TheoDisc Podcast

Hésed - Understanding God’s relation to humanity in the Old Testament
In our quest to understand the old testament scripture, we tend to look for themes around which we can plot the narrative, like tent poles that hold up the biblical story. But what if, instead of hinging our understanding on singular themes, the Old Testament could be understood as emerging from a relational seed from which the story grows and expands? Dr Jennifer Matheny has identified the Hebrew concept of hesed as that seed which enables possibilities in human relationship with God while maintaining the complex and rich nature of the Hebrew Scriptures. Her latest book, Hesed, the Seed of the Biblical Story, is the basis for this episode of TheoDisc. Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES

Get Jennifer’s Book: HERE

Find out more about Jennifer’s work: HERE

Working with God for deeper renewal in your church
Does the Holy Spirit still move in signs and wonders in the church today? If the Spirit does, is it possible for us to hold the tension between responsible exercise of gifts and open-handedness for what the Spirit wants to do, even if that makes us uncomfortable? And where can we look to learn how to participate in this work of the Spirit without hype and with deep pastoral care? Well, one such place is the new book by Paul Harcourt called Spirit Filled Churches, where he lays out a biblical, theological, pastoral, and practical approach to being open to the renewal of the Spirit in our churches for the sake of the mission of the Kingdom of God. We’re going to talk about that renewal in our conversation on this episode of TheoDisc.

SHOW NOTES

Purchase Paul's book, Spirit-Filled Churches HERE

A conversation about Thomas Aquinas and the infused moral virtues
How does the grace of God change a person? And how can we account for the times when grace most definitely has not changed a person? Thomas Aquinas, spoke of virtue, both natural and supernatural, that helped form a Christian’s moral character. In Prof Angela Knobel's book, Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues, she navigates a path to help us understand the relationship between those virtues we can develop in our own right, and those gifted to us by grace, as she aims to help us see the root of the challenges we face in our Christian formation. She joins Kenny on this episode of TheoDisc as they talk about the virtues and Aquinas. Enjoy!

SHOW NOTES

Get Angela’s book: HERE

Listen to Angela lecture on Aquinas and the infused moral virtues: HERE

Why the church needs artists again
Our guest on this episode of TheoDisc, Martin Young, says that the seeds of prophetic re-engagement with the arts are starting to bloom within the church today. In this conversation, Kenny and Martin talked about his theme book for Spring Harvest called No Greater Life, how Mark’s gospel contains enormous dramatic potential, and how creatives can have a place in the church where their giftings contribute to and enhance our kingdom mission. We hope you enjoy this conversation around No Greater Life, the Gospel of Mark, and the prophetic potential of the arts.

SHOW NOTES

Get Martin’s book: HERE

Get the Leader's Toolkit: HERE

Visit Spring Harvest: HERE

Find out more about Saltmine Theatre Company: HERE

Dallas Willard’s Formational Theology and Missional Vision
The late Dallas Willard has had a profound impact on the way many Christians have understood the kingdom of God, discipleship to Jesus, and spiritual formation. His book, The Divine Conspiracy has been deeply revered and discussed ever since its publication. Yet, Dallas’ main concern, that Christians would belong to church communities where they would be taught as apprentices to Jesus, growing in Christlikeness in preparation for sharing in God’s good rule, has not always been fully embraced. Recently, Dallas’ work has increasingly been the subject of academic study, and one such example is the recent publication from Dr Keas Keasler entitled Kingdom Apprenticeship: Dallas Willard’s Formational Theology and Missional Vision. In this study, Keas draws together all of the strands of Willard’s work on formation to present a holistic picture of his vision for Christian discipleship.

SHOW NOTES

Find Keas' book HERE