Holy Writ

In this episode, we turn to Ursula Le Guin's novel *A Wizard of Earthsea.* Reading it alongside Matthew 4 and Genesis 45, we explore how fantasy can sharpen our interpretive imaginations, the scope and significance of Jesus's temptation in the wilderness, and what it means to face—and ultimately integrate—the darkness that bears our own name.

Up Next: *Jayber Crow* by Wendell Berry

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In this episode we discuss Cormac McCarthy’s brutally violent novel *Blood Meridian* with guest Dr. Brian Brock, Chair of Moral and Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Among many other things, we talk about the silence and absence of God, the dark side of Christian traditions and spaces, the interrelationship of violence and deception, and paternalistic forms compassion (touching on 1 Corinthians 1, Ps...

In this episode, we turn to Trenton Lee Stewart's novel *The Mysterious Benedict Society,* a story that follows four gifted children brought together for a secret assignment. Reading it in conversation with Matthew 18 and Proverbs 7–8, we explore the meaning of childlikeness, the relationship between play and mission, and the challenge of recognizing wisdom in a world of competing voices.

Timestamps:

• 1:19 – Experi...

In this episode, we turn to Herman Melville’s infamous novel *Moby-Dick.* Reading it in conversation with Numbers 9 and Matthew 12, we reflect on how Scripture forms and directs our attention, the presence of God both in and beyond the material world, and how distorting demonic powers relate to our habits of perception.

Timestamps:

• 1:26 – Experiencing *Moby-Dick*
• 29:53 – Emily on Numbers 9
• 56:09 – Tommy...

In this episode, we turn to Marilynne Robinson’s quiet, searching novel *Lila.* Reading it alongside John 20 and Hosea 14, we reflect on alternative modes of practicing theology, discuss the reach of resurrection life, and explore the problems and possibilities of divine-human marriage metaphors.

Timestamps:

• 1:20 – Experiencing *Lila*
• 31:13 – Tommy on John 20
• 1:19:00 – Emily on Hosea 14
• 2:01:47 –...

In this episode, we explore Yaa Gyasi’s book *Homegoing,* a novel that follows the branching paths of a single family across continents and centuries. Reading it in conversation with Joel 2 and 1 Peter 1, we talk about biblical genealogies, Christian entanglement with the legacy of colonialism and slavery, the integrative role of prophecy, how we relate to our ancestors, and the weighty meaning of chosenness.

Timestamps:

In this episode, we turn to Markus Zusak’s *The Book Thief,* a novel that bears witness to the life of a young girl in Nazi Germany as she navigates profound loss, unexpected connection, and life-giving friendship—all told from the vantage point of Death itself.

Reading it in conversation with Esther 3 and 9 and Mark 13, we discuss the power of words to shape the world, the difficult work of discerning God’s pres...

In this episode, we explore Louise Erdrich’s novel *LaRose,* a story that resists simple answers in the wake of tragedy. Reading it alongside Leviticus 24 and Ephesians 2, we reflect on justice, atonement, and what redemption truly is—and what it is not.

Timestamps:

• 1:31 – Experiencing *LaRose*
• 1:02:51 – Emily on Leviticus 24
• 1:29:12 – Tommy on Ephesians 2
• 2:00:53 – Next month’s book
...

In this episode, we step into the dreary beauty of Niall Williams’ *Time of the Child,* a tender, luminous novel that lingers over birth, hope, and the quiet rearranging of a family and community. Reading it alongside Matthew 1 and Psalm 8, we reflect on the scandalous miracle of Christ’s coming to us as an infant, the relationship between law and promise, and what it means for divine strength to arrive not as dominatio...

In this episode, we discuss Octavia Butler’s *Parable of the Sower*—a prophetic work of speculative fiction that reimagines God, community, and survival amidst societal collapse. Reading it alongside Genesis 18–19 and 1 John 4, we explore the idea of God as Change, and the power of embodied experience in shaping how we interpret scripture and the world around us.

We’re joined by Dr. Tamisha Tyler, Visiting A...

In this episode, we uneasily enter Stephen King’s novel *Misery*—a brutal and brilliant meditation on captivity, creation, and control. Reading it alongside Psalm 88 and 2 Corinthians 3, we wrestle with scriptural images of God as an abusive caregiver, consider the limitations of written words, and reflect on the strange clarity that horror can offer to faith.

Timestamps:

• 1:35 – Experiencing *Misery*
• 20:28&nb...

In this episode, we delve into John Steinbeck’s sprawling masterpiece *East of Eden,* a novel that reimagines the story of Cain and Abel across generations of rivalry, love and longing. Reading it in conversation with 1 Samuel 15 and Romans 9, we explore the power of names, thinking together about how naming expresses human vocation, God’s calling, and the gift of moral agency.

Timestamps:

• 1:28 – Experiencin...

In this episode, we descend into the mist of Kazuo Ishiguro’s haunting novel, *The Buried Giant.* Reading it alongside Luke 22 and Nehemiah 2, we talk about the meaning and power of memory, specifically in relationship to violence, betrayal, death, the practice of the Eucharist, and the discipleship of children.

Timestamps:

• 1:28 – Experiencing *The Buried Giant*
• 32:25 – Tommy on Luke 22
• 1:05:03 – Emily...

In this episode, we wade into the waters of *Giovanni’s Room,* James Baldwin’s desperately beautiful and exposing novel of desire, dislocation and self-repression. Reckoning with this story alongside Genesis 9 and 1 Corinthians 13, we discuss gender and sexuality, human responses to the existential terror of vulnerability, and the importance of embracing our bodily existence as the incarnation of mystery.

Timestamps:

In this episode, we enter the deadly arena of *Sunrise on the Reaping,* the latest installment in Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games saga. Reading this prequel alongside Exodus 1, Matthew 27, and Colossians 2, we discuss politics of spectacle, transgressive art, patient resistance to empire, and the vulnerable power of sacred language.

Timestamps:

• 1:32 – Experiencing *Sunrise on the Reaping*
• 31:20 – Emily on Exod...

 In this episode, we explore Anne Leckie's book, *Ancillary Justice*–a novel of galactic empire, artificial intelligence and fractured identity. In our mind-bending conversation with Old Testament scholar Dr. Collin Cornell, we draw 2 Chronicles 33 and Romans 7 into the orbit of this alternative world, discussing everything from imperial reform and primordial splitting to memory and gender.

Up Next: *Sunrise on the Reaping* ...

In this episode, we dive with delight into *North Woods* by Daniel Mason—a novel that, in many ways, unfolds like the Bible itself. In our wide-ranging conversation, which draws specifically Job 29 and John 4, we reflect on the sexuality of creation, the limits of human perception, and the interplay between the intimate and the epic.

Timestamps:

• 1:33 - Experiencing *North Woods*
• 43:22 - Tommy on John 4
• 1:11:29 - Emily o...

In this episode, we discuss Toni Morrison’s *Beloved,* a novel that refuses to let the past be forgotten. Bringing it into conversation with Romans, John 6, and Lamentations 2 & 4, we explore haunting and historical memory, suffering and healing, the promiscuity of grace, and the pain of love.

**Content Note: Beloved is a novel written for a mature audience, and our discussion reflects that. 

Timestamps:

• 1:40 - ...

In this debut conversation, we introduce ourselves and share the story behind this podcast—how our love for fiction and scripture led us to explore the ways these texts speak to and challenge each other. Then, we dig into Holes by Louis Sachar alongside Exodus 19 and Matthew 3, discussing themes of intergenerationality, curses, mutual responsibility, and love.  

References:

• Makarios Institute
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