In this standalone interview, Presian Renee Burroughs, Duke Divinity ThD and author of Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture, talks about her experience as a Duke Divinity student, the apostle Paul, applying Pauline scholarship to the church context, the role of creation in Paul’s writing, and what Paul’s ecological ethic might mean for industrial agriculture and the food system in America today.
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(1) Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture (2022)
(2) Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry (2018)
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Presian fell in love with Scripture and creation while growing up in northeast Ohio on a small farm. Having studied biology as an undergrad, she later received an MDiv and Doctor of Theology degree in New Testament Studies and Ecological Theology from Duke Divinity School and has served the academy, church, and non-profit sectors. Dr. Burroughs inspires God’s people to live according to God’s work of creational liberation through her writing, teaching, and living. Her recent publications include Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture, Practicing with Paul, and “A Wesleyan Ecological Hermeneutic: Interpreting Scripture, Science, & Society Ecologically.” She is a fellow of Wake Forest University’s Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. More about Presian can be found at presianburroughs.com.
Show Notes
PODCAST LINKS:
Presian’s website: https://presianburroughs.com/
SOURCES MENTIONED:
Burroughs, Presian Renee. Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture.
———, ed. Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry in Honor of Susan G. Eastman.
Martyn, J. Louis. Galatians. The Anchor Bible.
OUTLINE:
(01:35) – Coffee, OJ, water, chai latte
(02:56) – “Narrowly evangelical” to “broader evangelicalism”
(06:44) – Grappling with the inspiration of Scripture
(09:01) – Life at Duke Divinity
(13:01) – Authentically Christian professors
(17:34) – Pauline scholarship and the church: overlapping complexities
(23:48) – Paul and the not-so-uniform church
(27:20) – Honoring Susan Eastman
(31:44) – Scripture’s story of creation and science’s story of earth
(35:33) – Paul and politics
(43:35) – Creation in Paul’s thought
(47:11) – Humanity and creation: dominion or servant leadership?
(51:03) – Deforestation in ancient Rome
(55:16) – Eco-ethical principles in Paul’s writing
(01:03:15) – Applying Paul’s ecological ethic to America’s food system
(01:10:02) – Compost, food co-ops, and more beans (less meat)