Athens State University Religious Studies Program

10/08/2026

What does it take to keep leading when the storm lasts longer than expected?

In this episode of Convergence — Where Faith, Leadership, and Culture Merge, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Eric Betts explore the importance of courage and resilience in uncertain and demanding times.

Building on the idea of finding true north when the map no longer works, this conversation asks what helps leaders stay grounded, remain faithful to their values, and keep moving forward when the road becomes difficult.

Topics include:

• The difference between courage and resilience
• Why resilience is more than simply “bouncing back”
• How leaders can remain grounded under pressure
• The importance of rest, community, and the inner life
• Lessons from Howard Thurman and Nelson Mandela
• How to distinguish resilience from stubbornness
• Why hope is essential for long-term leadership

Knowing your true north is important. But staying oriented toward it takes courage, humility, resilience, and hope.

Join us for another conversation in our Leading Through the Storm series.

Leading Through the Storm: Courage, Resilience, and Staying True to...

10/07/2026

In this episode of *Convergence*, I sit down with Dr. Claudette Owens, a clergy practitioner and scientist, for a conversation on **leading through storms**. Drawing from the intersection of faith, science, and leadership, Dr. Owens offers fascinating insights into storms and disturbances in the atmosphere—and what these phenomena might teach us about navigating seasons of disruption, uncertainty, and change. Join us for a conversation where scientific insight and the practice of leadership converge.

09/08/2026

Who Decides What the Bible Says? | Everything Is Interpreted

Who decides what the Bible means—and how do we faithfully apply an ancient text to the world in which we live today?

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Tony Moyers and Dr. Robert White explore the challenge and responsibility of biblical interpretation. Taking the Bible seriously means paying careful attention to the text itself—its history, language, literary form, and original setting. But interpretation cannot stop there. We must also take seriously the context in which we are reading today and ask what faithful application looks like in circumstances the biblical writers could never have imagined.

The conversation explores questions such as:

* Is there really such a thing as simply reading “what the Bible says”?
* How do we move from an ancient text to contemporary life?
* What can the Jewish tradition of binding and loosing teach us about interpretation?
* How did Jesus interpret Scripture?
* Who has the authority to decide what a biblical passage means?
* How can we hold the authority of Scripture together with humility about our own interpretations?

Ultimately, the question is not whether we interpret the Bible—we all do. The challenge is learning to interpret it carefully, responsibly, and faithfully, taking both the ancient text and our present context seriously.

Join us for another conversation about why how we read matters—because everything is interpreted.

07/19/2026

How do you read the Bible?

That simple question lies at the heart of this episode of Everything Is Interpreted.

In this conversation, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Tony Moyers explore one of the most important questions Jesus ever asked: "How do you read it?" (Luke 10:26).

Together, they discuss why biblical interpretation is unavoidable, why sincere Christians often read the same passages differently, and what it means to take the Bible seriously without assuming every passage must be read literally. Along the way, they examine the Good Samaritan, literary and historical approaches to Scripture, the influence of culture and tradition, and why Jesus often answered questions with stories instead of definitions.

Rather than offering simple answers, this conversation invites listeners to become more thoughtful, humble, and faithful readers of Scripture.

Topics include:

Why everyone interprets the Bible
Jesus' question: "How do you read it?"
The difference between taking the Bible seriously and literally
Why literary genres matter
Reading the Bible through historical and cultural lenses
The Good Samaritan as a model of interpretation
How interpretation shapes our lives and our world

How do you read the Bible?That simple question lies at the heart ...

07/01/2026

How much of what we “see” in the Bible actually comes from our own culture?

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Robert White, Dr. Tony Moyers, and Dr. Eric Betts have an engaging conversation about reading the Bible through a cultural lens. Together, they explore how our traditions, experiences, and assumptions influence the way we interpret Scripture—and why understanding the historical and cultural world of the Bible can deepen both our faith and our understanding.

If you’ve ever wondered why sincere Christians sometimes read the same passage differently, this conversation is for you.

Join us as we learn how reading the Bible with greater historical and cultural awareness can help us become more thoughtful, faithful, and compassionate interpreters of the Bible.

Watch the conversation and join us in discovering why… Everything Is Interpreted.

05/29/2026

What happens when we stop asking, “What is the lesson?” and start asking, “How does the story work?”

In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Tony Moyers explore one of Jesus’ most familiar—and most challenging—parables: The Good Samaritan.

Using a literary approach to interpretation, we look beyond the surface of the story to examine its setting, characters, surprises, and reversals. Why does Jesus choose a Samaritan as the hero? Why does he answer a question with a story? And how does the structure of the parable itself challenge the way we see neighbors, strangers, and ourselves?

Join us as we demonstrate how reading the Bible as literature can deepen our understanding of Scripture and reveal meanings we might otherwise miss.

05/13/2026

Everything is Interpreted-Jeremiah's Temple Sermon

05/13/2026

Convergence Podcast
A Time to Break Silence: Prophetic Leadership in a Divided World

In this episode of Convergence — Where Faith, Leadership, and Culture Merge, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Eric Betts reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s powerful Riverside Church sermon, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,” and the continuing importance of prophetic courage in dangerous and divided times.

Drawing on the work of Vincent Harding, the teachings of Jesus, and the challenge of speaking truth to power, this conversation explores the difference between unity and uniformity, the temptation of silence, and the call to practice courageous, compassionate leadership in the face of injustice.

What happens when calls for “unity” become demands for silence?
What does prophetic leadership require of us today?

Join us for a thoughtful conversation on faith, conscience, justice, and the enduring power of love and truth.

04/29/2026

What happens when we move from talking about interpretation to actually doing it? In this episode of Everything Is Interpreted, Dr. Robert White and Dr. Tony Moyers explore Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon as a case study in historical reading. By asking questions about context, audience, and purpose, they demonstrate how the Bible comes alive when we learn to read it within its original setting.

Everything is Interpreted-Jeremiah's Temple Sermon

04/23/2026

Everything is Interpreted – a conversation with Dr. Robert White and Dr. Tony Moyers about learning to read the Bible through historical lens.