Cross Connections

There’s a lot packed in to this episode on Paul’s letters (minus Romans and Galatians, which we’ve already covered). Rick and Elliot focus on what scholars generally agree that Paul actually wrote and the questions these letters raise for us today. We go through each letter in the order we find themin our Bibles today, reviewing the context in which Paul was writing—his communities were diverse, facing internal conflicts, and navig...

In this episode of Cross Connections Podcast, we are thrilled to have with us Pauline Scholar and Author, Douglas Campbell. You can find his translation of Romans on his blog here.

Douglas was born in London but raised a New Zealander. He did his undergraduate degree in Political Philosophy at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and his graduate degrees in Religious Studies at the University of Toronto in Canada, where he was su...

On today's episode...

In this episode of Cross Connections Podcast, we step into Paul’s letters beginning with this six-chapter letter to the Galatians. Our hosts note that this is the first instance of this specific style of writing and talk about the difficulties of understanding letters.

Who is Paul? What do we know about Paul from Acts vs. how Paul describes himself.

Galatians is a very polemical book. We discuss what was so u...

On today's episode...

In this episode of Cross Connections Podcast, we delve into the Book of Acts. We will explore the multifaceted conflicts within the early Christian community, including the tension between Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus. We hear of the various interactions between Peter, Stephen, Philip, James, Paul, and others as they begin to share the Gospel, first within Jerusalem and then moving outward. This book i...

As we're about to head into the New Testament with our episode on the Acts of the Apostles, we want to re-share with you the episodes that we recorded earlier this year of the four gospels. Over the past three days we re-released the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Today we have for you the Gospel of John and on Wednesday, on schedule you’ll get our Acts episode. We’re doing this so that all the Gospels are at the top of yo...

As we're about to head into the New Testament with our episode on the Acts of the Apostles, we want to re-share with you the episodes that we recorded earlier this year of the four gospels. Over the past two days we re-released the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. Today we have for you the Gospel of Luke and tomorrow you’ll get John. We’re doing this so that they are at the top of your feed before we get to the Acts of the Apostles...

As we're about to head into the New Testament with our episode on the Acts of the Apostles, we want to re-share with you the episodes that we recorded earlier this year of the four gospels. Yesterday we shared the Gospel of Matthew. Today we have for you the Gospel of Mark. and over the next couple of days, we will release again Luke, and John. We’re doing this so that they are at the top of your feed before we get to the Acts ...

As we're about to head into the New Testament with our episode on Acts, we want to re-share with you the episodes that we recorded earlier this year of the four gospels. Today we have for you the Gospel of Matthew, and over the next couple of days, we will release again Mark, Luke, and John, if you want to get ahead and listen to them quickly, you can scroll back to February 3, March 10, April 21, and May 14, and you will find ...

On today's episode...

We all made it to the 50th episode of the Cross Connections Podcast! Join us as we conclude our journey through the Old Testament. This week we discuss the final minor prophets - Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. We dive into each prophet’s context, main themes, and historical significance, especially as it relates to the writings and theology we’ll soon find in the New Testament.

Habakkuk...

On today's episode...

Exploring Minor Prophets: Big Messages from Small Books

In this episode, the team delves into five 'minor prophets' of the Bible—Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and Nahum. Despite their short length, these books deliver significant and powerful messages. Amos addresses social justice, condemning the exploitation of the poor. Micah emphasizes the need for justice, mercy, and humility. Obadiah foretells E...

This week on the podcast, we dive into the books of Hosea and Joel, exploring their historical context, challenging metaphors, and theological implications. The discussion covers the uncomfortable themes present in Hosea, including the metaphor of marriage and adultery as it relates to Israel's relationship with God, and the societal context of ancient marriage. The team also unpacks the concept of the "Day of the Lord&quo...

On today's episode...

This week on the podcast, the Rev. Rick Morley, Elliot VanHoy, and Natalee Hill take a deep dive into the Book of Daniel. From fiery furnaces to lions’ dens to mysterious visions, Daniel’s story has it all. Together, the hosts unpack what’s going on in this apocalyptic text, how it connects to the big picture of Scripture, and what we can take from it today.

One of the major points of note is that this book,...

Welcome back to Cross Connections! In this episode, Natalee, Elliot, and Rick dive into the second half of Ezekiel, exploring the prophet’s dramatic sign acts, the shift from doom to hope, and a preview of the wild world of apocalyptic literature.

Episode Highlights:

• Ezekiel’s wife dies as a sign act, and the hosts discuss the significance of mourning without grieving (Ezekiel 24), drawing connections to Leviticus 10 and traditio...

In today’s episode the hosts dive into the first half of the Book of Ezekiel, exploring its vibrant imagery, historical context, and theological significance. The discussion covers Ezekiel’s background as a priest in the Babylonian exile, the radical idea of God’s presence with the exiled people, and the shift from communal to individual responsibility in Israel’s relationship with God. The hosts also unpack Ezekiel’s dramatic visi...

On today’s episode, our hosts dive into the Book of Lamentations, exploring its historical context, literary structure, and enduring relevance. The discussion opens with reflections on the book’s placement in different biblical canons and its association with the prophet Jeremiah, while also noting scholarly debates about its true authorship.

The hosts examine Lamentations as a work of poetry, specifically an acrostic poem, and disc...

On today’s episode, The Rev. Rick Morley and Elliot VanHoy try and muddle through the second half of the Book of Jeremiah as Natalee Hill is on vacation.

Rick begins by putting the whole of the Old Testament in the context of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the subsequent captivity. Although it is the most prominent story in the Hebrew Bible, it is generally lost in the modern consciousness.

They talk about how the Old Te...

On today's episode...The Rev. Rick Morley returns from vacation, and we get to hear some of his takes on the prophets generally before we jump into Jeremiah specifically.

Rick reminds us that all three of the major prophets’ books – Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel – are all in some ways trauma documents, since they are all dealing with the Babylonian exile.

We remind ourselves of when these prophets were living and aligned them wit...

Today, the Rev. Tanya Regli returns as we venture into Second and Third Isaiah. Written down 100 to 150 years after the first section of Isaiah, these parts refer more to the Babylonian exile, and even hint at the return to Jerusalem after that exile.

We’ll give you a reminder of the context for this writing and that while we (modern Christians) see Jesus in all of these, that’s not what was thought of them originally, and we have t...

On today's episode...

We jump into the Prophets, the final section of the Hebrew Scriptures in our Bible, beginning with Isaiah.

Our guest this week is the Rev. Tanya Regli, associate rector at St. David’s. After a brief introduction to Tanya, we talk about this section of the Bible, including a reminder of the function of prophets in our scripture. We’ll cover the historical framework of Isaiah itself, the three sections scholar...