TheoDisc Podcast

Amy Brown Hughes | Blandina and the Embodiment of Christ

An exploration of the person of Blandina, martyrdom, and the visibility of the glorified Christ in witness of Christians.
On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny is joined by Dr Amy Brown Hughes, who talks about early Christian martyrs, particularly a woman called Blandina. She helps us see that not only did these martyrs identify with Christ in their sacrifice, but Christ also identifies with them. Blandina shows us that, in our sufferings for Christ, He identifies so closely with us that people see him when they look at our faithfulness. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Purchase Amy's book, Christian Women in the Patristic World: HERE
Listen to OnScript podcast: HERE
 

Preston Sprinkle and Beth Allison Barr - From Genesis to Junia... And Beyond

A Scholarly Discussion on Women, Leadership, and the Church
Preston Sprinkle's latest book, From Genesis to Junia: An Honest Search For What The Bible Really Says About Women In Leadership takes an exegetical journey through the Scriptures, and Preston’s consequent change of mind from a default complementarian position to the belief that women can lead and teach in the church without restriction. Some women responding have offered critique while remaining thankful for Preston’s overall work in the book, including Beth Allison Barr, who published a response on her Substack which Preston has engaged with. We wanted to invite both of them onto TheoDisc to have a scholarly conversation where agreements and disagreements could be aired, and Preston could respond and clarify. That’s the conversation we have on this episode of TheoDisc. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Get Preston’s books, including ‘From Genesis to Junia’: HERE
Theology in the Raw podcast: HERE
Get Beth’s books: HERE
Watch our previous interview with Beth: HERE

Kelly Kapic - Christian Life

The Theology of Life as a Christian
The Christian world is awash with ideas around Spiritual Formation and what it means to live life as a Christian. Often, these ideas focus on our initiation of disciplines, practices and rhythms of life in order see Christ at work in our everyday living. But our guest on this episode, Kelly Kapic, says that our life in Christ must ultimately be grounded in the life of the Trinity, a life we are invited to share in through our union with Him. This is, Kelly claims, how Christian life, no matter your denomination or tradition, is sustained.
SHOW NOTES
Buy Kelly's books: HERE
Visit Kelly’s website: HERE
 

David Wang - Trauma and the Spirit

How the church participates in the ongoing healing work of the Holy Spirit
On this episode, Kenny speaks with Dr David C Wang about Trauma, the Holy Spirit, and Spiritual Formation. How does Trauma affect us as whole beings, and how does the Holy Spirit offer us hope for spiritual formation when we experience its long term effects? What if those effects include spiritual trauma that damage our relationship with the church and with God? May this episode be helpful to you.
Read David's paper 'Trauma, the Holy Spirit, and Spiritual Formation': HERE
Find out more about David and his work: HERE

Ross Hastings - The Ascension and the Church

Reclaiming the importance of the ascension
Jesus’ incarnation, death and resurrection are core to our understanding of the gospel. But his ascension can often be treated as a postscript, or even a kind of sad ending to the gospel narratives where Jesus disappears–to where we’re not entirely sure–and we are left with the hope he will one day return. Our guest on this episode, Ross Hastings, has observed that the ascension is not often taught or preached about, and consequently, we miss the magnitude and implications of all that it consummates in Jesus’ kingdom mission, all that it continues to mean for us now, and all that it promises in the future. His book, The Glory of the Ascension, threads numerous theological themes through this event in an attempt to reclaim its importance for Christian communities. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Find Ross’ books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Ross-Hastings/author/B00DWG2L3I
Follow Ross on Social Media: https://x.com/WRossHastings

Sydney Tooth - The Eschatology of Thessalonians

The Assurance of Hope in Christ's Return
Terror and dread are often how we can still feel about Jesus’ return. Talk of the end times sounds either like the world’s worst conspiracy theory, or feels just too complex to figure out. And yet, the Scriptures talk about the coming day of the Lord... Kenny's guest on this episode of TheoDisc is Dr Sydney Tooth, and she says that 1 & 2 Thessalonians have a particularly rich message of hope in the coming of Christ, and that they are texts that should be opened more by the church. So they have been talking about Paul, Thessalonians, and the return of Jesus. Enjoy!
Show Notes
Read Sydney’s Thesis: https://era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/36797
The Two Cities Podcast: https://thetwocities.com

Bette Dickinson - The Art of Vinemaking

Spiritual Flourishing in a Productivity-Driven Culture
Wine isn’t instantaneous, and neither is our spiritual formation. This is why Jesus describes us as branches connected to him as our vine and our source. If Jesus uses this metaphor for our discipleship, then perhaps we should invest a little bit of time in learning how vine branches bear healthy fruit that is in season. That’s the focus of the latest book from Bette Dickinson, who has written The Art of Vinemaking: Spiritual Flourishing in a Productivity-Driven Culture as a call to disciples of Christ to discover or return to the rhythms and cycles that God intends for us to blossom in fullness of life. Her ultimate goal is to create safe and sacred spaces for people to encounter the boundless love of God, and that is evident from her chat with Kenny in this episode of TheoDisc. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Bette’s website: https://www.bettedickinson.com/
Get Bette’s books: https://bit.ly/3MSa3YV 
 

David Stuart - How to Love Your Enemies

A Christian Response to Polarisation
How do we love our enemies in a polarised world? It’s difficult to engage with those we have deep disagreements with, and doing so can often feel like compromising on our own convictions. This is particularly true with religious or political groups, and Christians can often become entrenched in their positions and unable to meaningfully connect with those we disagree with. On this episode, Kenny is speaking to Dr David Stuart about his Doctoral thesis entitled: Learning to Love - a Theological Response to our Polarised World. He proposes a way to love our enemies as Christ commands us to, and open ourselves to seeing them and ourselves in a new, more clear light - even becoming more faithful to our own commitment to Christ in the process. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Read David’s thesis: https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/32013
Find out more about David: https://wtctheology.org.uk/locations/scotland/ 
Contact David: david.stuart@wtctheology.org.uk 
 

Mary Thomason - Does God Trust Women?

How Interpretation Shaped Our View of Women
On this episode of TheoDisc, Kenny's guest is Mary Thomason, who is currently engaged in doctoral work about re-establishing a trust in the divine voice within Scripture which undoes the common ways women have been made to feel less than men, and by telling a redeeming narrative of women who are chosen and trusted by God. Her heart is that women and men would be released to be empowered by God without the burden of harmful interpretation which harms both women and men. We know you will enjoy this episode!
 

Hugh Osgood - How Diversity is Changing the Church (For Good)

Kenny's guest on this episode of TheoDisc is Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, who has been working to bring about unity between African, Caribbean, and majority-white congregations since the 1980’s. His book, Evangelical And African Pentecostal Unity, details the challenges and successes of such efforts up until the year 2005. Kenny and Hugh spoke about what has happened in the intervening years, and Hugh’s sense of next steps for a united church across the UK. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Hugh’s website: hughosgood.com
‘Evangelical and African Pentecostal Unity’: amzn.eu/d/4AGfcyg
Hugh’s books: hughosgood.com/books
Churches in Communities International: cicinternational.org/
 

Florian Simatupang - The Eucharistic Spirit

Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist – whatever you call it in your church tradition, we’re asking the question today about the place it plays in our gathered communities and our expectation of the work of the Spirit in and through this sacramental meal. In this episode of TheoDisc Podcast, Kenny is joined by Florian Simatupang, a pentecostal theologian from Indonesia whose latest book, The Eucharistic Spirit, explores the ways the Spirit engages the people of God through our taking of the bread and wine. These are the ingredients, so to speak, that can empower us to remember the past, experience unity and missional purpose in the present, and look forward to the future coming of the Kingdom. Enjoy!
SHOW NOTES
Florian’s Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0F2ZB35ZY/
More about Florian and Christ the King Church: https://ctkchurch.id/oyan

Mark Glanville - Preaching in a New Key

In this episode of Theodisc, Kenny speaks with Mark Glanville, a professional jazz musician, theologian and preacher, about the evolving landscape of preaching in a post-Christian culture. They discuss the importance of creativity, community, and curiosity in preaching, as well as the metaphor of jazz as a way to approach the art of preaching. Mark emphasises the need for preachers to adapt their methods to connect with contemporary audiences while remaining rooted in scripture. This is also the first TheoDisc guest who has played an instrument live on the show!
SHOW NOTES
Find Mark’s Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Mark-Glanville/author/B0CHY78JFW
Visit Mark’s website: https://www.markglanville.org/ 
 

Prisons Week - Steven Gordon and Sarah Coppin

God at Work in Prisons
This episode of TheoDisc comes to you during Prisons Week which takes place each year from the second Sunday of October and encourages the church to pray for prisoners and their families, those victims of and affected by crime and those working in the criminal justice system. It also aims to focus the Christian community on how we can join with what God is doing in prisons, where WTC has begun to provide theological training. It was in, what he calls "the pit", that Steven became a Christian, and after his release he studied theology with WTC and is about to matriculate at the University of Oxford. They spoke about his life experience, his reflections of prison, and the hope he has for more prisoners to come into a deep connection with God through theological study. Joining them in the conversation is Sarah Coppin, the Programme Director for WTC’s prison programme.
 
SHOW NOTES
Find out about WTC’s Prison Programme: https://wtctheology.org.uk/prison-programme/
Participate in Prisons Week: https://www.prisonsweek.org/

Craig Keener - How to Succeed at Suffering

Following Jesus in the Tough Times
Even though Jesus says that those who follow him will have many trials and sorrows in this world, it’s still the case that we tend to view suffering as something to be avoided, or eliminated from our experience of faith. Perhaps this is rooted in a faulty gospel that proclaims, ‘follow Jesus and he will take away not only your sin, but your troubles too’. Dr Craig Keener has recently written an article called, How To Succeed at Suffering which might help us to accept that taking up our cross is central to the way we follow after our crucified Lord, and in this episode of TheoDisc, he chats with Kenny about the biblical basis for suffering as part of our discipleship.
SHOW NOTES
Craig’s Article: https://influencemagazine.com/en/Practice/How-to-Succeed-at-Suffering
Craig’s Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Craig-S.-Keener/author/B000APBKEK
Craig’s conversation with Lucy Peppiatt on ‘The Mind of the Spirit’: https://youtu.be/XbQVoPxv6IY

Israel Olofinjana - Why did Jesus speak Aramaic?

A Biblical Theology for a Decolonised Mission
We're back! After a bit of an hiatus over the summer, TheoDisc is pleased to be bringing you some truly insightful chats with truly insightful theologians again!
Our guest on this episode of TheoDisc, Rev Dr Israel Olofinjana, wants us to consider the ways that western Christian mission has been deeply influenced by the powers of colonisation, and that those influences are still felt today by people from the Majority World. By drawing us back to Jesus’ own experience and ministry under a colonial power, Israel provokes the church to consider ways that we can reflect Jesus’ subversive practices that witness to the way the kingdom of God overturns the power structures and patterns of worldly powers. In order for that to happen, Israel says, we need to decolonise the way we view Christian mission with Jesus as our guide. Enjoy!
SHOWNOTES:
Israel’s essay, ‘Why Did Jesus Speak Aramaic?’: https://bit.ly/3SIUaE9 
Israel’s Books: https://bit.ly/4l6kUuu
Israel’s Blog: https://israelolofinjana.wordpress.com/ 
 

Crystal Downing - The Wages of Cinema

Crystal Downing is our guest on this episode of TheoDisc, and her latest book, The Wages of Cinema, speaks to the connection between film and faith, but not in the way you might expect. Plenty of authors have tried to extract moral or spiritual lessons from the narrative of a film, but Crystal challenges us to pay attention to the details, the structure, the way films are constructed that might give us theological insight. Connecting the language and history of film with theology, church, work, and the riches of Christian symbolism, Crystal challenges us to move beyond film as entertainment towards film as a powerful force that reveals truth, goodness and beauty.
Find Crystal’s books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Crystal-L.-Downing/author/B078WL2GWL