Benedictine Thought & Action

Interview with Sarah J. Barton

In part one of a two-part conversation, John and Jason are joined by Dr. Sarah Jean Barton, a theologian and occupational therapist at Duke University, to discuss her book, "Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community." The episode kicks off with fond memories of John and Sarah’s divinity school days and their shared experience walking the Camino de Santiago. Sarah opens up about her unique career journey, explaining how her early experiences working as a caregiver for children with complex medical needs revealed a heartbreaking pattern of exclusion from faith communities. This led her to merge her occupational therapy training—which focuses on what people do to occupy their time, including worship—with a deep theological inquiry. The trio discusses the problems with traditional theological responses to disability (which often rely on sin, pity, or superficial inspiration), the need to stop "footnoting" disabled bodies in theological anthropology, and the importance of recognizing the actual, lived discipleship of people with intellectual disabilities.

Interview with Larry Chapp

In this episode, John and Jason sit down with Dr. Larry Chapp, a retired theology professor and the current owner and manager of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Larry shares his fascinating background—from growing up as a "nerdy" fireman's son and a "fire-breathing atheist" in Lincoln, Nebraska, to becoming a prominent theologian specializing in Hans Urs von Balthasar. The conversation dives into Larry's midlife discernment to leave a successful 20-year academic career at DeSales University to literally "walk the walk" of Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin by starting a farm. Larry helps clear up common misconceptions about the Catholic Worker movement, explaining Dorothy Day's deep orthodox faith, her nuanced critique of capitalism, and why the movement is often mistakenly categorized as purely leftist. The guys also explore the differences between urban houses of hospitality and rural agronomic farms, how to become a "YouTube farmer," and wrap up with book and guest recommendations.

Interview with Roberto de la Noval | Part 2

In part two of a two-part conversation, John and Jason are joined by Rob De La Noval, a theology professor at Boston College. The guys connected with Rob after reading three of his articles on teaching theology published in the University of Notre Dame's The Church Life Journal. The discussion centers around the art of teaching introductory theology to modern college students and the necessity of moving away from the traditional "salvation history" approach. Rob, drawing on Lonerganian philosophy, argues that introductory theology classes shouldn't just be an introduction to an academic discipline, but an introduction to oneself that addresses fundamental human questions—such as "Why do I suffer?" and "Is there an ultimate meaning?". The trio explores the concept of "awareness of God" as discovering one's own seeking and self-presence. They also discuss the need for teachers to have the "smell of the sheep," the necessity of intellectual conversion and returning to a childlike wonder for educators, and how the current cultural zeitgeist of relativism affects the modern classroom.

Interview with Roberto de la Noval | Part 1

In part one of a two-part conversation, John and Jason are joined by Rob De La Noval, a theology professor at Boston College. The guys connected with Rob after reading three of his articles on teaching theology published in the University of Notre Dame's The Church Life Journal. The discussion centers around the art of teaching introductory theology to modern college students and the necessity of moving away from the traditional "salvation history" approach. Rob, drawing on Lonerganian philosophy, argues that introductory theology classes shouldn't just be an introduction to an academic discipline, but an introduction to oneself that addresses fundamental human questions—such as "Why do I suffer?" and "Is there an ultimate meaning?". The trio explores the concept of "awareness of God" as discovering one's own seeking and self-presence. They also discuss the need for teachers to have the "smell of the sheep," the necessity of intellectual conversion and returning to a childlike wonder for educators, and how the current cultural zeitgeist of relativism affects the modern classroom.

Interview with Anathea Portier-Young

In this episode, "Just John" flies solo to interview his favorite professor from Duke Divinity School, Dr. Anathea Portier-Young. They discuss her groundbreaking book, "The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature," which challenges the traditional "logocentric" view that prophets are merely mouthpieces for a divine message. Instead, Thea argues that prophecy is a deeply embodied experience—involving eating, sleeping, healing, and even the prophet's bones. The conversation covers a wide range of "nerdy" topics, from Thea’s background as a Latin-loving classicist to the "ferocious" reality of biblical Cherubim (who are definitely not chubby babies). They explore how the physical bodies of prophets like Moses and Isaiah mediate God's presence, the connection between the Old Testament prophets and the Incarnation of Jesus, and how Benedictine asceticism might itself be a prophetic act. John also fondly recalls auditing Thea's "Biblical Bodies" class, which featured memorable discussions on everything from Metatron to Dead Sea Scrolls toilets.