Podcasts about demythologizing

Who is the Jesus of History? Who is the Jesus of the Gospels? And, are they one in the same? Dr. Andreas Köstenberger will answer these questions and more. Dr. Andreas J. Köstenberger is the founder of Biblical Foundations. He is the Theologian in Residence and Director of the Equipping Center at Fellowship Raleigh Church. He is a certified Christian leadership coach (CCLC), and he has authored, edited, and translated over sixty books on a variety of biblical topics. Dr. Köstenberger has also served on the faculty of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Kostenberger and his wife Marny live in Wake Forest, North Carolina and have four adult children and two grandchildren. He is the author of "The Jesus of the Gospels" and an abridged version, that has recently been released, "Introducing Jesus: The Fourfold Gospel." The contents of these books are the subject matter of this program. On the Bible and Theology Matters podcast, we discuss all things Bible and Theology, because it matters! What you believe determines how you behave.

Who is the Jesus of History? Who is the Jesus of the Gospels? And, are they one in the same? Dr. Andreas Köstenberger returns to the Bible and Theology Matters podcast to continue our discussion about these issues and more.Dr. Andreas J. Köstenberger is the founder of Biblical Foundations. He is the Theologian in Residence and Director of the Equipping Center at Fellowship Raleigh Church. He is a certified Christian leadership coach (CCLC), and he has authored, edited, and translated over sixty books on a variety of biblical topics. Dr. Köstenberger has also served on the faculty of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Kostenberger and his wife Marny live in Wake Forest, North Carolina and have four adult children and two grandchildren. He is the author of "The Jesus of the Gospels" and an abridged version, that has recently been released, "Introducing Jesus: The Fourfold Gospel." The contents of these books are the subject matter of this program.

Recorded before Trump's inauguration, a conversation about January 6, Christianity, and what we must do in order to stand against fascists, nationalists, and people who want to divide us. Read the bishops' letter here. Find all things WTHIAP at wthiap.com.

In this episode, Dr. David Congdon joins me to discuss Rudolf Bultmann and his Advent preaching. He is infamous for his “demythologizing” approach to scripture, which seeks to uncover the true meaning behind the biblical narratives. Bultmann's Advent sermons strip away sentimentalism, presenting the Incarnation as a call to authentic existence. We'll consider how his approach can help us understand Christmas as more than a story, but as a profound encounter with God's call in our own lives. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube David Congdon is an author, speaker, and scholar working in the area of theology and culture. Originally from Portland, Oregon, he completed a B.A. in English at Wheaton College, acquired an M.Div. and Ph.D. in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and have since worked in the publishing industry as an academic acquisitions editor. Previous Podcast Episodes with David Who Is a True Christian?: Contesting Religious Identity in American Culture Dialectical Theology Bultmann's Mission of Demythologizing _____________________ This DECEMBER, we will be exploring the 'Theologians of Crisis' in our online Advent class - Breaking into the Broken World. Join us to learn about Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rudolph Bultmann as we explore their thoughts and timely reflections in their Advent/Christmas sermons. Join my Substack - Process This! Join our class - THE RISE OF BONHOEFFER, for a guided tour of Bonhoeffer's life and thought. Spend a week with Tripp & Andrew Root in Bonhoeffer's House in Berlin this June as part of the Rise of Bonhoeffer Travel Learning Experience. INFO & DETAILS HERE Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Richard Evans is a historian, and the author of many books, including The Third Reich Trilogy, The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815–1914, and Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich, which is the primary focus of this conversation.------------Book Dan to do an interview or a meeting------------Keep Talking SubstackSpotifyApple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------(00:00) Intro(01:00) The young Hitler(04:11) The Nazis were conservative, middle class Germans(10:20) How Hitler rose, his talents as a speaker(19:52) The Reichstag Fire and The Enabling Act(27:57) The romantic and personal life of Hitler(31:39) Hitler's romantic interest in Joseph Goebbels's wife(35:52) Demythologizing the Nazis: a story of Himmler in the sauna(39:27) "Ordinary Men" by Christopher R. Browning(44:50) The story of Dr. Karl Brandt(49:34) Why history and studying the Nazis matters(52:19) Threats to freedom and democracy in the modern world(54:22) Donald Trump is not a fascist

Debbie Hernandez, a PhD student from Wilfrid Laurier University,  explores the importance of cultural teachings in Filipino communities, focusing on how these teachings are remembered, experienced, used, and passed on, despite being marginalized within dominant cultures. Guided by feminist theory and postcolonial studies, particularly M. Jacqui Alexander's concept of “pedagogies of the Sacred,” herwork respects these belief systems as real and valuable, rather than dismissing them as mere cultural artifacts. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website.

Will poverty always be a systemic issue? This is the question at the heart of Tracy Smith-Carrier's article, “Implementing a basic income means overcoming myths about the ‘undeserving poor'”, published in The Conversation last December – and the focus of today's interview with its author.Smith-Carrier has studied poverty for over 25 years, and is currently an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, with a focus on Advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. As such, she brings a candid and humanistic lens to an issue affecting so many in our society, by breaking down the myths hindering our progress towards the elimination of poverty and (hopefully) helping us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the issue from a macro level.If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email at trackandfoodpod@gmail.com

Under the weight of modern scientific evidence, Darwin's theory of evolution is struggling. To better understand why, it's helpful to peel back the mythological status of its founder, Charles Darwin, and see the 19th century naturalist for who he really was. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with author and professor Dr. Robert Shedinger about his new book Darwin's Bluff: The Mystery of the Book Darwin Never Finished. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Don't miss Part 1! Source

Under the weight of modern scientific evidence, Darwin's theory of evolution is struggling. To better understand why, it's helpful to peel back the mythological status of its founder, Charles Darwin, and see the 19th century naturalist for who he really was. On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid concludes his conversation with author and professor Dr. Robert Shedinger about his new book Darwin's Bluff: The Mystery of the Book Darwin Never Finished. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation. Don't miss Part 1! Source

In this Global Irish conversation, we search for the true origins of Western Civilization with a most global of guests, Naoíse Mac Sweeney, author of The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives. Her father is from Cork City, her mother is Malaysian Chinese, she grew up in London, studied the Greek and Roman world, and is a professor of classical archaeology at the University of Vienna. And to make her even more global, her husband is from Malta, which we visited in our episode with Malta's ambassador to Ireland, Giovanni Buttigeig.She tells of how both Greek and Irish mythology pulled her into the ancient world, through the lure of the ancient Greek diaspora communities, her fascination with Troy, and her growing realization that “Western Civilization”—the concept of a single cultural inheritance extending from ancient Greece to modern times—is really a figment of our collective imagination.In The West, our award-winning guest thoroughly debunks that figment through the stories of fourteen figures who each played a role in the creation of the Western idea—from Herodotus, a mixed-race migrant, to Phylis Wheatley, an enslaved African American who became a literary sensation. From these narratives, a more nuanced, expansive, and intriguing view of the West emerges.Naoíse wraps up Irish Stew with the most unexpected “Seamus Plug” to date, which got your co-hosts thinking of approaching Dunnes Stores for sponsorship.And we'll happily endorse her comment early in the conversation, when she said, “part of the joy of following Irish Stew is to hear the origin stories of so many people in the diaspora.”Links:The West: A New History in Fourteen Lives Smithsonian Magazine:  “The Myth of the ‘Dark Ages' Ignores How Classical Traditions Flourished Around the World,”  University of Vienna: Naoise Mac SweeneySeamus Plug: Dunnes Strores, Helen James plates

In this episode, host Linus Lu talks to Celeste Marcus about her upcoming salon on Chaïm Soutine and how to separate the artist as an individual from his mythology. Celeste is the Managing Editor of the Liberties Journal, and is currently writing the first English-language biography of the painter Chaïm Soutine. Celeste's upcoming salon: https://interintellect.com/salon/excavating-man-from-myth-chaim-soutine/ Celeste: https://twitter.com/Celestemarcus3 Linus: https://twitter.com/Linus_Lu

Evidence has recently come to my attention that the LDS Church is currently engaged in removing miraculous elements from some of its cherished stories in Church History. This episode presents that evidence. Let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Evidence has recently come to my attention that the LDS Church is currently engaged in removing miraculous elements from some of its cherished stories in Church History. This episode presents that evidence. Let me know what you think in the comments section below! The post Radio Free Mormon: 253: Demythologizing Mormonism appeared first on Mormon Discussions Podcasts - Full Lineup.

Islam is the youngest of the major world religions and yet its extremist factions are the most wedded to a violent and oppressive form of a religion that Muhammad would not recognize and which none of us should be willing to tolerate in modern civilization. It is a mistake to associate all of Islam with wars among Muslim factions and international terrorism but the fingerprints of official national policies in the name of Islam cannot be ignored. While all of the major religions of the world are in need of serious reform and a thorough process of demythologizing, Islam is crying out for a new and post theistic way of becoming what most Muslims say that they want, a religion of peace.

The numbers of people interested in and practicing earth-based spiritualities has soared over the last 30 years. This has been empowering and healing for many, especially for members of oppressed communities. However, it has also brought new challenges, from the rise of pagan White supremacy to the profit-driven trend of “Spirituality for Sale.” We'll explore these issues, as well as the (re)emergence of “Naturalistic Paganism.”

The Christian religion is the largest in the world and has been a part of the global culture for nearly two millennia. During that time, it has been used to justify wars and even genocides. Christian scriptures have been used to promote homophobia, misogyny, racism, and sectarianism. Still, the Christian faith has encouraged generosity, compassion, peace, and reconciliation. As faith in mythological and superstitious religious claims rapidly declines in the modern world, we have an urgent need to extinguish the morally reprehensible and intellectually insulting aspects of Christianity while trying to preserve its helpful moral influence in the world.

Rabindranath Tagore once wrote to a friend: “Whatever we understand and enjoy in human products instantly becomes ours, wherever they might have their origin… Let me feel with unalloyed gladness that all the great glories of [humanity] are mine.” This openness is a fitting aspiration for the pluralism that has often characterized Hinduism, the Sanatana Dharma (“eternal law/way”), over its long history. But, like all cultural and religious traditions, Hinduism has also struggled with religious nationalism and violence. Today, that violence again threatens the wellbeing of India and Hindus around the world. So against “all forms of bigotry and oppression,” from caste to Hindu supremacy, many Hindus are organizing to build a society free from hate, and free to feel that unalloyed gladness and peace.

Buddhism has been subject to the same limitations as any other cultural or religious system, including fundamentalist violence. However, various Buddhist traditions also contain important insights and practices for “learning and practicing non-attachment to views and being open to others' experiences and insights in order to benefit from the collective wisdom.” Using the first three of “The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings” from the Plum Village tradition as a reference point and guide, we'll explore one Buddhist pathway that helps us “transform dogmatism and violence in ourselves and the world.”

We too easily think of modern Judaism as being an ancient religion that hails from Abraham and Moses. The truth is that Judaism began as a polytheistic faith rooted in a priestly cult that practiced animal sacrifice. A religion that bears very little resemblance to what we would encounter in any modern synagogue. Religions are always fluid, changing, growing, and, frankly, they are almost always in need of review, evolution, or reform. Judaism is not exception to this rule. Especially as we consider the unique relationship between the Jewish faith and the state of Israel.

The world's major religions have roots in antiquity when historical literacy was not highly valued and when it was common to "personify" aspects of nature, turning the world into a place full of gods and spirits. In the 21st century, it is important for us to be able to demythologize all of the world's religions to mine them for moral insights and instruction while leaving behind much of the magical and mythic thinking which has led to so much prejudice and abuse.

Derek and James yet again fail to get through one section of the Doctrine and Covenants in a timely manner. Quick discussion about pioneer day followed by discussions the priesthood lineage, the demythologizing of it, and the Lord's condemnation of the church. Transcript: David Doyle Support the show: glow.fm/beyondtheblock

In this episode, Alev and Anuja cover a broad range of topics ranging from whether Backstreet Boys has ever been cool, to Bollywood music in the UK, and to the politics of Kurdish music in Turkey. SDU MMA student Maria Seitjen Reiss joins them with insights into flamenco as local heritage as well as tourist spectacle in Andalusia. Guest researcher Alex Skandalis from Lancaster University sheds light on the intersections of taste, place as well as gender in the fields of Indie and Classical music consumption.Reading list and notes:Alex's research on music, taste, and place:Skandalis, A., Banister, E. and Byrom, J., 2018. The spatial aspects of musical taste: Conceptualizing consumers' place-dependent identity investments. Marketing Theory, 18(2), pp.249-265.Skandalis, A., Banister, E. and Byrom, J., 2020. Musical taste and the creation of place-dependent capital: Manchester and the indie music field. Sociology, 54(1), pp.124-141.Skandalis, A., Banister, E., & Byrom, J. (2016). Marketplace orchestration of taste: insights from the Bridgewater Hall. Journal of Marketing Management, 32(9-10), 926-943.Alev's research on Kurdish music:Kuruoğlu, A. P., & Ger, G. (2015). An emotional economy of mundane objects. Consumption Markets & Culture, 18(3), 209-238.Kuruoğlu, A., & Hamelink, W. (2017). “Sounds of resistance. Performing the Political in the Kurdish Music Scene” in The Politics of Culture in Turkey, Greece & Cyprus: Performing the Left Since the Sixties; p. 103-121. RoutledgePodcast: “The Kurdish Music Industry: History and Politics.” Ottoman History Podcast, Episode #116, hosted by Chris Gratien. https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2013/08/the-kurdish-music-industry-history-and.htmlInspiration from (and for) Maria's research on Flamenco:Aoyama, Y. (2007). The role of consumption and globalization in a cultural industry: The case of flamenco. Geoforum, 38(1), 103-113.Aoyama, Y. (2009). Artists, tourists, and the state: Cultural tourism and the flamenco industry in Andalusia, Spain. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 33(1), 80-104.Machin-Autenrieth, M. (2015, February). Flamenco¿ algo nuestro?(something of ours?): Music, regionalism and political geography in Andalusia, Spain. In Ethnomusicology Forum (Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 4-27). Routledge.Malefyt, T. D. (1998). " Inside" and" Outside" Spanish Flamenco: Gender Constructions in Andalusian Concepts of Flamenco Tradition. Anthropological Quarterly, 63-73.Papapavlou, M. (2003). The city as a stage: Flamenco in Andalusian culture. Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe, 3(2), 14-24.Washabaugh, W. (1995). Ironies in the History of Flamenco. Theory, Culture & Society, 12(1), 133-155.Washabaugh, W. (2021). Flamenco: passion, politics and popular culture. Taylor & Francis.Imagined Communities, Traditions - General Inspiration:Anderson, B. (2006). Imagined communities: Reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Verso books.Herzfeld, M. (2005). Cultural intimacy: Social poetics in the nation-state. Psychology Press.Hobsbawm, E., & Ranger, T. (Eds.). (2012). The invention of tradition. Cambridge University Press.Music, Belonging(s), and Representations:Baily, J., & Collyer, M. (2006). Introduction: Music and migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 32(2), 167-182.Baker, C. (2016). Sounds of the borderland: Popular music, war and nationalism in Croatia since 1991. Routledge.Feld, Steven. 1990. Sound and Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics and Song in the Kaluli Expression. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.Hamelink, W. (2016). The Sung Home. Narrative, Morality, and the Kurdish Nation. Brill.Hamelink, W., & Barış, H. (2014). Dengbêjs on borderlands: Borders and the state as seen through the eyes of Kurdish singer-poets. Kurdish Studies, 2(1), 34-60.Harris, R., & Dawut, R. (2002). Mazar festivals of the Uyghurs: music, Islam and the Chinese state. British Journal of Ethnomusicology, 11(1), 101-118.Henderson, E. A. (1996). Black nationalism and rap music. Journal of Black Studies, 26(3), 308-339.Manuel, P. (1993). Cassette culture: Popular music and technology in North India. University of Chicago Press.Morcom, A. (2008). Getting heard in Tibet: Music, media and markets. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 11(4), 259-285.Punathambekar, A. (2005). Bollywood in the Indian-American diaspora: Mediating a transitive logic of cultural citizenship. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 8(2), 151-173.Revill, G. (2000). Music and the politics of sound: nationalism, citizenship, and auditory space. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 18(5), 597-613.Scalbert-Yucel, Clemence. 2009. “The Invention of a Tradition: Diyarbakır's Dengbej Project.” European Journal of Turkish Studies (10)Music Materialities, Practices and Taste:Arsel, Z. and Thompson, C.J., 2011. Demythologizing consumption practices: How consumers protect their field-dependent identity investments from devaluing marketplace myths. Journal of consumer research, 37(5), pp.791-806.Bartmanski, D., & Woodward, I. (2015). The vinyl: The analogue medium in the age of digital reproduction. Journal of consumer culture, 15(1), 3-27.Bartmanski, D., & Woodward, I. (2015). Vinyl: The analogue record in the digital age. Bloomsbury Publishing.Born, Georgina. 2011. “Music and the Materialization of Identities.” Journal of Material Culture 16 (4): 376–388.Hennion, A. (2001). Music lovers: Taste as performance. Theory, Culture & Society, 18(5), 1-22.Bradshaw, A. and Shankar, A., 2008. The production and consumption of music. Consumption, Markets and Culture, 11(4), pp.225-227.Shankar, A., 2000. Lost in music? Subjective personal introspection and popular music consumption. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.Webster, J. (2020). Taste in the platform age: music streaming services and new forms of class distinction. Information, Communication & Society, 23(13), 1909-1924.

What does it look like to preach while the world is ending? Ringside Preachers, Craft of Preaching, and John Pless from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne tackle this topic from a practical and historical viewpoint after eating fried chicken livers, of course.   Topics: Suffering and sanctification; what God is doing in your life to save you from yourself? Pandemics help us to confront reality and open doors to deliver Christ Interpreting the law for the preaching of the Gospel “He who has the victory of the last hour can endure the next few minutes.” Learning form the preachers of history: Tillich, Sasse, and Bonhoeffer Demythologizing the people; preachers need to know the lie Disconnecting death from sin in our pandemic   Guest: John T. Pless Assistant professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions and the director of Field Education At Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne.    Thank you:  1517.org proud member of the 1517 Podcast Network and the Craft of Preaching   Music: Willing Virginia - Arms of the King on Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud Dead Horse One - I love my man   Other stuff: The End of the World, Archibald MacLeish Formula of Concord - Election Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther - calls a thing what it is Oswald Bayer Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague; Letter to Johann Hess from Martin Luther Hermann Sasse, American Christianity and the Church 1927 Johann Konrad Wilhelm Löhe, 3 books about the church Sasse, wartime sermon Psalm 90

Mankind - Not God - Needs Demythologizing: In the Ring with John Pless by 1517 Podcasts

Sitting between our mother's knees getting our hair done was a time when lots of information, knowledge, and coded talk was passed along to black girl children about beauty, womanhood, self-esteem, self-love, and self-protection. Lots of policing our appearance, speech, and sexuality with pressure to be good girls, respectable ladies – not the kind who makes the rest of us “look bad.” Getting and keeping our hair “fixed” or “done”  was our first and most important strategy as girls on how to avoid the racist, classist, and sexist stereotypes other people might put us into. Before all that wisdom and knowledge could be passed along, there was the detangling process. A black girl's hair has to be detangled before it can put back right. Many Black women have experienced the horrific childhood moments of sitting in between our mother's legs as she combed through our hair which involved lots of tugging, tears, and even a few love touches to the head. Detangling. Deconstructing. Decolonizing. Demythologizing. Demystifying. Breaking stuff down. Hair texture mattered, but what we now know is that product and the proper tools matter too. You learn that if you have the right  -- detangling moisturizer, the proper brush and comb-- and patience, detangling becomes a breeze! In this episode, the hair docs specialize in the ministry of detangling the politics of Black hair for Black women facing the double bind of caring for their hair and resisting hair discrimination. (Intro/Outro Music provided by Epidemic Sound: Sunday by Ballpoint)

I talk with Srećko Horvat - author, philosopher, and cofounder of of the Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) - about the myths of our current crisis, how to break free from them, and why the occult matters for leftist politics.

We are happy to be joined by Professor Dr. Chester O'Gorman author of Demythologizing Revelation. Links: Demythologizing Revelation

The dynamic duo of dialectical theology - David Congdon & Travis McMaken - are on the podcast. These two scholars, friends, and theological provocateurs are here to bring you some dialectical theology.   This conversation was recorded in their hotel room at the American Academy of Religion. Their room may or may not have had a bunch of crystals surrounding a giant collection of analytic theology texts.   Travis was on the podcast in the past talking about Why God loves Justice and Why Go Barthian?.   David joined the podcast to talk Bultmann's Mission of Demythologizing.   If you are inspired you should go join the Society for Dialectical Theology In this podcast we discuss.... - the day David convinced Travis the bodily resurrection wasn't necessary - dialectical theology's relationship to theological tradition - what does the term "event" mean for DT? - humans are messed up and are not the solution of our problem - the kenosis of the patriarchy - theology for the religiously unaffiliated - sadly Travis has no inner-life - how Badiou should relate to Theology... a theology of the trace - what makes an event christian - the contrast between dialectical theology and salvation history - tripp gets upset about theology without existential register - David is not happy about St. Andrews, analytical theology, or NT Wright's historical confidence - analytical investigations of Kierkegaard aren't cool - doing historical investigations doesn't lead to the existential encounter of faith - the need to embrace the secularity of faith   Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria A. Rebeck, of the Minnesota Area of the United Methodist Church, describes how clergywomen can revitalize the church while serving as elders and deacons. (VOICED BY PROFESSIONAL TALENT) FULL TRANSCRIPT 0:01        When women come together there's nothing we cannot do. Welcome to the WellSprings Journal Podcast, where you will hear from women who have been called by God into lives to speak grace and compassion, that share pain and anger, and that dance life's joys and laughter. Inspiration to call forth your creative spirit awaits. Listen now. 0:34        Breaking Ranks: Women Elders and Women Deacons in Ministry Partnership, by Victoria A. Rebeck, Minnesota Annual Conference 0:43        Scripture tells us that loving God entails loving neighbor. Piety that does not include advocacy for the marginalized and compassion for the suffering is no piety at all. “Is this not the fast I choose,” we read in Isaiah 58:6-7, “to loose the bonds of injustice, / to undo the thongs of the yoke, / to let the oppressed go free, / and to break every yoke / . . . to share your bread with the hungry, / and bring the homeless poor into your house . . . ?” The United Methodist Church’s ordering of clergy into two distinct orders, deacon and elder, represents this inseparable combination. Elders lead the people in piety: ordering the life of the church and making sure that God’s people receive sacraments. Deacons connect piety with compassion and justice for neighbors, leading God’s people into ministry outside the walls of the church. When deacons and elders collaborate, the fullness of the church’s ministry is represented and led, in the equal and united manner that is reinforced throughout Scripture. 1:51        Evolution of the Diaconate The partnership style of leadership originated in the church’s first centuries. The earliest leadership offices in the church were bishop and deacon, says James Monroe Barnett in The Diaconate: A Full and Equal Order. Bishops oversaw churches, much like pastors. Deacons led those congregations in ministry to those in need—partners in leading the people in love of God and neighbor. “To think of subordination to the bishops… is largely to forget the character of the Church of the late New Testament period,” Barnett says. However, by the end of the fourth century, the church began adopting the hierarchical forms of civic society, the Roman Empire. The diaconate was reduced to a step up in the clergy hierarchy. The days of equality among clergy and laity faded. This pattern persisted in The United Methodist Church until 1996. Denominations that did not retain some form of clergy diaconate eventually recreated it in various lay forms. In Protestant churches, it is mostly women who have retained the purpose of diakonia, rebirthing this ancient Christian office as a central expression of Christian ministry. 3:12        Even John Wesley promoted the role of deaconess, though I have found no references to its being an official role. In a Nov. 5, 1788, letter to Adam Clarke, John Wesley recommends that Mrs. Clarke “fulfill the office of a deaconess.” Without a record of a description of the deaconess’s function, we can only speculate. We might guess that it entailed service and leadership, perhaps among the women faithful. Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin called for renewal of the deacon as minister among the poor. Theodor Fliedner and his wife, Friederike Münster, led the formation of a deaconess community through the founding of a motherhouse in Kaiserswerth, Germany, in 1836. Living in community, the deaconesses focused on community ministries, particularly health care. Such vocational opportunities for women grew during the industrial era of the late nineteenth century, along with urbanization and immigration in England and North America. The United Methodist lay deaconesses (and their spiritual brothers, the home missioners) are heirs to this movement. The United Methodist Church developed the office of lay worker in 1968, which comprised, to a significant extent, congregational directors of Christian education. In 1976, the lay worker was succeeded by the diaconal minister. (Despite an effort to unite the different forms into one diaconia, deaconesses remained separate.) Ordained clergy were predominantly male; many women who were called to congregational leadership found access via the role of Christian educator. Thus, the ministries of compassion, justice, and empowerment of laypeople became the women’s work of the church. “Men’s work” — congregational and denominational leadership as the pastor—enjoyed greater respect in a patriarchal, hierarchal church. Women with the call to order the life of the church were often blocked from ordination, or even licensing. The ordained diaconate was mostly reserved for men, a pastoral role and transitional step toward elder. 5:29        Full Clergy Status In 1996, The United Methodist Church followed ecumenical partners and evolved in its understanding of diaconia by forming a full and equal clergy order of deacon. No longer elders-in-the-making, deacons in The United Methodist Church are now more like deacons from the second through seventh centuries, who “oversaw the pastoral care of the Church… were administrators of the Church’s charities… were assistants of its bishops, often succeeding them in office… had a major role in the Church’s liturgies… were the great symbol of the servant ministry to which the Church has been called by Christ.” The 1996 General Conference chose to discontinue the commissioning of new diaconal ministers. Current diaconal ministers (some of whom may have been lay workers) had the opportunity to transition to the ordained office of deacon. However, the language of the Discipline makes clear that deacon is not simply a new name for lay worker or diaconal minister. Deacons fulfill servant ministry in the world and lead the Church in relating the gathered life of Christians to their ministries in the world, interrelating worship in the gathered community with service to God in world. Deacons give leadership in the Church’s life in teaching and proclaiming the World; in contributing to worship, and in assisting the elders in administering the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper; in forming and nurturing disciples; in conducting marriages and burying the dead; in embodying the church’s mission to the world, and in leading congregations in interpreting the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. 7:18        For many deacons, “forming and nurturing disciples” means serving in congregational staff positions as Christian educators, children’s and youth ministers, pastoral-care providers, and family or age-group ministry leaders. As United Methodist congregations shrink and can afford to employ fewer people, particularly clergy, deacons’ ministry in The United Methodist Church is increasingly a ministry outside the walls of the church. Deacons serve as truck-stop chaplains, prison ministers, directors of peace-and-justice ministries and compassion organizations, to name only few. The diaconate was and is most of all ministry of “interrelating worship in the gathering community with service of God in the world.” Ecumenically and around the world, diakonia takes lay and clergy forms. Among the churches that have non-transitioning (not a step toward presbyter or priest) deacons are the Methodist Church in Britain, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church. United Methodist deacons are active in the United States and Europe. The Lutheran communion churches have active lay orders of diaconia. 8:36        Obstacles to Partnership Full-member clergy deacons strengthen The United Methodist Church. However, the evolution from lay worker to diaconal minister to deacon has put United Methodist clergywomen at odds with one another. Many women who found leadership opportunities as committed and trained lay Christian educators eventually discerned the call to the ordained diaconate. Other women who heard the call to the pastorate slowly but persistently pursued ordination as elders and eventually gained full clergy rights for women (1956). Unfortunately — having worked hard for recognition as ordained, full clergy members — some of those early pioneering women elders look on their sisters who pursued Christian education (or other age-group leadership) as having made a lesser choice. This attitude pits women clergy leaders against women clergy leaders. It is a capitulation to patriarchal hierarchy. It takes away the very respect for clergywomen’s leadership that the pioneering women elders worked to obtain. It also devalues Christian education and other deacon ministries. At the time of this publication, The United Methodist Church in the U.S. is wringing its hands over the aging of the church membership and the dearth of young adults in congregations. If we truly value young people, we would consider Christian education and youth ministry among the most important ministries the church undertakes. 10:15     Further, many young people report that the church fails to attract them because they are more interested in healing brokenness and injustice in the world than they are in sitting on committees, often the church’s first choice for engaging laypeople. Given that the deacons are to “relate the gathered life of Christians to their ministries in the world,” deacons are particularly well positioned to engage young adults in Christian discipleship. This is particularly true of deacons serving appointments in congregational outreach, as mission coordinators for conferences or jurisdictions, and for those leading social-service agencies beyond the local church (and in secondary appointment to congregations). For example, the Rev. Donnie Shumate Mitchem’s primary appointment is as a school psychologist in Western North Carolina. She also leads the parishioners in her secondary appointment to pack book bags for children of limited means, clean classrooms, and pray for students and teachers. The Rev. Scott Parrish, mission specialist for Connectional Ministries for the North Georgia Conference and a mission strategist for General Board of Global Ministries, explicitly guides churches to help young adults to find their place in the United Methodist global mission movement. 11:40     Embracing the Both/And of Clergy Partnership Women elders and women deacons have an opportunity to lead the church away from hierarchical patterns and back to the organic, horizontal understanding of the whole church’s ministry. This includes leading laypeople back into active discipleship that includes both piety and compassionate action. When asked the most important commandment, Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’… And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40). The ministries of the elder and deacon embody these two commandments. To paraphrase Isaiah, this is the piety God chooses: both the spiritual development that takes place in worship and the active, selfless service that takes place outside the church’s walls. Women clergy can revitalize ministry in The United Methodist Church by restoring the mutually empowering, mutually serving discipleship described in the Gospels and epistles. Not everyone has the same gifts; and, through practice of the varying gifts and passions, the realm of God is built. 13:00     United Methodist clergywomen — deacons and elders — across the international connection can strengthen the United Methodist witness in the world by supporting and advocating for each other’s ministries. On an international scale, this entails learning about each other’s cultural contexts. The careerism that has crept into ministry in the United States may not be the practice in other nations. The role of women in society varies from culture to culture as well. As United Methodist clergywomen learn one another’s contexts, hopes, and callings, they can work toward rebirthing in The United Methodist Church an understanding of ministry as mutual and empowering of all the baptized. The Rev. Doris Dalton is a deacon in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference who has served in partnership ministries with elders in both primary (district office) and secondary (church start) appointments. “I have found that successful partnerships between deacons and elders require the following factors: alignment of calling and vision, establishing communication agreements, understanding and respecting roles, and knowing thyself, she says in her blog post “How deacons and elders can partner in ministry.” Dalton encourages elders and deacons to engage in intentional conversation on deepening ministry partnerships between deacons and elders. “Many elders are reluctant to engage in a deacon-elder partnership because the details and responsibilities can seem daunting,” she observes. “Demythologizing assumptions and sharing concrete details can provide for a smoother beginning to ministry partnerships.” 14:49     Elders can start by sharpening their understanding of the historic ministry of the deacon. Margaret Ann Crain’s book The United Methodist Deacon is a good start. Women elders in a conference might demonstrate genuine interest and respect by inviting deacons, including those appointed beyond the local church, to join them in discussing ministry challenges. Elders may discover deacons who are doing exciting, innovative ministry and who can enhance the elders’ congregational ministry through training or secondary appointment. Deacons should step up in leadership and not wait to be noticed. Volunteer for ministry discernment events, lay ministry trainings, annual conference leadership, and more. Devise ways to share your ministry expertise across the district or conference. Raise your profile through leadership. Build relationships among elders, help them perceive the deacon/elder ministry wholeness, and propose partnerships (including short-term ones). Perpetuating the hierarchical ranking of ministry we inherited from a patriarchal church continues to hold back all women as well as the gospel’s countercultural ordering of ministry. Women clergy have the perspective and perhaps the working preferences to renew the church through egalitarian ministry partnerships — if we have the courage to do so. 16:18     Thank you for listening to the WellSprings Journal podcast. Be sure to visit WellSpringsJournal.org to find more resources for the journey.  

The Rev. Lauren Larkin joins Sam to discuss birthing pangs in Genesis, the merits of demythologizing, and Dialectical Theology in the 21st Century. Special Guest: Lauren R.E. Larkin.

We open with “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye because it is the title track from his 1971 album–one that for me expresses both the popular awareness of the catastrophic actions of Western Militarism and Capitalism–but as well seems a kind of funeral dirge on the capability of protest movements to make real difference as …

Join Dr. John Neufeld on this week's episode of Truth + Life Today, as he tackles the idea of demythologizing the Bible.

Join Dr. John Neufeld on this week's episode of Truth + Life Today, as he tackles the idea of demythologizing the Bible.

Dr. Michael Heiser, author ofThe Unseen Realm, explains why a literal reading of Genesis 6:1-4, understanding that the Nephilim were giant offspring of angels and human women, is correct.

It is time to talk Rudolf Bultmann and his mission to demythologize the gospel. We shall get zesty! David W. Congdon earned a PhD in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and is associate editor at IVP Academic. You can check out his blog here. If you want to impress your friends with a giant Bultmann text check out The Mission of Demythologizing. You can check out David's more introductory text to Bultmann here. Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just about everything you think you know about the Shaolin Monks was made up for tourists.

More pseudohistory than fact surrounds this ancient order's depictions in pop culture.

Recently at "Bellator Christi," we discussed the denial of the resurrection by one Christian pastor named Jim Rigby. It seems that many even in ministry are beginning to allow skeptical ideologies to influence their theological spectrum. However, this is problematic. In this episode, Pastor Brian explains why. Join us on this episode. We will take your calls towards the end of the show at (323) 784-9617.

Throughout our life cycles, we are all called to reexamine the truths, values, beliefs, and stories that suggest key purposes for living and give meaning to the things we do. In most areas of life, when we see cracks in our understanding or problems in the way we do things we usually find somewhat gentle ways to admit the issues that need addressing and to cast about for resources and new views that might aid or drive the needed changes. However, when it comes to the things we sense as life’s biggest value giver or most important stories or framings, what theologian Paul Tillich calls our "Ultimate Concern," admitting that shifts are needed is much more difficult. And because for most of us, our Ultimate Concern involves God, anxiety about death or salvation, and other elements of life with seemingly very big consequences should we be wrong--the stakes are raised even higher. The problem is, however, these things of Ultimate Concern are not tangible in the way that much of life is. We can’t see them clearly or use any of our other physical senses to help us articulate them. Instead, we need metaphors and symbols and rituals and community dialogue to continually "point toward" them, to direct our attention to their looming presence even in their physical absence. Unfortunately, once we begin relying on these symbols and metaphors, quite naturally our minds begin to forget that these are not the things of Ultimate Concern themselves but only directors and encouragers, stories and practices that are to aim our attention to concerns and energies that lie beyond themselves. All of us can recognize this danger, and we have likely experienced it ourselves. Furthermore most religions also understand this, and some better than others actually build in practices or have frequent conversations that talk about how we can end up focusing on the symbol rather than what it symbolizes, the literalness of a story versus its narrative and transformational power. These practices and conversations remind us to try to experience fresh the Divine or these Ultimate values and concerns, to allow our symbols and myths to "break" and remind us, again and again, that they were never intended to substitute for experiencing the things they point to. In these religions, we can find deliberate attempts to "disenchant" their followers with the symbols and old stories, sometimes in shocking ways, so they won’t focus on the wrong things. Or they will talk about the important role of "de-mythologizing," of reminding ourselves that the powerful stories of our traditions, though often based upon real events or experiences of founders and others, also have mythic elements that must be sorted through. Sometimes the sorting leads to peeling back the layers to find an original core set of energies that gave and give life to the tradition; in other cases the process is to embrace the mythic elements even more thoroughly as a way of sending followers out of day-to-day consciousness and into more imaginative realms (but also ways of thinking that can allow the inrush of new insight and fresh transformative energies). This two-part podcast features Derrick Clements, Jordan Harmon, and Carl Youngblood, along with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, in an exploration of the difficulties but also the rich blessings of becoming disenchanted, and/or entering into conscious demythologizing. The first part and a bit of the second focus mostly on how this process operates (and could operate better) at a personal level. The second part then folds into a discussion of how Mormonism as an institution might work more effectively to move us into the more powerful experiential realms that can follow upon "brokenness,"--whether of symbols, myths, or our hearts. The episodes contain fascinating ethnographic material from Hopi and other cultures, strong exegesis from Paul Tillich and other thinkers, and the participants’ own life stories and experiences with these processes.

Throughout our life cycles, we are all called to reexamine the truths, values, beliefs, and stories that suggest key purposes for living and give meaning to the things we do. In most areas of life, when we see cracks in our understanding or problems in the way we do things we usually find somewhat gentle ways to admit the issues that need addressing and to cast about for resources and new views that might aid or drive the needed changes. However, when it comes to the things we sense as life’s biggest value giver or most important stories or framings, what theologian Paul Tillich calls our "Ultimate Concern," admitting that shifts are needed is much more difficult. And because for most of us, our Ultimate Concern involves God, anxiety about death or salvation, and other elements of life with seemingly very big consequences should we be wrong--the stakes are raised even higher. The problem is, however, these things of Ultimate Concern are not tangible in the way that much of life is. We can’t see them clearly or use any of our other physical senses to help us articulate them. Instead, we need metaphors and symbols and rituals and community dialogue to continually "point toward" them, to direct our attention to their looming presence even in their physical absence. Unfortunately, once we begin relying on these symbols and metaphors, quite naturally our minds begin to forget that these are not the things of Ultimate Concern themselves but only directors and encouragers, stories and practices that are to aim our attention to concerns and energies that lie beyond themselves. All of us can recognize this danger, and we have likely experienced it ourselves. Furthermore most religions also understand this, and some better than others actually build in practices or have frequent conversations that talk about how we can end up focusing on the symbol rather than what it symbolizes, the literalness of a story versus its narrative and transformational power. These practices and conversations remind us to try to experience fresh the Divine or these Ultimate values and concerns, to allow our symbols and myths to "break" and remind us, again and again, that they were never intended to substitute for experiencing the things they point to. In these religions, we can find deliberate attempts to "disenchant" their followers with the symbols and old stories, sometimes in shocking ways, so they won’t focus on the wrong things. Or they will talk about the important role of "de-mythologizing," of reminding ourselves that the powerful stories of our traditions, though often based upon real events or experiences of founders and others, also have mythic elements that must be sorted through. Sometimes the sorting leads to peeling back the layers to find an original core set of energies that gave and give life to the tradition; in other cases the process is to embrace the mythic elements even more thoroughly as a way of sending followers out of day-to-day consciousness and into more imaginative realms (but also ways of thinking that can allow the inrush of new insight and fresh transformative energies). This two-part podcast features Derrick Clements, Jordan Harmon, and Carl Youngblood, along with Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon, in an exploration of the difficulties but also the rich blessings of becoming disenchanted, and/or entering into conscious demythologizing. The first part and a bit of the second focus mostly on how this process operates (and could operate better) at a personal level. The second part then folds into a discussion of how Mormonism as an institution might work more effectively to move us into the more powerful experiential realms that can follow upon "brokenness,"--whether of symbols, myths, or our hearts. The episodes contain fascinating ethnographic material from Hopi and other cultures, strong exegesis from Paul Tillich and other thinkers, and the participants’ own life stories and experiences with these processes.

A class on Srimad Bhagavatam 10.87.43-44 given at ISKCON of DC.

For many years, lawyers have chased after the holy grail of the paperless office. While the basic techniques and strategies have largely stayed the same and the technology and tools have gotten better, most lawyers and firms have not attained the elusive goal of a “paperless” office. Is the goal simply unachievable or is it just too hard to execute on what it takes to achieve the goal? In this episode of The Kennedy-Mighell Report, Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss the history and current state of paperless office efforts, approaches that might (or might not) work for you, and whether the end of paper is within sight. The second half of the episode will cover Georgetown University's new "Iron Tech" Contest where students create a new application, platform, or system to improve access to justice and/or legal representation.

VanTil and the threat of Neo-Orthodoxy and Bartian Theology.