Faith at the Frontiers

In this episode we chat with Elizabeth Bruenig, journalist for The Atlantic, on Christian Nationalism in the US. Does it really represent the values shared by all Christians? Does it have the right to speak in the name of “Christianity”?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

Professor William Cavanaugh, author of Migrations of the Holy and The Uses of Idolatry, weighs in on the topic of nationalism. He argues that nationalism is a religion that rivals Christianity and is therefore not compatible with it.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

How can national constitutions persecute religious minorities? What would motivate them to do so, and is this motivation really Christian? These questions and others are addressed by Marietta van der Tol in her book, Constitutional Intolerance (CUP, 2025). In this episode, Barney and Austin draw out some of Marietta’s key insights not only in this book but other of her publications.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

She is the author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis (Brazos, 2024).

Today is the launch day of the paperback edition of Sarah's book, The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church (Macmillan: 2024). Click on the link to get a copy!

Thanks to Jamie Maule for audio editing!

Professor Mark Noll is one of the world’s leading experts on the history of Evangelicalism. In this interview, we ask him questions like:

• When did Evangelicalism begin?
• How has the word “Evangelical” changed its meaning over time?
• Why have people abandoned Evangelicalism in the past?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

What is tradition and how might it help us deal with both the good and bad in the history of Christianity? Dr Anne Carpenter is Danforth Chair in Theological Studies at St Louis University and the author of 'Nothing Gained is Eternal: A Theology of Tradition."

Prof. Willie James Jennings is one of the leading voices in postcolonial theology. We are hono(u)red to have him join us in our first discussion on this thorny topic.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

Our second episode on religious violence, with Dr. Matthew Rowley , author of God, Religious Extremism, and Violence. Dr. Rowley talks about how we should criticize our own tradition first, approaching everything with curiosity and humility. He also questions ideas about what it means to be an "extremist" and whether that's really a bad thing?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

Barney interviews Professor Mark Glanville of Regent College, Vancouver, on his latest book, Improvising Church. We discuss questions like:

• How can the Bible speak meaningfully to new situations Christians face today?
• How can every Christian exercise leadership in his or her church community?
• How can you get people to wake up for a prayer meeting at 5:30am?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his audio editing!

These questions and others are discussed in today’s episode. Austin and Barney are joined by Dr. Dennis Castillo who teaches Church History at St. Mary’s Seminary and University.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

We have invited Dr. Mike Horswell to join us in this discussion. He has spent many years studying not only the crusades, but common perceptions of the crusades in the modern era. He is ideally suited to help us unpack: (1) what the crusades actually were? (2) How do people think of the crusades today? (3) How should Christians think of this episode in their history?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

It's a big event: our own podcast co-host's first published book: Austin Stevenson, The Consciousness of the Historical Jesus (T&T Clark: 2024).

The book discusses questions like:

• What is the movement called 'the historical Jesus' and how should Christians think about it?
• How does our own way of doing history depend on our understanding of what it means to be human?
• How can we read the history of Jesus in a way that transforms our understanding of ourselves? Can the 'historical Jesus' do that? If not, what can?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

These questions and many more are tackled by Dr. Amy Peeler, New Testament Professor at Wheaton College. Dr. Peeler has recently published Women and the Gender of God which goes into these issues in more depth.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound editing!

In this episode we talk with Prof Michael J Gorman, New Testament Scholar and author of nearly twenty books including several major works on Paul. In this discussion, Prof Gorman draws a distinction between historical criticism and the historical critical method. He argues that understanding the original context is necessary, but not sufficient when it comes to interpreting the Bible today.

So many Bible scholars and methods claim to be ‘historical’, but are they all the same? In this episode, Barney and Austin interview Professor Matthew J Thomas, who has come up with a taxonomy of FOUR methods for reading the Bible that are currently prevalent in scholarship:

1. Simple historical exegesis: interpreting the Bible with attention to its cultural and historical context.
2. Investigating the history of the Bible’s composition, known as ‘source criticism’, ‘form criticism’, or ‘redaction criticism’.
3. Critically assessing the truth of the Bible from another philosophical perspective.
4. Whatever is popular in Germany right now (!)

Tune in to hear Prof. Thomas unpack these four categories and their relevance for our faith today!

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

Austin and Barney interview theologian Dr Seth Heringer, who describes the development of modern historical methods and how these methods have impacted theology. We consider the ways in which not only the results of historical research, but the principles of the historical method themselves might stand at odds with theology. If history isn't as neutral a discipline as it seems, does that open up possibilities for fruitful dialogue with faith?

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

Austin and Barney interview Professor Emeritus Hugh Williamson of Oxford University on how his faith relates to historical enquiry about the Old Testament. We discuss questions like:

• How does Prof. Williamson hold together his identity as a scholar and his faith as a Christian? Does he ever see a conflict between them?
• What does the historical study of the Bible do for one's faith?
• What historical events in the Bible does Christian faith depend on?

Thanks, as always, to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

Introducing the new co-host, Austin Stevenson, and our new topic for the next series. Austin and I will be wrestling with how the Christian faith relates to its own history. We'll be asking questions like:

• Do Christians have to believe the Bible is historically reliable?
• Is there evidence to suggest the Bible is historically reliable?
• How ought Christians to read and interpret the Bible from a historical point of view?
• How should Christians think about the troubling aspects of their own history after the Bible: crusades, inquisition, colonialism?

Tune in soon for the first episode in the series!

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

• Bishop Richard Cheetham, co-director for global engagement with ECLAS & a member of the Anglican Communion Science Commission.
• Bishop Joseph Galgalo, provincial secretary of the Anglican Church of Kenya, and assistant bishop of All Saints Cathedral diocese. 

This episode is full of insights about the way Africans conceive of the faith/science relationship, and what we can learn from it and other global perspectives. 

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

Science is done in a society. Society affects not only what science is done, but how people understand it and its role. Dr. Thoko Kamwendo is part of a growing field of research called ‘science studies’ which uncovers the social dimension of scientific research. She has studied in particular how church leaders approach science, and how they communicate its meaning and relevance to congregations. Thanks to Jamie Maule for sound engineering!

• Revd Prof. David Wilkinson
• Revd Dr Lucas Mix
• Dr Amanda Rees
• Revd Prof. Alan Gregory

If you like this episode and want to learn more, visit these ECLAS resources:

• Science, Future and the Christian Imagination.
• Science Fiction and Public Theology.
• This article by Amanda Rees: Tales Of Technology And Faith

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

How can scientists enrich and enliven their local church communities? We’ve invited Professor David Wilkinson, Petra Crofton, and Deb Fozzard to explore the impact of the ⁠Scientists in Congregations project that shows just how much scientists can do.

If you want to learn more, check out these free science and faith resources for schools and (church) children’s workers:

• Wild and Wonderful UK.

Also take a look at these children's books on science by Petra Crofton:

• Science Geek Sam and His Secret Logbook 
• Science Geek Christy and Her Eco-Logbook 

Finally, take a look at Petra Crofton's top book recommendation: Francis Collins, The Language of God.

As always, thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

• The Science for Seminaries main page.
• The Science for Seminaries page on ECLAS' website.
• The resource website for DoSER (Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion).

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his audio editing!

These questions and others are the driving force behind today's episode, the first in our ECLAS series. We interview David Hutchings and Dr Amanda Rees for their perspective - both practical and academic - on the common perception of a conflict.

Note this episode was recorded shortly before the passing of Tom McLeish, who is mentioned near the beginning.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

For our final episode on faith & economics, we’ve invited Prof. Paul Williams to share his vision for a Christian transformation of economics. Prof. Williams has studied economics and theology, and worked as both an economist and a theology professor for many years. He is uniquely qualified to give insight on our question and this episode is a powerful ending to an incredible series.

Written by Paul Williams:

• ‘Christianity and the Global Economic Order’, in The Oxford Handbook of Christianity and Economics, ed. Paul Oslington (Oxford University Press, 2014)
• Entry on ‘Capitalism’ in The Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, ed. Joel Green (Baker Academic, 2011).
• ‘Evangelicals, Pope Benedict, and the Financial Crisis’, The Review of Faith & International Affairs 8, no. 4 (1 January 2010): 65–68.

Books/articles recommended by Paul Williams:

• Peter J. Buckley and Mark C.Casson, “The moral basis of global capitalism: Beyond the eclectic theory,” International Journal of the Economics of Business, 8(2), 2001, pp.303-327.

• Donald A. Hay, Economics Today: A Christian Critique (Regent College Publishing, 2004).
• William T. Cavanaugh, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2008).

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!

Barney and Carmody interview Robert Netzly, founder and CEO of Inspire Investing. Robert recently made the decision to withdraw all ESG investment on the basis that it has been overtaken by a Marxist agenda. We ask Robert about his understanding of faithful Christian investment and the principles on which he founded his business.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

This short episode is prompted by a listener who sent us a voice message. He questioned Carmody's point about veganism (made in this episode), and in this episode Carmody responds to the point. Questions discussed in this episode:

• Is veganism too hard or too expensive for most people?
• How much can people be held responsible for their buying habits?
• Is there a difference between concern for animal welfare and concern about climate change? 

Have something to say? Send us a message and join the conversation! 

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing! 

Carmody & Barney interview Edward Hadas, research fellow in moral economics at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. He tells us what he thinks is wrong with the current way of debating economics and offers a whole new paradigm to help us imagine our labour and consumption differently.

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound editing!

Barney interviews Alex Faludy on the religious dimension of Hungarian politics. Alex argues that the Hungarian Prime Minister is not simply using religion as a tool, but has a genuine faith. If we accuse him of being selective about which aspects of Christianity he embraces, we must also look at ourselves to see whether we're not also being selective. 

Thanks to Jamie Maule for his sound engineering!