Disarming Romans: Rethinking Power, Empire, and Faith through a Hermeneutic of Sorrow - w/ Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh
How seeing the book of Romans through the lens of justice, grief, and empire can radically reshape our faith and community. In their compelling conversation with Mike, Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat discuss their book "Romans Disarmed," a subversive and creative take on Paul’s epistle that blends biblical exegesis with lament, narrative fiction, and political reflection.
Through an intentional hermeneutic of sorrow, Walsh and Keesmaat challenge listeners to reimagine salvation, justice, and discipleship not as abstract theological constructs, but as embodied, communal realities shaped in resistance to empire. Drawing from their real-life experience building an intentional Christian community on a permaculture farm in Canada—and a deep-seated commitment to the marginalized—they unravel the ways Romans has been weaponized in political and theological battles, and propose a reading that centers liberation, justice, and the radical love of Jesus.
Key Takeaways: • Reclaiming Romans from Empire and Individualism – How Paul’s epistle, long used to justify nationalist or exclusionary theology, actually challenges imperial power and promotes a justice-shaped gospel. • Scripture as Resistance – Recovering the communal, narrative, and justice-rooted dimensions of the Bible beyond doctrinal proof-texting and theological systems. • A Hermeneutic of Sorrow – How entering scripture through places of grief, like the loss of a friend or systemic injustice, can activate faithful, compassionate readings. • Salvation as Communal Liberation – Moving beyond personal piety to understand salvation as holistic freedom—economic, social, and relational—for the oppressed. • Sexuality and the Roman World – Interrogating Romans 1 in its historical context, including how Paul's concerns about exploitative systems differ from modern ideas around orientation. • Lament as Theological Praxis – The importance of grief, creation care, and embodied life in shaping a Christian ethic worthy of Jesus.
Guest Highlights: Brian Walsh & Sylvia Keesmaat – Scholars and activists, authors of "Colossians Remixed" and "Romans Disarmed." They live on a permaculture farm, model intentional community, and call for the church to rediscover its prophetic imagination and justice-first mission in a post-Christendom age.
Resources Mentioned: • Romans Disarmed by Brian Walsh & Sylvia Keesmaat – Buy the book • Colossians Remixed – Link • Tim Gombis on Hermeneutics – Past Voxology episode • The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider • School of Prophets (NT Wright View of Scripture) – Ongoing thought partnership mentioned by Sylvia
Join us as we wrestle with how to reimagine Christianity free from empire, full of justice, and radically shaped by the love of Jesus. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and follow us on social media for more conversations that matter.
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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy
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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford
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