Quotes & Sayings


We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write from the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Saturday, February 17, 2024

Jay McDaniel - The Biography of Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr



The Biography of Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr

by Jay McDaniel
February 8, 2024


John Cobb, My Frugal, Visionary Mentor

John Cobb, my mentor, is nearing his 100th birthday. He is a visionary par excellence. More than any philosopher or theologian I know, John has done two things simultaneously. He has made clear to us impending catastrophes we face as a species (global climate change, violence and the threat of nuclear war, political dysfunction, economic collapse, and widespread loneliness) lest we change our ways of thinking and living in the world. And he has simultaneously sparked a collective movement of hope around the world: the hope of a new kind of civilization, an Ecological Civilization, which can serve the well-being of life.

There are many institutions around the world indebted to him. They include the Center for Process Studies, The Cobb Institute for Community and Practice, the Institute for Ecological Civilization, the Institute for the Postmodern Development of China, the Living Earth movement, Pando Populus, and still more. And there are thousands of students, I among them, likewise indebted. He is not just my mentor; he is our mentor.

If you passed him on the street, you might not notice him. Small in stature, there's nothing flashy about him: no designer clothes, no fancy watches, no air of importance. He would likely be wearing pants and a sweater that he's owned for the last fifty years.

On his birthday, he will be celebrated for numerous accomplishments: publishing over a hundred books, pioneering process theology, possessing an amazingly interdisciplinary mind, working in China and other nations, and demonstrating a visionary commitment to ecological civilization. Click here to learn about his academic achievements.

He will also be celebrated for his kindness to people from all walks of life, his unpretentiousness, his indifference to questions of status, and his caring heart. John draws no distinctions between "important" and "unimportant" people; all are important. It's not just John's achievements that inspire people; it's who he is and how he treats them.

In this spirit, I want to celebrate one more aspect of his life: his simple lifestyle. This includes his minimalist wardrobe mentioned above and his living space. When you visit John in his apartment, he doesn't turn on lights because he doesn't want to waste energy; sunlight suffices. John lives simply and frugally, without the trappings of conspicuous consumption. He is a mentor to me and others in this, too.

This frugality is not solely his own design; he inherited it from his parents and his Methodist (Wesleyan) tradition with its commitment to simple living. In principle, he could have learned it from the Benedictines as well, or the Quakers, or the Franciscans, or the Amish. Or, if he lived elsewhere, from Gandhi and from many Buddhist communities. Methodists do not have a monopoly on simple living. But John learned it from his parents, their friends, and the Wesleyans. He chose to follow the way of his elders.

There is authenticity to this choice. In a world where appearances often take precedence, John's lifestyle underscores his humility and care for the world. He lives without ostentation, embodying a down-to-earth demeanor that fosters connection and relatability. People like to be around him because he is so polite and humble. This is one reason he is so popular in China. It's not just his ideas; it's his demeanor.

His lifestyle also carries a counter-cultural and indeed, a Christian message. John seeks to follow Jesus in his daily life. He believes that the God whom Jesus revealed is a God of love, not ostentation. He believes that God's call to each of us and to all of us is to live simply, in community with one another and other creatures, so that others might simply live. You can get an idea of his sense of vocation in the essay below.

But first, a word about process theology. John does not parade process theology as if it were the answer to all questions. He is more committed to the well-being of life than to process theology. But John's commitment to simple living is itself an embodiment of process theology and its idea that mutuality and relationality are at the heart of what is really important in life. John's lifestyle is a reminder that true richness does not lie in the abundance of possessions but in the richness of experiences, relationships, and service to others.

This is the kind of richness, this is the kind of wealth, that we see when the will of God is done on earth as it is in heaven. When we know this love, there is no need for conspicuous consumption or ostentatious display. The love, like the sunlight in his apartment, is enough.

- Jay McDaniel

* * * * * * *

What is My Vocation?
by John Cobb


The idea of “vocation” has had an important history in the West. The word suggests that we are “called” to do something. It was long used by Christians to emphasize the idea that lifelong service to the church was something that one should not choose for oneself on a practical basis but rather should undertake only out of a definite sense that God called one to be a priest, a monk, or a nun. The fact that these all took vows of celibacy accented their special role.

In the fifteenth century the Protestant Reformers argued that every Christian has a “calling” or “vocation,” and that none of these required celibacy. Serving the institutional church was just one vocation among many. Christians were equally called to be lawyers or doctors, cobblers or merchants. Whatever one’s calling, one should pursue it conscientiously as one’s service of God and neighbor.

This teaching could lead to a high sense of service through one’s daily work. In a feudal society it worked quite well. Every role required both knowledge and skill, and each had its contribution to make to the whole. Emphasizing this could give to all a fuller sense of participation. However, with the shift to industrial capitalism, one’s work was understood as a necessity in order to live. The word “vocation” came to mean for many people little more than a job.

Responding to the Call of the Moment

Nevertheless, the idea that we are “called” can still evoke a deeper meaning. Whitehead radicalized it. He taught that every momentary event is called to be the best that can be achieved in that moment at that place. His terminology was that there is an “initial aim” for every “actual occasion.” Like the traditional “calling” this aim is derived from God. The implications for personal experience are much like those of the original idea of “vocation,” but now generalized through existentialism. I am called, right now, in this and every moment, to be and do the best I can. There is a calling for each moment.

Fostering Healthy Relations with Other People

Often this call focuses on relations with another person. That person may be my spouse, my child, my friend, or a stranger. That personal presence participates in my momentary experience. I am who I am in this moment partly because of the presence of that other person. That presence enriches my experience, and the more open I am to it, and to what it offers, the more I am enriched. To some extent I feel the feelings of the other.

Sometimes it is enough simply to be there with the other. But often one is called to something more. The other may be lonely or anxious or insecure. I am called to respond. Perhaps I need only signal that I am open to listening. That is a step of which most of us are capable even if we often do not take it. We prefer to speak ourselves rather than hear others into speech. Accordingly, others sense that their feelings and needs are not of interest to us. Instead, we want to draw them into our projects. True listening and responding are rare.

This kind of openness to the other does not exclude our speaking. Indeed, sometimes it is only when we share our hesitations and weakness that the other is assured that we can hear without judgment or ridicule. Adjusting our need to be heard and affirmed by others by the recognition of their need to be heard and affirmed is the beginning of ethics.

We are often called by or through the other’s need to do more than listen. Some of the other’s needs are for food and shelter and safety. To some extent, we can and should respond directly, especially when the other is a friend or family member. And there are practical needs of the stranger that also call for immediate practical response.

Fostering Healthy Relations with the Natural World

But the world that surrounds us and grounds our experience moment by moment is not limited to other people. Western ethics has been far too focused on interpersonal relations. Our pets play an important role, as do plants and birds, and insects, and grass, and trees, and soil, and rocks. These “others” offer themselves to us and claim a place in our experience. They too have their needs, massively so today.

The needs of the human stranger and the natural world often lead to another level of ethical action. We can respond only to a very small number of these multifarious needs. Our personal awareness of them is miniscule in comparison with the reality. Recognizing this leads us to a concern for the health of the larger society and the natural environment. We want a human community in which all take responsibility for the wellbeing of all, including the natural world.

As we reflect about ourselves we recognize that who we are and what we are is largely a function of the societies of which we are a part. I am an American, a Californian, a member of a retirement community, a churchman, a theologian, and so forth. My participation in these human societies and the landscapes with which they are connected enables others to identify me and shapes my self-identification as well. My wellbeing is largely a function of the wellbeing of these societies and their natural contexts, and I know that this is true for other members. To whatever extent the societies in which we inescapably live become authentic communities of mutual care we all benefit. While I can directly respond to very few of the needs of my fellow members, through building community and healing the natural environment I can help many indirectly.

Helping build just and sustainable communities

To whatever extent I listen to others, I am already engaged in building community. This is the level at which all can fully participate. But most are called to other, less personal, ways of shaping and strengthening community. This may involve attending meetings, working on committees and accepting particular responsibilities. In some cases it may require me to be active in the politics of the society. Sometimes I may be asked to represent the community to outsiders. In all these cases I am called to seek the well being of the community rather than my private advantage over other members. Occasionally this involves real personal sacrifice. More often my subordination of private interest to that of the community ends up as deeply rewarding to me.

Reflecting upon and advocating compassionate public policies

But responding to the call to serve the community through active participation in its life leads me to understand that this ethical activity raises questions at still another level. Sometimes I see that the community is acting in ways that are self-destructive. In our world this appears especially in the massive damage human communities are inflicting on the natural world. We can envisage acting more wisely. This is the level of policy. A community needs participation in its life whatever its policies may be, but that it keep adapting its policies to new situations and improving them is also of great importance to all its participants. Justice and sustainability are crucial goals of good policy. We are called to support good policies, and that means to involve ourselves in the politics of the communities in which we live. For some, this is their major vocation.

Often one sees that in its zeal to do well, one’s community seeks to advance at the expense of others. My ethical subordination of my private interests to those of the community turns out to be an unethical contribution to harming other communities. This can happen at all levels. In the past, deep convictions have often led religious communities to harm each other.

Critiquing collective Idolatries (e.g. Christianism and American Exceptionalism)

In our world, this ethical complexity appears most often and most painfully in relation to nations. As an American, my vocation includes active citizenship and participation in national life. I am called to strengthen and improve that national life and to protect it from encroachments by others. But I discover that some of what I do, ethically, for the sake of my nation, in the larger scheme of things, harms other peoples. I am called to envision and support national policies that work for the larger good and not simply for the power of my nation over others. I have identified some other collective idolatries that seem to me very dangerous in Deconstructing Modernity.

Analyzing and Challenging Basic Assumptions about the World

When I realize that devotion to my religious community or my nation is harmful to humanity as a whole, I cannot simply solve the problem by trying to be more moral. The general meaning of morality reflects an understanding of religious or national communities that in fact leads them into conflict. Self-sacrificial service of one’s nation may lead to killing those who are self-sacrificially serving their nations.

We are called to ask questions at a different level. What about the assumptions that shape this ordinary understanding of morality as service of the common good of my community. Asking this question may be thought of as another dimension of ethics. We may call it the ethics of thought.

When we realize that doing what seems right and good often ends up harming others, we also realize that something is wrong with our ideas. Often these ideas are widespread in our communities. Daring to question the beliefs that are simply accepted by most people is a special vocation. Many are called to be open to such questioning. For some this challenge to common assumptions is a major vocation.

Once we grasp the importance of criticizing the assumptions that underlie our actions and even our reflections on morality, we can extend this to other areas. There are assumptions that underlie our choices of public policy, our educational practice, our legal system, our social and natural sciences. When we study the history of these areas of thought, it becomes clear that assumptions now recognized as unsatisfactory have played a large role. There is no reason to suppose that those assumptions that now operate are free from problems. The ethics of thought is as important to human beings as the ethics of personal relations, the ethics of community, and the ethics of policy.

Accepting the responsibility to be unpopular or disruptive (for the sake of the common good)

Ethical behavior always has its dangers. When we genuinely listen to a stranger, we may find ourselves drawn into ways of thinking and even of acting that are uncomfortable and disruptive. When we seek the well being of communities, we may antagonize those who personally profit through distortions of community life. When we seek to direct our governments away from self-aggrandizing policies, we are likely to be called unpatriotic. When we question the assumptions that are widespread in our cultures, we upset many who have based their lives and their thought upon them.

But hope for the world lies in ethics, and today this is especially true of the ethics of thought, the vocation to analyze assumptions. Established assumptions about human beings and economic policies, and finance, and international affairs have led humanity to the brink of catastrophe. If we do not challenge and uproot these assumptions, there is little chance of changing behavior sufficiently to save the world.

*
Note: John Cobb has offered his own ideas on the assumptions that need to be challenged. We are called to challenge anthropocentrism, individuality, sense-bound empiricism, small group loyalty, and conventional morality. See Foundations for a New Civilization. He has shared alternative and constructive ideas for living lightly and gently on the planet. See Ten Ideas for Saving the Planet. In addition, and importantly, he offers an analysis of assumptions which, in his view, must be challenged (or de-constructed) in our time. See Deconstructing Modernity. 

* * * * * * *

​God as Abba
by John Cobb

Excerpts from God as Abba, used with John Cobb's permission

​Two Problems with "God" as Too Often Conceived

​​For me, God is of central importance to life and thought. As a boy I found that my conviction fitted comfortably with widely shared belief. I did not agree with everything I heard people say about God, but the problem with “God-language” was not much different fromother instances of disagreement and confusion.

Today the situation has changed. God remains of central importance for me. But I no longer find that belief to fit comfortably into my cultural context. On the contrary, many people are both skeptical that the word God has any reference and very uncertain what that reference would be like if it existed at all. In addition, the word now has a strongly negative connotation for many thoughtful and sensitive people, and I often find myself upset by how it is used. If the problem were simply linguistic, we could solve it easily. Just use another term: Creator, Goddess, Great Spirit, Almighty, Yahweh. Using other names sometimes helps, but the problem is deeper. What has happened?

One problem is intellectual. From the outset of modernity, belief in the biblical God has been problematic. The biblical God is operative in both nature and history, whereas modernity, from its beginning, denied that God was a factor in what happened in the natural world. That is, it asserts that if you are trying to explain any natural event, you are not allowed to attribute any role to God.

At first, there was one exception. The world seemed so wonderfully ordered that it could not be thought of as coming into existence on its own or by chance. Most people assumed that it was created by an intelligent and powerful being, and did not hesitate to call that being “God.” Scientists found that the world was governed by laws, so that the Creator was also the Lawgiver. Some religious people thought that every now and again the God who created the laws intervened and caused something to happen that did not obey them. Thus there were supernaturalists, but the default position was “deism,” that is, the belief that God’s only relation to nature was the one act of creation and the imposing of natural laws.

At the same time, everyone assumed that human beings were not part of the nature from which God was excluded. Opinions differed on how God was related to human beings. The devout could picture the relation as quite intimate, but the dominant culture encouraged the idea that God had created human beings and had also given them rules to live by. Unlike plants and animals, people might choose not to obey these rules. After death those who violated them were punished, whereas those who obeyed them were rewarded.

Deistic thinking still continues, but it has far less support than in the earlier period. It was deeply shaken by Charles Darwin’s demonstration that the world we now know developed in a natural evolutionary way from a much simpler beginning. God was no longer needed to explain the remarkably complex and beautiful world we have around us; it could be explained by natural causes. Equally important was that human beings are fully part of this evolving nature. If God is excluded from playing any role in natural events, then God is excluded from playing any role in human events. The default position now is atheism.

*

Credibility has not been the only problem we theists faced. For many people “God” has become an offensive idea because so many terrible things have been done by his followers. I grew up believing that God was always good and loving. I knew that human beings, even those who worshiped God, had done some very bad things, but I supposed that this was an aberration and that we Christians had repented and were seeking peace and justice everywhere.

However, along with many others, I came to see history differently. In the name of God, Christians had persecuted Jews for most of Christian history. This persecution had reached new heights in what we considered a Christian country, Germany. True, the Nazis were not Christians, but they could show the continuity of their anti-Jewish teachings and actions with statements of Christian leaders, and the opposition to Nazi anti-Judaism on the part of Christians was weak.

I learned that in the century-long theft of the New World from its inhabitants, many Christian missionaries had played embarrassing roles. I learned that, indeed, even the more recent missions to Africa and Asia had often supported colonial exploitation of the people. Even the better missions were often tainted with the sense of Western superiority, and with condescension toward those to whom they were witnessing. More generally,

More generally, I learned that over the centuries the churches were usually allied with the rich and powerful. I learned that the enslavement of nonwhite races had been supported as God’s will. I discovered that earlier members of my own family had written pious Christian books in defense of slavery. Even many of those leaders to whom we looked with admiration, such as Abraham Lincoln, had been racists. The Bible that seemed evidently to oppose such racism had been widely and successfully used to justify it. (John Cobb)


* * * * * * *

Rediscovering God through Jesus
by John Cobb

The purpose of this book is to propose that it is time for thoughtful Christians to free themselves from acquiescence to the late modern worldview. My conviction is that the biblical worldview in general, and the worldview of Jesus and Paul in particular, is superior. Of course, there are many respects in which their worldview is out of date. But bringing it up to date is much easier and more fruitful than trying to make the modern worldview adequate to our needs. We certainly have a great deal of knowledge about astronomy today that is far more accurate than the beliefs that prevailed in New Testament times. But adjusting to that information is no threat to the basic insights of Jesus or Paul.

We know now that the world is composed of quantum events, a view that is vastly different from ideas in the minds of any New Testament writer. But their worldview was basically one that gave primacy to events. That events characterize the world at microscopic levels is not an uncongenial idea, whereas the modern world is not able to assimilate it. And above all, the idea that events are both subjective and objective would pose no problem to the ancients, whereas the moderns have to deny it, conceal it, or treat it as an anomaly.I have focused on what is central for Jesus, the reality and purposes of Abba. I have wanted to show that belief in Abba makes a lot of sense today.

Of course, I have not proved the existence of Abba; indeed, it is not really possible to prove the existence of anything. I cannot prove that I exist, but we know much that we cannot prove. We cannot prove that there were any events before the present moment. How could we do so?

But I for one do not doubt that many things have happened, and I doubt that you are seriously doubtful. Although we cannot prove anything, we can disprove a good many things. We can disprove the indivisibility of what we still call atoms, named when we thought they were indivisible. Science has disproved the astronomy generally accepted in New Testament times. It has disproved the idea that the world is just six thousand years old.

I believe we can disprove some beliefs about God as well. For example, the systematic implications of the belief that God is all-powerful and the belief that God is all-beneficent contradict each other, and their combination is incompatible with the historical facts. It is very sad when those who consider themselves followers of Jesus spend their time defending ideas that are indefensible and are not found in the Bible. The idea that the Bible is inerrant is another belief that is easily disproved. So is the idea that Jesus and Paul were supporters of what are today called “family values.”

The basic argument of this book is that, although many ideas associated with God and Christian faith have been disproved, Jesus’ teaching about Abba has not. On the contrary, it is coherent with our experience and responds well to the needs of the world in our day. It can be tested against personal experience. I commend it enthusiastically.

For my part, I strive to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. There are those who follow Jesus without sharing his belief in Abba. I admire them, but I am convinced that the effort to follow Jesus while ignoring his Abba has a tragic character. It usually results from being socialized into a culture and a way of thinking that is not deserving of commitment. I am convinced that a much deeper and more joyful faithfulness is possible if we seek to relate to Abba as Jesus did. I commend a faithfulness to Jesus that shares Jesus’ confidence in the love and empowering power of Abba.
"Abba cares much more about the future of the world than about who believes in him and who does not."

​But loving an omnipotent God, or a morally judgmental God, or an exclusivist God, or a God who demands sacrifice in order to forgive, can be harmful. Abba is none of those things. I believe that loving Abba is the best hope for the world’s future, and loving Abba means working with Abba....Abba cares much more about the future of the world than about who believes in him and who does not. We who love Abba will eagerly cooperate with those who do not, if they are working to save the world. But today we may rejoice that the leading voice in the movement to save the world comes from one who loves Abba: Pope Francis. It is my hope that my tiny effort to renew and strengthen the worship of Jesus’ Abba will also build support for the great work of Pope Francis. (John Cobb)
"Abba is always present in the world working for good."

​​In sum, with regard to all that I have said thus far, I believe that we experience in some usually faint and fragmentary way Abba’s presence with us, working in all things for good. Abba’s work is most effective if we attend to it, open ourselves to it, align ourselves with it. This is part of the meaning of faith. Our resulting thoughts and actions sometimes have effects beyond our intentions. We can experience ourselves to be participating in Abba’s salvific work in the world. And we can sense the companionship of Abba as well as of others who work with Abba. We can know something of the divine commonwealth, the presence of which Jesus announced. (John Cobb)
"Abba is present even in the cells in our bodies."

​​​I am repeatedly surprised by how rapidly wounds heal when the body is given the chance. Doctors often comment that their medicines do not heal us. They counter hostile forces in the body. When these are removed, nature works its healing power. When thought and emotions are healthy and supportive, the healing work of nature is speeded and strengthened. For me, there is no “nature” from which Abba is absent. That does not identify God and nature. There is much in nature other than Abba. But I think that it is Abba’s presence in nature that makes for healing. I believe that Abba is in every cell in the body calling it to do its part for its own well-being and for the well-being of the whole.

Thomas Jay Oord: Reviewing "The Deconstruction of Christianity"


Reviewing “The Deconstruction of

Christianity”

by Thomas Jay Oord   |   February 16th, 2024

In their book The Deconstruction of Christianity, Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett help readers “stand your ground and respond with clarity and confidence” in the face of deconstruction.

In what follows, I review the book. Overall, I find it unhelpful. But there are a few aspects I like.

Apostasy


The book starts on a sour note: the first word is “apostasy.” Readers like me will immediately wonder if this book aims to help those asking hard questions or defend the Christian faith against the “heretics.” In many ways, it opts for the second. The opening pages are not welcoming.

Childers and Barnett didn’t write this book for questioning people who are deconstructing. It’s for the friends and family of deconstructors. It’s “primarily written for Christians who are experiencing deconstruction from the outside.” The authors’ goal is to “walk you through what deconstruction is and how it works, and give you practical advice on how to relate with friends and loved ones going through it.” (6)

The authors acknowledge some people see deconstruction as compatible with Christianity. Childers and Barnett disagree. “Deconstruction is as old as humanity itself,” they say. “It began with Satan—the father of faith deconstruction—and continues today.” (47 ) In fact, “people have been abandoning the standard of God’s Word and engaging in a process of rethinking—and often abandoning—their faith since the beginning.” (61)

It’s Ultimately About Authority

This book has many problems, and I’ll list some later. As I see it, the fundamental problems are two:

1. The authors want a fully trustworthy authority (the Bible).

2. The authors think Christians must choose between the Bible as that authority and the authority of the individual person.

“The heart of the deconstruction explosion is a rejection of biblical authority,” say Childers and Barnett bluntly. (26) The Bible provides truths that the method of deconstruction and deconstructors abandon.

Appealing to the Bible as the only trustworthy authority won’t convince those who deconstruct, of course. Most (rightly) doubt that the Bible is fully reliable, saying it is neither inerrant nor infallible. Childers and Barnett dismiss this doubt, in part, by saying deconstructors have shallow faith, are rebellious, fight on the wrong side of a spiritual battle, follow culture instead of Christ, are captive to Satan, get seduced by vain philosophy, are broken and sinful, and so on (see chapter 10 and elsewhere).

At least in this book, the authors don’t address realities that undermine belief in the absolute authority of the Bible. They don’t address people like me and others who 1) know the many errors and discrepancies in scripture, 2) know the original languages and differences between the oldest known biblical manuscripts, and 3) know that biblical passages receive a wide variety of plausible interpretations.

Objective vs. Subjective Truth?

Childers and Barnett believe Christians face an either/or choice when it comes to truth. They can 1) place their trust in the Bible, which is an external authority. Or 2) trust themselves and their own subjectivity.

The Bible “communicates objective truth that isn’t meant to be interpreted subjectively,” the authors claim (34). In the deconstruction movement, “biblical interpretation becomes subjective.” (35) “Deconstruction isn’t just about questioning beliefs,” they say, “it’s about rejecting Scripture as the source of objective truth and authority.” (121) Deconstructors reject God’s Word.

This objective vs. subjective scheme, however, makes little sense. Long before “deconstruction” was a word in the academy or popular culture, people realized no one has a fully objective, unbiased, and uninfluenced perspective. Histories, cultures, perspectives, preferences, biology, and feelings influence those who read the Bible. Because personal subjectivity inevitably influences our interpretations, good and wise people interpret scripture in ways.

Sometimes those in the deconstruction community encourage people to “make up their own minds,” instead of following a church, pastor, or influencer. But this doesn’t mean people are entirely free of influence from others. We’re always affected by forces, factors, ideas, and actors external to ourselves. Objective causes influence our subjectivity; interpretations have external influences.

People like Jacques Derrida are right when they say that words—including biblical words — have no timeless and absolute meaning. But you don’t have to be a philosopher to know this: just look at how many biblical translations and interpretations are present today and throughout history. A more accurate view says objective factors outside ourselves always affect our subjectivity. And one of those factors may or may not be the Bible.

Authoritative Mindset

Two overarching issues came repeatedly to mind as I read The Deconstruction of Christianity. The first has to do with what in cognitive science is called the “Authoritative” mindset. Childers and Barnett write from it, and their frequent appeals to biblical authority illustrate this.

Cognitive sciences describe three primary mindsets among people at least in the West: Authoritative, Nurturant, and Permissive. Evangelicals like Childers and Barnett typically operate from the Authoritative mindset. They need authorities more than most people. So Authoritatives put their confidence in a book (Bible), group (church or denomination), leader (pastor), government (USA), or person (Donald Trump). They also prize obedience, order, certainty, hierarchies, coercion, and more.

As I read The Deconstruction of Christianity, I found oodles of evidence that Childers and Barnett operate from an Authoritative mindset. Deconstruction annoys them because it does not. In God After Deconstruction (coming out in April 2024), Tripp Fuller and I argue that the Nurturant mindset better reflects the message of Jesus. Sociological studies show that those with a Nurturant mindset are healthier in various ways than those with Authoritative mindsets. They also live well without the strong need for external authorities.

Complexity Stage

The second theme continually coming to my mind as I read Childers and Barnett is what many call the “stages of faith.” Brian McLaren offers a rubric with four stages and names them “simplicity,” “complexity,” “perplexity,” and “harmony.”

Childers and Barnett fit nicely in the complexity stage. Like simplicity people, they seek clear categories of black and white, us and them, in and out, right and wrong. The authors make strong distinctions between Christ vs. the world, church vs. culture, and scriptural truth vs. societal opinions. But unlike simplicity people, Childers and Barnett offer sophisticated versions of these distinctions, realizing there must be some nuance.

Those who deconstruct fit in either the perplexity or harmony stages of faith. The connection between deconstruction and perplexity will be obvious. But even in the harmony stage, the methods of deconstruction are not abandoned. Harmony people recognize the falsity of strict binaries, in part, because they cannot capture well the God present to and revealing in all creation.

Should Christians Question?

Childers and Barnett repeatedly tell their readers that questioning is normal and has always been part of the Christian faith. Christians should ask questions about the Bible, God, and life. Test the Bible, they say, and the church.

But the questioning Childers and Barnett advocate can’t get too radical. We should not question the ultimate authority: “God’s Word” (or what is better called “Christian scripture”). Questioning harms if it undermines this ultimate standard for truth. Some who ask questions are really just looking for ways to exit the faith.

Although deconstruction is bad, reformation is good. According to the authors, “reformation is the process of correcting mistaken beliefs to make them align with Scripture.” (125) Notice the priority of the Bible again. The message: question… but don’t abandon scripture.

To return to McLaren’s faith formation language, Childers and Barnett seem to encourage questioning if it moves the Christian from a simplistic faith to a complex one. But questioning that might move the person toward perplexity and harmony goes too far. Such questioning might, and usually does, undermine trust in the Bible as fully trustworthy. And it might lead people to doubt doctrines the authors consider essential, even the existence of God.

To illustrate his willingness to entertain tough questions, Tim Barnett briefly brings up the problem of evil. The authors earlier (rightly) noted that questions about evil are the primary reasons people deconstruct. When asked why God doesn’t stop evil, Barnett says, “I don’t know.” He doesn’t have an answer to why God sometimes permits evil, but other times intervenes. He knows this isn’t satisfying, but he’s trying to be honest.

I wonder why the Bible—Barnett’s authoritative source and “God’s Word”—doesn’t provide an answer to the problem of evil that satisfies him. To the #1 question asked by people who deconstruct, why doesn’t the alleged ultimate authority offer a satisfying answer? Barnett thinks the Bible’s clear about issues like penal substitutionary atonement, although that issue keeps far fewer people up at night.

Despite the encouragement to ask some questions, The Deconstruction of Christianity claims that those who deconstruct are deceived, rebellious, disingenuous, etc. See the list above. This encouragement rings hollow.

Reasons to Deconstruct

In the first half of the book, Childers and Barnett address reasons people deconstruct. They don’t offer answers to these issues. And they give mixed messages.

At one point, the authors claim that “most people don’t make a conscious choice to enter into deconstruction.” This fits the experience of most people I know. The authors say that deconstruction is “often triggered by a crisis that initiates the process. It’s typically not something people choose. In many cases, it happens to them.” (78) Elsewhere, however, the authors blame deconstruction on “rebellion against God” (193).

Among the reasons people deconstruct, the authors list suffering, doubt, politics, purity culture, the Bible, toxic theology, and abuse. They don’t offer rejoinders for these reasons. And they say that people of shallow faith struggle with them. The message seems to be those who truly trust the Bible can handle issues that might tempt other people to deconstruct.

Childers and Barnett insist that abuse and injustice are not reflections of Christian doctrines. “There certainly are valid examples of abuse in the church, such as sexual assault and abuses of power,” they say. “But many deconstructionists go further, saying that some historic orthodox teachings of Christianity—such as penal substitutionary atonement, the doctrine of hell, and complementarianism—are abusive by nature.” (96)

Although the authors preach the importance of good theology, they will not admit that some of what they consider “historic orthodox teachings” leads people to deconstruct.

Toxic Theology?

In a chapter titled “Toxic,” Childers and Barnett further address the claim that traditional Christian practices and doctrines sometimes harm. These claims about harm draw primarily from research in sociology and history, they say, rather than Scripture.

Beth Allison Barr’s book The Making of Biblical Womanhood garners the authors’ attention. Barr argues that Christian views have often harmed women and restricted them from some roles. Childers and Barnett also cite Kristin Kobes DuMez’s work on Christian nationalism as an example of history and sociology trumping theology.

The authors say arguments like Barr’s and Kobes DuMez’s begin by identifying a problem in society. Then they show how the church endorsed or allowed this problem. Finally, they argue that theology (especially white evangelical theology) should be rejected or reimagined.

Because Barr and Kobes DuMez address women’s issues, I was eager to see how Childers and Barnett would respond. I assumed the authors would give an argument for complementarity. Instead, they say, “The extent to which women can take part in church leadership roles has been hotly debated among faithful Christians for millennia. The point… is not to settle the correct biblical teaching on the topic.” Instead, they argue that history and sociology cannot “discover true doctrines and rule out harmful, false ones.” (150)

To settle disputes about the role of women and how they’ve been harmed, say the authors, we need “an objective standard to appeal to. This requires the Bible.” They add that “while neither of the authors of this book would fault someone for coming to an honest position on biblical grounds regarding the egalitarian vs. complementarian debate, we would fault someone for rejecting complementarianism simply because they didn’t like where those Bible passages lead.” (150)

Not the Bible Alone

In their discussion of Barr and DuMez, Childers and Barnett are blind to the problem they’ve created.

If “honest” people can come to differing views about gender roles while studying the “objective standard” of the Bible, that standard isn’t the clear authority needed to decide this issue. Childers and Barnett seem to admit that the Bible is open to more than one legitimate interpretation of what it says about women. This means other standards are needed.

Barr, Kobes DuMez, and others cite sociological, historical, psychological, and even medical data as offering apparent fruits of various Christian practices and doctrines. They’re pondering the consequences of particular beliefs and practices and making strong cases that some produce bad fruit. And because the Bible can be interpreted in various ways, we need other sources for deciding which beliefs and practices are healthy or true and which are not.

The role of women is just one among many issues in which the Bible cannot be the sole resource for Christian doctrines and practices. The need for multiple sources applies also to questions of sexuality.

In fact, I laughed out loud when I read the “Homophobia” section of the book. Childers and Barnett say that Scripture describes sexual immorality as any act of sex other than “between one man and one woman in the context of marriage.” This is laughable! Don’t they know about Solomon’s wives? Or are only some passages of the Bible authoritative on this issue? I laughed again when they wrote, “It’s not just a few so-called ‘clobber’ passages that teach this. It’s the narrative of Scripture cover to cover.” (37) What Bible are they reading?

What I Liked

There wasn’t much I liked in this book. But here are some in bullet form:

* I liked the authors’ empathy for family and friends of those who deconstruct. Of course, I think the lion’s share of empathy should go to deconstructors. The authors express relatively little of that compared to criticisms. But Childers and Barnett rightly note the anguish that parents and friends of those who deconstruct sometimes endure. It’s painful to teach a child your cherished beliefs, only to have that child call them harmful. To illustrate this point, Childers and Barnett write, “When deconstruction leads to a rejection of faith, that can feel like a death both to the one deconstructing and to their loved ones.” (66) They’re right.

* The authors quoted books and social media from some of the leading voices in deconstruction. Sometimes critics ignore what their opponents actually say. While Childers and Barnett made some missteps, I thought they were pretty good overall. I even found a few sources for the book Tripp and I are writing!

* The authors believe ideas matter. Like me, they think theology makes a difference, because our views of reality make a difference. While I disagree radically with many of their theological claims, I appreciate their dedication to exploring ideas, their truth and impact. Theology is more than sociology.

* I think critical race theory and its reflection on power should be one tool in social analysis. I affirm it. But I agree with the authors that sometimes those who use critical race theory put all their cards on issues of power without addressing issues of truth. Most times, the two overlap. But I think both must be addressed.

Conclusion

My notes on this book extend far beyond what I have written here. Although I disagree fundamentally with the authors and disagree on most points of the book, I’m glad I read it.

This book also helped with writing the book Tripp Fuller and I are doing called, God After Deconstruction. If these issues interest you, I hope you consider buying a copy when it comes in April 2024. And here’s a graphic for the upcoming Denver conference on the subject.


Friday, February 16, 2024

REISSUED: Pete Enns - Podcasts & Videos for Normal People



Relevancy22 Approved

I'm listing all of Pete Enn's works which can be found on his website and his YouTube video channel. As there is a lot I'm hoping this posting will help in sorting through it to find what you want or may be interested in.

As with my writings here at Relevancy22, Pete has been working through a jumble of theologies sorting out what to keep, what to throw out, or simply update by way of church teachings.

After 2000 years of church history we need to do this every now and again just as you would with your own housekeeping chores preventing mold, bacteria, infections, rats, bugs, and so on. Denominational and Sectarian theologies can become a mess after a while. Not all of it is healthy, helpful, or necessary. It becomes outdated, misunderstood, inappropriately applied nto wrong or harming circumstances, and so on.

For myself, I have been working off a Covenantal Reformed bible foundation towards what I now call Process (Christian) Theology (as vs. Process Religion, which is also cool, but not Christ-centered). To do that, I had to work through unhelpful earlier Reformed philosophies based on Greek Hellenism, Scientific Reductionism-and-Mechanism, Aristotelian forms of Catholic Scholasticism, and various forms of Western/Euro-American Analytical Thought (centered in isolating binary thought, disconnectedness, etc.)

Keeping what I could from the above list I have been actively supplementing these perspectives first by using forms of Continental Philosophy (metanarrativism, phenomenology, existentialism, Jungian archetypes, etc) and lately have been recentering all onto Whitehead's Process Philosophy to form a Christian-based Process Theology.... As an aside, having not been educated in Middle-Eastern, Asian, Oceanic, or Native Tribal Religions and Philosophies I cannot speak to those perspectives but wish to stay open to any process-based elements within them.

Hence, over the recent years I have worked through my Christian past recreate a Process-based Christian Theology of Love. Similarly, Mr. Enns has been doing the same against his own personal background. I've also noticed that Pete is recently becoming (2021??) more familiar with Process-based Christian Theology, like myself, using Whitehead as a basis. 

But decades earlier Pete and I started with the basics of traditional Christianity as interpreted to us by our denominations or bible churches. That is, because of where we were at, we now can know in what directions we must go when testifying of God's love through Jesus Christ and his atoning work. So that after many years of prayer, study, research, ministry, and dialogue we each are being moved by the Spirit of God to speak up in our separate ways that the church might course-correct towards healthier forms of witness and testimony, living and ministrations.

I should also state that it is nearly impossible to make a personal change after so many years of heavy persuasion in our creedal lanes of faith. The task required a lot of epistemic humility coupled with large, large doses of curiosity importantly led by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of such gifts including the gift of spiritual discernment. If not for this latter gift of discernment, I'm afraid both Pete and myself would have gone "astray" many times along the "forking paths" promising answers and solutions as would seem good to the human soul. Thankfully, the Spirit gave to us a healthy dose of discontent measure by spiritual burden and aggravation by what we have been seeing over the years.

And because of Pete's departure from his university "day-job," he has been forced into deconstructing his faith - along with the equally difficult job of reconstructing his faith. I had to do the same as well... which for me became a very dark wilderness for a very long time until the Lord lifted me out of my "imprisonment" with a deep burden to work out my faith as publically as I could with little to no help to measure my thoughts and directions by.

I imagine Pete has gone through the same. For without a period of  suffering and brokenness, new birth and new life really cannot begin. During my time "in soul prison" or "soul wilderness" I prayed not to leave my dark pit until God was ready to delivery me. I feared that if I left my pain and sorrow too soon I would be no good for the Lord's use.

And mind you, this pit was the removal of all I had known or believed. It left me questioning everything. But the most curious thing was that my faith stayed firm as did the Spirit's presence though in a strange way God had left me and placed brass doors between himself and me. I cannot explain this paradox. But it became my new beginning point from which I either stayed or eventually left.

And so, I stayed until, like the Apostle Paul, I was seasoned by the Spirit that I might begin a new, resurrected ministry unlike anything previous I had undertaken. Ditto, I imagine, with Mr. Enns when cast out from the ivory towers into the work-a-day world of lost faith conviction and scraped testimony. Thomas Jay Oord is another name I know of who has had similar experiences as well. To be a teacher is to first become a learner, then a discerner, and finally one with a great burden. Which is why the bible says not to desire its office... it is a difficult office which either binds or frees one's listeners.

In summary, I've listed all I could find from Pete Enn's websites from first to last; from old playlists to new playlists. And from last to first; from old videos to new videos. On a previous post I have also have listed Pete and Jarad's current books in print. Sincerely, I pray their work and ministry be amazingly helpful both now and in the years ahead for all who come with heavy hearts and troubled souls.

Blessings,

R.E. Slater
May 1, 2023



THE BIBLE FOR NORMAL PEOPLE

~  Playlists are current through February 2024 ~



YouTube
Playlists/Podcasts


Season 1 - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXq_nGjou6qtUDGMDBo-ChPVdKzN0ZcX3


Season 3 - unfound

Season 4 - unfound

Season 5 - unfound



SEASON 1






















SEASON 2
2018.24 -72

0N ORDER








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Episode 46: Wil Gafney – Womanist Midrash

Episode 47: Audrey Assad – Deconverting From Certainty



























SEASON 3
2019.73-112

IN ORDER OF  NEWEST TO OLDEST

Episode 112: Pete and Jared – How “How the Bible Actually Works” Works

Episode 111: Tom Oord – Uncontrolling Love of God

Episode 110: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus (Part 6)

Episode 109: Megan DeFranza – The Bible and Intersex Believers (REISSUE)

Episode 108: Pete Wehner – Faith, Politics, & Polarization

Episode 107: Cindy Wang Brandt – Raising Children in the Faith

Episode 106: Jared Byas – 5 Principles for Biblical Interpretation

Episode 105: Wil Gafney – Womanist Midrash (Reissue)

Episode 104: Jeff Chu – Grief As A Biblical Practice

Episode 103: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus (Part 5)

Episode 102: Jonathan Martin – Pentecostalism as Mysticism

Episode 101: Andrew Perriman – Does the New Testament Predict the Future?

Episode 101: Andrew Perriman – Does the New Testament Predict the Future?

Episode 100: Pete & Jared on Genesis

Episode 99: Jennifer Knust – The Bible As A Living Document

Episode 98: Pete Holmes – Pete Holmes Talks About Comedy, Sex, & God

Episode 97: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus: Part 4

Episode 96: Jared Byas – Christian Ethics

Episode 95: Cheryl Bridges Johns – The Bible & Women’s Spirituality

Episode 94: Pete & Jared – Do We Know God is Good From the Bible?

Episode 93: Keesmaat & Walsh – Resisting Empire in the Book of Romans

Episode 92: AJ Levine – Jesus, Judaism, & Christianity (REISSUE)

Episode 91: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus (Part 3)

Episode 90: Richard Rohr – The (Biblical) Universal Christ

Episode 89: Pete and Jared – David’s Sordid Past: This Ain’t No Kids Story

Episode 88: Rachel Held Evans – Reading The Bible Creatively

Episode 87: Robert Alter – The Art of Translating the Bible

Episode 86: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus (Part 2)

Episode 85: Austen Hartke – The Bible & The Lives of Transgender Christians

Episode 84: Jared Byas – Paul is Frustrating: On Fornication & Wives Obeying Husbands in Colossians

Episode 83: Judy Stack – The Gospel of Matthew on Integrity & Hypocrisy

Episode 82: Linda Kay Klein – Breaking Free From Purity Culture

Episode 81: Pete & Jared – Truth is Subjective…Even in the Bible

Episode 80: Jonathan Walton – Reading the Bible Through the Lens of Love

Episode 79: Austin Channing Brown – Preaching the Bible in the Black Church

Episode 78: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Exodus (Part 1)

Episode 77: Elizabeth Enns Petters – Anxiety in the Life of Faith

Episode 76: Xavier Pickett – So When Did White Christian America Lose Its Mind?

Episode 75: Rhonda Burnette-Bletsch – The Bible & Film

Episode 74: Pete & Jared – God’s Children Tell the Story

Episode 73: Propaganda – What Does Christian Art Even Mean?

Season 3 Teaser


SEASON 4
2020.113-151

IN ORDER OF NEWEST TO OLDEST













Episode 131: Pete & Jared – Did the Bible Get it Wrong?




















SEASON 5
2021.152-191

IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST


























SEASON 6
2022.192-230

IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST



Episode 228: Emilie Townes – The Wisdom of Hope (REISSUE)

Episode 227: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Joshua

Episode 226: Meredith Riedel – What is Byzantine Christianity? (And Why Should We Care?)

Episode 225: Daniel Kirk – Romans Isn’t What You Think It Is

Episode 224: Gregory Mobley – Satan’s Biblical Roots

Episode 223: Jared Byas – Misconceptions About Deconstruction & the Bible

Episode 222: Pamela Eisenbaum – Paul & Salvation

Episode 221: Pete Enns & Jared Byas – How to Read the Bible Now That We’ve Ruined It

Episode 220: Joel Baden – The Historical David

Episode 219: Jemar Tisby – Acknowledging Racism in the Church

Episode 218: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Deuteronomy

Episode 217: Jonathan Jong – How Scientists Study Religion

Episode 216: Rev. Dr. Angela N. Parker – The White Supremacy of Inerrancy

Episode 215: Pete Enns & Jared Byas – The Center of the Hebrew Bible













SEASON 7
2023.231-263

IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST



Episode 3: Anil Seth – What Is Consciousness? (and Other Easy Questions)





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Episode 263: Bart Ehrman – The Gospels & Historical Reliability

Episode 262: Pete Enns & Jared Byas – Pete & Jared Aren’t Trying to Ruin Christmas (This Time)

Episode 261: Ekaputra Tupamahu – Speaking in Tongues

Episode 260: Jacob L. Wright – Why the Bible Came to Be

Episode 259: Robyn Whitaker – The Book of Revelation

Episode 258: Marc Brettler & Alan Lenzi – The Problem of Evil (Part 1)

Episode 257: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins 1 Kings

Episode 256: Barbara Leung Lai – The Inner Life of Biblical Characters

Episode 255: John Dominic Crossan – The Other Gospels

Episode 254: Richard Kalmin – The Talmud

Episode 253: Rev. Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams – The Book of Ruth

Episode 252: Steed Davidson – The Bible’s Ambivalence Toward Empire

Episode 251: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins 2 Samuel

Episode 250: Safwat Marzouk – The Bizarre Book of Ezekiel

Episode 249: Shannon T.L. Kearns – Reading Scripture as a Transgender Christian

Episode 248: Cheryl B. Anderson – The Ethical Impact of Biblical Interpretation (REISSUE)

Episode 247: Jared Byas – What It Means to Take the Bible Literally

Episode 246: Amy Kalmanofsky – Dangerous Sisters in the Hebrew Bible

Episode 245: Elizabeth Schrader Polczer – Resurrecting Mary the Tower

Episode 244: Manuel Cruz – What It Means to Be Moral

Episode 243: Pete Enns & Jared Byas – Finding Wisdom in the Balance

Episode 242: Lisa Marie Bowens – The Cosmic Battle in 2 Corinthians

Episode 21: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins 1 Samuel

Episode 240: Dan McClellan – Why God Is Like a Hotdog

Episode 239: Cameron B. R. Howard – How Is the Bible Authoritative?

Episode 238: Josh James – Psalms Isn’t What You Think It Is

Episode 237: Sam Boyd – What the Tower of Babel Is Really About

Episode 236: Pete Enns & Jared Byas – Should the Bible Be Read Like Any Other Book?

Episode 235: Aaron Koller – Biblicizing Esther

Eisode 234: Meredith J. C. Warren – Meredith Warren Ruins John 6

Episode 233: Pete Enns – Pete Ruins Judges

Episode 232: David Lambert – Is the Bible “Scripture”?

Episode 231: Beth Allison Barr – Pushing Back Against Biblical Womanhood


SEASON 8
2024.264-

IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST

x

x



~ ~  STAY TUNED... THERE WILL BE MORE TO COME!  ~ ~


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SHORTS
IN ORDER OF  NEWEST TO OLDEST

~~  Note: Vides are a few minutes long to an hour+  ~~


SHORTS














MISCELLANEOUS

Episode 32: A Holiday Roast

Episode 31: Adil Hussain Khan – Islam & Interreligious Dialogue

Episode 30: Pádraig Ó Tuama – A Poetic Look at the Bible

Episode 29: Grace Ji-Sun Kim – A Theology of Visibility

Episode 28: Thomas Jay Oord – The Problem of Evil (Part 2)

Episode 27: Christin Fort – Attachment Theory & God

Episode 26: Matthias Roberts – Psychology, Religious Trauma, & Reconstructing Faith

Episode 25: Eddie Howells – Christian Mysticism Is Actually a Thing

Episode 24: Cole Arthur Riley – The Body of Faith

Episode 23: Felipe Hinojosa – Latino Church History is American Church History

Episode 22: Lisa Fullam – Making Decisions the Ignatian Way

Episode 21: Hans Halvorson – God & The Cosmos

Episode 20: Jared Byas – The Revelations of Jared Byas

Episode 19: Sarah Lane Ritchie – Belief & the Brain

Episode 18: David Bentley Hart – What’s the Deal with the Creeds?

Episode 17: Ally Henny – Finding Your Voice in the Face of Injustice

Episode 16: Brian McLaren – The Four Stages of Faith (REISSUE)

Episode 15: Dale C. Allison Jr. – Encountering Mystery

Episode 14: Danté Stewart – The Power of Black Literature

Episode 13: Kaitlin Curtice – A Fresh Vision for the Spiritual Life

Episode 12: Erica Smith – Dropping Out of Purity Culture

Episode 11: Rainn Wilson – Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

Episode 10: D. Danyelle Thomas – Decolonizing Our Faith

Episode 9: Jared Byas – The Genesis of Jared Byas

Episode 8: Joseph Henrich – Is Christianity Weird?



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IN ORDER FROM NEWEST TO OLDEST