Church is not just one more thing to check off on our list of self-improvement.

This is, I think, how we often approach church, like Monday I go to the gym, Tuesday I go to the

therapist. We think of spirituality as like, now I'm checking the spiritual locks.

Instead of, I have committed myself to these people in this place and together we are becoming something

we cannot be on our own.

Hey, friends, welcome back to another episode of Theology Journal. My guest today is once again

Dr. Carmen Joy, Ims, who has a PhD from Wheaton College. She's Associate Professor

of Old Testament at Talbot School, Theology, at Ball University in Southern California.

She's the author of a few books, including the, almost said the space trilogy. She's the author

of kind of like a biblical theology trilogy. The first book is burying God's name, why Sinai still matters.

Second book is Being God's Image, why creation still matters.

And her third and recently released book of the trilogy is becoming God's family,

why the church still matters.

Carmen also has a YouTube channel where she releases weekly

Torah Tuesday videos would highly recommend checking that out if you're a YouTube kind of person.

So really enjoyed this conversation. Carmen is a delight to talk to. Super brilliant.

Knows the Old Testament inside and out and isn't afraid to rest with hard

passages. And also she just writes in a very, very accessible way and yet brings scholarly

vigor to her writing without you even realizing it because she writes so clearly. So

really enjoyed this conversation. I think you will too. Please welcome back to the show,

the one or only Dr. Carmen Joy Ims.

Carmen, I'm so good to have you back on Thealdiothic.

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