Love Rinse Repeat

Ep77. Questions of Context, Henning Wrogemann and John Flett

In a wide ranging discussion about contextualisation, culture, the gospel, and mission John Flett and Henning Wrogemann detail what can be learnt from (predominately the mistakes) of a century of German mission theology. I was surprised by the manifold ways contemporary language around church, mission, and culture finds its roots in articulations that were developed within and embraced by German National Socialism. The conversation begins with some quick takes on common mission catchphrases and ends with the idea of mission as being - in part - about living together with the stranger. Get their book, Questions of Context (IVP Academic, 2020).Henning Wrogemann (DTheol, DHabil, Ruprecht-Karls University of Heidelberg) is a world-renowned missiologist and scholar of religion. He holds the chair for mission studies, comparative religion, and ecumenics at the Protestant University Wuppertal/Bethel in Germany, where he also heads the Institute for Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies. He is the author of the three volume Intercultural Theology (IVP Academic). Previously, Wrogemann served as a pastor in northern Germany, as the senior lecturer for missiology and comparative religion at the Mission Seminary Hermannsburg, and as a member of the mission board of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission in Lower-Saxony, Germany. John Flett is professor of missiology and intercultural theology at Pilgrim Theological College, Melbourne, Australia, außerplanmäßiger Professor at the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal/Bethal, Stellvertretender Institutsleiter am Institut für Interkulturelle Theologie und Interreligiöse Studien, Wuppertal, Germany, co-editor of the book series Beiträge zur Missionswissenschaft / Interkulturellen Theologie, LIT Verlag, and contributing editor to the International Bulletin of Missionary Research. John specialises in constructive theologies of mission set in conversation with intercultural and ecumenical theologies. His publications have explored such ranging topics as the doctrine of the Trinity, apostolicity, intercultural hermeneutics, migrant Christianity, ecclesiology, ecumenical theologies of mission, Karl Barth, Lesslie Newbigin, and missional church. He has lived and taught in the USA, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany, the DRC, Romania, and Australia. He previous books include Apostolicity (IVP Academic) and The Witness of God (Eerdmans). Follow the show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87 Find More: www.loverinserepeat.com/podcast Also, I mention this (in a bumbling/stumbling kind of way) in the intro, but Love, Rinse, Repeat is being supported and is becoming apart of the Uniting Mission and Education family. We will have more on this partnership over the next few weeks, but One thing to keep in mind is their upcoming PreachFest 21, June 1st to 3rd, some amazing preachers and teachers, you can sign up at ume.nswact.uca.org.au click upcoming events and then click Preachfest! https://ume.nswact.uca.org.au/calendar/preachfest-2021/

Ep76. Ontologically Black, Existentially Queer, Spiritually Christian. Ashwin Afrikanus Thyssen

I sat down with Ashwin Thyssen to talk about his work at the intersections of race, sexuality and faith, what it means for him to be part of the 'reformed' movement, and the challenge of doing theology in South Africa when you were born after 1994. Ashwin Afrikanus Thyssen is a PhD Candidate at Stellenbosch University, in Systematic Theology. His research considers the intersections of race, sexuality, and faith. At present he is also undergoing ministerial training for ordained life in the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa. In short, Ashwin identifies as ontologically black, existentially queer, and spiritually Christian. Find more www.loverinserepeat.com/podcast Follow show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87

Ep74. Why Read Fiction? Jedidiah Evans

I sat down with Jedidiah Evans, associate lecturer in writing studies at Sydney University, to talk about what can happen when we read fiction. We discuss reading as forming friendships, how it shapes the way we see the world and ourselves, and freeing ourselves from "must read" lists. We then go on to talk about Jed's work on carceral writing - writing both by and about incarcerated people - and what he hopes this can achieve in closing gaps between what we assume happens in prison and what is actually happening. We also discuss the collaborative, inmate-run writing programs he is currently working on and developing within NSW correctional facilities. Finally we end with a discussion on his book, Look Abroad, Angel: Thomas Wolfe and the Geographies of Longing (out now with University of Georgia Press, https://ugapress.org/book/97808203564...​) Jedidiah Evans joined the University of Sydney as an Associate Lecturer in Writing Studies in 2019. He previously held Lecturer positions at the University of Wollongong, as well as working across various other teaching roles at the University of Sydney, the University of Wollongong, and Australian Catholic University. He has published on the work of Southern novelist Thomas Wolfe, as well as on trends in higher education. His current research focuses on carceral writing—writing both by and about incarcerated people—and he is involved with correctional facilities in NSW developing collaborative, inmate-run writing projects. This episode is also available as a podcast, search Love Rinse Repeat wherever you get podcasts or on Spotify. Find more: www.loverinserepeat.com Follow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me @liammiller87

Ep73. Abolition in the Colony, Robyn Oxley

I sat down with Robyn Oxley to talk about the criminal justice and need for abolition in the lands now called Australia. We talk about her journey into and with abolition, why community resourcing and accountability make so much more sense, how prisons simply do not achieve what they purport to achieve (especially in terms of rehabilitation), and the racism and colonial violence that runs all the way through the system – a violence that is entirely in keeping with the colonial project that has wrought trauma, displacement, and death on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since British invasion.Read Robyn’s great introduction on prison abolition and defunding the police here.Read an excellent review she wrote that explores decolonization, prisons, and the problem of not asking the broader questions here Robyn Oxley is a Tharawal woman and has family connections to Yorta Yorta. Robyn is an activist and a lecturer at Western Sydney University in Criminology. Her field is in the space of the criminal justice system and Aboriginal rights to self-determination. Her work primarily focuses on human rights, social justice, systemic racism, prison abolition, defunding police and improving outcomes of Aboriginal people in relation to the Australian legal system. Follow her on Twitter @Robyn_Oxley Find more episodes: www.loverinserepeat.com/podcastFollow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87

Ep72. Living-Death Doula, Rachael Ward

I sat down with Rachael Ward, a public theologian, LGBTIQ+ activist, and co-founder of Bible Queery, a collective focused on offering one-on-one and group facilitation for queer people of faith. We speak about pastoral care, not making promises, queer spaces and wisdom, and their own Living-Death Doula model for queer grief care.Rachael Ward (they/them) is a public theologian and LGBTQ+ activist currently pursuing their Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Practical Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. They are the co-founder of Bible Queery, a collective focused on offering one-on-one and group facilitation for queer people of faith. Rachael deeply believes in the healing nature of narrative and lives within the liminal space between the academy, the Church, and the public square. Rachael lives in Atlanta with their wife, Chelsea, and two fur babies - Jack and Frances.Find More: www.loverinserepeat.comFollow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87

Ep71. More Theolutions: Keegan Osinski, Flora Tang, Nicole Mugford

It’s time for more theo-lutions with a panel of wonders! Keegan Osinski, Flora Tang, and Nicole Mugford join me to talk about our resolutions for our own work and for the church. We discuss online communities/church, the need to talk about sex, creative engagements with our traditions, and forging environments of safety and flourishing for LGBTIQA+ Christians. Keegan Osinski is the Librarian for Theology and Ethics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Her first book, Queering Wesley, Queering the Church, will be out later this year. Flora Tang is originally from Beijing, China. During her doctoral studies, she hopes to explore a theology of liturgy and sacraments in post-traumatic or post-conflict settings in the Global South. Her research interests stem from the question of how religious communities embody and remember their collective trauma. Her constructive theology project will draw upon concepts from both memory studies and comparative literature studies. Outside of her research, Flora writes poetry that incorporates imagery from queer theology and the Catholic literary imagination.Nicole Mugford is a 28 year old, UCA nerd. As an active member of the Uniting Church she finds herself on many councils and committees including the current Assembly Standing Committee. She is a Youth Worker and holds a bachelor of ministry. She has recently started a digital faith community for LGBTQIA+ people in their 20s and 30s which is a growing community of people from all over Australia.Follow the show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow Me: @liammiller87Find More: www.loverinserepeat.com

Ep70. Building Pillows and Embodying Division, Steff Fenton

I sat down with Steff Fenton (they/them, she /her) to talk about church - their experiences, hopes, and call. We also discuss fostering environments where folks can celebrate and explore their sexual and gender identity in conversation with their faith, non-hierarchical leadership, the Sydney church scene, and some of the big changes they hope to see in churches and theological study in the coming years. Steff Fenton is one of the founding Elders and the Associate Pastor of New City Church, a new faith community meeting on Gadigal land in Sydney’s Inner City. They also Co-Chair the Sydney Branch of Equal Voices, a group that connects and equips LGBTIQA+ people and allies across the Australian Church to be more safe and inclusive. They’re the Treasurer-Director of an NDIS-funded home for people with disabilities, called Charis House Co-operative. Through the week, you’ll find them chipping away at a Masters of Divinity at the University of Divinity, learning how to cook new vegan meals for friends, or playing board games. Steff identifies as queer, as well as an ENFJ and an Enneagram 2 wing 3. New City Church: https://newcitychurch.com.au/ Equal Voices: https://equalvoices.org.au/ Steff's Blog: https://queervangelical.com/ Find more: www.loverinserepeat.com Follow the show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow Me: @liammiller87

Ep69. New Year‘s Theolutions: Skyler Keiter-Massefski, Radhika Sukumar-White, Ed Watson, and Laura Jean Truman

I sat down with a wonderful group of guests to talk about resolutions: for our own work, for the church, for the academy, for the... a whole lot of things. It was fun. Skyler Keiter-Massefski is a theological anthropologist whose work coalesces around the themes of trans embodiment, American empire, eschatology, and abolition. They hold a degree in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and will receive their MDiv from Yale in May. You can find Skyler writing about academia, queerness, and ghosts on Twitter @SkylerJay_. Ed Watson is a Theology PhD student at Yale. Originally from the UK, he spent time teaching in New Haven and developing homelessness ministries in Denver before pursuing various academic itches. He focuses on the relationships between doctrine, concept formation, and colonialism, especially in terms of how fundamental Christian beliefs motivate senses kinship and inheritance which in turn generate racialized concepts of belonging. He is an ardent supporter of Liverpool FC, Andy Murray, and Scottish rugby. On twitter at @an_edcentric Rev Radhika Sukumar-White has been a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church since 2016. She is a 2nd Generation Sri Lankan Tamil Australian, and grew up in Canberra before moving to Sydney to study Physiotherapy, Music, and then Theology. Radhika is passionate about leading vibrant worship, preaching and teaching, and walking alongside individuals in their life and faith journey. She and her husband Adrian are privileged to have been called to Leichhardt Uniting Church as a ministry team. Radhika is also deeply passionate about brunch. Laura Jean Truman is an Atlanta based writer, itinerant chaplain, and amateur mystic. She lives and writes in the in-between places of loving Jesus, being queer, and rediscovering a more spacious Christianity after fundamentalism. Follow the show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87 Find more: www.loverinserepeat.com/podcast

Ep68. Abolition Apostles, Sarah Pritchard and David Brazil

I sat down with David and Sarah to talk about their international jail and prison ministry: Abolition Apostles. We talk about their calling into this work, their letter-writing, advocacy, and why abolition can function as a tent-pole issue for Christians concerned with the impact of racialised capitalism. David Brazil and Sarah Pritchard are the founding co-pastors of Apostles Fellowship, a nondenominational Christian church, as well as Abolition Apostles (abolitionapostles.org), an international jail and prison ministry based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Find them on Twitter: @AbolitionChurch Find more episodes: www.loverinserepeat.com/podcast Follow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow me: @liammiller87

Ep67. Talanoa with the Old Testament, Brian Kōlia

I sat down with Brian Kōlia to discuss his diasporic/postcolonial work on Ecclesiastes, his Tulou reading of Song of Songs (and its constructive implications for animal studies), his Fāgogo reading of Gen 3 (and its ability to cross taboos and allow more liberative conversations on sexuality), and teaching the Prophets in ways that preserve their distinctiveness and speaks into our times. What comes across is the vitality of this work and its nimbleness to not be tied down by the forms, questions, and big T truth of colonial forms of Christianity and academia. Brian is teaching an intensive on the Prophetic Literature at United Theological College in North Parramatta from Jan 18-22. To find out more or enrol/audit the class contact Joanne Stokes on: joannes [@] nswact.uca.org.au or phone (02) 8838 8967 (Course Code: THL 308).Rev Brian Kolia is a PhD candidate at the University of Divinity, Melbourne, writing his dissertation on the book of Ecclesiastes. He has lectured in Old Testament at Malua Theological College in Samoa. Alongside his passion for the Hebrew Bible, he also has special interests in postcolonial and islander criticism, diasporic theory, and cultural & indigenous wisdom. Follow him on Twitter: @BKoliaFind more: www.loverinserepeat.comFollow the Show: @RinseRepeatPod // Follow Me: @liammiller87