Summer 2023 ESN Conversations

At least for some, the summer is a time with a little extra bandwidth. Time for vacations, catching up on research, reading a good book, or just sitting out on a lounge chair with a cool drink. At the Emerging Scholars Network, we also believe that stimulating conversation around the intersection of our faith and the concerns of our personal, academic, and societal lives can be refreshing and renewing. And one of the things we love best about these conversations is not only that they are live but that you have the chance to engage with the authors we interview. We think we have a fantastic lineup of conversations scheduled between now and September

ESN Conversation: On Getting Out of Bed with Alan Noble

May 17, 2023, 1 pm ET

We aren’t always honest about how difficult normal human life is.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed.

For the majority of people, sorrow, despair, anxiety, and mental illness are everyday experiences. While we have made tremendous advancements in therapy and psychiatry, the burden of living still comes down to mundane choices that we each must make—like the daily choice to get out of bed.

Alan Noble (PhD, Baylor University) is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, cofounder and editor in chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and an advisor for the AND Campaign. He has written for the Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and First Things. He is also the author of Disruptive Witness and You Are Not Your Own.

ESN Conversation: Being God’s Image with Carmen Joy Imes

June 20, 2023, 3 pm ET

What does it mean to be human? This timeless question proves critical as we seek to understand our purpose, identity, and significance. Amidst the many voices clamoring to shape our understanding of humanity, the Bible reveals important truths related to our human identity and vocation that are critical to the flourishing of all of creation.

Carmen Joy Imes seeks to recover the theologically rich message of the creation narratives starting in the book of Genesis as they illuminate what it means to be human.

Carmen Joy Imes (PhD, Wheaton) is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University. A graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, she is the author of Bearing God’s Name: Why Sinai Still Matters, Bearing YHWH’s Name at Sinai and the editor of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends. 

ESN Conversation: All God’s Children with Terence Lester

July 20, 2023, 12 pm ET

The more you understand someone’s history, the better you can see their humanity. This is true for individuals as well as for society at large. Race relations have suffered because of the erasure of important Black history and cultural context. As we fill in the gaps of our collective knowledge, communities can grow in understanding, empathy, and solidarity. Terence Lester’s story will help fill some of those gaps.

Terence Lester (PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, Union Institute and University) is a minister, speaker, community activist, author, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, a not-for-profit organization focused on poverty awareness and community mobilization. His books include When We Stand, I See You, Getting Past Stuck, Simple Prayers for Hurting People, and Identity Theft.

ESN Conversation: Nourishing Narratives with Jennifer L. Holberg

August 17, 2023, 12 pm ET

We make sense of our world, pattern our lives, and reflect on what is ultimately significant through language and the words that compose our stories. In Nourishing Narratives, writer and professor Jennifer Holberg engages with words from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O’Connor, and Marilynne Robinson, while also offering some of her own stories to reflect on the importance of story to our lives and our faith.

Jennifer L. Holberg (PhD, University of Washington) is professor and chair of the English department at Calvin University and codirector of the Calvin Center for Faith and Writing, the home of the Festival of Faith and Writing. 

ESN Conversation: More Than Things with Paul Louis Metzger

September 14, 2023, 3 pm ET

We live in a culture of commodification. People are too often defined by what they do or own; they’re treated as means to an end or cogs in a machine. In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another’s personhood.

Paul Louis Metzger (PhD, King’s College London) is professor of Christian theology and theology of culture at Multnomah University and Seminary and director of The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins. He is the author of numerous books, including Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church and Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths, and coeditor of A World for All? Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology.

One of the other benefits of participating in conversations is that the authors’ books are available at a special discount through our co-sponsor, InterVarsity Press. Of course, we understand if you are unable to attend the live conversation due to schedule conflicts. Recordings of the conversations are posted shortly after the event on our YouTube channel, to which we hope you will subscribe. There are currently 44 videos available on the channel.