Doth Protest

’Real Liberal Theology’: A Discussion with Roger E. Olson

What is 'liberal theology'? Is it an umbrella term? Is it something that denotes something specific? It is certainly a "charged" term that elicits different responses amongst Christian theologians and scholars.
Dr. Roger E. Olson joins Rev. Andrew on this podcast to discuss what he terms as 'real' liberal theology, or, the Liberal Theological Tradition, as it developed historically, along with its implications and problems.
Dr. Olson is the author of many books theology and church history, some of which include the recent title The Journey of Modern Theology: From Reconstruction to Deconstruction published by InterVarsity in 2013, God in Dispute: “Conversations” among Great Christian Thinkers from the Early Church into the 21st Century published by Baker Academic in 2009, and Finding God in the Shack published by InterVarsity Press in 2009. Dr. Olson has written and contributed articles for such publications as Christianity Today, Scottish Journal of Theology, Books & Culture, Christian Century, and Christian Scholar’s Review. He also hosts a blog “My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings” at the website Patheos where he regularly writes, and we highly encourage our listeners to check out his blog at:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/

The Gospels are Faith and History: A Discussion with Michael B. Metts

Michael Metts is a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen specializing in historical Jesus studies.  He is joining us today on Doth Protest Too Much to discuss the history of the historical-Jesus studies and help break down the methodologies involved with how scholars of the past three centuries have tried to study Jesus of Nazareth in his historical context and who Jesus was as a historical person.  We spend some time discussing the three 'quests' of the historical-Jesus as well as Metts' own research on the second or 'New Quest' in his essay featured in a recently published book Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History  (Zondervan Academic, 2019)I highly recommend checking out this book featuring Metts and several other New Testament scholars. Here is a link to purchase this book (paperback and e-book editions available): https://www.zondervan.com/9780310534761/jesus-skepticism-and-the-problem-of-history/*The biography of Luther that I mentioned by Heinrich Bornkamm (church historian), the brother of Gunther Bornkamm (a New Quest historical-Jesus scholar) can be accessed and read for free (with subscription) here: https://archive.org/details/lutherinmidcaree0000born/page/152/mode/2up*This is a link to the book by Martin Kahler that critiqued the early quest for the Historical-Jesus which we mentioned but didn’t have time to get into:https://www.amazon.com/So-Called-Historical-Historic-Biblical-Fortress/dp/0800632060

A Prayer Complete: An Appreciation of Billy Graham

Everyone knows the name Billy Graham, but we gain some great insights into facets of life and faith by being more familiar with his story. At least that is how Stephen and I felt after reading more about him. Stephen Burnett joins us again for an absolutely fantastic discussion on Doth Protest Too Much.Episode shownotes:The title of this episode is actually taken not from Graham but from the words of the Rt. Rev. Phillips Brooks in a quote found at this link: https://gracequotes.org/quote/every-true-prayer-has-its-background-and-its-foreground-the-foreground-of-prayer-is-the-intense-immediate-desire-for-a-certain-blessing-which-seems-to-be-absolutely-necessary-for-the-soul-to-have-t/Larry King's full interview of New Year's interview of Billy Graham (12/31/1999) that Andrew references can be found at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTnLk6-QhgIStephen and Andrew make references to the following books in this episode:*Billy Graham. Just As I  Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham. Harper One, 2011. *Greg Laurie. Billy Graham: The Man I Knew. Salem Books, 2021. Podcast shirts are for sale athttps://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/23843715-doth-protest-too-much-t-shirt?store_id=854252Money made from sales by Doth Protest Too Much will be donated to the Institute of Lutheran Theology for their continued mission and formation of pastors and scholars.

The Ripple Effect of History: Leonidas Polk and the Episcopal Church (with Cheryl White)

Louisiana historian Dr. Cheryl White joins the podcast in this episode to discuss the 19th-century Episcopal missionary bishop Leonidas Polk and the Episcopal Church during the Civil War. We also scratch the surface of some of Dr. White's other research interests (the shroud of Turin and the Yellow Fever epidemics of Louisiana).Dr. Cheryl White is a Professor of History at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. Her research interests include local/regional history, Christian Church history, Tudor England, Late Medieval Europe, and Folklore. She is the author or co-author of several books including Historic Haunts of Shreveport, Wicked Shreveport, A Haunting Past: Essays on Folklore of Louisiana Antebellum Plantations, and Confederate General Leonidas Polk: Louisiana’s Fighting Bishop published in 2013 (which we discuss as Polk is the main topic of today’s conversation). If you are interested in further reading of this book, copies can be purchased at this linked: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781609497378 Episode shownotes:*The book on the shroud that Andrew mentions is The Shroud: Fresh Light on the 2000-Year-Old Mystery by Ian Wilson (Bantam Books, 2010). It is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003D87PS6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1*The book mentioned that is by Bishop Charles McIlvaine that is his rebuttal of the Oxford Movement from his evangelical perspective is Oxford Divinity Compared with that of  the Romish and Anglican Churches. A full digitized copy be accessed (for free) at this link: https://archive.org/details/a591301900mciluoft/mode/2up*The upcoming book we mentioned from Dr. White that she co-authors with Ryan Smith and Fr. Peter Mangum on the Roman Catholic priests who lost their lives in the Yellow Fever epidemic in Shreveport is titled The Surest Path to Heaven: Shreveport Martyrs of 1873.

No God ”behind the back” of Jesus Christ: Stephen Morrison on T.F. Torrance

Delightful episode and discussion with Stephen D. Morrison, author of the Plain English series where he brings the thought of famous theologians to beginning readers of theology. On this episode, we discuss the theological legacy of T.F. Torrance, his engagement with science, his Christ-centeredness, and his pastoral answer to the "burning question" (tune in to hear what this is).Stephen Morrison is the author of thirteen books on theology, fiction, and literary criticism. He describes himself as a "life-long student" with "no fixed allegiances". You can check out more of his work at www.sdmorrison.org
Episode shownotes:We referenced a quote in this episode from page 50 of Alexandra Radcliff's book The Claim of Humanity in Christ: Salvation and Sanctification in the Theology of T.F. and J.B. Torrance, (Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2016).
The books that host Andrew refers people to for further reading on atonement theologies are:
*Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge (William B. Eerdman's Publish, 2015)
*Atonement and the Death of Christ: An Exegetical, Historical, and Philosophical Exploration by William Lane Craig (Baylor University Press, 2020)

A Ladder, Not a Stool: A Conversation on Richard Hooker

Rev. Sean Duncan joins us on this episode to discuss the great Elizabethan theologian Richard Hooker. Sean serves as the rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall, TX. He is passionate about Christian education and is enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He believes in staying true to Anglicanism while adapting to the methods of the future. Join Sean and Andrew as they discuss an important and defining era of Anglican history, and why not only every Episcopalian/Anglican but every Christian should read some Richard Hooker.Episode shownotes:The book we reference and encourage you to read that Sean is a co-editor of and that brings Richard Hooker's classic works into modern and accessible English is The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity: Volume 1 in Modern English from the Davenant Press, 2019. Available for purchase at this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PPB46BJ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1*Also, the mentions of Richard Hooker by Russel Kirk and Gary Dorrien are as follows:“Hooker’s fundamental aim, to defend the Elizabethan settlement, was deeply conservative, as was his theology… Yet his commitment to the authority of reason and his ecumenical ecclesiology planted the seeds of Anglican Latitudinarianism and Broad Church Liberalism.”- Gary Dorrien from Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit: The Idealistic Logic of Modern Theology (Wiley Blackwell & Sons, 2012) p. 109 “In Richard Hooker one discovers profound conservative observations which Burke inherited with his Anglicanism and which Hooker drew in part from the Schoolmen and their authorities…” – Russel Kirk from The Conservative Mind  (Stellar Classics, e-book edition) location 218

Perfect Expression of the Divine Light: Kantian philosophy and Schleiermacher w/ Dr. Jaqueline Mariña

Jacqueline Mariña is one of our current day's leading experts on the 19th-century theological giant Friedrich Schleiermacher. Her areas of expertise include Schleiermacher, Philosophy of Religion, and also the work of Immanuel Kant.  Join us for some discussion on Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Schleiermacher in this episode and their influence on philosophy and theology.  I am honored to have such an accomplished scholar on the show.  A link to various articles authored by of Dr. Mariña over the years:  https://purdue.academia.edu/JacquelineMarinaFor a copy of her book Transformation of the Self in the Thought of Schleiermacher (Oxford University Press, 2008) visit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PIIX5A/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Lady Jane Grey: an Interview with Dr. John Stephan Edwards

This is a re-upload of our recent episode with Dr. Edwards. We had some audio issues with the episode. We were able to slightly improve it through an editing software a friend recommended. I will leave both versions of the episode up.Description of the episode: Whether portrayed as a martyr for the Protestant faith or as a paragon of Victorian virtue, the story of Lady Jane Grey, or Queen Jane, has fascinated the popular imagination for over five centuries. Dr. J. Stephan Edwards joins me on this episode of the podcast to discuss where history ends and where myth begins, and vice versa, in regard to Jane's life and history.Jane's story, against the backdrop of Tudor England and the tumultuous time between religious parties, continues to fascinate many though actual scholarship on her is few and far in between. I am honored to have had Dr. Edwards on here to discuss his work and research over the years, and to bring a more scholarly angle to the treatment of Jane's story. Dr. Edwards is the host of somegreymatter.com and is the author of the books A Queen of a New Invention: Portraits of Lady Jane Grey Dudley, England's Nine Days Queen and Lady Jane Grey's Prayer Book: British Library Harley Manuscript 2342 both from Old John Publishing. He was the consultant on the recent three-part docu-drama series England's Forgotten Queen: the Life and Death of Lady Jane Grey which we discuss parts of in the podcast.

What Does It Matter? Christ is Preached: Andrew & Stephen discuss Aimee McPherson

There was not much of an agenda to this episode, but our exploration brought many deep insights into the nature of ministry, morality, our fallible human nature, terrible foods, ancient heresies, and more. Stephen Burnett joins us again for a great discussion on the life and ministry of Aimee Semple McPherson in the 1920's, 30's and 40's, as well as our thoughts on the 2019 film Sister Aimee. The book Rev. Andrew continually recommended in the episode is Sister Aimee by Daniel Mark Epstein (not really the basis for the 2019 film of the same name- though it was on the same person of course).Also, we mention a favorite movie of Rev. Andrew’s Take the Money and Run (an early Woody Allen film)

Taste and See That the Lord is Good (with James Arcadi)

What are the metaphysical and spiritual realities going on when we receive the Communion? Dr. James Arcadi joins us to discuss the English Reformer and father of Anglican liturgy Thomas Cranmer, Cranmer's theology of the Holy Eucharist, and the spectrum of beliefs on the Eucharist across Christianity. Dr. Arcadi is the Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of the book An Incarnational Model of the Eucharist (Cambridge University Press, 2018). In this episode, we discuss content from Dr. Arcadi's  articles “Discerning the Body of Christ: a Retrieval of Thomas Cranmer’s Eucharistic Theology by Way of the Spiritual Senses” from the Journal of Anglican Studies and "Recent Philosophical Work on the Doctrine of the Eucharist" from Philosophy Compass.