24gM

We’re honored to learn from Dr. Terri Daniel (https://danieldirect.net/) about her academic work on toxic theology as a contributing factor in complicated mourning and work as an interfaith chaplain. Topics covered: 01:17 The Conference on Death, Grief & Belief 03:17 Toxic Theology as a Contributing Factor in Complicated Grief (Or Mourning) 05:22 The Atheist Purity Test 08:24 Complicated Grief in Relation to Toxic Theology 09:18 Dark Night of the Soul & Questioning God 12:00 Dealing with trauma (and feeling like God is not pleased with us) 12:30 Example of toxic theology in Christian movies 13:29 Interfaith chaplaincy and supporting hospice clients 17:45 Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development 20:05 Religious Critique of Fowler’s Stages of Faith Development 21:00 Evelyn Underhill’s 5 Stages of Mysticism & The Exodus Story 22:12 The Exodus Myth: Enslaved to Ego & Mystical Union 23:19 Fowler’s Stages, Managing Grief, and Religious Coping Scales 25:32 Making Meaning of Loss 27:54 When trauma leads to a faith deconstruction 31:13 Counseling those who are deconstructing (and need help processing trauma) 41:37 Why would a loving God ordain or allow traumatic events 46:49 How to become an interfaith chaplain & clinical pastoral education programs You can watch the full episode on YouTube here (https://youtu.be/u16GxV82Vy4). Dr. Terri Daniel is an inter-spiritual hospice chaplain, end-of-life educator, and grief counselor certified in death, dying and bereavement by the Association of Death Education and Counseling and in trauma support by the International Association of Trauma Professionals. She conducts workshops throughout the U.S. and is an adjunct instructor in thanatology and chaplaincy at Marian University, the University of Maryland and the Graduate Theological Union. She is also the founder of The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, and the Ask Doctor Death podcast. Over the years Terri has helped hundreds of people learn to live, die and grieve more consciously. Her work is acclaimed by hospice professionals, spiritual seekers, counselors, theologians, and academics worldwide. Learn more by checking Dr. Terri Daniel’s books, resources and conferences. (https://danieldirect.net/) You can read a summary of this blog and get links to video clips here: https://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/toxic-theology/

Father Kearns was a former fundamentalist who became the first openly transgender man ordained in the Old Catholic priesthood. He believes in the transformative power of story and has made it his life's work to explore the intersection of theology, church life, and creativity. Father Kearns grew up in a rural area in the 80s and 90s when access to information and language around gender identity was limited. He struggled with his own gender dysphoria but didn't have the words to express it or anyone to know how to talk about it. As a result, he felt a sense of isolation and had to form his identity in a vacuum. This experience of not being able to name himself was alienating and made him feel like he was the only one in the world. It's a reason he became a writer and storyteller. As he began to question his faith and re-examine his relationship with scripture, Father Kearns found it helpful to read books from theologians who were doing theology from a very particular place and were naming the place they were doing it from. He found this approach to be eye-opening and it helped him to better understand the context in which the Bible was written and how different lenses can affect how we read and interpret scripture. Topics covered in this episode: • Challenges of Identity Formation for Gender Minorities • Puberty, Purity Culture & Gender Dysphoria • Grappling with sexuality and sadness • Leaving church communities. asking questions, and finding a new spiritual home • Questioning evangelical doctrines and discovering older faith traditions • Dispensationalism & Getting Left Behind • Passion for scripture, going to seminary, and getting educated in church history • How to read and understand the Bible with a beginner’s mindset • John Dominic Crossan (Historian) and Marcus Borg (Pastor) • On reading theology from different marginalized perspectives • Empowering passages for LGBTQ+ Christians • The power of reading in community (and seeing texts differently) About Father Shannon T.L. Kearns: Father Shannon Kearns is the co-founder of QueerTheology.com. His first book "In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey With Scripture (https://www.queertheology.com/in-the-margins/) " was just released from Eerdmaan’s books. He started and led Uprising Theatre Company for 6 years. Shannon is a Humanitas New Voices Fellow for 2022 and was a recipient of the Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellowship in 20/21 and he was a Lambda Literary Fellow for 2019 (in playwriting) and 2022 (in screenwriting) and a Finnovation Fellow for 2019/2020. He is a sought after speaker on transgender issues and religion as well as a skilled facilitator of a variety of workshops. His work with Brian G. Murphy at QueerTheology.com has reached more than a million people all over the world through videos, articles, and online courses and community. Subscribe to his newsletter here: https://www.shannontlkearns.com/ Follow him: https://twitter.com/shannontlkearns https://www.facebook.com/shannontlkearns https://www.instagram.com/shannontlkearns/ Shannon’s Patreon community: http://www.patreon.com/shannontlkearns Subscribe to Queer Theology podcast to learn more: https://www.queertheology.com/listen/

We’re honored to learn from Dr. Matthew Ichichashi Potts about his book, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300259858/forgiveness/), which is focused on understanding the practice of forgiveness in an unforgiving world. In this episode, Dr. Potts shares: • When forgiveness causes emotional distress • Common misunderstandings about forgiveness • When forgiveness causes shame for victims of abuse or trauma • How does forgiveness help us love our enemy • Forgiveness is an alternative to systems of justice that demand retaliation • How can marginalized populations forgive systems of oppression? • Charleston church attack and stories of forgiveness • How to think about forgiveness (when you don’t want to forgive) • Anti-Nazi theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler Matthew Ichihashi Potts, MDiv ’08, PhD ’13, was appointed the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals in 2021. Matt has served on the faculty at Harvard Divinity School since 2013, and has focused his teaching on sacramental and moral theology, ministry and pastoral theology, religion and literature, and preaching. He is the author of two books, Cormac McCarthy and the Signs of Sacrament: Literature, Theology, and the Moral of Stories (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Forgiveness: An Alternative Account (Yale University Press, 2022). He has also published scholarly essays in several leading journals and invited essay collections, and he sits on the editorial board of the journal Literature and Theology. He is also co-host of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

We’re honored to learn from Dr. M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas) about the key ethical concerns and social critiques of Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. It’s the topic of his book: The Lord Roars: Recovering the Prophetic Voice for Today. In this episode, Dr. Carroll shares: • Understanding Amos, Isaiah, and Micah: Prophets on Ethics • Comparing the social and ethical concerns of Isaiah, Micah, and Amos • Being aware of idolatry in the church • How church liturgy impact our ideas of God (and ways to worship) • Why churches divide over what social justice issues to support • The danger of religion being co-opted by political parties • Understanding liberation theology M. Daniel Carroll R. (PhD, University of Sheffield) is Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College and Graduate School in Wheaton, Illinois. He previously taught for many years at El Seminario Teológico Centroamericano in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and then at Denver Seminary, where he founded IDEAL, a Spanish language training program. Carroll is the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including The Bible and Borders: Hearing God’s Word on Immigration, Wrestling with the Violence of God: Soundings in the Old Testament, and a major commentary on the book of Amos.

We’re honored to learn from Valerie Brown about ways to cultivate hope, compassion, and mindfulness amid seasons of grief and loss. It’s the topic of her book “Hope Leans Forward: Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening & Peace (https://www.valeriebrown.us/books/).” In this episode, she shares: • On writing "Hope Leans Forward" during a time of grief and loss • Tending your grief • Why we don't want to think about our pain • Finding hope after dealing with trauma and pain • There's power in naming our trauma and pain • How Buddhism, meditation, and dharma rituals helped her hold pain • How to dwell on our pain • The practice of cultivating soul friendships • How to find a soul friend (and taking inventory of your friends) • Why it's easier to get angry rather than sit in our grief • Tending our grief and finding wholeness • How to explore our emotions • How to create a habit of noticing Valerie Brown is a Buddhist-Quaker Dharma teacher, facilitator, and executive coach. A former lawyer and lobbyist, she is co-director of Georgetown’s Institute for Transformational Leadership as well as founder and chief mindfulness officer of Lead Smart Coaching. She is an ordained Buddhist Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition, founded by Thich Nhat Hanh, and is a certified Kundalini yoga teacher. In her leadership development and mindfulness practice, she focuses on diversity, social equity, and inclusion. Brown is an award-winning author whose books include The Road That Teaches and The Mindful School Leader with Kirsten Olsen. She holds a Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law.

In this week’s podcast, we’re honored to learn from Dr. Ken Duckworth about his fantastic book entitled “You Are Not Alone: The NAMI Guide to Navigating Mental Health (https://www.nami.org/Support-Education/Publications-Reports/You-Are-Not-Alone).” His book is a comprehensive guide on how to compassionately support friends, family, and loved ones in their mental health journeys. His book combines evidence-based research on what treatments work for different mental health issues, insights from renowned clinical experts, and over 130 stories from people sharing their mental health challenges, along with insights from caregivers. It’s an all-in-one handbook that will help you grow in compassion for others with mental health challenges, as well as encouragement for those of us who struggle with emotional pain or other mental health issues. It’s definitely one of those books that everyone needs on their bookshelf. In today’s podcast, Dr. Duckworth discusses: Why people want to make meaning of their suffering The power of community and shared stories to support those with MH challenges He shares what led him to to become a psychiatrist Powerful, personal stories of mental health How to talk with a loved on about mental health Ways to deal with prolonged grief and dispair Impact of spirituality on mental health Ken Duckworth, MD is the Chief Medical Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and has been the medical director since 2003. He is also assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct clinical assistant professor of health and policy management at the Boston University School of Public Health. Dr. Duckworth has served as a board member of the American Association for Community Psychiatry and worked for years as a psychiatrist on an assertive community treatment team.

In this week’s podcast, we’re honored to learn from Lore Ferguson Wilbert about her new book entitled, “A Curious Faith: The Questions God Asks, We Ask, And We Wish Someone Would Ask Us (https://www.acuriousfaithbook.com/).“ Her book explores the powerful ways our faith and doubt can impact our understanding of God. Lore invites us all to embrace curiosity in our faith journey, and to get comfortable with not always finding all the answers. Most importantly, she encourages readers to find their comfort and ultimate answers in Christ. Lore Ferguson Wilbert is the founder of Sayable.net and the author of Handle with Care, winner of a 2021 Christianity Today Book Award. She has written for Christianity Today, Fathom magazine, and She Reads Truth and served as general editor of B&H’s Read and Reflect with the Classics. She is currently pursuing an M.A. in Christian spiritual formation and leadership from Friends University. You can get watch the video from today's conversation here: https://youtu.be/fXPc7rlUBQ4 You can also view and/or download past episodes here: http://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/

In this week’s podcast, we’re honored to learn from Dr. Ali Michael and Dr. Eleonora Bartoli about their helpful new book entitled “Our Problem, Our Path: Collective AntiRacism for White People (https://us.corwin.com/en-us/nam/our-problem-our-path/book278155).” It’s a powerful resource to help us learn ways to talk about racism and build skills to be actively anti-racist. Dr. Michael and Dr. Bartoli argue that inner and outer antiracist work are deeply interconnected. Their book provides readers with strategies to build racial competence and ways for us to make a more just, equitable and loving multiracial society. In this episode, they share: • Why it’s difficult for us (white people) to talk about race • Why we may feel it’s unsafe to discuss or challenge racism • Emotional (and fear) response to racism around us • Why we silence ourselves (or avoid conversations about race) • The struggle to become anti-racist daily • Ways race talks impacts our mental health • Addressing the stereotype threat • Why racism is a white person problem • Grieving with (and displaying empathy) for BIPOC communities • The paradox of virtue signaling • Race-related stress • The anti-critical race theory movement • How to stand up against racism (and avoid being a silent bystander) • Advice on how to raise anti-racist children You can watch the full conversation here: https://youtu.be/r2GPJoccnW4 Authors featured: Ali Michael, Ph.D. is Director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators and works with schools and organizations across the country to help make research on race, Whiteness, and education more accessible and relevant to educators. Ali is the author of Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and Education, winner of the 2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award. As a member of a multiracial editorial team, she has co-edited The Guide for White Women who Teach Black Boys, Teaching Beautiful and Brilliant Black Girls, and Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories. With her colleague Toni Graves Williamson, Ali adapted Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility for a Young Adult audience. Ali sits on the editorial board of the journal Whiteness and Education. https://www.alimichael.org/ Eleonora Bartoli, Ph.D is a consultant and licensed psychologist, specializing in trauma, resilience-building, and multicultural/social justice counseling. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology: Human Development/Mental Health Research from the University of Chicago in 2001. After receiving her clinical license in 2005, she opened a small independent practice, which she has held since. After 15 years in academia (12 of those years as the director of a Masters in counseling program), she became a full-time consultant. Her mission is to share the tools of counseling and psychology in support of social justice work. https://dreleonorabartoli.com/whoiam

In this week’s podcast, we're honored to learn from Amanda Held Opelt about her latest book: "A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing." It’s a beautifully written book that explores ways to find faith and hope amid seasons of grief and suffering. In this episode, Amanda talks with us about • Becoming a social worker and serving as a chaplain • Helping others overcome grief, trauma and loss • How to support a grieving friend (and what not to say) • What the Bible tells us about grief and suffering • How to engage with God in the midst of trauma or crisis of faith • Ways to help grieving friends (and loved ones) who don’t ask for help • What she learned when studying grief rituals • How the Christian concepts of faith and hope can help us during dark times Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, worship and shared stories to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda has spent the last 15 years as a social worker and humanitarian aid worker. Learn more about her latest book: http://amandaheldopelt.com/books You can watch the full video here: https://youtu.be/_UnK4y5CM-c

In this week’s podcast, we're honored to learn from Austen Hartke about his journey of coming out as transgender in seminary, the work he is doing right now to help transgender and gender-expansive Christians, and some encouraging words for Christians parents of transgender youth. Austen Hartke is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies, and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing. He is the author of a book entitled "Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians (http://austenhartke.com/book)," which is published by Westminster John Knox Press. He is also the founder and director of Transmission Ministry Collective -- an online community dedicated to the spiritual care, faith, and leadership potential of transgender and gender-expansive Christian. You can watch the full video from this podcast here: https://youtu.be/NuBIvHFnA0c

Dr. Jeannine Brown talks with us about writing her latest commentary on the "Epistle to the Philippians." Dr. Brown has taught at Bethel Seminary for over 20 years. She teaches in the areas of New Testament, Greek, hermeneutics, and integration. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/shbZ4yFdppU

In this week’s podcast, we learn from Dr. Jeffery M. Leonard about his book “Creation Rediscovered: Finding New Meaning in an Ancient Story,” which was written to help Christians understand the creation stories in our Hebrew Bible, while also appreciating what science tells us about our world. His book is available at Hendrickson Publishers: https://www.hendricksonrose.com/p/creation-rediscovered/9781683072348 Jeffery M. Leonard is Associate Professor of Religion at Samford University in Birmingham, AL, where he specializes in Hebrew, Hebrew Bible, and the ancient Near East. He received his MDiv from Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, and his PhD from Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/ykiqGOEPdGo

Much of the church has forgotten that we worship a disabled God whose wounds survived resurrection, says Amy Kenny. It is time for the church to start treating disabled people as full members of the body of Christ who have much more to offer than a miraculous cure narrative and to learn from their embodied experiences. In this interview, Dr. Amy Kenny discusses her research and new book "My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church," published by Brazos Press & Baker Publishing: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/my-body-is-not-a-prayer-request/409340 Amy Kenny (PhD, University of Sussex) is a disabled scholar and a Shakespeare lecturer whose research focuses on medical and bodily themes in literature. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, The Mighty, The Audacity, and Sojourners. YouTube video: https://youtu.be/bUrmz4GqnXo

We're grateful to learn from Dr. Bart Ehrman (https://www.bartehrman.com/) about his helpful new book entitled "Journeys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257007/journeys-to-heaven-and-hell/)," which is published by Yale University Press. It’s a fascinating look into the ancient literature that describes descents into hell and ascents into heaven. In this episdoe, Dr. Ehrman discusses: Guided tours of heaven and hell in the ancient world How to read ancient literature (and understand context) What Jesus meant when discussing Gehenna (Hell) Ancient Hebrew ideas about death and annihilation Early Christian thinking on Jesus and his descent into hell Harrowing of Hell The Apocalypse of Peter The Gospel of Nicodemus The Origin of Purgatory Ancient thinking of where heaven and hell were located How to be critical readers of the Bible Academic study tools for Biblical interpretation _ Dr. Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He completed his M.Div and Ph.D. degrees at Princeton Seminary and started his teaching career at Rutgers University. He has written or edited over thirty books, six of which were New York Times best sellers. His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages. The video and show notes: mikedelgado.org (http://www.mikedelgado.org/)

In this episode, we're honored to learn from Leyla Jagiella about her transgender journey as a Muslim woman – and finding belonging among the third-gender communities in South East Asia. It’s the topic of her brave and insightful new book entitled “Among the Eunuchs: A Muslim Transgender Journey” which helps us understand some of the unique struggles faced by Muslim transgender woman – but also how she found affirmation and support in Islam. You can get her new book here: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/among-the-eunuchs/ Leyla Jagiella is a cultural anthropologist and scholar of religion, working on orthodoxy and heterodoxy in Islam and gender and sexuality in Muslim societies. As a Muslim trans woman, she has also been a community activist for several decades and works as a social worker with LGBTQI refugees in Germany In the podcast, she talks with us about: The beauty and diversity in Muslim life (and how that drew her to Islam) Ways she struggled with her gender identity and sexuality as a young Muslim How the third-gender communities in Islam helped her find affirmation and recogntion What life was like as a Hijra in South East Asia – and navigating gendered spaces She discusses trans-affirming ideas and scriptures in the Quran and New Testament At the end of the podcast, she talks about what Jesus says about eunuchs (Matthew 19:12) – and the application for transgender and gender nonconforming people.

Many parents struggle to understand ways to support their their transgender teenager, especially if they think that it's just a phase of gender exploration, or a mild form of gender dysphoria that will eventually resolve. A parent may further struggle on how to care for their trans youth if they belong to a non-affirming religious community, which may exclude their teen from participating in spiritual ceremonies (e.g. communion, confirmation, mitzvahs) and gender-based ministries. Sadly, some of these religious communities may further harm trans youth with transphobic teachings and political agendas aimed to hurt the LGBT community. All of this can lead trans youth to feel unaccepted, unloved, and less likely to continue in their faith journey. In this week's podcast, we chat with Andrew Maxwell Triska, MSW, LCSW (https://www.andrewtriska.com/) about ways for parents to support and affirm their trans teen at home, school, and church. Andrew is a psychotherapist, educator, and author who works with trans and queer youth and adults. Triska also trains and consults on gender identity and sexuality for organizations, corporations, and schools. He is proud to be a trans-identified therapist and his fantastic new book "Parenting Your Transgender Teen: Positive Parenting Strategies for Raising Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Teens (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1638788839/)" is designed to help parents actively support and affirm their trans youth along the journey. Some trans-affirming religious organizations mentioned in this podcast: The Muslim Alliance for Sexual and Gender Diversity: https://www.themasgd.org/ Keshet - For LGBTQ Equality in Jewish Life: https://www.keshetonline.org/ Jewish Queer Youth https://www.jqyouth.org/ Transmission Ministry Collective https://www.transmissionministry.com/ Reformation Project: https://reformationproject.org/resources/ Trans Support and Counseling Resources: https://www.wpath.org/ https://pflag.org/ You can get podcast notes and resources mentioned in this episode on the blog: http://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/supporting-trans-kids/

In this conversation, we’re honored to learn from Bridget Eileen Rivera about her journey growing up in a Reformed Baptist church, coming out, and ways the church can better love and care for LGBTQ+ Christians. This is the topic of her latest book entitled: “Heavy Burdens: Seven Ways LGBTQ. Christians Experience Harm in the Church,” where she addresses the pain, trauma and discrimination that many LGBTQ people have experienced in churches, and steps that all of us need to take to create safe and inclusive spiritual homes. Bridget Eileen Rivera is a sociologist completing her PhD at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Rivera has become a leading voice on gay celibacy in the church, helping Christians better grapple with gender and sexuality in a divided culture. She has worked with a number of faith-based organizations, including Revoice, Christians for Social Action, and Preston Sprinkle's Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender. Follow her on social media at @travelingnun and on her website: https://bridgeteileenrivera.com/ YouTube video of this show: https://youtu.be/cxfbtRjYPOM Blog and notes: http://mikedelgado.org

Today, we're honored to learn from Dr. Jennifer Wodruff Tait about her book "Christian History: In Seven Sentences," which is published by InterVarsity Press. In this conversation, Dr. Tait shares insights on some of the key historic moments and creeds that shaped Christian thinking. She also talks about some of the key points that led to the spread of Christianity in different parts of the world. Dr. Jennifer Woodruff Tait (PhD, Duke University) serves as a priest in the Episcopal church and is the managing editor of Christian History magazine. Her book “Christian History: In Seven Sentences” is published by InterVarsity Press.

In today’s episode, Dr. John Goldingay shares his approach to studying the Old Testament -- and ways he prepares to write Biblical commentaries. He encourages us to study our Bible with both an analytical and spiritual mind – and to come to the Bible humbly with our questions. He also shares tremendous wisdom on how to deal with passages in the Old Testament that perhaps don’t make sense to us, and how to better explore and question those difficult texts. He shares his insights on the Book of Joshua and ways to understand the battle of Jericho. He also discusses a scripture reading plan to help us thoughtfully read through the entire Bible three chapters at a time. Dr. John Goldingay studied theology at Oxford, earned his PhD from the University of Nottingham, and a Doctor of Divinity from the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth. Learn more about him and his books: https://www.fuller.edu/faculty/john-goldingay/