David makes a request of God to shore up his legacy, but it gets denied. Instead, he gets a covenant and Nathan proves his prophetic presence. Listen in as we discuss 2 Samuel 7 and ...

• What happens when God is a minor character in the story
• The role of prophecy in the Bible
• How strategic editing shapes our interpretations
• A surprising connection to the book of Acts

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

What is like to be the only one who looks like you in a room? Ethnic loneliness is a pervasive feeling for ethnic minorities in the U.S. and in churches. In this conversation, Prasanta Verma talks me through:

• What ethnic loneliness is and what it looks like
• How the church has been complicit in perpetuating this loneliness and its entanglement with systemic racism
• What to do instead of forcing assimilation in the name of unity
• How individuals and churches can be effective friends, advocates, and allies in the fight against ethnic loneliness and systemic racism

Prasanta Verma was born under an Asian sun, raised in the Appalachian foothills, and resides in the upper Midwest. She is a writer, poet, and public health professional and her writing has been published in numerous places in print and online. Prasanta’s first book, titled Beyond Ethnic Loneliness, releases in April 2024.

Find Prasanta Online:

Website: https://prasantaverma.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/prasantaverma/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@prasantaverma

Newsletter: https://prasantaverma.substack.com/

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been causing a stir due to its use of religious imagery and vocabulary. Is she mocking Christianity? Is she saying she's God? Or is there maybe something else going on here?

Join me and three other with joint cred as Swifties and theologians as we discuss ...

• the weird takes we've seen IRL and online
• the cracks in biblical interpretation that are illuminated by how people interpret Taylor's latest lyrics
• the religious images and vocabulary in 4 songs from TTPD
• what songs we think everyone should hear off the album

If you're looking for some help understanding the Christian images, Taylor's circumstances, and poetry (and what we learn about our theology in the process), this is the deep dive you've been looking for!

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

What happens when we add context from literature, history, art, and architecture to our study of the Bible? It can actually illuminate tricky ideas and confusing cultural backdrops. Dr. Sandra Glahn joins me today to discuss why bringing these different sources together is important, how it affected her interpretation of 1 Timothy and provisions against women, and how Paul may have been nicer than misogynists want us to think.

Dr. Sandra Glahn is a seminary professor, the author of more than 20 books--the latest being NOBODY'S MOTHER: ARTEMIS OF THE EPHESIANS IN ANTIQUITY AND THE NEW TESTAMENT--and the co-founder of the Visual Museum of Women in Christianity (www.visualmuseum.gallery).

You can find her online at:

• www.sandraglahn.com
• X and Threads: @sandraglahn
• Insta: @Sandraglahnauthor

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

David continues his consolidation of power, and we talk about the ways that affects who he is becoming as a king and a family man. Join us on our walk through 2 Samuel 6 as we discuss ...

• What happens when you bring religion and politics together
• Why it matters what metrics do you use for God's pleasure in your deeds
• The actual way that David is undignified (and it's not the way he thinks)
• And who we are "ride or die" for in the story (spoiler alert: it's not David)

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

When the church hurts you, where do you go to find healing? How do you recover when the tools you would've once turned to remind you of the trauma?

Dieula Previlon joins me to talk about the deep pain of spiritual abuse and church trauma and how we can find a way forward with God even if it means stepping out of the box of the expected.

Dieula Previlon is the founder and executive director of ElevateHer International Ministries with a vision to empower women to heal from trauma. She is a Counselor/Life Coach in private practice and an ordained minister in the ECC. Her professional career in counseling, pastoring and international ministry spans over 20 years.

She is currently a counselor and life coach in private practice and the executive director of ElevateHer International. She lives in Berlin, NJ with her husband of 25 years while her three young adult sons are discerning God’s call on their lives. She is excited about her upcoming book project on God’s posture towards the traumatized in: “Does God see Me?”

Find Dieula online at:

• dieulaprevilon.com
• @dieulamprevilon IG, facebook, linkedin, threads and twitter
• https://www.instagram.com/dieulamprevilon/
• https://www.facebook.com/dieulamprevilon
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/dieulamprevilon/
• https://twitter.com/DieulaMPrevilon
• https://www.threads.net/@dieulamprevilon
• Book: https://www.dieulaprevilon.com/book
• Newsletter: https://dieulamprevilon.substack.com/

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

When it comes to leadership in churches, we've seen what happens when the balance between altruism and ambition tips in the wrong direction. Turns out we may have some of evangelicalism's favorite Bible characters to blame for that.

In 2 Samuel 5, we see another "success" of David, and yet we wonder, is he really the model we should look to?

And what happens in the real world when we read the Bible without deep consideration of how our interpretation affects real people?

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter

With election season upon us, how do we create our own faithful political theology when we've been shaped by political idolatry? How do we navigate the tense conversations we will likely be having in an election year? How do we use the Bible well to shape our theology and practice when it comes to loving our neighbors?

Kaitlyn Schiess joins me to talk about this and more.

Kate Boyd - Book | Newsletter | Instagram | Twitter