Queen of the Sciences
Queen of the Sciences
Sarah Hinlicky Wilson
Conversations between a Theologian and Her Dad
2026 Bonus 2: Crossover with A Mighty Fortress Is Our Pod
In which Matthew Longfellow interviews Dad and me! Or have a listen over at mightyfortresspod.substack.com.
Sep 15
45 min
Habakkuk
If you know Habakkuk at all (a big if!), it's almost certainly because of the way the Apostle Paul uses it to make his own argument about righteousness and faith, using one single verse of this minor prophet. But what was Habakkuk talking about in his own time? Did the apostle cut the verse out of context and distort it for his own purposes? Whose faithfulness are we talking about, anyway? In this episode Dad and I tackle these questions—gaining a new appreciation for the whole of Habakkuk. And of the Septuagint! We're in our eighth season!How about demonstrating your faithfulness to our labors?Support us on Patreon! Notes: 1. Mauney, "Reading Paul from out of Habakkuk, both Hebrew and Greek" in Promissio 2. Sarah has an article in this issue of Promissio, too: "A Theologian Who Reads the Bible" 3. See also Dad's essay on "Faith" in the St. Andrew's Encyclopedia of Theology 4. Related episodes: The Crucifixion, Atonement, Justification by Faith, Galatians 1, Galatians 2
Aug 25
1 hr 1 min
The Good Life
How dare anyone say one life is better than another? or the living of a life is wiser than another? Say something and risk legalism; say nothing and risk nihilism; and neither of those lead to a good life, either. In this episode Dad and I compile our sum total of 125 years of living, plus a lot of shortcuts gleaned from reading and talking to other people, to tell you what's worth pursuing, what's worth hurting over, and what's not. What you do with it is up to you! We're in our EIGHTH yearof livin' the good life of theological podcasting.You can live your best life now too by backing us on Patreon! Notes: 1. Related episodes: Nietzsche, Brain Mind Soul, Critical Social Theory, Jacques Ellul, Propaganda, Hey Jude, An Unlikely Marriage 2. Sarah's article "The Church and Happiness" 3. Hunter, Marriage, Celibacy, and Heresy in Ancient Christianity: The Jovinianist Controversy 4. India, Girls®
Jul 21
1 hr 15 min
The Declaration of Independence
You might just be able to hear the explosion of the fireworks over the explosion of rhetoric upon the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. Aiming to shed more light than heat, Dad and I discuss The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) from a theological perspective. Civic good is not the ultimate good, but it's not a negligible one, either. We find good reasons as Christians to support the American project, its self-corrections, and onward attempts to attain a more perfect union. Notes: 1. Related episodes: Our Democracy?; Jefferson; Lincoln; MLK; Thurman; Two Kingdoms 16th Cent.; Two Kingdoms 20th-21st Cent. 2. Sarah's short story in which Revolutionary-era Lutheran pastor Henry Melchior Muhlenberg plays the part of a detective 3. The Declaration of Independence 4. Samuel Miller's sermon on July 4, 1793, is found in Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730-1805, Volume 2 4. See also Waldron, God, Locke, and Equality We're in our EIGHTH year—and still fiercely independent.Demonstrate your sacred honorby supporting our liberty of mind and backing us on Patreon!
Jun 23
1 hr 8 min
2nd Edition of Sealed by Katie Langston!
A discussion between me and Dad about Katie Langston's phenomenal memoir Sealed, tracing her life from Mormon upbringing to conversion to Christianity to discerning a call into ministry. A must-read for anyone interested in the Latter-day Saints as well as hope and healing for people scarred from high-demand religion. Be sure to get the new second edition, now in ebook and paperback!
Jun 9
46 min
Tradition
Tradition is a buzzword in confessional polemics: Protestants (supposedly) say Scripture only, while Catholics and Orthodox (supposedly) say Scripture-and-Tradition without hierarchical triage between them. Of course, it has never been that simple! Luther and Melanchthon and the Formula of Concord all insist that they were in fact more faithful to the tradition of the church against Roman innovation. Roman Catholics rightly point out all that is not explicit in Scripture and yet adhered to faithfully by the church, including Protestants (e.g. the word “Trinity” or infant baptism). For that matter, Scripture itself is a form of Tradition and full of Tradition—as the opening words of I Corinthians 15 attest, and much biblical scholarship of the past two hundred years has excavated. So what do we even mean by Tradition? How do we judge it or select from it—because everybody in fact does just that? How do we know what is a faithful development from the original apostolic gospel and what is a treacherous deviation? What “principle of critical judgment” or “clear method of discrimination”? David Bentley Hart and his book Tradition and Apocalypse to the rescue! ... maybe. Related episodes: Theology & Experience 1, Theology & Experience 2, Islam, Bondage of the Will, St Paul among the Philosophers We're in our EIGHTH year!Shouldn't such a tradition be supported?Demonstrate your little-o orthodoxy by backing us on Patreon!
May 19
59 min
How Are the Dead Raised?
You foolish person! I Corinthians 15 isn't the place to come for an instruction manual, but for a redirection toward the one who was raised from the dead for the glory of God. In this episode Dad and I talk through what is—and isn't—the subject matter of the apostle's treatise on resurrection, where to be exuberant (i.e. doxology), where to be sober (i.e. the mechanics of the life to come), and why it makes all the difference to the living of this mortal life right now. We're in our EIGHTH year!And you haven't backed us yet? You foolish person!Demonstrate your phronesis by backing us on Patreon!
Apr 22
1 hr 28 min
2026 Bonus 1: Crossover with All About Agatha
Sarah discusses "The Water Bus," the last story to be covered from the collection Star Over Bethlehem by Agatha Christie Mallowan, with Kemper Donovan of the All About Agatha podcast!
Mar 31
1 hr 51 min
Christian Bodies
Everything is authorized to me—but I will not let just anything have authority over me. And therein lies the path of discernment for a baptized Christian body in the world. Sex, marital and otherwise? Food, idolatrous or not? What has the promised resurrection to do with the mortal body in this life? In this episode Dad and I work our way through the 6th, 7th, and 8th chapters of I Corinthians to see both what the Apostle Paul concludes and how he gets there—and what that means for Christian bodies all these centuries later. We're in our EIGHTH year!What other podcast is both authorized and beneficial? Show your support by becoming a Patron!
Mar 19
1 hr 12 min
Wisdom and Folly
Where is the debater of this age? All over the internet, apparently. The Apostle Paul would not be impressed, and neither should you. If the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God, how much more its folly! In the meanwhile, however, there is the real and contentious question of what, exactly, makes for God's wisdom and God's strength. Hint: if the answer does not include the cross of Christ, it fails the test. In this episode, Dad and I talk our way carefully through I Corinthians 1, 2, and a bit of 3 to discover how the foolishness of God exceeds human wisdom. We're in our EIGHTH year!And you still haven't backed us? Now that is the wrong kind of foolishness. Show your support by becoming a Patron!
Feb 19
1 hr 10 min
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