A Contemporary Understanding of the Bible - Part 1: Special Revelation

A Contemporary Understanding of the Bible

Part 1 - Special Revelation

Series Information

• Understanding the Bible, Part 1 - Special Revelation

• Understanding the Bible, Part 2 - Divine Inspiration

• Understanding the Bible, Part 3 - Let's Talk About Trans, Gays...

• Understanding the Bible, Part 4 - Jesus' Renewed Command

It has taken me awhile to get here but it makes the most sense to me now then when I was younger believing the system I was in was correct. Because I went through a necessary time of "doubt and uncertainty" I was able to let go of all my traditions to reform my training and beliefs to be more in line with what I regard as a "contemporary understanding of the bible".

This short article then is written for the "Nones and Dones" and contemporary Christians seeking a better way to read the bible than in the current literal fashion it is being read now by those making conclusions on such readings and acting un-Christianly / unlovingly towards those in the world and in the church who are confused by all the hate and bullying, oppression and incivility towards them. Especially by those professing Jesus as their Lord and Savior but showing none of Jesus' love and compassion.

An Extended Definition of Divine Inspiration

First up, I was taught that special revelation occurred to only those whom God selected. My tradition called this "divine inspiration". This, as opposed to natural revelation from creation in its different manners and illustrations.

As an aside, at Relevancy22, as I explore, expand, and deepen my understanding of process philosophical theology I am working with both special and natural revelation. The first re the bible and God's LOGOS / WORD as my tradition names it; and the latter with all the sciences and academia. Thus my forays into process evolution, the process quantum sciences, social and economic sciences, forms of process-based government such as process ecological societies, and etc.

Now, by extension, I've reconsidered my thoughts about special revelation along these several lines:

1A. The idea of "special" is not as "special" as I was taught. God is in the business of communication to as many people as he can. If that is so, then there are "savants" out in our communities and global societies who, like a musical tuning fork, sense this Spirit, or "spirit-ual" revelation of sorts to paint, sculpt, preach, lead, form, and create from God his LIVING Word in as many flavors, tellings, and fashions as they can. From the adult to the child, from the specialist to the businessman, from the plumber to the bum on the streets. There are human savants who are driven - or burdened - to speak of this "divine" inspiration driving their souls.

1B. Not all "savants" are hearing completely. Because of their backgrounds, heritages, traditions, and predialections, these internal inklings can and will become confused with other drivings, urges, and beliefs. The trick is to help each "listener" to a more complete idea and dynamism of their insights. Here, the simplest I can preach is to always let one's work be driven by love and humanitarianism. If one's burden doesn't lift the oppressions off the shoulders of people carry the burdens of racisms, poverty, invisibility, etc, than such "special revelations" are in the end worthless, un-divine, non-spiritual healing balms to society or one's immediate friends and family. They are simply discourses in frivolity.

2. Now let's consider the case of the "rest of us" such as myself and everyone whom I know. We are each trying in our own way to become more whole and more-wholly live in this world of ours. We have lots of failures. Lots of attempts. And lots of inspirations - whether from TV, the movies, sports, addictions, hobbies, friends, the pulpit, or wherever. This is "inspiration" for the rest of us. Generally, the rule here is several: learn to love ourselves but not inordinately as some do; learn to love those around us who are loveable and save the harder, unlovable types for later (toxic family members, work situations, friends, etc); and learn to love and appreciate life as it comes to you in whatever difficulty, disaster, or suffering. We live in an imperfect world marred by a basic fallenness we call sin. Life is hard. Love makes it easier (and be careful with words like "hope" and "expectations").

Conclusion # 1 re Divine Inspiration

The BIG idea here is that God's "special revelation" which we call "divine inspiration" is simply for all of us. Some hear it better than others. Some can not. Some here parts of it. Some will here more of it. That it comes through the most unexpected lives at the most unexpected times... usually times when we are in places to hear and listen better than we have been in our lives.

Secondly, to no surprise but my own when having to deconstruct and resort my tradition and beliefs... God's message is love, hope, healing, and forgiveness. If we read the bible closely it's tenor, or thematic motifs, all center on these words. Words which we describe as atoning forgiveness, personal penitence and repentance, redeeming redemption in its many forms, and a live become more turbulent because God is calling out to us to let go of our hates and give in to love.

Thirdly, I personally do not subscribe to personal (sexual) humiliations, bodily beatings and chastities, monkish type practices, bodily starvations, or ritualised practices of such. The way to receive and give back divine love is simply to i) learn to love yourself, ii) learn to love others, iii) learn to love God not in ritual but, as you can, in whatever ways this may be done.

1 John 4:19-20 (NASB)

19 We love, because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Since I stated this would be a short article I will leave with this gem. Many years ago I read Reuben Welch's little thin book titled "We Really Do Need Each Other." Surprisingly, I found it to be a very easy and critical study of the much neglected book, I John [ahem, 1,2,3 John, Jude and Revelation... THAT 1 John :) :) ]. It's simplicity changed by life and was the beginning of the end of my beliefs and traditions which taught me its theologies, bible verses, and convictions. Love will do that though. Especially divine love when it comes in so many ways, forms and fashions. So I will pass this precious reading along to you and hope it makes Jesus more alive than the Gospels have left him in our imaginations and biblical theology studies.

I'll see you in Part 2 of this article...

Peace,

R.E.Slater

October 1, 2022

Amazon link

Reviewer Comments

• The layout in this book is one of the most interesting books I have ever seen and you will read it again and again.

• It is a wonderful, yet short, description of what love is and what it should be.

• Not many people seem to know about Reuben Welch, a Christian writer whose humor and tender heart make his book a wonderful, poignant call to Christian action. His illustrations of how we Christians often dump someone hurting until they've shaped up is convicting. Who have I done that to, since I know people who've dumped me because of my baggage? Welch makes me think more deeply about the grace of Christ, and the kindness I, in attempting to reflect his character, can show to others. Having the text written in a poetry layout can be distracting for some, but I found it slowed me down to think about the phrases he emphasizes by placing them alone, separate from a paragraph. Welch's matter-of-fact style, and obvious love of the Lord make this a wonderful read.

 

Was Jesus Conservative or Progressive in His Faith?

Who is the Founder of Progressive Christianity?

article link

by James F. McGrath

July 16, 2022

Rather than give “Jesus” as a one-word answer to the question of who founded progressive Christianity, let me begin with a quote from something I wrote here on my Patheos blog some years ago which makes that same point but in more words and with more detail, which those who are skeptical of my assertion will need if they are to be persuaded:

If “liberal Christianity” means Christianity that reflects the cosmology and worldview of a particular era, then the earliest Christianity is liberal Christianity. It is only later, as cosmologies and worldviews changed, that some insisted on clinging to the views of an earlier era, because those happened to be part of the worldview of previous generations of Christians, including the Bible’s authors. That is why “conservative” Christianity ends up being a very radical departure from earliest Christianity, even in the process of fighting to try to keep the same worldview as they had to the minimal extent that that is even possible. By making the assumptions of prior generations into articles of faith, they stand against and not with the approach of the earliest Christians, even while claiming to defend their specific beliefs.

Let me immediately add that it may not be helpful to speak of Jesus as the “founder” of Christianity, as though he was seeking to start a new world religion. Jesus, like most “founders” of new religions, did not intend to do so but was instead a reformer within his own religion, Judaism. The process of getting from there to here reflects the progressiveness of Jesus that I’ll be seeking to highlight here. My point is that, to the extent that progressive Christianity has a beginning, that beginning is with Jesus and has continued unabated ever since.

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Everyone is more progressive or liberal than some people and less so than others. Progressive and liberal are tendencies along a spectrum and not absolute binary categories. In the case of Jesus, can anyone really deny that he was open to taking things in a new direction, to innovation and change? He taught his followers to do the same. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t elements in which Jesus was conservative, just as is true of his progressive followers today. Many progressives are also interested in getting back behind developments in doctrine and institutional structures to a simplicity they associate with Jesus and his first disciples. That’s very Protestant, and in one sense is inherently conservative. 

Those who are defined as conservatives today often claim to be doing (or at least trying to do) the same thing. But those who are most often labeled conservative are seeking to go back to the supposed original beliefs and practices of Christians and to replicate them irrespective of the changes that have taken place since then and the differences between our own context and that in which Christianity first arose.

Progressives, on the other hand, seek to implement in our time the same openness, the same guiding principles, that Jesus emphasized. Just as he was open to recognizing genuine and even superior faith among those who tended to be defined out of the people of God in his time (Matthew 8:10), today’s progressive Christians seek to do likewise. As Jesus envisaged Gentiles coming to the messianic banquet to dine alongside the Israelite Patriarchs (Matthew 8:11), Paul and others went against the clear teaching of Genesis which required the circumcision of all who were part of Abraham’s household. Instead these Christians insisted (over against the conservative Christians of their own time) that if God had shown that uncircumcised Gentiles are accepted by pouring out the Holy Spirit on them, circumcision must not be essential (Galatians 3:2-5).

As I have said here on my blog before, “Conservative Christians often claim to be the most faithful interpreters of Scripture. But it seems to me that if we have ears to hear what the Spirit was saying to the churches down the ages, it will become clear that focusing on written words and using them to argue against what the Spirit is doing often led people to be on the ‘wrong side’ as far as the Bible’s own perspective is concerned. And part of the message of many parts of the Bible is a warning to learn from such mistakes of the past.” Paul did not feel that pointing out “what the Bible says” settled a matter. Neither did Jesus, who famously said that Moses was the one who permitted divorce in scripture but God’s ideal for human beings was lifelong fidelity (Matthew 19:8).

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Those who wrote the Gospels in Greek were likewise progressive inasmuch as they cared less about preserving the exact words of Jesus in his native tongue Aramaic, than they did about communicating the core of his message as they understood it to as wide an audience as possible, which meant writing in Greek, the lingua franca of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Early Christian apologists like Justin Martyr (the original “apologists” before modern internet debaters sullied the term) stood in this tradition as well, being open to Greek and Roman philosophies and the insights they offered. All through the ages there have been those who have stood in this tradition, and so in that sense there is an unbroken lineage of progressive Christianity that connects Jesus to the present day.

Liberal Protestants closer to our time - such as Martin Luther King Jr. - must also be included. Many conservatives embrace his emphasis on racial equality, completely unaware that he represents a liberal Baptist position. If one reads his essay on the topic of the divinity, virgin birth, and resurrection of Jesus that he wrote while a student at Crozer Theological Seminary, one will find things that reflect the stance of today’s liberal and progressive Christians.

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Having put matters in those terms let me now pose an important question: Why Switch to Progressive?

I realize that sounds like a slogan in a car insurance ad but that’s not what I mean here, as is hopefully clear from the context.

In the first instance the question is about the terminology (which I confess I don’t find all that helpful). Why do people tend to identify as “progressive” Christians nowadays when a generation ago they tended to use the label “liberal”? 

Progressive doesn’t have a meaning that is clearly distinct from liberal. Moreover, some progressive, or liberal Christians, are theologically conservative but politically liberal, while others are the exact reverse. There’s potential for misunderstanding, to say the least. However, because liberalism reflected a stance that was very modern and shaped by the values of the Enlightenment (just as fundamentalism is shaped by that same context as the flip side of liberalism and a reaction against it), those who have accepted postmodern critiques of liberalism tend to prefer the term “progressive.”

Yet the same openness to new insights (whether from biblical study, history, science, psychology, or anywhere else) characterize the two. Progressive Christianity thus reflects the present-day iteration of a liberal/progressive approach to God, faith, and other human beings that we can trace back as far as the very beginnings of Christianity, to Jesus himself.

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Hopefully the above makes clear another sense in which I want to answer the question, “Why switch to Progressive?”

Why do I think others should embrace progressive Christianity? Because it reflects the outlook of Jesus and his earliest followers.

Christianity has always been bridging gaps, including outsiders, challenging assumptions, and innovating new beliefs and structures.

Some deny that, and so, rather than speak about progressive Christianity, I’d much rather talk simply about Christianity, or about honest Christianity, one that doesn’t pretend that there is no picking and choosing going on, just a preservation of a faith in static stagnant sameness.

[But], that has never been the case.

The key difference between progressive Christians and conservatives is that progressives acknowledge the fact that we preserve things selectively, that we pick and choose, and that we never fail to experience change. We do not view this process negatively the way conservatives do, even though they participate in the same processes, however much they might try to deny this is so.

That’s the answer in a nutshell.

It could have been briefer, as I indicated at the outset. I could have said “Jesus is the founder of progressive Christianity” and left it at that. But many people today treat conservative forms of Christianity as the default, as though they genuinely represent the classic historic Christian faith. In actual fact they merely preserve a dogmatic rejection of change that arose in that specific form relatively recently in history.

There were conservatives among the earliest Christians, and we read about them because they did things like opposing Paul’s proclamation to Gentiles of a gospel that did not require circumcision. It is ironic that today’s conservatives cite Paul’s letters as authoritative when they represent the stance of Paul’s opponents.

TL; DR: The core of Christianity was progressive from its beginning, and today’s progressives continue that tradition.

Also related to this topic:

• Critical Christianity

• Q Theology, Coup Theology

• Progressive Christians and the Bible

• Why I Am a Progressive Christian

• Conservative is Just a Code Word for “Godlessness”

• Inerrancy: The Hermeneutics of Defending Slavery

• Defining Progressive Christianity

• Progressive Christianity in the Spotlight

• Literalists aren’t Literally Literalists

• Original Christianity is Liberal Christianity

Finally, a couple of memes you can share:

Diana Butler Bass - Understanding Christian Nationalism, Parts 1-3

Vote Common Good is trying to get Pennsylvania voters to understand the dangers of Christian nationalism. https://www.votecommongood.com/penn-live-in-billboards-evangelical-group-urges-faith-voters-to-ditch-support-of-mastriano/

Understanding Christian Nationalism

article link

An invitation to explore the movement shaping American politics

by Diana Butler Bass

September 14, 2022

I got an email this week from a reader letting me know that his adult education group was using the recent Christian nationalism posts from The Cottage as a multi-week study leading up to the fall elections.

What a great idea! Until I read his note, however, I didn’t realize that I’d written a post each month since July on the subject. It certainly wasn’t a planned series. It just happened in conjunction with the news — and the intense interest in the subject of Christian nationalism.

He inspired me to turn the Christian nationalism essays into a three-part discussion curriculum that you can use.

Today’s post links all three of the essays in a single newsletter. I hope this will be helpful to you. Some may want to use these posts as my friend’s congregation is — for others that may be too controversial and you might want to read them in a small group. I do suggest that you engage them with others if possible.

I invite you to re-read them as a group — and with a group. I’ve enclosed some discussion questions for you to think about the ideas presented in each essay as well.

This three-part exploration of Christian nationalism involves terminology, theology, and history. It isn’t exhaustive (there’s much more that can be said), but it is provocative, thoughtful, and timely. And, since the essays are short, you needn’t read an entire book to engage important issues.

Of course, you may agree or disagree with various points and interpretations. That’s expected! Talking about a subject is often a good way toward greater understanding — and moderating fear we might have. Each of these posts comes from my own wrestling with these difficult days.

ESSAY #1: CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM EVERYWHERE?

In this essay, I explore the term “Christian nationalism” and suggest we might need to make finer distinctions in how we define political impulses in white evangelicalism.

Christian Nationalism Everywhere?

In the last few days, the phrase “Christian nationalism” is everywhere. The media is on fire with the term, blaming nearly every ill in American politics on Christian nationalism. I confess: I’m not entirely on board with this. There are ways in which explaining Christian nationalism adds an important dimension to understand the conflicts in American soc…

Read more

2 months ago · 60 comments · Diana Butler Bass

For discussion:

• What do you think about the central claim of this essay? “Both of these things are true: America is not a Christian nation. And the United States was shaped by Protestantism.”

• Why is it important to understand this paradoxical proposition? What might it mean for politics to grasp this history?

* * * * *

ESSAY #2: BAD BLOOOD

In recent weeks, talk of Civil War has skyrocketed. This essay looks at the connection between political conflict and theology that lends itself toward violence. This was one of the most widely read, shared, and discussed posts of the year at The Cottage.

The Cottage - Bad Blood

With the FBI search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, violent rhetoric and threats of an impending Civil War skyrocketed on social media. Ben Collins, disinformation and extremism expert, was all over traditional cable with dire warnings: “There are a lot of Americans right now who are extraordinarily angry. . . They believe this is the end. . . that w…

Read more

a month ago · 90 comments · Diana Butler Bass

For discussion:

• Do you worry that the central claim of Christianity involves blood and violence?

• What do you make of this statement?: “Not every Christian who holds to the theory of blood-atonement is a Christian nationalist, but Christian nationalism depends on this theology and can’t survive without it.”

• How might Christian theology, churches, and preachers address this? Where do you see these ideas in the news? Have you ever considered how bad theology might inspire political violence?

* * * * *

ESSAY #3: BAD HISTORY

Although most political commentators haven’t paid attention, white evangelical politics has been supported by and is twinned with a particular view of providential history. This essay returns to the theme of “Christian nation-ism” vs. “Christian nationalism” and explores it through history.

The Cottage - Bad History

When I reached into a box of books that had been stored, I pulled out a paperback from graduate school. A bit dusty, its pages yellowed with age, with the distinctive smell of old ink and paper, my copy of The Search for Christian America made me wince a little. The edition was dated 1989 — with an inscription “gift from George Marsden, July, 29, 1991” …

Read more

6 days ago · 63 likes · 58 comments · Diana Butler Bass

For discussion:

• What do you make of the popularity of a book like The Light and the Glory?

• And what does it mean that two best-selling histories — The Light and the Glory and A People’s History of the United States — seem to have helped create the political divisions today?

• Why is history so often a contentious subject? Why do people fight over the past? Do you know someone who believes in this providential history?

Public Witness on Substack has been running some very good pieces about Christian nationalism. I particularly appreciated this recent post on Doug Mastriano. I recommend both their newsletter and their news and opinion website, Word and Way.

* * * * *

INSPIRATION

If you understand your own place and its intricacy and the possibility of affection and good care of it, then imaginatively you recognize that possibility for other places and other people. If you wish well to your own place and you recognize that your own place is part of the world, then this requires a well-wishing toward the whole world. In return you hope for the world's well-wishing to your place.

This is a different impulse from the impulse of nationalism. This is what I would call patriotism, the love of a home country that's usually much smaller than a nation. Nationalism always implies competition, always the wish that your nation might thrive even at the expense of other nations. Patriotism is the love of a home place or a home country that recognizes the obligation of charity toward other places and other people, and it recognizes that the prosperity of your place need not come at the expense of the prosperity of other places. There is a generosity, a charity, in what I recognize is the true patriotism, which is not necessarily implied by nationalism.

— Wendell Berry

 

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Why did Neanderthals become extinct?

Why did Neanderthals become extinct?

Who were the Neanderthals? | DW Documentary

Oct 17, 2022

Long before Homo sapiens populated the earth, the Neanderthals lived in Eurasia. Now, paleoanthropologists in England and France are using new archeological methods to shed light on some previously unexplained Neanderthal mysteries.

In an age clouded by the mists of time, the first early humans colonized the Eurasian continent. They settled on land that had only recently been covered by glaciers. This species, called Neanderthals, died out about 30,000 years ago -- but at one time, they formed the largest group in an area that stretched from northern France to the Belgian coast and from the Channel Islands to southern England.

During the last Ice Age, the North Sea was frozen over -- and the English Channel was a small river that could easily be crossed on foot. The Neanderthals lived in close harmony with their perpetually changing environment. They had everything they needed to survive: the meat of prey animals, edible wild plants, water and wood for cooking and heating. How did these early humans develop over almost 300,000 years? What were their lives like before they became extinct?

Our documentary is based on the latest research. We investigate various populations of Neanderthals, and visit archaeological sites in northern France, southern England, and on the island of Jersey.

Renowned researchers such as the British paleoanthropologist Chris Stringer and his French colleague Ludovic Slimak describe how the Neanderthals lived, and discuss their cognitive abilities. Was this species capable of structured thinking? Did they have cultures, languages, and societies? How intelligent were they, and what sort of adaptive strategies kept them alive for 300,000 years? How similar were they to modern-day humans?

* * * * * * *

Related Reference:

Neanderthal - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

* * * * * * *

Neanderthals 101 | National Geographic

Oct 13, 2017

Who were the Neanderthals? Do humans really share some of their DNA? Learn facts about Neanderthal man, the traits and tools of Homo neanderthalensis, and how the species fits into our evolution story.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe

A Neanderthal Odyssey:

Everything We Know about the Neanderthals

NORTH 02  |  May 16, 2023  |  3:16:34

In this documentary, we discuss everything we know about the enigmatic Neanderthals. We dive deep into the latest scientific discoveries, archaeological findings, and genetic research to uncover the truths about Neanderthals. Through expert interviews, immersive visuals, and engaging storytelling, we shed light on their physical characteristics, intelligence, social structures, and cultural achievements.

* * * * * * *

THE RINGS OF POWER - Episode by Episode Breakdown & Interviews

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• Full Index to All Things Tolkien incld Rings of Power
• The Rings of Power - NO SPOILERS
• The Rings of Power - Episode by Episode Breakdown & Interviews
• Tolkien - The History and Ages of Arda <-- very important
• Cosmology of Tolkien's legendarium <-- very important
• Tolkien - The Ainur and Maiar of Middle-earth
• Tolkien - The Elves of Middle-earth and Valar of Vala
• A Complete Video History of Middle-earth - by Nerd of the Rings
• A Complete Video History of Middle-earth - by Men of the West

* * * * * * *

Explanation of Resources

by R.E. Slater

RESOURCE 1 - VID LIBRARY

I chose video-author "Nerd of the Rings" for his full historical overviews of Tolkien's Middle-Earth which histories are viewable here.  On that link you will find a vast library of short videos explaining Tolkien's Middle-Earth.

Below, however, will be all things related to "The Rings of Power" which are not from Tolkien's pen but are speculative stories based upon Tolkien's incomplete histories of the First and Second Ages of Middle-earth.

In essence then, I have developed two indexes... one index related to Tolkien and the other index here to derivatives works from Tolkien's writings imagined in Prime Video's film series of "The Rings of Power." Enjoy.

 

RESOURCE 2 - WRITTEN LIBRARY

I have created an even fuller list of Middle-Earth articles over the past month to further assist in understanding Middle-Earth's vast fictional histories. This will include:

• my take on Christian process philosophy and theology including relevant indexes related to that subject. Like Tolkien's writings, this is the subject matter which has captivated me to invest ten years of updating a Christianity which has become radically out-of-date with its source, Jesus, requiring its deconstruction and reconstruction on better grounds than it has had traditionally.

• Next, there will be found a very full list of Tolkien's legendarium which I felt is related to "The Rings of Power" (Ages 1 and 2 of Middle-Earth); and finally,

• An Index of five (5) videos discussing Tolkien's Middle-Earth from a contemporary Intersectional-Process view through a series of podcasts hosted by Homebrewed's Tripp Fuller.

 

RESOURCE 3 & 4 - THE RINGS OF POWER

• The NO SPOILERS introductory link on the Rings of Power is linked here.

• Here, on this site today, with the help of "Nerd of the Rings" we will complete Prime Video's remake of Tolkien's Second Age of Middle-Earth, The Rings of Power week to week. as they come out. Enjoy! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Official Trailer | Prime Video

Jul 14, 2022

The legend begins. #TheRingsOfPower

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

Beginning in a time of relative peace [beginning of Middle-Earth's Second Age], the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Official Trailer | Prime Video

Aug 23, 2022

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

Beginning in a time of relative peace [beginning of Middle-Earth's Second Age], the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Rings of Power Episode 1 BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

Sep 2, 2022 

Deep dive into Rings of Power Episode 1: "Shadow of the Past" !  We'll look for all the references to Tolkien's deeper lore, explain what is happening, and I'll give some thoughts along the way.

Rings of Power Episode 2 BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

Sep 2, 2022

Rings of Power Episode 3 BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

 Sep 9, 2022

Episode 4 - missing

Episode 5 - missing

Rings of Power Episode 6 BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

 Sep 30, 2022

The History of Mordor & Mount Doom

Tolkien Explained

Oct 1, 2022

LIVE with Tyroe Muhafidin (Theo, The Rings of Power)

Streamed live on Oct 4, 2022

Rings of Power Episode 7 WATCH PARTY

Streamed live on Oct 6, 2022

Rings of Power Episode 7 BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

Oct 7, 2022

Sauron the Shapeshifter

Tolkien Explained

Oct 8, 2022

LIVE with Jed Brophy, Phil Grieve, Luke Hawker,

& Robert Strange - Uruks in The Rings of Power!

Streamed live on Oct 12, 2022

Rings of Power Episode 8 Finale WATCH PARTY

Streamed live on Oct 13, 2022

Rings of Power Episode 8 FINALE BREAKDOWN

Lord of the Rings on Prime Explained

Oct 14, 2022

The Complete Travels of Celeborn

Tolkien Explained

Oct 15, 2022

LIVE with Jamie Wilson, Head of Prosthetics on The Rings of Power

Streamed live Oct 18, 2022

A Complete Video History of Middle-earth - by Nerd of the Rings

https://www.youtube.com/c/NerdoftheRings/playlists

Recommended: View by "Full Playlist"

for chronological historical ordering

R.E. Slater

I chose video-author "Nerd of the Rings" for his historical overviews of Middle-Earth. Here, on this page I've tweaked the main lists to jive chronologically with Tolkien's dates. Otherwise, all sub-lists are as the video-author intended. Many thanks to his efforts and the help they may provide to traveller's journeying through Tolkien's vast lands and legends of Middle-Earth!

By Nerd of the Rings 

Sharing a passion for all things Tolkien!  On Nerd of the Rings, I'll post videos explaining characters and concepts from Middle-earth history, map the travels and events, gaming, Amazon's Rings of Power series ( #LOTRonPrime ), and more!

If you love the Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, the books, the movies, the music - any and all of Middle-earth, please subscribe and join me in this adventure.  I am honored to share this love of Tolkien with such excellent and admirable hobbits!

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• Full Index to All Things Tolkien incld Rings of Power
• The Rings of Power - NO SPOILERS
• The Rings of Power - Episode by Episode Breakdown & Interviews
• Tolkien - The History and Ages of Arda <-- very important
• Cosmology of Tolkien's legendarium <-- very important
• Tolkien - The Ainur and Maiar of Middle-earth
• Tolkien - The Elves of Middle-earth and Valar of Vala
• A Complete Video History of Middle-earth - by Nerd of the Rings
• A Complete Video History of Middle-earth - by Men of the West

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THE LORE OF TOLKIEN'S

LEGENDARIUM

3 - Videos by Age of Middle-earth

8 - Short Videos - Years of the Lamps/Years of the Trees

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

21 - Short Videos - The First Age

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

25 - Short Videos - The Second Age

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

32 - Short Videos - The Third Age

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

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THE RACES OF THE MIDDLE-EARTH

8 - Videos by Race of Middle-earth

18 - Short Videos - Higher Powers: Wizards, Maiar, and Valar of Middle-earth
VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

32 - Short Videos - Villains of Middle-earth
VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

22 - Short Videos - Elves of Middle-earth

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

23 - Short Videos - Men of Middle-earth
VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

5 - Short Videos - The Rings of Power

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

12 - Short Videos - Dwarves of Middle-earth

VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

9 - Short Videos - Hobbits of Middle-earth
VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

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TOLKIEN THEORY

Tolkien Theory - PLAY ALL

In these videos, we speculate on some of the mysteries

of Middle-earth and play out some "What If" scenarios!

What if Gandalf Took the Ring? | Tolkien Theory

What if Galadriel Took the Ring? | Tolkien Theory

Five Great Tom Bombadil Theories | Tolkien Theory

What if Smaug Survived? | Tolkien Theory

What if Sauron got The One Ring? | Tolkien Theory

CI - Course Offering: Whitehead's Process Philosophy by Andrew Davis

Live Session Info

Dates: October 5, 2022 – November 2, 2022

Times: Wednesdays, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Pacific

Zoom Info: Click on the session links below to access. (You must be enrolled in the course.)

Course Summary

While “process philosophy” is wider than the work of Alfred North Whitehead, the depth and dynamism of his thought principally inspire its modern expression. This five-part course introduces students and life-long learners to the central themes, contours, and ideas of Whitehead’s “philosophy of organism.”

Course Description

Whitehead’s “philosophy of organism” is one of the most significant attempts in all of philosophy to think through what reality must be like because you are apart of it. His philosophical vision is at once vast, various, and prismatic. His wife Evelyn once used the wonderful metaphor of a prism to describe his thinking, saying: “It must be seen not from one side alone but from all sides, then from underneath and overhead. So seen, as one moves around it, the prism is full of changing lights and colours. To have seen it from one side only is to not have seen it.” The five sessions of this course aim to reveal the various sides, lights, and colors belonging to Whitehead’s process philosophy from the microscopic to the macroscopic, and in direct relation to your experience as an expression of the universe.

Session one surveys the basic thematic and historical dimensions of “process philosophy” as a current of philosophical thinking with both ancient antecedents and creative modern expressions. Session two dives into Whitehead’s analysis of human experience, clarifies the fundamentals of his “philosophy of organism,” and considers some of the challenges, problems or questions that often emerge from his theory. Session three clarifies the fundamental place of possibility, novelty and value in Whitehead’s philosophy, particularly in relation to human experience as an expression of both biological and cosmological evolution. Session four explores Whitehead’s understanding of the philosophical function of God, including the roles of the “primordial” and “consequent” natures, as well as other important philosophical principles. Session five concludes the course by considering Whitehead’s critiques of the theological tradition and the relevance and/or religious availability of “process panentheism” as a fruitful means of modeling the God-world relationship.

Course Resources

Course Syllabus

Discussion Forum

Course Content

Session 1: Being and Becoming AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 12:00 AM

Session 2: Experience Everywhere AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 12:00 AM

Session 3: Possibility, Novelty, and Value AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 12:00 AM

Session 4: God as Poet of the World AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 12:00 AM

Session 5: Religion and Process Panentheism AVAILABLE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 12:00 AM

https://cobb.institute/courses/whiteheads-process-philosophy/