The Deconstructionists

Theologian and author Greg Boyd joins Adam and John to wade into some hot topics including: The myth of christian nationalism pacifism Doubt/deconstruction Open theism and much more Greg Boyd is an internationally recognized theologian, preacher, teacher, apologist and author. He has been featured on the front page of The New York Times, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN, National Public Radio, the BBC and numerous other television and radio venues. Greg received his Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (summa cum laude 1988), his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School (cum laude 1982), and his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota (1979). He was a professor of theology for 16 years at Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) where he received the Teaching Excellence Award and Campus Leadership Award. Greg is the co-founder of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota where he serves as Senior Pastor, speaking to thousands each week. Greg has authored or co-authored 20 books and numerous academic articles, including his best-selling and award-winning Letters From a Skeptic and his recent books Repenting of Religion and The Myth of a Christian Nation. His apologetic writings and public debates on the historical Jesus and the problem of evil have helped many skeptics embrace faith, and his writings and seminars on spiritual transformation have had a revolutionary, freeing impact on thousands of believers. Greg passionately believes that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive, but that the mind and heart were made for congruity. He boldly defends a Christian faith that embraces science, rejects religion, transcends politics and nationalism, and that calls for a radical, socially engaged form of discipleship defined by the self-sacrificial love of the Cross. Greg and his wife Shelley have been married for 36 years. They have three children and five grandchildren and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. One more thing: in his spare time, Greg plays drums for Not Dead Yet, a Twin Cities cover rock band that donates all of its proceeds to a non-profit organization called Kòt a Kòt (Haitian Creole for “side by side”), a home in Haiti for at-risk girls. Music on this episode provided by Serpent and Dove. If you have connected and benefited from this podcast, please consider making a small donation here https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists

Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with the incredible Rabbi Arthur Green PhD. Rabbi Green is one of the preeminent authorities on Jewish thought and spirituality. He was the founding dean and is currently rector of the Rabbinical School and Irving Burdnick Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Religion at Hebrew College. He is Professor Emeritus at Brandeis University, where he occupied the distinguished Philip W. Lown Professorship of Jewish Thought. He is both a historian of Jewish religion and a theologian; his work seeks to form a bridge between these two distinct fields of endeavor. Educated at Brandeis University and the Jewish Theology Seminary of America, where he received rabbinic ordination, Dr. Green studied with such important teachers as Alexander Altmann, Nahum N. Glatzer, and Abraham Joshua Heschel, of blessed memory. He has taught Jewish mysticism, Hasidism, and theology to several generations of students at the University of Pennsylvania, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (where he served as both Dean and President), Brandeis, and now at Hebrew College. He has taught and lectured widely throughout the Jewish community of North America as well as in Israel, where he visits frequently. He was the founder of Havurat Shalom in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1968 and remains a leading independent figure in the Jewish Renewal movement. (Selected) Published Works: Radical Judaism: Rethinking God and Tradition; Ehyeh: A Kabblah for Tomorrow; See My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology; & Judaism’s Ten Best Ideas: A Brief Guide for Seekers. Guest Website/Social Media: http://artgreen26.com https://soundcloud.com/rabbiartgreen Special guest music on this episode provided by: Wild Earth Facebook: @wildearthmusic Twitter: @wildearthmusic Instagram: @wildearthmusic https://wildearth.bandcamp.com/ Enjoy the songs? The songs featured on this episode were: “Of Peace, Amen, Gardens, & Be Still” from the brand new album “Holy Fools.” Wild Earth’s music is available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere good music is sold! The Deconstructionist’s Podcast is mixed and edited by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information. www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording Donation: If you’re digging what we’re doing here consider making a small donation. Maintaining a podcast isn’t cheap and every dollar donated helps us to keep this thing going. Money donated goes to helping to purchase research materials, maintenance of the website, storage of episodes, etc. Click the link below to donate: https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists Brand new T-Shirts now available! An original design by Joseph Ernst (@joernst1 on Instagram), this limited edition uni-sex t-shirt is soft and durable poly/cotton in charcoal grey with white screen printed graphic. Grab one to support your favorite podcast and remember when you embraced the beauty of your deconstruction. https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists Find us on social media! www.thedeconstructionists.com Twitter: @deconstructcast Facebook: deconstructionistsanonymous Instagram: deconstructionistspodcast

Guest/Bio:

This week we welcome back Dr. Benjamin Laird for the second part of our conversation! Dr. Laird serves as Associate Professor of Biblical Studies. He teaches a variety of courses in New Testament and Greek. He’s previously served in various capacities in the church including pastorates in Virginia and Scotland. His doctoral research examined the formation and circulation of the Pauline letter collection in early Christianity.

In part 2 of our conversation we talk all about the books of the New Testament, their formation, and who wrote them.

Guest (Selected) Works:

40 Questions About the Apostle Paul; Creating the Canon: Composition, Controversy, and the Authority of the New Testament; The Pauline Corpus in Early Christianity: Its Formation, Publication, and Circulation; Five Views on the New Testament Canon.

Guest Links:

X: @BPLAIRD1

Special Theme Music:

Forrest Clay

X: @clay_k

Instagram: @forrestclaymusic

YouTube: www.youtube.com/claykmusic

Enjoy the music?

Songs used on this episode were from the Recover EP

You can find Clay’s music on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, or anywhere good music can be found!

This episode of The Deconstructionists Podcast was edited, mixed, and produced by John Williamson

Stay on top of all the latest at www.thedeconstructionists.com Go there to check out our blog, snag a pint glass, or follow us on social media! We now have a brand new webstore with faster shipping, new products, new designs, and international shipping!

Join our Patreon family here: www.patreon.com/deconstructionsts

Website by Ryan Battles

All photos by Jared Hevron

Logos & Designs are all created by Joseph Ernst, Chad Flannigan, Colin Rigsby, and Jason Turner

Guest Info/Bio: This week we speak with Dr. Richard Beck. Richard Beck is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University. He is the author of Unclean, The Authenticity of Faith, The Slavery of Death, and Reviving Old Scratch. Richard's published research also covers topics as diverse as the psychology of profanity to why Christian bookstore art is so bad. Richard leads a bible study each week for fifty inmates at the maximum security French-Robertson unit, and any given week Richard drives the van, preaches or washes dishes at Freedom Fellowship, a church feeding and reaching out to those on the margins. Finally, on his popular blog Experimental Theology Richard will spend enormous amounts of time writing about the theology of Johnny Cash, the demonology of Scooby-Doo or his latest bible class on monsters. Guest Published Works: Some of Dr. Beck’s recent books: The Authenticity of Faith, The Slavery of Death, Unclean, & Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for Doubters and the Disenchanted. Guest Website/Social Media: www.experimentaltheology.blogspot.com Special guest music on this episode provided by: Milck Enjoy the songs? Songs featured on this episode were: Devil Devil and Take me to church Milck’s music is available on iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, Play Music, SoundCloud & TuneIn. Donation: If you’re digging what we’re doing here consider making a small donation. Maintaining a podcast isn’t cheap and every dollar donated helps us to keep this thing going. Money donated goes to helping to purchase research materials, maintenance of the website, storage of episodes, etc. Click the link below to donate: Https://squareup.com/store/thedeconstructionists The Deconstructionist’s Podcast is mixed and edited by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information. www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording

GUEST INFO/BIO: This week’s guest is the incredible Jonathan Merritt! Jonathan Merritt is an award-winning writer on religion, culture, and politics. He currently serves as a contributing writer for The Atlantic and contributing editor for The Week. Jonathan has published more than 3500 articles in respected outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Buzzfeed, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. As a respected voice, he regularly contributes commentary to television, print, and radio news outlets and has been interviewed by ABC World News, NPR, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, Fox News, and CBS’ “60 Minutes.” Jonathan is author of several critically-acclaimed books, including Learning to Speak God from Scratch, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, and A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. and has collaborated on or ghostwritten more than 50 additional books, with several titles landing on the New York Times, USA Today, or Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists. Additionally, he trains hundreds of young writers through his Write Brilliant course. Named one of “30 young influencers reshaping Christian leadership“ by Outreach Magazine, Jonathan is a sought after speaker at colleges, conferences, and churches. He holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. (SELECT) GUEST PUBLICATIONS: Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars, and Learning to Speak God from Scratch. GUEST LINKS/SOCIAL MEDIA: www.jonathanmerritt.com Twitter: @jonathanmerritt Instagram: @jonathanmerritt Facebook: @jonathanmerritt SPECIAL GUEST MUSIC: Morning Parade Facebook: @morningparade Twitter: @morningparade Enjoy the songs? Songs heard throughout the episode were: “Speechless, Carousel, Us & Ourselves, Headlights” from the album, Morning Parade. “Alienation” from the album, Pure Adulterated Joy. Go forth and find their music on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Pandora, and anywhere good music is found! Stay on top of all the latest at www.thedeconstructionists.com Go there to read our blog, snag a shirt, follow us on social media, or join our Patreon family! The Deconstructionists Podcast is mixed and mastered by Nicholas Rowe at National Audio Preservation Society: A full service recording studio and creative habitat, located in Heath, Ohio. Find them on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website for more information: www.nationalaudiopreservationsociety.weebly.com www.facebook.com/nationalaudiopreservationsociety Twitter: @napsrecording Website by Ryan Battles All photos by Jared Hevron T-shirt designs by Joseph Ernst, Chad Flannigan, Colin Rigsby, and Jason Turner.