Crackers And Grape Juice Podcast

Jennifer Rosner joins the podcast to share her latest book, "Finding A Messiah."Jesus was Jewish, and his Jewish identity informed every aspect of his work, words, and witness. He came as the Messiah of Israel, God's covenant people, and he spoke the language of God's faithfulness to this people. So why does it seem that Judaism has little to do with our Christian discipleship today?Jennifer Rosner, a scholar of Jewish-Christian relations, takes us on a personal and corporate journey into the Jewish roots of Christian faith and practice. Understanding Judaism—and the way in which Judaism and Christianity became separate religions—is essential for a rich and holistic Christian identity. As a follower of Jesus who was raised in a Jewish home and who continues to live a Jewish life, Rosner has seen firsthand how a Christian faith can become impoverished when divorced from its Jewish roots. Finding Messiah follows Rosner's own journey in rediscovering the role of Judaism and God's covenant with Israel in Christia

Author and editor Chris Hayes joins the podcast to talk about his latest book, " God and Guns: The Bible Against American Gun Culture."Using the Bible as the foundational source and guide, while also bringing contemporary sociological data to the conversation, seven biblical scholars and theologians construct a powerful dialogue about gun violence in America, concluding that guns are incompatible with the God of Christian Scripture. God and Guns is the first book to argue against gun culture from a biblical studies perspective. Bringing the Bible into conversation with contemporary sociological data, the volume breaks new exegetical and critical ground and lays the foundations for further theological work. The scholars assembled in this volume construct a powerful argument against gun violence, concluding that a self-identity based on guns is incompatible with Christian identity. Drawing on their expertise in the Bible’s ancient origins and modern usage, they present striking new insights involving psychology

Our guest is professor, ghost writer, and author, Tiffany Brooks, who’s written a new book on reconstructing a disillusioned faith. We have a right to encounter God where we are. We have a sacred responsibility to experience God authentically." What happens when the God we’ve been taught to believe in seems powerless to help us in the struggles of life? What do we do when the God we personally encounter no longer resembles the God we’ve been shown in narrow interpretations of the Bible? Many of those raised in the world of fundamentalist Christianity have been manipulated into accepting a false reality that runs counter to lived experience. The result is confusion, isolation, fear, shame, and trauma, often carried throughout one’s entire life. This book is for the victims of this spiritual abuse—anyone looking to reclaim their faith from legalism, nationalism, sexism, anxiety, intolerance, and other mechanisms of control utilized by God’s self-appointed gatekeepers. It’s for anyone who has learned that the re

The one and only Kara Slade will be joining Crackers&Grape Juice for a live pubcast next Wednesday (6/15/22) at 6:30pm in Hampton, VA at the St. George Brewing Company to help kick off Annual Conference. Her book "The Fullness Of Time" is a remarkable witness to the work of Karl Barth for the church today and we can't wait to hear what Kara has to share with us. All are welcome!

Mark Edwards joins the podcast to talk about his new book "Christ Is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers)."Christ Is Time: The Gospel according to Karl Barth (and the Red Hot Chili Peppers) welcomes you to the jungle of Barth's head-banging opus, the Church Dogmatics, with the beats, rhythms, and lyrics of Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Metallica, and more. Based on lectures at Princeton Seminary, Edwards distills Barth's treatment of key questions in philosophical and systematic theology, offering a playlist of greatest hits on trinity, Christology, prayer, and others. With the care of a scholar and the energy of a stack of Peaveys, Christ Is Time testifies that the eternal God "gives it away" as time through Jesus Christ. Let's face it: Karl's style is a bit Beastie. And since Depeche Mode can say it best, this just might be a match made in Nirvana. Go gaga.Mark James Edwards is an adjunct professor at Princeton Theological Seminary and The College of New Jersey; a Lecture

The author of Monsters, Daniel van Voorhis is the host of the Christian History Almanac and a former co-host of the Virtue in the Wasteland podcast and an author and speaker at the 1517 legacy Project. After receiving his PhD in Modern history from the University of St. Andrews, Dr. van Voorhis spent 11 years teaching history and political science at Concordia University, Irvine and was most recently the Assistant Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. van Voorhis has published articles and chapters in books on subjects ranging from the Reformation to Modern American history. He speaks nationally in academic and general conference settings on topics from history, addiction, religion and politics. He has been married to Beth Anne since 2001 and has 2 sons, Coert (2009) and Raymond (2012). He grew up in Irvine and moved back to Orange County in 2006. He is fanatical in his love of the Los Angeles Rams. He realizes that his emotional state in the fall rises and falls with the fortunes of the prodigal team

Our guest this week is Dr. Jeannine Brown who’s got a new commentary out on Paul’s most popular epistle, Philippians! Dr. Brown joins us to talk about Paul, Jesus, and a narrative understanding of the New Testament. Check it out, I think it was a fun conversation. The letter to the Philippians illuminates a warm relationship between the apostle Paul and the Philippian believers. Despite difficult situations being experienced on both sides, Paul finds ample reason to celebrate what God in Christ has done and is doing in the believers' lives. Jeannine K. Brown's commentary on Philippians explores the themes of this epistle and how its message is still relevant to Christians in the twenty-first century. Brown shows how motifs of joy, contentment, and unity abound as Paul reminds the Philippians of the supreme value of knowing Jesus the Messiah, and she highlights their significance for shaping the contemporary church toward living more deeply in its identity in Christ. This Tyndale New Testament commentary exami

Our guest is Jim Belcher, author of the new book Cold Civil War: Overcoming Polarization, Discovering Unity, and Healing the Nation. America's political landscape is experiencing dangerous polarization and fragmentation, with the extremes pulling the country apart.Political philosopher Jim Belcher shows that this is not merely a binary opposition between conservativism on the right and liberalism on the left, but also between conflicting visions of order and freedom on both sides. Through his unique quadrant framework, Belcher traces the people and movements in each position, examines their underlying narratives, and articulates their respective contributions and dangers. This quadrant framework not only reveals how polarization divides us but also shows us how to move beyond the right-left stalemate.At the core of the competing visions are the seeds of a new vital center, a robust and surprising model that has the ability to transcend political tribalism and bring America back together again before it is too

Back on the podcast, Dr. Fred Schmidt is here to talk about doubt, proclamation, and the calling of pastors. Fred is a professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and is the vice-rector at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Nashville, Virginia. Here’s the bit he wrote that we discuss:There you go. A perfect distillation of Boomer-esque spirituality. And a perfect summary of what is wrong with far too much of the modern American church.“I don’t want answers. All that matters are the questions.” (Thank you, C. S. Lewis and the The Great Divorce) A faith with no discovery to share. A spiritual director with no direction. A church without a creed. A proclamation with no reliable hope to offer. Clergy every bit as lost as anyone else.Do people need clergy who are willing to stand with them in the middle of the struggle and confusion? Yes.Do people need spiritual directors who are prepared to ask questions that prompt people to listen, even as they struggle to understand why they have made the ch

For Good Friday, we have for you Jason Micheli’s homilies on the Seven Last Words of Jesus. In them, Jason interprets each of the last words of Christ in light of a key character in the Book of Genesis.

Our mentor and muse, Will Willimon, is back on the podcast. His new book is Listeners Dare. Discipleship and witness are not self-sustainable. Preaching equips God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11).The gospel is news that passes from the lips of one who has heard to the ears of one who has not yet heard, then (God willing) it burrows in the soul, energizing the hands in daring response to a word received. Preaching is instigated by an astounding claim: Good news; God has spoken to us. The Christian life is what you get when ordinary folk respond: I have heard.The book (a companion to Preachers Dare) is for anyone who listens to sermons―which includes preachers, since there’s no way to preach without gaining skills as a listener. Listening is a human skill, but as God’s word is proclaimed, the hearer experiences a vocal mix of preacher, listener, and God.

Back on the podcast for #348 with Jason and Johanna is Fritz Bauerschmidt to talk about preaching, beauty, and making the word visible in the world. His new book is How Beautiful the World Could Be. Frederick (Fritz) Bauerschmidt is professor of theology at Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. His new book is How Beautiful the World Could Be. His other books include The Love That Is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith..

Our guest today is Dr. David F. Ford to talk about his wonderful new book, John: A Theological Commentary. David is an Anglican public theologian. He was the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, beginning in 1991. He is now an Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity. His research interests include political theology, ecumenical theology, Christian theologians and theologies, theology and poetry, the shaping of universities and of the field of theology and religious studies within universities, hermeneutics, and interfaith theology and relations. He is the founding director of the Cambridge Inter-Faith Programme and a co-founder of the Society for Scriptural Reasoning.

Our guest today is Amy Julia Becker, author of the new book, To Be Made Well. From hurting bodies and souls to hurting relationships and communities, it’s clear that things are not as they should be. The gospels brim with stories of Jesus healing people, but what does that mean for us today? In To Be Made Well, author Amy Julia Becker weaves together her own story with reflections on biblical accounts of Jesus’ healing work, providing fresh insight into both the nature of healing and the pathway to healing, then and now. This book is a powerful invitation to personal, spiritual, and social healing as we reconnect to our bodies and souls, to God, and to our communities.For anyone struggling with pain or loss, for anyone concerned about the things that divide us, this book goes beyond wellness and beyond miraculous physical transformations to explore how we can—personally and collectively—be made well.