You know that old, familiar ice-breaker question, “If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?” Well, during today’s episode of Back Porch Theology – which was taped live at our 2025 Kerygma Summit a few weeks ago. And yes, we happen to be hugely biased, but y’all this bevy of Bible scholars could aptly be described as Wonder Women. Dr. Lynn Cohick is the Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Director of Houston Theological Seminary. Dr. Eva Bleeker is assistant professor of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care at Denver Seminary. Dr. Irini Fambro, she and her family reside in Dallas where she serves as president of The King’s University. Dr. Dorian Coover-Cox is a beloved Old Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and has tutored hundreds of students in Hebrew over the years. And rounding out this dream team is Dr. Nicole Massey Martin. She’s currently the COO for Christianity Today, and served as a senior VP at The American Bible Society. Today’s episode is going to be FIRE, y’all ~ so please grab a great big iced mocha. Welcome to the porch – we’re so glad you’ve chosen to hang out with us today!
Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.
Purchase NIV Application Bible here.
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52:06
Finding Treasures in the Dark with Katherine Wolf, Part 2
Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is a part two, so if you haven’t listened to last week’s conversation with our friend Katherine Wolf, I encourage you to do so. Now before we dive in, I’d like to read a brief excerpt from Katherine’s latest book titled, Treasures in the Dark: “David taught me that laughter and worship aren’t so different. In fact, they are simply two of the shapes that hope takes. Both laughter and worship are most powerful when offered from full brokenness of body or of circumstance. Sure, it’s great to celebrate and praise God when life is good. But whooping with laughter when you can hardly speak or raising your hands in worship from the seat of a wheelchair…now that’s evidence of a soul who has found transcending security and joy in Divine Love. Suffering can harden us to the good things in life, or it can open us up to receive them with abandon.” Grab your Bible if you’ve got one and welcome to the porch…we’re really glad you’re here.
Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.
Purchase NIV Application Bible here.
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52:15
Finding Treasures in the Dark with Katherine Wolf
Today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology is with my friend Katherine Wolf about God’s compassionate purpose with regards to our pain. Many of you have probably heard or read some of Katherine’s story – she suffered a massive stroke when she was 26 years old, not long after giving birth to her and her husband Jay’s first son, James. Her story is riddled with debilitating physical and emotional suffering – which she endures to this day – and yet she honestly oozes hope. Because she learned to find treasures in the dark by asking the hard and awkward questions pain prompts: Where is God in this? Am I alone? What is the point of all this suffering? Is hope just a cruel, false promise? Katherine dared to wrestle for answers without letting go of God. This is a rich and layered conversation so it’s best to listen slowly and give the tenderest places in your heart time to soak it all in. Thank you for carving out the time to be with us today…we’re really glad you’re here.
Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.
Purchase NIV Application Bible here.
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51:49
The Living Hope of Historical Jesus with Dr. Craig Blomberg
Today is a red-letter kind of day here on Back Porch Theology because Alli and I have the undeserved privilege and absolute delight of having a conversation with one of the world’s foremost experts on the New Testament canon, specifically the Gospels, Dr. Craig Blomberg. It’s not every day you get to sit down with a brilliant saint with a PhD from the University Aberdeen, read an excerpt from his classic book called: “The Historical Reliability of the New Testament” – which, by the way, is just one of almost twenty academic books and commentaries that Dr. Blomberg’s written – and then ask him this question: Will you please explain the term “hermeneutical spiral” as well as how it can be useful as we seek to not simply read and interpret the Bible but actually be read and interpreted by the Bible? Welcome to Back Porch Theology’s scholar edition…we’re really glad you’ve chosen to hang out with us today.
Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.
Purchase NIV Application Bible here.
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47:21
Jesus Shaped Theology
During today’s conversation on Back Porch Theology after the initial belly laughs we dive pretty deep – as is often the case with BPT - into a theme that’s been my heartbeat for the last several years, which is what it really means to live a Jesus-shaped life. To imitate Jesus authentically, not just with religious language and ethical ideology. Theology is anything but sterile subject matter, y’all – it was meant to be lived, not simply learned - because God isn’t a proposition to be examined, He’s a triune personhood with whom we get to engage! So please get yourself a yummy iced latte, and come hang out on the porch with us…we’re really glad you’re here!
Find out more from Hope For The Heart Here.
Purchase NIV Application Bible here.
You're invited to hang out on Lisa Harper's back porch and enjoy conversations about all things Jesus, theological anthropology, biblical orthodoxy, Spanx, the merits of Tex-Mex and more! We believe this podcast will help you dive deeper into God's word, understand that the gospel is great news for everyday life, not just when viewed in the light of eternity, and that God is for us, that He's always been in the process of redeeming our inherent value as imago Dei and restoring us into a vibrant, intimate relationship with Him.And rest assured, this won't be a one-sided conversation because, throughout the podcast, Lisa will be inviting friends, including some brilliant theologians and academics to join her in substantive but decidedly unstuffy segments. So come on, y'all grab some coffee or sweet tea and join us on the back porch!
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