Norman Wirzba on The Agrarian Spirit

Dr. Norman Wirzba is Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke University.  He has authored such books as "Agrarian Spirit", "This Sacred Life", and "Food and Faith".  

His research and teaching interests are at the intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. Raised on a farm in Southern Alberta, Norman went on to study history at the University of Lethbridge, theology at Yale University Divinity School, and philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.

Since then he has taught at Saint Thomas More College/University of Saskatchewan, Georgetown College (KY), and Duke University Divinity School.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove on the Poor People's Campaign

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a leader in the Red Letter Christian movement and the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.  With the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, he co-authored “The Third Reconstruction: Moral Mondays, Fusion Politics, and he Rise of a New Justice Movement.”

Jonathan is a pastor, author, speaker, and a leader in the movement seeking to create small intentional communities where “surprising friendships” are possible. 

Brian McLaren: "Do I Stay Christian? A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed and the Disillusioned"

Brian McLaren joins Andrew and Pastor Katie to talk about his book “Do I Stay Christian?” In it, Brian offers two valid responses, “No” and “Yes.” His work is not to convince people to leave or remain, but to shift to a framework that enables people to be deeply human. The third section of the book is entitled, “How,” which covers this most vital work.

Brian McLaren is a pastor, public theologian, popular speaker, and prolific author. He is a faculty member of The Living School and podcaster with Learning How to See, which are part of the Center for Action and Contemplation (with Richard Rohr).

We are humbled and honored that Brian spent some time with us discussing his latest book.

Wes Howard-Brook on Reading John

Wes Howard-Brook is a retired instructor of New Testament at Seattle University. He is an author of several books, including Come Out My People, John’s Gospel & The Renewal of the Church, and his most recent book Empire Baptized: How the Church Embraced What Jesus Rejected (2nd - 5th centuries). He co-leads Abide with Me with his life partner Sue Ferguson Johnson. They have led a weekly Bible study for 11 years. 

We invited Wes on the podcast as a follow up to our previous talk with Amy-Jill Levine, who encourages Christians to stop using the Passion of John as part of the Good Friday liturgy and who discourages Christians from using “Judeans” instead of “the Jews” in trying to correct antisemitisim in the text. Wes is a proponent of using “Judeans.” Since these two scholars both grapple with antisemitism within Christianity but come to different conclusions, we decided to host both conversations.

This is a difficult topic - Christians addressing antisemitism in tradition, teaching, and text. Scholars will not agree on how to accomplish this, but pastors and Christians in the pews all need to take the necessary time to think about the language we use and consider how it has been utilized to harm people through history and how antisemitism continues to worm its way into language, thinking, and practice. To be good Christians we cannot rest on denigrating other people and their identities. 

Janet Wolf on Prisons, the Gospel, and Non-Violent Organizing

The Rev. Dr. Janet Wolf has worked as a poverty rights organizer; United Methodist pastor with urban and rural congregations; college and seminary professor; learner, teacher, and animator with think tanks inside prisons.

She recently retired from the Children’s Defense Fund where she was focused on public theology, transformative justice, and nonviolent direct action organizing to disrupt and dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline through leadership by and partnership with those who are now or have been caged. 

She is the Dean of CDF’s Proctor Institute’s Dale P. Andrews Freedom Seminary. Her recent book is Practicing Resurrection: The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship.

Thanks to Janet Wolf for all of her great work and the wisdom she shares with us in this conversation. Here are some key links from our conversation.

Breaking the Silence:  kingandbreakingsilence.org/

National Council of Elders:  nationalcouncilofelders.org/

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program:  insideoutcenter.org/

Amy-Jill Levine on John's Passion and Antisemitism

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M Kessler distinguished professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.

She is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita,  Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, and Professor of New Testament Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University.

Professor Levine has been awarded grants from the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies. In Spring 2019 she was the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute; in 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies.  She served as Alexander Robertson Fellow (University of Glasgow), and the Catholic Biblical Association Scholar to the Philippines. She has given over 500 lectures on the Bible, Christian-Jewish relations, and Religion, Gender, and Sexuality across the globe.

Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus; Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi;  The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us (with Douglas Knight; The New Testament, Methods and Meanings (with Warren Carter); and The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III; the first full-length biblical commentary co-authored by a Jew and an Evangelical). Her most recent book is The Bible With and Without Jesus, co-authored with Marc Z. Brettler

Her children’s books (with Sandy Sasso) include Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins and 2 Sons;  The Marvelous Mustard Seed; Who Is My Neighbor?, A Very Big Problem, and 100 Sheep: A Counting Parable.

With Marc Brettler, she co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament; she is also the editor of the 13-volume Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings, and The Historical Jesus in Context. Presently she is editing several volumes in the Wisdom Commentary series, and she is the New Testament editor of the new Oxford Biblical Commentary Series. With Joseph Sievers, she is co-editing a collection of essays on the Pharisees.

Her adult education volumes and videos include the Teaching Company Great Lectures: “Introduction to the Old Testament,” “Great Figures of the Old Testament,” and “Great Figures of the New Testament”; Abingdon adult education: Short Stories by Jesus Study Guide;  Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week; Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent; Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven; The Kingdom of Heaven: 40 Devotionals; and The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to HIs Most Perplexing Sayings.

These are not easy conversations but it's essential that we have them.  Thanks to AJ Levine for being our guest once again!

The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney on Faithful Biblical Translations, Advent, and More

Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney spoke with Andrew, Pastor Katie, and guest conversationalist Rev. Shalom Agtarap about womanist biblical scholarship, the ethics of and intentionality in translating the Bible, and how we might approach Advent in thoughtful ways mindful of how language continues to marginalize and oppress as well as liberate and lift up. Should we continue to use the word “slave” when translating the Bible? How do we listen to characters we often ignore or diminish when we hear scripture? What voices have been left out or are read out when using all encompassing group terms? Dr. Gafney challenges us to treat scripture with the seriousness with which a document around which we organize our life should be treated. We hope you find this conversation as helpful and hopeful as we did.

We encourage you to pick up her books, especially Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and to the Throne and her newest book A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church.

New to Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney’s work? Here is a bio from her website: Womanist biblical scholar, the Rev. Wil Gafney, Ph.D. is the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to Women of the Torah and of the Throne, a commentary on Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah in the Wisdom series; Daughters of Miriam: Women Prophets in Ancient Israel; and co-editor of The Peoples’ Bible and The Peoples’ Companion to the Bible. She is the author of a Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church and translator of its biblical selections; the first two volumes, Year A and W (a stand alone volume) were published in August. Volumes B and C are due in 2023 and 2024. She is currently writing a second volume of Womanist Midrash focusing on women in the Prophets. She is an Episcopal priest canonically resident in the Diocese of Pennsylvania and licensed in the Diocese of North Texas, and a former Army chaplain and congregational pastor in the AME Zion Church. A former member of the Dorshei Derekh Reconstructionist Minyan of the Germantown Jewish Center in Philadelphia, she has co-taught courses with and for the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Seminary in Wyncote, PA.

Kristin Kobes Du Mez - Jesus and John Wayne

Kristin Kobes Du Mez is a New York Times bestselling author and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics.  Her most recent book is Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.

A much-needed reexamination, Jesus and John Wayne explains why evangelicals have rallied behind the least-Christian president in American history and how they have transformed their faith in the process, with enduring consequences for all of us.

Angela Parker - If God Still Breathes, Why Can't I?

Our guest today is the Rev. Dr. Angela N Parker who is a Womanist New Testament Scholar. She is assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Georgia.

Her most recent book is “If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I? Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority,” which came out last month.

Jack Munayer - Non-Violent Resistant and Life as a Palestinian Christian

Jack Munayer was born and raised in Jerusalem to a British mother and Palestinian Christian-citizen of Israel father. Jack completed his BA in Sociology and Criminology from the University of York and an MA in Human Rights and Transitional Justice from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 

Jack currently manages the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI). Jack has also been active in many bridge-building initiatives (the Jerusalem-Belfast Forum) and advocacy groups like Christ at the Checkpoint.

Big thanks to Jack for being on The Well QA!  

Check out the "Statement of Repentance and Hope" by Palestinian Christians which we discuss in the episode.

Marcie Lenk and Mohammad Darawshe - Peacemaking in Israel and Palestine

This is the first of a series of conversations about Israel and Palestine on The Well QA Podcast.  On this episode we talk with Marcie Lenk and Mohammad Darawshe about the recent violence and their hopes for future peace.

Marcie Lenk is the former Director of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Christian leadership programs.  Marcie has taught Early Christianity, Hebrew Bible, and Rabbinic Literature at institutions such as Boston University and City College of New York, as well as at Jewish and Christian seminaries in Israel and the United States.  In addition to teaching, she organizes programs for Christian academics, church leaders, and theology students to give them access to the different Jewish traditions and views of modern Israel.

Mohammad Darawshe is a Shalom Hartman Institute faculty member and Director of Planning, Equality and Shared Society at Givat Haviva Educational Center.  He was the recipient ot the Peacemakers Award from the Catholic Theological Union, and the Peace and Security Award of the World Association of NGO’s, and was Leadership Fellow at the New Israel Fund.

It's amazing to hear Mohammad and Marcie work together in the midst of very real struggle.  Thank you to both of them for being on The Well QA Podcast!

Charles Lattimore Howard - A Theopoetic of the Streets

The Rev. Dr. Charles L. Howard is called to work for a communal increase in joy, peace, justice, and love.  Dr. Howard serves as the University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater.  

He has served as a chaplain in hospice and hospitals, and as a street outreach worker to individuals experiencing homelessness.  

He has authored and edited several books, including The Souls of Poor Folk, which explored new ways of considering homelessness and poverty, The Awe and The Awful, a poetry collection and Lenten Devotional, Black Theology as Mass Movement, a call to theologians to expand the reach of their theological work, and Pond River Ocean Rain, a small book about going deeper with a big God. 

As a teacher, he has taught in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the Graduate School of Education at Penn, as well as at The Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia.

Katie and I talk with Dr. Howard, or Chaz, about his new book "The Bottom: A Theopoetic of the Streets".  We also get into theology within music, Spike Lee's films, and even the Philadelphia 76'ers!  Let's get that talk started.

Find out more about his work at: 

www.charleslattimorehoward.com

Walter Brueggemann (from 2015) - Sabbath Justice Beyond Pharaoh

Here is a wonderful talk from gatherings in person from a few years ago.  This was presented jointly by The Well and Saint Mark's Cathedral.  Here is Walter Brueggemann on "Sabbath Justice Beyond Pharaoh" from the Spring of 2015.

Famous for his books The Prophetic Imagination and Message of the Psalms.  Here he explores the call for liberation for the Hebrew people from Pharoah's slavery. Brueggemann uses these stories to remind us of calls to justice and equity today.

S2 Ep3 Aneelah Afzali on Interfaith Movements for Justice and Muslim Empowerment

Aneelah Afzali is Executive Director of MAPS-AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network).  She is also a Board Member of Faith Action Network, Washington For Black Lives, and Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network. 

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Aneelah left her legal career in 2013 to serve as a community activist and interfaith leader.  Since then, she has worked on building bridges of understanding and unity to advocate for justice together. 

Aneelah was named one of the Most Influential People by Seattle Magazine in 2017.  She also received the Humanitarian Leadership Award from IRC, American Muslim of the Year from CAIR, and Rising Brand Star from Adweek in 2018.  

We talk about the issues we are facing as we work for justice and equity through intersectional and interfaith relationships.

• MAPS/AMEN

• WA for Black Lives

• Faith Action Network

• Facts Over Fear

• Faith Over Fear

S2 E2 What's Up with United Methodism

The United Methodist Church, a global denomination with around 12 million members, is facing an uncertain future after two delayed meetings leaving the church unclear on whether and how the denomination will split and reorganize. In the meantime, LGBTQIA+ UMC members and those yearning for a decolonized and anti-racist denomination struggle to trust an organization that has fallen far short in creating a radical vision of God’s beloved community. This podcast talks about how the nation's second largest Protestant denomination has reached this point and what is at stake. This talk follows on the heels our the talk on Christian Nationalism with Katherine Stewart, and they are, sadly, related. We point you to that conversation as well.

Andrew and Pastor Katie welcome the Rev. Dr. Izzy Alvaran and the Rev. Jeremy Smith for this conversation. Rev. Dr. Alvaran is an out gay ordained Elder from the Philippines who works for the Reconciling Ministries Network and is a proponent of the Christmas Covenant. Rev. Smith is the pastor of Seattle First United Methodist Church, serves on the board for the General Commission or Archives and History and runs www.HackingChristianity.net, a blog about technology, faith, and the church.

• Hacking Christianity covers the ongoing issues within the denomination and detail.

• Christmas Covenant lays out one plan for a regional reorganization of the denomination.

• Liberation Methodist Connexion is working for a new progressive denomination.

• Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace Through Separation (“the Protocol”) is a proposal for schism.

• Alaska Omnibus Proposal attempts to combine the Christmas Covenant, Wespath Provisions, and the Protocol.

• Information from Wespath can be found here.

• The Global Methodist Church is the church being formed by the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a conservative movement.

S2 Ep 1 Katherine Stewart on The Power Worshippers: The Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

Katherine Stewart is an investigative reporter and author who has covered religious liberty, politics, policy, and controversies over the separation of church and state for over a decade. Her latest book, The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism, is a rare look inside the machinery of the movement that brought Donald Trump to power, taking readers inside key gatherings and strategy meetings and introducing them to the movement’s most intriguing personalities. Stewart’s journalism appears in the New York Times op ed, NBC, The Washington Post, and The New Republic. The Power Worshippers has received high praise from dozens of publications indulging The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The Boston Globe, and Christian Century…and The Well QA!

S1 Ep 6 Julie Hutson on Advent and Christmas During a Pandemic

Julie Hutson is a ordained in the ELCA and is Director of Contextual and Experiential Formation at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus Ohio. She has 15 years as a parish pastor and cis urrently working on her DMin in Liturgical Studies.

Amy-Jill Levine on "The Bible With and Without Jesus"

Dr. Levine joins Andrew and Pastor Katie to discuss how Jews and Christian can read better understand one another by the ways in which they engage sacred texts. “The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently” was co-authored with Dr. Marc Zvi Brettler of Duke University. She also has another new book called “Sermon on the Mount.” And, she co-authors children’s books with Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso: “Who Is My Neighbor?” “Who Counts,” “A Very Big Problem,” and “The Marvelous Mustard Seed.”

Amy-Jill Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies, and Professor of New Testament Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Graduate Department of Religion, and Department of Jewish Studies; she is also Affiliated Professor, Woolf Institute, Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations, Cambridge UK.

Cornel West - On Fire For Justice

Dr. Cornel West joins us to talk about Christians and Catastrophe, and to give his perspective on a wide range of topics including politics, religion, and music.

Dr. Cornel West holds a joint appointment in the Department of African and African-American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He is one of our nation’s most prominent public intellectuals. He is committed to carrying on the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in telling the truth and bearing witness to love and justice.

Dr. West has written 20 books and edited 13, including the landmark Race Matters, which was reissued with a new forward for its 25th anniversary, Democracy Matters, and his memoir, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud. He appears frequently on television to speak to the events of our day. He also has released spoken word albums and appeared in several movies, He and Dr. Tricia Rose host their own podcast The Tight Rope, where they and their guests dig deeply into current events and pop culture.

Willie J. Jennings Part 2 - The Built Environment, Place, and Yearning for Relationship

In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. Willie Jennings, the conversation moves into a deep dive into our relationship with the earth, the power and meaning of place, how racial inequity is built - literally - into our communities, and what a yearning for real and deep relationship could change everything.

Dr. Willie J. Jennings is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale University. He is the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race and the forthcoming After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging (Theological Education Between the Times).