Context Matters

In part 1 of our conversation on the book of Esther, Dr. Ericka Dunbar introduces us to contextual influences in her life that changed how she read the book of Esther. Far from a story about queens and beauty pageants, Dr. Dunbar highlights the problematic issues around gender, ethnicity, violence, and sexualized abuse that are in the text that we cannot ignore.Read more about Dr. Dunbar HERERead more about her book Trafficking HadassahContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!  

Dr. Nadya Williams is a Classics Historian who brings her knowledge of the culture and writings generated in the Greco-Roman world to bear on the early church. This is Part 2 of our conversation regarding her book Cultural Christians in the Early Church. Dr. Williams discusses popular, best-selling Roman literature and how that illuminates how radical the teachings of Jesus are and how challenging living counter-culturally was for the early church. While we explore the earliest church, the persecuted church, and the connected-to-empire church, we hear echoes of all of these cultural movements in the modern church. Explore the book Cultural Christians in the Early ChurchRead other articles by Dr. Nadya Williams HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

Dr. Nadya Williams is a Classics Historian who brings her knowledge of the culture and writings generated in the Greco-Roman world to bear on the early church. While modern people in their struggle against institutionalized church tend to look back at the earliest Christians as those who wear halos, Dr. Williams says, "Not so fast." In this conversation, Dr. Williams introduces us to her own multi-country, multi-lingual, and multi-faith context growing up and how that shaped her view of God today. Then we dive into the types of Greco-Roman cultural norms that proved challenging for the earliest Christians to shed. Explore the book Cultural Christians in the Early ChurchRead other articles by Dr. Nadya Williams HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!  

Part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Myrto Theocharous takes us into new perspectives on Deuteronomy. How do we think about Imago Dei, not in the faces of those around us, but reflected in our own actions? What does the book say about becoming complacent in a good economy? What responsibility do we have for communal care? Find out more about Dr. Theocharous HEREFind out about New ZoiContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

In part 1 of our conversation, Dr. Myrto Theocharous explains her love for connecting Deuteronomy’s theology with the practical actions in the world. There is so much this book still has to teach us!Find out more about Dr. Theocharous HEREFind out about New ZoiContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser describes her journey as a church leader transforming small discipleship group into multiple communities. How did they do it? They focused on intentional discipleship, community engagement, and the markers of mature disciples. How can these practices be adopted by other churches?Find out more about the book here: www.centeringdiscipleship.comExplore the 4-week online training program for Centering Discipleship HEREFollow Dr. Strawser on Instagram: @ekstrawser Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

Rev. Dr. Eun Strawser joins us to talk about what it means for churches to think about discipleship. What is it? How do you do it? Can you design a church structure around discipleship? Dr. Strawser was faced with all of these questions when she started a new church plant. After some experimentation, she discovered that when  discipleship becomes central to your leadership and community, then discipleship becomes central to congregational mission and cultural renewal.Find out more about the book here: www.centeringdiscipleship.comExplore the 4-week online training program for Centering Discipleship HEREFollow Dr. Strawser on Instagram: @ekstrawser Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!  

What does the book of Revelation have to say to the modern church? In Part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Scot McKnight, we examine the visual propaganda machine of the Roman empire and how the author of Revelation makes great use of those images to mock the arrogance of Rome. But this is also a book about becoming dissident disciples. When we read this book as a letter to the churches who were dangerously close to allowing the "Babylon Creep" into the church, we hear a strong warning to the Western Church. Find out more about Dr. McKnight HERESubscribe to his Substack HEREFollow him on X [Twitter] https://twitter.com/scotmcknightContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

Dr. Scot McKnight recently published a book called Revelation for the Rest of Us. But it is the subtitle that is intriguing: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple.  Dissident disciples? The book of Revelation? Politics and theology coming together in one episode? In part 1 of our conversation we learn about why Dr. McKnight felt like he needed to write this particular book in this time in history. And he throws in an amazing comment about the author, John, when describing how many allusions he makes to Old Testament imagery: "[John's] soul inebriated with Scripture that he can't speak without describing things in biblical ways."Find out more about Dr. McKnight HERESubscribe to his Substack HEREFollow him on X [Twitter] https://twitter.com/scotmcknightContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

This is Part 2 of the conversation with Dr. Michael Rhodes. He is a professor in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in Aukland, New Zealand, and we are discussing his book Just Discipleship. If we are to people concerned about Justice and concerned about BECOMING people of justice, what does that say about the topic of reparations? Can the biblical concept of Jubilee shed light on how modern countries can name and identify the sins of the previous generation, and where appropriate, identify your continuity with them? We even get to talk about the relevance of some very random laws in the Old Testament! We conclude talking about what happens to the application of these laws about justice when you are living within someone else's kingdom? Find more information on his other books: Formative Feasting and Practicing the King's Economy. Discover his book Just Discipleship  HERE.  Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

Is it possible that Western Christianity and modern American life is shaping us to become people who are NOT good at doing justice, and loving mercy, and showing kindness? We know of such concepts but do we embody such concepts in the world around us? This week kicks off a several week conversation with scholars about different aspects of discipleship. We start today with a fellow Old Testament scholar, Dr. Michael Rhodes. He is a professor in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College in Aukland, New Zealand. He is the author of Formative Feasting and Practicing the King's Economy. We start with the impetus for his new book Just Discipleship, which you can find HERE.  What is biblical justice? Is it different from other forms of justice? Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

This is Part 2 of a conversation with Rev. Dr. Helen Paynter about her new book titled: Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. Today we discuss what to do when it seems like God is calling his people to violence, or what happens when the Israelites are violent with one another. How does the Bible give voice to those who suffer from violent attacks? And for those who study violence, where do they find a type of hope that can sustain them and their work?Find out more about Dr. Paynter HERESome of the resources and links mentioned on this episode:https://www.facebook.com/CSBVBristolBaptistCollege/Twitter @CSBibleViolenceYoutube https://www.youtube.com/@CSBibleViolencehttps://www.amazon.com/Bible-Doesnt-Tell-Me-So/dp/0857469894https://www.amazon.com/Cursing-God-Imprecatory-Psalms-Christian/dp/1481316362https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Brutal-Barbaric-Wrestling-Troubling/dp/0830852492Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

We are in a time of global conflict and violence, and so this is a great time to pay careful attention  the newest book released by Rev. Dr. Helen Paynter called Blessed are the Peacemakers: A Biblical Theology of Human Violence. Today we talk about why Dr. Paynter ended up studying a biblical view of violence and what her Center for Study of Bible and Violence is all about.Find out more about Dr. Paynter HERESome of the resources and links mentioned on this episode:https://www.facebook.com/CSBVBristolBaptistCollege/Twitter @CSBibleViolenceYoutube https://www.youtube.com/@CSBibleViolencehttps://www.amazon.com/Bible-Doesnt-Tell-Me-So/dp/0857469894https://www.amazon.com/Cursing-God-Imprecatory-Psalms-Christian/dp/1481316362https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Brutal-Barbaric-Wrestling-Troubling/dp/0830852492Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

This is Part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Jennifer Holberg about her recently released called Nourishing Narratives. Dr. Holberg is a Professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and co-director of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. Today we talk about how to imagine the real humanness of people in the biblical text and how that shapes our theology.Discover more about Dr. Holberg HEREFind her book Nourishing Narratives HERERead about the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing HEREWatch a trailer for the film "They Shall Not Grow Old" HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

Dr. Jennifer Holberg recently released a book that talks about the power of story to shape our faith. Dr. Holberg is a Professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and co-director of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing. This week we talk about how important context is for understanding people and story. Then we talk about how people not only gravitate towards narratives, but they are shaped by narratives. And what does that mean when we talk about faith?Discover more about Dr. Holberg HEREFind her book Nourishing Narratives HERERead about the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

How does medieval history teach us more about Christianity? We get a glimpse into the past with in this week's episode with Dr. Grace Hamman. Dr. Hamman is a medievalist who specializes in Middle English. She has a new book called Jesus Through Medieval Eyes. She also hosts a podcast called Old Books with Grace. We have hosted a couple of episodes around the context of the split between the Eastern and Western Churches, but this week we get to talk about how the context of the western, European church influenced how the church talked about Jesus. Click here for more information about all the ways to know about Dr. Grace Hamman's workClick here to sign up for Grace’s monthly newsletter, Medievalish.Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

This is part 2 of a conversation with Dr. Gordon McConville who is Professor Emeritus at the University of Gloucestershire. We are discussing his book The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 for the Life of the Church. In this episode we explore the context and impact of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53. What is unique about the suffering? What is the role of the servant? And how did New Testament writers use Isaiah to help them understand who Jesus was?Find his book The Suffering Servant HEREFind his commentary on Isaiah HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

Gordon McConville grew up in Northern Ireland, and studied Modern Languages at Cambridge and Theology in Edinburgh, before doing a PhD in Old Testament with Prof Gordon Wenham at Queen's University, He has taught at Trinity College, Bristol and Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and is now Professor Emeritus at the University of Gloucestershire.Find his book The Suffering Servant HEREFind his commentary on Isaiah HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team! 

We are taking advantage of the end of the year to take a reflective look back on where we have been in 2023. There are so many amazing guests that sat with us around the podcast table. We took a fresh look at books of the Bible we rarely hear sermons on, and we had a masterclass on how to interpret the Bible contextually. Each guest brought a nuanced view of scripture, and helped us think about how valuable it is to read the Bible with people who have diverse perspectives. What a gift it is to be in conversation with so many people. Let me know which episodes are on YOUR list! You will find links to the full episodes here.Dr. Carol Kaminski: Gems in GenealogyDr. Kay Higher Smith and Dr. Alice Yafey-Deigh: Reading the Bible Around the WorldDr. Lewis Brogdon: Philemon Part 1 and Part 2Kevin Kim and Sang Tian from Basil Tech: Studying the Bible with Technology and don't forget to look at Bible Dojo!Rev. Jacob Breeze and Reading with the Spiritually Wounded Part 1 and Part 2Contact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!

Why is this concept of Being God’s Image a challenging concept to wholeheartedly believe not only about yourself but also other people. This is not really the messaging from society, right? But can you imagine if the modern church REALLY lived into this? How would this transform how we treated others, how we understand God, and what we think about beauty? Dr. Carmen Imes takes us through some significant themes of identity from her newest book. Find Dr. Imes book here: https://www.ivpress.com/being-god-s-image Find out more about Dr. Imes here: https://www.biola.edu/directory/people/carmen-imesContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Learn more about me and sign up for upcoming tours of Israel/Palestine.Join Cyndi Parker's  Patreon Team!