Macrina's Key: Recent Episodes
Sara Evans
How can we think well of God when we have never paused to consider him? For people whose time, finances, and life stage might prevent them from pursuing theological education, Macrina's Key provides the chance to consider all things theological. In 25-30 minutes we’ll cover essential doctrines, ask questions, consider art and beauty, and wrestle with the things of God. Hosted by Dr. Sara Evans, each episode will provide thoughtful material for the new theological adventurer and the most experienced.
Wondering about the beauty of the world, followed by a winding visit to the Trinity, person of Christ, heresy, and the Holy Spirit. Who do we worship? And what's the nature of salvation?
Continuing our exploration of what it means to be human, how do we understand the fall and approach the problem of evil? This episode considers St Augustine's "privation theory" as the entry point to conversations about the fall, evil, and the Goodness of God. Tune in for a birthday surprise too!
In this episode, we're taking another look at humanity, this time as objects to be known and engaged with. As both Spirit and Body, how should we think about ourselves and others as objects? How might a focus on our physical bodies shape the way we interact with God and other doctrines of the faith?
In this episode, we hear from Sara's eldest daughter about how to celebrate St Nicholas -- how can imitating an ancient saint help us be more like Jesus?
Advent: John the Baptist calls for repentance and St Peter reminds us God is patient. But waiting is still the hardest thing to do. Join Sara and Eric, her mad [crazy] vicar for a delightful conversation about waiting, community, beauty, CS Lewis, the North of England, and more waiting.
It's All Saints Day! Time to talk about miracles! No, actually, it's time to consider the very down-to-earth, regular old saints in our everyday lives.
This episode circles back around to anthropology — the study of humanity — and considers the image of God a little bit more. You’ll hear a proposal for a Christological Imago Dei, one that incorporates both who we are now, and who we are growing to be in Christ.
Looking forward from Adam, what else is there to know about sin? Let's think through the current situation in which we find ourselves. In this episode, we begin by asking some framing questions about God and ourselves, before considering the nature of sin and its effects.
Today we explore another question related to our humanity: What is Original Sin, and why are we "on the hook" for what Adam and Eve did, so long ago? How does this sin come down to us and what is meant by the term "total depravity"? Are there better words for this concept?
Part of being human is building culture. But what does it mean for humans to have culture and why is there such diversity? How does multiculturalism pair with the Gospel? Let's think about this together as we consider building human culture like painting with God.
Part of being human is building culture. But what does it mean for humans to have culture and why is there such diversity? How does multiculturalism pair with the Gospel? Let's think about this together as we consider building human culture like painting with God.
Here we begin our discussion on the imago dei or the image of God. What does it mean to be in God's image? Why are there multiple interpretations of this important concept and are they all equal?
With the development of AI, debates around gender, scientific materialism, and virtual reality, considering what it means to be human is incredibly challenging and important. This episode just begins the discussion, starting by peeling back the layers to ask: what is a human? And how might Christ’s resurrected body inform this discussion?
In this second episode of "The Little Key" we trace some of the similarities and differences between Jesus and two goats. The Bible my daughter references can be found here: Biggest Story Bible. We also discuss Lent, Easter, and Jesus' time in the wilderness!
How does God relate to the created universe? How can we know God through the material world?
Welcome to our first official episode of The Little Key. On these episodes, I’m excited to welcome my eldest daughter! Children have such good insights into the faith, generous questions and imagination. I love their sweet tenderness and innocence, their willingness to accept mystery and delight in God as a joy and refuge in times of trouble. These are the things which I think we, as adults, may easily lose, and it’s something I want us to recapture. To that end, join us today as we talk about our favourite little prayer book and the gift that it’s been to our family!
Paul says "now we know in part, but then we shall know fully." What are the limitations of our knowledge while on this side of the resurrection? How do we avoid making knowledge an idol or turning the faith into a bunch of boxes to tick? While there are core things we must believe, how do we hold in tension the things we cannot know?
There are many things which vie for our attention and demand to be sources for theology. How do we assess the claims of each, and how should these disparate voices be brought together? This episode considers these questions as we bring together themes from the last several weeks, including the doctrine of God's self-revelation and the topic of epistemology.
"There and Back Again, by Bilbo Baggins." What if this was the story of our Christian life? What if Ash Wednesday was an entrance into the ongoing adventure, with which we haven't yet finished?
Friends! I had a lovely conversation with my eldest daughter about St Valentine and we decided to share it with you. There's so much to think about with the celebration of Valentine's Day -- but here is our little contribution as you celebrate the love of Christ and think of how we can bring his love to others.🧡
Join us for a rather bumpy look at Critical Realism and a short foray into the writings of Flannery O'Connor as we continue exploring what it means to "know."
How do we know what we know? What does it mean to know? These questions are wrapped up in a field of philosophy called Epistemology. While the answers might seem obvious, once we get started asking these questions, you may feel a little like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. How do we know God and how does that knowledge shape us, change us, and bring responsibility? Let's find out!
Christmas may already seem far away in the rearview. But it’s important to keep first things first; so we’re asking in 2023, how shall we train ourselves to see Christ? Plus: Rebranding and New Episode Formats
Advent is coming to an end, have your traditions pointed you towards Christ? Have you kept him in sight through this season? Join Sara to reflect on how these things bring us home to Christ even while we continue to await his return. Rejoice! Emmanuel is coming!
Jesus, Gospel, and Scripture. There's a triangular or triadic use of "the word" in Scripture. This episode explores how Special Revelation utilises these three "words" and the ways in which they are related.
How does God reveal himself to his creation, to his people? By his Word. But does that mean only Scripture? This episode explores Special Revelation -- how God reveals himself so that people can enter into relationship with him. You might find yourself surprised by the many ways in which God speaks to his people and how we are called to respond to that speaking. We'll talk about prophecy, Scripture, visions, and Christ the Word.
We know about God becuase of what theologians call his self-revelation or self-disclosure. But what does that revelation entail and what shape does it take? Join Sara as we talk about the first form of revelation, its place in our theological system, and the ultimate, albeit limited purpose of general revelation.
Too often we think about reality as a great battle between good and evil. It shows up in popular texts, world religions, even some streams of Christianity. But the creation narratives show us that evil is not equal to God, he is ulitmately more powerful and triumphant over all things. When we read the creation stories, we’re reminded that God is greater than the gods of the nations whether those are historic or present idols. This transcendent power should secure our hope for the future, bringing to mind not only creation but the future age that Christ has inaugurated. The creation narratives thus reveal who God is, thereby securing our hope for the future and reminding us not only who we are but where we are headed.
Ever get tired of the debates around Genesis 1-2? Have you wondered if there is a different way to look at the creation narratives? Well, look no further. This episode attempts to shift our focus away from contemporary debates over the how and what of creation. Instead, we’ll take a look at what it means for God to be creator. After talking about God’s attributes, who does creation reveal God to be?
As we wrap up our series on God's attributes, Sara first asks what it means for God to be good. From there we dive into truth and faithfulness, followed by intriguing questions around gender and the motherhood of God as expressed in Scripture. Join us as we finish exploring God's moral attributes!
What are the attributes that humans cann emulate -- the communicable or moral attributes? When we say that God is lovinng or holy, what do we mean? In this episode, Sara shifts gears from those attributes which are applicable only to God towards those with which humans may engage and even imitate. The episode also considers how God's characteris a source of human hope and confidence. Finally, we'll begin to explore the ways God set the stanndard for our lives as Christians, simply by his nature.
Happy Easter! In this episode, we'll continue learning about the nature of God; Sara discusses more of God's non-moral attributes or the characteristics which we can't emulate as humans. We'll dive into some of the more well known attributes by looking at the "omni's" such as omniscience, omnipresence, and more! Sara also takes us to the current church season of Easter to explore its connections with God's nature and how both should enliven our worship of him as the living God. Join us!
From the deep-end of the Trinity to the riches of God's character, we are off and away! This episode considers how we can categorise the attributes of God (his characteristics). We'll hear about communicable/incommunicable categories, feminist concerns, and the historical method of absolute vs relative attributes. Then the episode takes the heady turn into the non-moral attributes as we discuss aseity, infinity, and immensity.
One of the best ways we learn about something is by discovering what it isn't. In this episode, Sara explains some early Trinitarian heresies in order to help us see who God is not. From there we get into a discussion of why the Trinity matters for the life of an everyday believer and how this understanding of God significantly shapes faith, worship, and life together.
Augustine famously said (and I'm paraphrasing): If you deny the Trinity you will lose your soul. If you try and explain it you will lose your mind.
The Trinity is obviously important, it's who God is. But it's also complicated, how can three be one God? Well, that's just what we're going to explore today. Here Sara begins with "theology proper" -- the study of God and who he is. We'll dive in to the deep end by considering what it means for God to be Triune. Join us!
One of my favourite professors used to say that if our theology doesn't "work at the margins" then it isn't good theology. We have a lot of margins in the world right now, don't we?
This week we have woken to difficult, painful news in the world. From Ukraine to estimates on children who've lost parents to COVID-19, even divisions in our own home and community -- it's been a hard week on top of a difficult season. What does theology have to do with any of this? What are we supposed to do, as individual Christians? As the church? We'll consider these questions today in a brief pause from the normal set of episodes.
Did you know there are different methods for doing theology, different approaches to the study of God? In this episode, Sara explains biblical, historical, and systematic approaches to doing theology. We'll also touch on some more recent developments in theology and consider how different sources play into the way we study God.
It might seem like a niche topic, but hopefully by the end you'll have a clearer understanding not only of what Sara's doing on Macrina's Key, but also why our theological method matters. The questions we ask and the sources we consider authoritative, all serve to inform how we do theology and the places where we might end up theologically.
A wee introduction to Sara Evans, the host at Macrina's Key. Hear a little bit of her background and some embarrassing moments -- like the time she mispronounced lasagna while in Rome.
Who was Macrina the Younger and why is she the inspiration behind this podcast? What’s the key for theology and finding God in every season? In this episode, we'll answer some basic questions about the podcast. What's the goal, why consider a woman largely hidden in the background of theological history, and why did Sara even start this project?