Presian Renee Burroughs / Paul, Creation, and the American Food System

Theology Mill

Presian Renee Burroughs earned her ThD at Duke Divinity School and currently teaches at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, where she is also a fellow of Wake Forest’s Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. She is the author of “Creation’s Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture” (Cascade, 2022).

In this standalone interview, Presian 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.

COUPON CODE:

Use code "PRESIAN23" at checkout for 40% off Dr. Burroughs' Wipf and Stock books:

Creation's Slavery and Liberation: Paul’s Letter to Rome in the Face of Imperial and Industrial Agriculture: https://wipfandstock.com/9781725294875/creations-slavery-and-liberation/

Practicing with Paul: Reflections on Paul and the Practices of Ministry in Honor of Susan G. Eastman: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532601040/practicing-with-paul/

* (Coupon code is good through 4/25/2023.) *

PODCAST LINKS:

Blog post: [coming soon]

Presian’s website: https://presianburroughs.com/

CONNECT:

Website: https://wipfandstock.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/

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)