"The Way We Exercise Dominion is Through Justice:" A Conversation with Dr. Steven W. Tyra on Christian Nationalism

Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 4! This episode marks the formal beginning to the Christian Nationalism project, which might acquire a new name soon, that will run from 2025 to 2028, culminating in a conference in May or June 2028. In this episode I speak with Dr. Steven W. Tyra. Dr. Steven W. Tyra holds a PhD in Historical Theology from Baylor University, with expertise in both John Calvin and Martin Luther. He is currently a History and Theology Teacher in the Midway Independent SD, Waco, Texas.

He is the author of Neither the Spirit without the Flesh: John Calvin's Doctrine of the Beatific Vision, published by T&T Clark in 2024. He is currently underway on his second book, which will be published by Bloomsbury Press. Steven has also written two significant articles that challenge the biblical and reformation roots of Christian nationalism which we will discuss today. The first, “’Christ is not the shepherd of wolves’: Reading John Calvin on Dominion in a Time of Christian Nationalism” will be published soon in Church History and Religious Culture. I was able to read a draft copy prior to speaking with Steven. The second, “Babeling Nationalism: Reading Genesis 11:1–9 with Luther and Calvin” is published in Principia: A Journal of Classical Education 3, no. 1 (2024) and is available for free download. Please do read it.

This podcast emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC, a centre that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, other religious traditions, and those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation.

What Matters Most is produced by the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC. The CCE is a centre at St. Mark’s College that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, members of other religious traditions, and from those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation. Our goal, then, is to talk to a lot of people, to learn from them, to listen to them, and to find out what motivates them, what gives them hope, what gives them peace, and what allows them to go out into the world to love their neighbors.

A few thanks are in order. To Martin Strong, to Kevin Eng, and to Fang Fang Chandra, the team who helps me bring this podcast to you, but also makes the CCE run so much more smoothly.

I also want to thank our donors to the Centre, whose generosity enables this work to take place at all: Peter Bull, Angus Reid, and Andy Szocs. We are thankful to their commitment to the life of the academic world and of the work of the Church in the world by funding the work of the CCE. I am also thankful to the Cullen family, Mark and Barbara, for their support of the ongoing work of the CCE through financial donations that allow us to bring speakers to the local and international arenas.

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Thanks again for listening and remember what matters most.

John W. Martens

Director, Centre for Christian Engagement