Holy Writ
We love the Bible, and we love good books. Holy Writ draws these loves together by generating dialogue between specific works of literature and Scripture. Each episode explores how a novel can refresh and deepen our interpretation of the Bible, so that it can inspire us to wonder, to question, and above all to love.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday May 06, 2025
Tuesday May 06, 2025
In this episode, we explore Anne Leckie's book, *Ancillary Justice*–a novel of galactic empire, artificial intelligence and fractured identity. In our mind-bending conversation with Old Testament scholar Dr. Collin Cornell, we draw 2 Chronicles 33 and Romans 7 into the orbit of this alternative world, discussing everything from imperial reform and primordial splitting to memory and gender.
Up Next: *Sunrise on the Reaping* by Suzanne Collins
Timestamps:
1:48 –Experiencing *Ancillary Justice*
27:18 – Collin on 2 Chronicles 33
1:00:05 – Tommy on Romans 7
1:37:32 – Next Month’s Book
Connect with Us:
Email: holywritpod@gmail.com
Instagram: @holywritpodcast
Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social
Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
In this episode, we dive with delight into *North Woods* by Daniel Mason—a novel that, in many ways, unfolds like the Bible itself. In our wide-ranging conversation, which draws specifically Job 29 and John 4, we reflect on the sexuality of creation, the limits of human perception, and the interplay between the intimate and the epic.
Timestamps:
1:33 - Experiencing *North Woods*
43:22 - Tommy on John 4
1:11:29 - Emily on Job 29
1:49:32 - Next month’s Book … and Guest!
Up Next: *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie (with guest Collin Cornell)
Connect with Us:
Email: holywritpod@gmail.com
Instagram: @holywritpodcast
Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social
Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
In this episode, we discuss Toni Morrison’s *Beloved,* a novel that refuses to let the past be forgotten. Bringing it into conversation with Romans, John 6, and Lamentations 2 & 4, we explore haunting and historical memory, suffering and healing, the promiscuity of grace, and the pain of love.
**Content Note: Beloved is a novel written for a mature audience, and our discussion reflects that.
Timestamps:
1:40 - Experiencing Beloved
17:26 - The novel’s epigraph and Romans
29:31 - Emily on Lamentations 2&4
1:06:24 - Tommy on John 6
1:46:53 - Next month’s book
Up Next: *North Woods* by Daniel Mason
Connect with Us:
Email: holywritpod@gmail.com
Instagram: @holywritpodcast
Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social
Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
In this debut conversation, we introduce ourselves and share the story behind this podcast—how our love for fiction and scripture led us to explore the ways these texts speak to and challenge each other. Then, we dig into Holes by Louis Sachar alongside Exodus 19 and Matthew 3, discussing themes of intergenerationality, curses, mutual responsibility, and love.
References:
Makarios Institute
Abraham Heschel quote: from God in Search of Man
Up Next: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Connect with Us:
Email: holywritpod@gmail.com
Instagram: @holywritpodcast
Bluesky: @holywrit.bsky.social
Website: https://holywritpod.podbean.com/
Cohosts
Tommy Givens is a professor of New Testament and theological ethics at Fuller Seminary in Pasedena, CA. When he’s not teaching or reading, you’ll find him spending time with his wife and four kids, running, or surfing.
Emily Cash is bookseller-turned-pastor who serves a small congregation in Warsaw, IN, where she lives with her husband and two kids. Emily fills her free time with writing, yoga, and (you guessed it) reading.