Podcast appearances and mentions of George Fox

What makes a book “great?” Who gets to choose which literature is or isn't allowed into a canon, and should we question those decisions? What is the real value of reading traditionally classic literature today in the 21st century? Brian & Jay examine the idea of a classics-centered education and discuss how the George Fox University Honors Program answers these questions and more.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Dr. Jay David Miller teaches English at George Fox University and serves as an associate editor for the journal Quaker Religious Thought.George Fox University has Great Books Honors Program.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Joseph John Gurney was massively influential to the Friends community, but his story, theology, and values stood out from those of other influential Quakers like William Barclay and George Fox. Listen in for Jay and Jamie's take on Gurney's life and times, and how they informed the modern experience of Quakerism and Christian faith as a whole.Dr. Jay David Miller teaches English at George Fox University and serves as an associate editor for the journal Quaker Religious Thought.Dr. Jamie Johnson is dean for spiritual life and a university pastor at George Fox University. A George Fox graduate, he has studied church history (MA) and Christian education (PhD) and hungers to learn more about what it means for individuals and communities to follow Jesus in every aspect of life. If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In this interview, Lamorna Ash, author of Don't Forget We're Here Forever: A New Generation's Search for Religion, and one of my favourite modern writers, talked about working at the Times Literary Supplement, netball, M. John Harrison, AI and the future of religion, why we should be suspicious of therapy, the Anatomy of Melancholy, the future of writing, what surprised her in the Bible, the Simpsons, the joy of Reddit, the new Pope, Harold Bloom, New Atheism's mistakes, reading J.S. Mill. I have already recommended her new book Don't Forget We're Here Forever, which Lamorna reads aloud from at the end. Full transcript below.Uploading videos onto Substack is too complicated for me (it affects podcast downloads somehow, and the instructions to avoid this problem are complicated, so I have stopped doing it), and to upload to YouTube I have to verify my account but they told me that after I tried to upload it and my phone is dead, so… here is the video embedded on this page. I could quote the whole thing. Here's one good section.Lamorna: Which one would you say I should do first after The Sea, The Sea?Henry: Maybe The Black Prince.Lamorna: The Black Prince. Great.Henry: Which is the one she wrote before The Sea, The Sea and is just a massive masterpiece.Lamorna: I'll read it. Where do you stand on therapy? Do you have a position?Henry: I think on net, it might be a bad thing, even if it is individually useful for people.Lamorna: Why is that?Henry: [laughs] I didn't expect to have to answer the question. Basically two reasons. I think it doesn't take enough account of the moral aspect of the decisions being made very often. This is all very anecdotal and you can find yourself feeling better in the short term, but not necessarily in the long-- If you make a decision that's not outrageously immoral, but which has not had enough weight placed on the moral considerations.There was an article about how lots of people cut out relatives now and the role that therapy plays in that. What I was struck by in the article that was-- Obviously, a lot of those people are justified and their relatives have been abusive or nasty, of course, but there are a lot of cases where you were like, "Well, this is a long-term decision that's been made on a short-term basis." I think in 10 years people may feel very differently. There wasn't enough consideration in the article, at least I felt, given to how any children involved would be affected later on. I think it's a good thing and a bad thing.Lamorna: I'm so with you. I think that's why, because also the fact of it being so private and it being about the individual, and I think, again, there are certain things if you're really struggling with that, it's helpful for, but I think I'm always more into the idea of communal things, like AAA and NA, which obviously a very particular. Something about doing that together, that it's collaborative and therefore there is someone else in the room if you say, "I want to cut out my parent."There's someone else who said that happened to me and it was really hard. It means that you are making those decisions together a little bit more. Therapy, I can feel that in friends and stuff that it does make us, even more, think that we are these bounded individuals when we're not.Henry: I should say, I have known people who've gone to therapy and it's worked really well.Lamorna: I'm doing therapy right now and it is good. TranscriptHenry: Today I am talking to Lamorna Ash. Lamorna is one of the rising stars of her generation. She has written a book about a fishing village in Cornwall. She's written columns for the New Statesman, of which I'm a great admirer. She works for a publisher and now she's written a book called, Don't Forget, We're Here Forever: A New Generation's Search for Religion. I found this book really compelling and I hope you will go and read it right now. Lamorna, welcome.Lamorna Ash: Thank you for having me.Henry: What was it like when you worked at the Times Literary Supplement?Lamorna: It was an amazing introduction to mostly contemporary fiction, but also so many other forms of writing I didn't know about. I went there, I actually wrote a letter, handwritten letter after my finals, saying that I'd really enjoyed this particular piece that somehow linked the anatomy of melancholy to infinite jest, and being deeply, deeply, deeply pretentious, those were my two favorite books. I thought, well, I'll apply for this magazine. I turned up there as an intern. They happened to have a space going.My job was Christmas in that I just spent my entire time unwrapping books and putting them out for editors to swoop by and take away. I'd take on people's corrections. I'd start to see how the editorial process worked. I started reading. I somehow had missed contemporary fiction. I hadn't read people like Rachel Kask or Nausgaard. I was reading them through going to the fiction pages. It made me very excited. Also, my other job whilst I was there, was I had the queries email. You'd get loads of incredibly random emails, including things like, you are cordially invited to go on the Joseph Conrad cycle tour of London. I'd ask the office, "Does anyone want to do this?" Obviously, no one ever said yes.I had this amazing year of doing really weird stuff, like going on Joseph Conrad cycling tour or going to a big talk at the comic book museum or the new advertising museum of London. I loved it. I really loved it.Henry: What was the Joseph Conrad cycling tour of London like? That sounds-Lamorna: Oh, it was so good. I remember at one point we stopped on maybe it was Blackfriars Bridge or perhaps it was Tower Bridge and just read a passage from the secret agent about the boats passing underneath. Then we'd go to parts of the docks where they believe that Conrad stayed for a while, but instead it would be some fancy youth hostel instead.It was run by the Polish Society of London, I believe-- the Polish Society of England, I believe. Again, each time it was like an excuse then to get into that writer and then write a little piece about it for the TLS. I guess, it was also, I was slightly cutting my teeth on how to do that kind of journalism as well.Henry: What do you like about The Anatomy of Melancholy?Lamorna: Almost everything. I think the prologue, Democritus Junior to the Reader is just so much fun and naughty. He says, "I'm writing about melancholy in order to try and avoid melancholy myself." There's six editions of it. He spent basically his entire life writing this book. When he made new additions to the book, rather than adding another chapter, he would often be making insertions within sentences themselves, so it becomes more and more bloated. There's something about the, what's the word for it, the ambition that I find so remarkable of every single possible version of melancholy they could talk about.Then, maybe my favorite bit, and I think about this as a writer a lot, is there's a bit called the digression of air, or perhaps it's digression on the air, where he just suddenly takes the reader soaring upwards to think about air and you sort of travel up like a hawk. It's this sort of breathing moment for a reader where you go in a slightly different direction. I think in my own writing, I always think about digression as this really valuable bit of nonfiction, this sense of, I'm not just taking you straight the way along. I think it'd be useful to go sideways a bit too.Henry: That was Samuel Johnson's favorite book as well. It's a good choice.Lamorna: Was it?Henry: Yes. He said that it was the only book that would get him out of bed in the morning.Lamorna: Really?Henry: Because he was obviously quite depressive. I think he found it useful as well as entertaining, as it were. Should netball be an Olympic sport?Lamorna: [laughs] Oh, it's already going to be my favorite interview. I think the reason it isn't an Olympic-- yes, I have a vested interest in netball and I play netball once a week. I'm not very good, but I am very enthusiastic because it's only played mostly in the Commonwealth. It was invented a year after basketball as a woman-friendly version because women should not run with the ball in case they get overexerted and we shouldn't get too close to contacting each other in case we touch, and that's awful.It really is only played in the Commonwealth. I think the reason it won't become an Olympic sport is because it's not worldwide enough, which I think is a reasonable reason. I'm not, of all the my big things that I want to protest about and care about right now, making that an Olympic sport is a-- it's reasonably low on my list.Henry: Okay, fair enough. You are an admirer of M. John Harrison's fiction, is that right?Lamorna: Yes.Henry: Tell us what should we read and why should we read him?Lamorna: You Should Come With Me Now, is that what it's called? I know I reviewed one of his books years ago and thought it was-- because he's part of that weird sci-fi group that I find really interesting and they've all got a bit of Samuel Delany to them as well. I just remember there was this one particular story in that collection, I think in general, he's a master at sci-fi that doesn't feel in that Dune way of just like, lists of names of places. It somehow has this, it's very literary, it's very odd, it's deeply imaginative. It is like what I wanted adult fiction to be when I was 12 or something, that there's the way the fantasy and imagination works.I remember there was one about all these men, married men who were disappearing into their attics and their wives thought they were just tinkering. What they were doing was building these sort of translucent tubes that were taking them off out of the world. I remember just thinking it was great. His conceits are brilliant and make so much sense, whilst also always being at an interesting slant from reality. Then, I haven't read his memoir, but I hear again and again this anti-memoir he's written. Have you read that?Henry: No.Lamorna: Apparently that's really brilliant too. Then he also, writes those about climbing. He's actually got this one foot in the slightly travel nature writing sports camp. I just always thought he was magic. I remember on Twitter, he was really magic as well. I spent a lot of time following him.Henry: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of writing and literature and books and this whole debate that's going on?Lamorna: It's hard to. I don't want to say anything fast and snappy because it's such a complicated thing. I could just start by saying personally, I'm worried about me and writing because I'm worried about my concentration span. I am so aware that in the same way that a piano player has to be practising the pieces they're going to play all the time. I think partly that's writing and writing, I seem to be able to do even with this broken, distracted form of attention I've got. My reading, I don't feel like I'm getting enough in. I think that means that what I produce will necessarily be less good if I can't solve that.I've just bought a dumb phone on the internet and I hope that's going to help me by no longer having Instagram and things like that. I think, yes, I suppose we do read a bit less. The generation below us is reading less. That's a shame. There's so much more possibility to go out and meet people from different places. On an anthropological level, I think anthropology has had this brilliant turn of becoming more subjective. The places you go, you have to think about your own relationship to them. I think that can make really interesting writing. It's so different from early colonial anthropology.The fact that, I guess, through, although even as I'm saying this, I don't know enough to say it, but I was going to say something about the fact that people, because we can do things like substacks and people can do short form content, maybe that means that more people's voices are getting heard and then they can, if they want to, transfer over and write books as well.I still get excited by books all the time. There's still so much good contemporary stuff that's thrilling me from all over the place. I don't feel that concerned yet. If we all do stop writing books entirely for a year and just read all the extraordinary books that have been happening for the last couple of thousand, we'd be okay.Henry: I simultaneously see the same people complaining that everything's dying and literature is over and that we have an oversupply of books and that capitalism is giving us too many books and that's the problem. I'm like, "Guys, I think you should pick one."Lamorna: [laughs] You're not allowed both those arguments. My one is that I do think it's gross, the bit of publishing that the way that some of these books get so oddly inflated in terms of the sales around them. Then, someone is getting a million pounds for a debut, which is enormous pressure on them. Then, someone else is getting 2K. I feel like there should be, obviously, there should be a massive cap on how large an advance anyone should get, and then more people will actually be able to stay in the world of writing because they won't have to survive on pitiful advances. I think that would actually have a huge impact and we should not be giving, love David Beckham as much as I do, we shouldn't be giving him five million pounds for someone else to go to write his books. It's just crazy.Henry: Don't the sales of books like that subsidize those of us who are not getting such a big advance?Lamorna: I don't think they always do. I think that's the problem is that they do have this wealth of funds to give to celebrities and often those books don't sell either. I still think even if those books sell a huge amount of money, those people still shouldn't be getting ridiculous advances like that. They still should be thinking about young people who are important to the literary, who are going to produce books that are different and surprising and whose voices we need to hear. That feels much more important.Henry: What do you think about the idea that maybe Anglo fiction isn't at a peak? I don't necessarily agree with that, but maybe we can agree that these are not the days of George Eliot and Charles Dickens, but the essay nonfiction periodicals and writing online, this is huge now. Right? Actually, our pessimism is sort of because we're looking in the wrong area and there are other forms of writing that flourish, actually doing great on the internet.Lamorna: Yes, I think so too. Again, I don't think I'm internet worldly enough to know this, but I still find these extraordinary, super weird substats that feel exciting. I also get an enormous amount of pleasure in reading Reddit now, which I only just got into many, many years late, but so many fun, odd things. Like little essays that people write and the way that people respond to each other, which is quick and sharp, and I suppose it fills the gap of what Twitter was.I think nonfiction, I was talking about this morning, because I'm staying with some writers, because we're sort of Cornish, book talk thing together and how much exciting nonfiction has come out this year that we want to read from the UK that is hybrid-y nature travel. Then internationally, I still think there's-- I just read, Perfection by Vincenzo, but there's enough translated fiction that's on the international book list this year that gets me delighted as well. To me, I just don't feel worried about that kind of thing at all when there's so much exciting stuff happening.I love Reddit. I think they really understand things that other people don't on there. I think it's the relief now that when you type in something to Google, you get the AI response. It's something like, it's so nice to feel on Reddit that someone sat down and answered you. Maybe that's such a shame that that's what makes me happy now, that we're in that space. It does feel like someone will tell you not just the answer, but then give you a bit about their life. Then, the particular tool that was passed down by their grandparents. That's so nice.Henry: What do you think of the new Pope?Lamorna: I thought it was because I'd heard all the thing around fat Pope, thin Pope, and obviously, our new Pope is maybe a sort of middle Pope, or at least is closer to Francis, but maybe a bit more palatable to some people. I guess, I'm excited that he's going to do, or it seems like he's also taking time to think, but he's good on migration on supporting the rights of immigrants. I think there's value in the fact of him being American as this being this counterpoint to what's happening in America right now. If feels always feels pointless to say because they're almost the idea of a Pope.I guess, Francis said that, who am I to judge about people being gay, but I think this Pope has so far has been more outly against gay people, but he stood up against JD Vance and his stupid thoughts on theology. I'm quietly optimistic. I guess I'm also waiting for Robert Harris's prophecy to come true and we get an intersex Pope next. Because I think that was prophecy, right? What he wrote.Henry: That would be interesting.Lamorna: Yes.Henry: The religious revival that people say is happening, particularly among young people, how is AI going to make it different than previous religious revivals?Lamorna: Oh, that's so interesting. Maybe first of all, question, sorry, I choked on my coffee. I was slightly questioned the idea if there is a religious revival, it's not actually an argument that I made in the book. When I started writing the book, there wasn't this quiet revival or this Bible studies and survey that suggests that more young people are going to church hadn't come out yet. I was just more, I guess, aware that there were a few people around me who were converting and I thought it'd be interesting if there's a few, there'll be more, which I think probably happens in every single generation, right? Is that that's one way to deal with the longing for meaning we all experience and the struggles in our lives.I was speaking to a New York Times journalist who was questioning the stats that have been coming out because first it's incredibly small pool. It's quite self-selecting that possibly there are people who might have gone to church already. It's still such a small uptick because it makes it hard to say anything definitive. I guess in general, what will the relationship be between AI and religion?I guess, there are so many ways you could go with that. One is that those spaces, religious spaces, are nicely insulated from technology. Not everywhere. Obviously, in some places they aren't, but often it's a space in which you put your phone away. In my head, the desire to go to church is as against having to deal with AI or having to deal with technology being integrated to every other aspect of my life.I guess maybe people will start worshiping the idea of the singularity. Maybe we'll get the singularity and Terminator, or the Matrix is going to happen, and we'll call them our gods because they will feel like gods. That's maybe one option. I don't know how AI-- I guess I don't know enough about AI that maybe you'll have AI, or does this happen? Maybe this has happened already that you could have an AI confession and you'd have an AI priest and they tell you--Henry: Sure. It's huge for therapy, right?Lamorna: Yes.Henry: Which is that adjacent thing.Lamorna: That's a good point. It does feel something about-- I'm sure, theologically, it's not supposed to work if you haven't been ordained, but can an AI be ordained, become a priest?Henry: IndeedLamorna: Could they do communion? I don't know. It's fascinating.Henry: I can see a situation where a young person lives in a secular environment or culture and is interested in things and the AI is the, in some ways, easiest place for them to turn to say, "I need to talk about-- I have these weird semi-religious feelings, or I'm interested." The AI's not going to be like, "Oh, really? That's weird." There's the question of will we worship AI or whatever, but also will we get people's conversions being shaped by their therapy/confessors/whatever chat with their LLM?Lamorna: Oh, it's so interesting. I read a piece recently in the LRB by James Vincent. It was about AI relationships, our relationship with AI, and he looked at AI girlfriends. There was this incredible case, maybe you read about it, about a guy who tried to kill the Queen some years back. His defense was that his AI girlfriend had really encouraged him to do that. Then, you can see the transcripts of the text, and he says, "I'm thinking about killing the Queen." His AI girlfriend is like, "Go for it, baby."It's that thing there of like, at the moment, AI is still reflecting back our own desires or refracting almost like shifting how they're expressed. I'm trying to imagine that in the same case of me saying, "I feel really lonely, and I'm thinking about Christianity." My friend would speak with all of their context and background, and whatever they've got going on for them. Whereas an AI would feel my desire there and go, "That's a good idea. It says online this." It's very straight. It would definitely lead us in directions that feel less than human or other than human.Henry: I also have this thought, you used to, I think you still do, but you see it less. You used to get a Samaritan's Bible in every hotel. The Samaritans, will they start trying to install a religious chatbot in places where people--? There are lots of ways in which you could use it as a distribution mechanism.Lamorna: Which does feel so far from the point. Not to think about the gospels, but that feeling of something I talk about in the book is that, so much of it is human contact. Is that this factor of being changed in the moment, person to person. If I have any philosophy for life at the moment is this sense of desperately needing contact that we are saved by each other all the time, not by our telephones and things that aren't real. It's the surprise.I quote it in the book, but Iris Murdoch describes love is the very difficult realization that someone other than yourself is real. I think that's the thing that makes us all survive, is that reminder that if you're feeling deeply depressed, being like, there is someone else that is real, and they have a struggle that matters as much as mine. I think that's something that you are never going to get through a conversation with a chatbot, because it's like a therapeutic thing. You are not having to ask it the same questions, or you are not having to extend yourself to think about someone else in those conversations.Henry: Which Iris Murdoch novels do you like?Lamorna: I've only read The Sea, The Sea, but I really enjoyed it. Which ones do you like?Henry: I love The Sea, The Sea, and The Black Prince. I like the late books, like The Good Apprentice and The Philosopher's Pupil, as well. Some people tell you, "Don't read those. They're late works and they're no good," but I was obsessed. I was absolutely compelled, and they're still all in my head. They're insane.Lamorna: Oh, I must, because I've got a big collection of her essays. I'm thinking is so beautiful, her philosophical thought. It's that feeling, I know I'm going the wrong-- starting in the wrong place, but I do feel that she's someone I'd really love to explore next, kind of books.Henry: I think you'd like her because she's very interested in the question of, can therapy help, can philosophy help, can religion help? She's very dubious about therapy and philosophy, and she is mystic. There are queer characters and neurodivergent characters. For a novelist in the '70s, you read her now and you're like, "Well, this is all just happening now."Lamorna: Cool.Henry: Maybe we should be passing these books out. People need this right now.Lamorna: Which one would you say I should do first after The Sea, The Sea?Henry: Maybe The Black Prince.Lamorna: The Black Prince. Great.Henry: Which is the one she wrote before The Sea, The Sea and is just a massive masterpiece.Lamorna: I'll read it. Where do you stand on therapy? Do you have a position?Henry: I think on net, it might be a bad thing, even if it is individually useful for people.Lamorna: Why is that?Henry: [laughs] I didn't expect to have to answer the question. Basically two reasons. I think it doesn't take enough account of the moral aspect of the decisions being made very often. This is all very anecdotal and you can find yourself feeling better in the short term, but not necessarily in the long-- If you make a decision that's not outrageously immoral, but which has not had enough weight placed on the moral considerations.There was an article about how lots of people cut out relatives now and the role that therapy plays in that. What I was struck by in the article that was-- Obviously, a lot of those people are justified and their relatives have been abusive or nasty, of course, but there are a lot of cases where you were like, "Well, this is a long-term decision that's been made on a short-term basis." I think in 10 years people may feel very differently. There wasn't enough consideration in the article, at least I felt, given to how any children involved would be affected later on. I think it's a good thing and a bad thing.Lamorna: I'm so with you. I think that's why, because also the fact of it being so private and it being about the individual, and I think, again, there are certain things if you're really struggling with that, it's helpful for, but I think I'm always more into the idea of communal things, like AAA and NA, which obviously a very particular. Something about doing that together, that it's collaborative and therefore there is someone else in the room if you say, "I want to cut out my parent."There's someone else who said that happened to me and it was really hard. It means that you are making those decisions together a little bit more. Therapy, I can feel that in friends and stuff that it does make us, even more, think that we are these bounded individuals when we're not.Henry: I should say, I have known people who've gone to therapy and it's worked really well.Lamorna: I'm doing therapy right now and it is good. I think, in my head, it's like it should be one among many and I still question it whilst doing it.Henry: To the extent that there is a religious revival among "Gen Z," how much is it because they have phones? Because you wrote something like, in fact, I have the quote, "There's a sense of terrible tragedy. How can you hold this constant grief that we feel, whether it's the genocide in Gaza or climate collapse? Where do I put all the misery that I receive every single second through my phone? Church can then be a space where I can quietly go and light a candle." Is it that these young people are going to religion because the phone has really pushed a version of the world into their faces that was not present when I was young or people are older than me?Lamorna: I think it's one of, or that the phone is the symptom because the phone, whatever you call it, technology, the internet, is the thing that draws the world closer to us in so many different ways. One being that this sense of being aware of what's happening around in other places in the world, which maybe means that you become more tolerant of other religions because you're hearing about it more. That, on TikTok, there's loads of kids all across the world talking about their particular faiths and their background and which aspera they're in, and all that kind of thing.Then, this sense of horror being very unavoidable that you wake up and it is there and you wake up and you think, "What am I doing? What am I doing here? I feel completely useless." Perhaps then you end up in a church, but I'm not sure.I think a bigger player in my head is the fact that we are more pluralistic as societies. That you are more likely to encounter other religions in schools. I think then the question is, well then maybe that'll be valuable for me as well. I think also, not having parents pushing religion on you makes kids, the fact of the generation above the British people, your parents' generations, not saying religion is important, you go to church, then it becomes something people can become more curious about in their own right as adults. I think that plays into it.I think isolation plays into it and that's just not about technology and the phone, but that's the sense of-- and again, I'm thinking about early 20s, mid 20s, so adults who are moving from place to place, who maybe feel very isolated and alone, who are doing jobs that make them feel isolated and alone, and there are this dearth of community spaces and then thinking, well, didn't people used to go to churches, it would be so nice to know someone older than me.I don't know how this fits in, but I was thinking about, I saw this documentary, The Encampments, like two days ago, which is about the Columbia University encampments and within that, Mahmood Khalil, who's the one who's imprisoned at the moment, who was this amazing leader within the movement and is from Palestine. The phone in that, the sense about how it was used to gather and collect people and keep people aware of what's happening and mean that everyone is more conscious and there's a point when they need more people in the encampments because the police are going to come. It's like, "Everyone, use your phone, call people now." I think I can often be like, "Oh no, phones are terrible," but this sense within protest, within communal activity, how valuable they can be as well.I haven't quite gotten into that thought. I don't know, basically. I think it's so hard. I've grown up with a phone. I have no sense of how much it plays a part in everything about me, but obviously, it is a huge amount. I do think it's something that we all think about and are horrified by whilst also seeing it as like this weird extension of ourselves. That definitely plays into then culturally, the decisions we make to either try and avoid them, find spaces where you can be without them.Henry: How old do you think a child should be when they're first given a phone? A smartphone, like an iPhone type thing?Lamorna: I think, 21.Henry: Yes?Lamorna: No, I don't know. I obviously wouldn't know that about a child.Henry: I might.Lamorna: I'd love to. I would really love to because, I don't know, I have a few friends who weren't allowed to watch TV until they were 18 and they are eminently smarter than me and lots of my other friends. There's something about, I don't know, I hate the idea that as I'm getting older, I'm becoming more scaremongering like, "Oh no, when I was young--" because I think my generation was backed in loads of ways. This thing of kids spending so much less time outside and so much less time being able to imagine things, I think I am quite happy to say that feels like a terrible loss.I read a piece recently about kids in New York and I think they were quite sort of middle-class Brooklyn-y kids, but they choose to go days without their phones and they all go off into the forest together. There is this sense of saying giving kids autonomy, but at the same time, their relationship with a phone is not one of agency. It's them versus tech bros who have designed things that are so deeply addictive, that no adult can let go of it. Let alone a child who's still forming how to work out self-control, discipline and stuff. I think a good parenting thing would be to limit massively these completely non-neutral objects that they're given, that are made like crack and impossible to let go of.Henry: Do you think religious education in schools should be different or should there be more of it?Lamorna: Yes, I think it should be much better. I don't know about you, but I just remember doing loads of diagrams of different religious spaces like, "This is what a mosque looks like," and then I'd draw the diagram. I knew nothing. I barely knew the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, I probably didn't as a teenager.I remember actually in sixth form, having this great philosophy teacher who was talking about the idea of proto antisemitism within the gospels. I was like, "Wait, what?" Because I just didn't really understand. I didn't know that it was in Greek, that the Old Testament was in Hebrew. I just didn't know. I think all these holy texts that we've been carrying with us for thousands of years across the world have so much in them that's worth reading and knowing.If I was in charge of our R.E., I would get kids to write on all holy texts, but really think about them and try and answer moral problems. You'd put philosophy back with religion and really connect them and think, what is Nietzsche reacting against? What does Freud about how is this form of Christianity different like this? I think that my sense is that since Gove, but also I'm sure way before that as well, the sense of just not taking young people seriously, when actually they're thoughtful, intelligent and able to wrestle with these things, it's good for them to have know what they're choosing against, if they're not interested in religion.Also, at base, those texts are beautiful, all of them are, and are foundational and if you want to be able to study English or history to know things about religious texts and the practices of religion and how those rituals came about and how it's changed over thousands of years, feels important.Henry: Which religious poets do you like other than Hopkins? Because you write very nicely about Hopkins in the book.Lamorna: He's my favorite. I like John Donne a lot. I remember reading lots of his sermons and Lancelot Andrews' sermons at university and thinking they were just astonishingly beautiful. There are certain John Donne sermons and it's this feeling of when he takes just maybe a line from one of Paul's letters and then is able to extend it and extend it, and it's like he's making it grow in material or it's like it's a root where suddenly all these branches are coming off it.Who else do I like? I like George Herbert. Gosh, my brain is going in terms of who else was useful when I was thinking about. Oh it's gone.Henry: Do you like W.H. Auden?Lamorna: Oh yes. I love Auden, yes. I was rereading his poems about, oh what's it called? The one about Spain?Henry: Oh yes.Lamorna: About the idea of tomorrow.Henry: I don't have a memory either, but I know the poem you mean, yes.Lamorna: Okay. Then I'm trying to think of earlier religious poets. I suppose things like The Dream of the Rood and fun ways of getting into it and if you're looking at medieval poetry.Henry: I also think Betjeman is underrated for this.Lamorna: I've barely read any Betjeman.Henry: There's a poem called Christmas. You might like it.Lamorna: Okay.Henry: It's this famous line and is it true and is it true? He really gets into this thing of, "We're all unwrapping tinsely presents and I'm sitting here trying to work out if God became man." It's really good. It's really good. The other one is called Norfolk and again, another famous line, "When did the devil first attack?" It talks about puberty as the arrival of the awareness of sin and so forth.Lamorna: Oh, yes.Henry: It's great. Really, really good stuff. Do you personally believe in the resurrection?Lamorna: [chuckles] I keep being asked this.Henry: I know. I'm sorry.Lamorna: My best answer is sometimes. Because I do sometimes in that way that-- someone I interviewed who's absolutely brilliant in the book, Robert, and he's a Cambridge professor. He's a pragmatist and he talks about the idea of saying I'm a disciplined person means nothing unless you're enacting that discipline daily or it falls away. For him, that belief in a Kierkegaardian leap way is something that needs to be reenacted in every moment to say, I believe and mean it.I think there are moments when my church attendance is better and I'm listening to a reading that's from Acts or whatever and understanding the sense of those moments, Paul traveling around Europe and Asia Minor, only because he fully believed that this is what's happened. Those letters and as you're reading those letters, the way I read literature or biblical writing is to believe in that moment because for that person, they believe too. I think there are points at which the resurrection can feel true to me, but it does feel like I'm accessing that idea of truth in a different way than I am accessing truth about-- it's close to how I think about love as something that's very, very real, but very different from experiential feelings.I had something else I wanted to say about that and it's just gone. Oh yes. I was at Hay Festival a couple of weeks ago. Do you know the Philosopher Agnes Callard?Henry: Oh, sure.Lamorna: She gave a really great talk about Socrates and her love of Socrates, but she also came to my talk and she and her husband, who I think met through arguing about Aristotle, told me they argued for about half a day about a line I'd said, which was that during writing the book, I'd learned to believe in the belief of other people, her husband was like, "You can't believe in the belief of other people if you don't believe it too. That doesn't work. That doesn't make sense." I was like, "That's so interesting." I can so feel that if we're taking that analytically, that if I say I don't believe in the resurrection, not just that I believe you believe it, but I believe in your belief in the resurrection. At what point is that any different from saying, I believe in the resurrection. I feel like I need to spend more time with it. What the slight gap is there that I don't have that someone else does, or as I say it, do I then believe in the resurrection that moment? I'm not sure.I think also what I'm doing right now is trying to sound all clever with it, whereas for other people it's this deep ingrained truth that governs every moment of their life and that they can feel everywhere, or perhaps they can't. Perhaps there's more doubt than they suggest, which I think is the case with lots of us. Say on the deathbed, someone saying that they fully believe in the resurrection because that means there's eternal salvation, and their family believe in that too. I don't think I have that kind of certainty, but I admire it.Henry: Tell me how you got the title for this book from an episode of The Simpsons.Lamorna: It's really good app. It's from When Maggie Makes Three, which is my favorite episode. I think titles are horribly hard. I really struck my first book. I would have these sleepless nights just thinking about words related to the sea, and be like, blue something. I don't know. There was a point where my editor wanted to call it Trawler Girl. I said, "We mustn't. That's awful. That's so bad. It makes me sound like a terrible superhero. I'm not a girl, I'm a woman."With this one, I think it was my fun title for ages. Yes, it's this plaque that Homer has put-- Mr. Burns puts up this plaque to remind him that he will never get to leave the power plant, "Don't forget you're here forever."I just think it's a strong and bonkers line. I think it had this element of play or silliness that I wanted, that I didn't think about too hard. I guess that's an evangelical Christian underneath what they're actually saying is saying-- not all evangelicals, but often is this sense of no, no, no, we are here forever. You are going to live forever. That is what heaven means.That sense of then saying it in this jokey way. I think church is often very funny spaces, and funny things happen. They make good comedy series when you talk about faith.Someone's saying she don't forget we're here forever. The don't forget makes it so colloquial and silly. I just thought it was a funny line for that reason.Then also that question people always ask, "Is religion going to die out?" I thought that played into it. This feeling that, yes, I write about it. There was a point when I was going to an Extinction Rebellion protest, and everyone was marching along with that symbol of the hourglass inside a circle next to a man who had a huge sign saying, "Stop, look, hell is real, the end of the world is coming." This sense of different forms of apocalyptic thinking that are everywhere at the moment. I felt like the title worked for that as well.Henry: I like that episode of The Simpsons because it's an expression of an old idea where he's doing something boring and his life is going to slip away bit by bit. The don't forget you're here forever is supposed to make that worse, but he turns it round into the live like you're going to die tomorrow philosophy and makes his own kind of meaning out of it.Lamorna: By papering it over here with pictures of Maggie. They love wordplay, the writers of The Simpsons, and so that it reads, "Do it for her," instead. That feeling of-- I think that with faith as well of, don't forget we're here forever, think about heaven when actually so much of our life is about papering it over with humanity and being like, "Does it matter? I'm with you right now, and that's what matters." That immediacy of human contact that church is also really about, that joy in the moment. Where it doesn't really matter in that second if you're going to heaven or hell, or if that exists. You're there together, and it's euphoric, or at least it's a relief or comforting.Henry: You did a lot of Bible study and bible reading to write this book. What were the big surprises for you?Lamorna: [chuckles] This is really the ending, but revelation, I don't really think it's very well written at all. It shouldn't be in there, possibly. It's just not [unintelligible 00:39:20] It got added right in the last minute. I guess it should be in there. I just don't know. What can I say?So much of it was a surprise. I think slowly reading the Psalms was a lovely surprise for me because they contain so much uncertainty and anguish, and doubt. Imagining those being read aloud to me always felt like a very exciting thing.Henry: Did you read them aloud?Lamorna: When I go to more Anglo Catholic services, they tend to do them-- I never know how to pronounce this. Antiphonally.Henry: Oh yes.Lamorna: Back and forth between you. It's very reverential, lovely experience to do that. I really think I was surprised by almost everything I was reading. At the start of Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, he does this amazing thing where he does four different versions of what could be happening in the Isaac and Abraham story underneath.There's this sense of in the Bible, and I'm going to get this wrong, but in Mimesis, Auerbach talks about the way that you're not given the psychological understanding within the Bible. There's so much space for readers to think with, because you're just being told things that happened, and the story moves on quickly, moment by moment. With Isaac and Abraham, what it would mean if Isaac actually had seen the fact that his father was planning to kill him. Would he then lose his faith? All these different scenarios.I suddenly realised that the Bible was not just a fixed text, but there was space to play with it as well. In the book, I use the story of Jacob and the angel and play around with the meaning of that and what would happen after this encounter between Jacob and an angel for both of them.Bits in the Gospels, I love the story of the Gerasene Demoniac. He was a knight. He was very unwell, and no one knew what to do with him. He was ostracised from his community. He would sit in this cave and scream and lacerate himself against the cave walls. Then Jesus comes to him and speaks to him and speaks to the demons inside him. There's this thing in Mark's Gospel that Harold Bloom talks about, where only demons are actually able to perceive. Most people have to ask Christ who he really is, but demons can perceive him immediately and know he's the son of God.The demons say that they are legion. Then Jesus puts them into 1,000 pigs. Is it more? I can't remember. Then they're sent off over the cliff edge. Then the man is made whole and is able to go back to his community. I just think there's just so much in that. It's so rich and strange. I think, yes, there's something about knowing you could sit down and just read a tiny bit of the Bible and find something strange and unusual that also might speak to something you've read that's from thousands of years later.I also didn't know that in Mark's Gospel, the last part of it is addended, added on to it. Before that, it ended with the women being afraid, seeing the empty tomb, but there's no resolution. There's no sense of Christ coming back as spirit. It ended in this deep uncertainty and fear. I thought that was so fascinating because then again, it reminds you that those texts have been played around with and thought with, and meddled with, and changed over time. It takes away from the idea that it's fixed and certain, the Bible.Henry: What did you think of Harold Bloom's book The Shadow of a Great Rock?Lamorna: I really loved it. He says that he treats Shakespeare more religiously and the Bible more like literature, which I found a funny, irreverent thing to say. There's lovely stuff in there where, I think it was Ruth, he was like, maybe it was written by a woman. He takes you through the different Hebrew writers for Genesis. Which again, becoming at this as such a novice in so many ways, realising that, okay, so when it's Yahweh, it's one particular writer, there's the priestly source for particular kinds of writing. The Yahwist is more ironic, or the God you get is more playful.That was this key into thinking about how each person trying to write about God, it's still them and their sense of the world, which is particular and idiosyncratic is forming the messages that they believe they're receiving from God. I found that exciting.Yes, he's got this line. He's talking about the blessings that God gives to men in Genesis. He's trying to understand, Bloom, what the meaning of a blessing is. He describes it as more life into a time without boundaries. That's a line that I just found so beautiful, and always think about what the meaning of that is. I write it in the book.My best friend, Sammy, who's just the most game person in the world, that you tell them anything, they're like, "Cool." I told them that line. They were like, "I'm getting it tattooed on my arm next week." Then got me to write in my handwriting. I can only write in my handwriting, but write down, "More time into life without boundaries." Now they've just got it on their arm.Henry: Nice.Lamorna: I really like. They're Jewish, non-practicing. They're not that really interested in it. They were like, "That's a good line to keep somewhere."Henry: I think it's actually one of Bloom's best books. There's a lot of discussion about, is he good? Is he not good? I love that book because it really just introduces people to the Bible and to different versions of the Bible. He does all that Harold Bloom stuff where he's like, "These are the only good lines in this particular translation of this section. The rest is so much dross.He's really attentive to the differences between the translations, both theologically but also aesthetically. I think a lot of people don't know the Bible. It's a really good way to get started on a-- sitting down and reading the Bible in order. It's going to fail for a lot of people. Harold Bloom is a good introduction that actually gives you a lot of the Bible itself.Lamorna: For sure, because it's got that midrash feeling of being like someone else working around it, which then helps you get inside it. I was reading that book whilst going to these Bible studies at a conservative evangelical church called All Souls. I wasn't understanding what on earth was going on in Mark through the way that we're being told to read it, which is kids' comprehension.Maybe it was useful to think about why would the people have been afraid when Christ quelled the storms? It was doing something, but there was no sense of getting inside the text. Then, to read alongside that, Bloom saying that the Christ in Mark is the most unknowable of all the versions of Christ. Then again, just thinking, "Oh, hang on." There's an author. The author of Mark's gospel is perceiving Christ in a particular way. This is the first of the gospels writing about Christ. What does it mean? He's unknowable. Suddenly thinking of him as a character, and therefore thinking about how people are relating to him. It totally cracks the text open for you.Henry: Do you think denominational differences are still important? Do most people have actual differences in dogma, or are they just more cultural distinctions?Lamorna: They're ritual distinctions. There really is little that you could compare between a Quaker meeting and a Catholic service. That silence is the fundamental aspect of all of it. There's a sense of enlighten.My Quaker mate, Lawrence, he's an atheist, but he wouldn't go to another church service because he's so against the idea of hierarchy and someone speaking from a pulpit. He's like, honestly, the reincarnated spirit of George Fox in many ways, in lots of ways he's not.I guess it becomes more blurry because, yes, there's this big thing in the early 20th century in Britain anyway, where the line that becomes more significant is conservative liberal. It's very strange that that's how our world gets divided. There's real simplification that perhaps then, a liberal Anglican church and a liberal Catholic church have more in relationship than a conservative Catholic church and a conservative evangelical church. The line that is often thinking about sexuality and marriage.I was interested, people have suddenly was called up in my book that I talk about sex a lot. I think it's because sex comes up so much, it feels hard not to. That does seem to be more important than denominational differences in some ways. I do think there's something really interesting in this idea of-- Oh, [unintelligible 00:48:17] got stung. God, this is a bit dramatic. Sorry, I choked on coffee earlier. Now I'm going to get stung by a bee.Henry: This is good. This is what makes a podcast fun. What next?Lamorna: You don't get this in the BBC studios. Maybe you do. Oh, what was I about to say? Oh, yes. I like the idea of church shopping. People saying that often it speaks to the person they are, what they're looking for in a church. I think it's delightful to me that there's such a broad church, and there's so many different spaces that you can go into to discover the church that's right for you. Sorry. I'm really distracted by this wasp or bee. Anyway.Henry: How easy was it to get people to be honest with you?Lamorna: I don't know. I think that there's certain questions that do tunnel right through to the heart of things. Faith seems to be one of them. When you talk about faith with people, you're getting rid of quite a lot of the chaff around with the politeness or whatever niceties that you'd usually speak about.I was talking about this with another friend who's been doing this. He's doing a play about Grindr. He was talking about how strange it is that when you ask to interview someone and you have a dictaphone there, you do get a deeper instant conversation. Again, it's a bit like a therapeutic conversation where someone has said to you, "I'm just going to sit and listen." You've already agreed, and you know it's going to be in a book. "Do you mind talking about this thing?"That just allows this opportunity for people to be more honest because they're aware that the person there is actually wanting to listen. It's so hard to create spaces. I create a cordon and say, "We're going to have a serious conversation now." Often, that feels very artificial. I think yes, the beauty of getting to sit there with a dictaphone on your notebook is you are like, "I really am interested in this. It really matters to me." I guess it feels easy in that way to get honesty.Obviously, we're all constructing a version of ourselves for each other all the time. It's hard for me to know to what extent they're responding to what they're getting from me, and what they think I want to hear. If someone else interviewed them, they would probably get something quite different. I don't know. I think if you come to be with openness, and you talk a bit about your journey, then often people want to speak about it as well.I'm trying to think. I've rarely interviewed someone where I haven't felt this slightly glowy, shimmery sense of it, or what I'm learning feels new and feels very true. I felt the same with Cornish Fisherman, that there was this real honesty in these conversations. Many years ago, I remember I got really obsessed with interviewing my mom. I think I was just always wanting to practice interviewing. The same thing that if there's this object between you, it shifts the dimensions of the conversation and tends towards seriousness.Henry: How sudden are most people's conversions?Lamorna: Really depends. I was in this conversation with someone the other day. When she was 14, 15, she got caught shoplifting. She literally went, "Oh, if there's a God up there, can you help get me out of the situation?" The guy let her go, and she's been a Christian ever since. She had an instantaneous conversion. Someone I interviewed in the book, and he was a really thoughtful card-carrying atheist. He had his [unintelligible 00:51:58] in his back pocket.He hated the Christians and would always have a go at them at school because he thought it was silly, their belief. Then he had this instant conversion that feels very charismatic in form, where he was just walking down an avenue of trees at school, and he felt the entire universe smiling at him and went, "Oh s**t, I better become a Christian."Again, I wonder if it depends. I could say it depends on the person you are, whether you are capable of having an instant conversion. Perhaps if I were in a religious frame of mind, I'd say it depends on what God would want from you. Do you need an instant conversion, or do you need to very slowly have the well filling up?I really liked when a priest said to me that people often go to church and expect to be changed in a moment. He's like, "No, you have to go for 20 years before anything happens." Something about that slow incremental conversion to me is more satisfying. It's funny, I was having a conversation with someone about if they believe in ghosts, and they were like, "Well, if I saw one, then I believe in ghosts." For some people, transcendental things happen instantaneously, and it does change them ultimately instantly.I don't know, I would love to see some stats about which kinds of conversions are more popular, probably more instant ones. I love, and I use it in the book, but William James' Varieties of Religious Experience. He talks about there's some people who are sick-souled or who are also more porous bordered people for whom strange things can more easily cross the borders of their person. They're more likely to convert and more likely to see things.I really like him describing it that way because often someone who's like that, it might just be described as well, you have a mental illness. That some people are-- I don't know, they've got sharper antennae than the rest of us. I think that is an interesting thought for why some people can convert instantly.Henry: I think all conversions take a long time. At the moment, there's often a pivotal moment, but there's something a long time before or after that, that may or may not look a conversion, but which is an inevitable part of the process. I'm slightly obsessed with the idea of quests, but I think all conversions are a quest or a pilgrimage. Your book is basically a quest narrative. As you go around in your Toyota, visiting these places. I'm suspicious, I think the immediate moment is bundled up with a longer-term thing very often, but it's not easy to see it.Lamorna: I love that. I've thought about the long tail afterwards, but I hadn't thought about the lead-up, the idea of that. Of what little things are changing. That's such a lovely thought. Their conversions began from birth, maybe.Henry: The shoplifter, it doesn't look like that's where they're heading. In retrospect, you can see that there weren't that many ways out of this path that they're on. Malcolm X is like this. One way of reading his autobiography is as a coming-of-age story. Another way of reading it is, when is this guy going to convert? This is going to happen.Lamorna: I really like that. Then there's also that sense of how fixed the conversion is, as well, from moment to moment. That Adam Phillips' book on wanting to change, he talks about our desire for change often outstrips our capacity for change. That sense of how changed am I afterwards? How much does my conversion last in every moment? It goes back to the do you believe in the resurrection thing.I find that that really weird thing about writing a book is, it is partly a construction. You've got the eye in there. You're creating something that is different from your reality and fixed, and you're in charge of it. It's stable, it remains, and you come to an ending. Then your life continues to divert and deviate in loads of different ways. It's such a strange thing in that way. Every conversion narrative we have fixed in writing, be it Augustine or Paul, whatever, is so far from the reality of that person's experience.Henry: What did the new atheists get wrong?Lamorna: Arrogance. They were arrogant. Although I wonder, I guess it was such a cultural moment, and perhaps in the same way that everyone is in the media, very excitedly talking about revival now. There was something that was created around them as well, which was delight in this sense of the end of something. I wonder how much of that was them and how much of it was, they were being carried along by this cultural media movement.I suppose the thing that always gets said, and I haven't read enough Dawkins to say this with any authority, but is that the form of religion that he was attempting to denigrate was a very basic form of Christianity, a real, simplified sense. That he did that with all forms of religion. Scientific progress shows us we've progressed beyond this point, and we don't need this, and it's silly and foolish.I guess he underestimated the depth and richness of religion, and also the fact of this idea of historical progress, when the people in the past were foolish, when they were as bright and stupid as we are now.Henry: I think they believed in the secularization idea. People like Rodney Stark and others were pointing out that it's not really true that we secularized a lot more consistency. John Gray, the whole world is actually very religious. This led them away from John Stuart Mill-type thinking about theism. I think everyone should read more John Stuart Mill, but they particularly should have read the theism essays. That would have been--Lamorna: I've only just got into him because I love the LRB Close Reading podcast. It's Jonathan Rée and James Wood. They did one on John Stuart Mill's autobiography, which I've since been reading. It's an-Henry: It's a great book.Lamorna: -amazing book. His crisis is one of-- He says, "The question of religion is not something that has been a part of my life, but the sense of being so deeply learned." His dad was like, "No poetry." In his crisis moment, suddenly realizing that that's what he needed. He was missing feeling, or he was missing a way of looking at the world that had questioning and doubt within it through poetry.There was a bit in the autobiography, and he talks about when he was in this deep depression, whenever he was at 19 or something. That he was so depressed that he thought if there's a certain number of musical notes, one day there will be no more new music because every single combination will have been done. The sense of, it's so sweetly awful thinking, but without the sense-- I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here.I found his crisis so fascinating to read about and how he comes out of that through this care and attention of beautiful literature and thinking, and through his love of-- What was his wife called again?Henry: Harriet.Lamorna: Harriet. He credits her for almost all his thinking. He wouldn't have moved towards socialism without her. Suddenly, humans are deeply important to him. He feels sorry for the fact that his dad could not express love or take love from him, and that that was such a terrible deficiency in his life.Henry: Mill's interesting on religion because he looks very secular. In fact, if you read his letters, he's often going into churches.Lamorna: Oh, really?Henry: Yes, when he's in Italy, because he had tuberculosis. He had to be abroad a lot. He's always going to services at Easter and going into the churches. For a secular person, he really appreciates all these aspects of religion. His stepdaughter was-- there's a diary of hers in their archives. She was very religious, very intense. As a young woman, when she's 16, 17, intensely Catholic or Anglo-Catholic. Really, it's quite startling.I was reading this thing, and I was like, "Wait, who in the Mill household is writing this? This is insane." There are actually references in his letters where he says, "Oh, we'll have to arrive in time for Good Friday so that she can go to church." He's very attentive to it. Then he writes these theism essays, right at the end of his life. He's very open-minded and very interrogatory of the idea. He really wants to understand. He's not a new atheist at all.Lamorna: Oh, okay. I need to read the deism essays.Henry: You're going to love it. It's very aligned. What hymns do you like?Lamorna: Oh, no.Henry: You can be not a hymn person.Lamorna: No. I'm not a massive hymn person. When I'm in church, the Anglican church that I go to in London now, I always think, "Remember that. That was a really nice one." I like to be a pilgrim. I really don't have the brain that can do this off the cuff. I'm not very musically. I'm deeply unmusical.There was one that I was thinking of. I think it's an Irish one. I feel like I wrote this down at one point, because I thought I might be asked in another interview. I had to write down what I thought in case a hymn that I liked. Which sounds a bit like a politician, when they're asked a question, they're like, "I love football." I actually can't think of any. I'm sorry.Henry: No, that's fine.Lamorna: What are your best? Maybe that will spark something in me.Henry: I like Tell Out My Soul. Do you know that one?Lamorna: Oh, [sings] Tell Out My Soul. That's a good one.Henry: If you have a full church and people are really going for it, that can be amazing. I like all the classics. I don't have any unusual choices. Tell Out My Soul, it's a great one. Lamorna Ash, this has been great. Thank you very much.Lamorna: Thank you.Henry: To close, I think you're going to read us a passage from your book.Lamorna: I am.Henry: This is near the end. It's about the Bible.Lamorna: Yes. Thank you so much. This has definitely been my favourite interview.Henry: Oh, good.Lamorna: I really enjoyed it. It's really fun.Henry: Thank you.Lamorna: Yes, this is right near the end. This is when I ended up at a church, St Luke's, West Holloway. It was a very small 9:00 AM service. Whilst the priest who'd stepped in to read because the actual priest had left, was reading, I just kept thinking about all the stories that I'd heard and wondering about the Bible and how the choices behind where it ends, where it ends.I don't think I understand why the Bible ends where it does. The final lines of the book of Revelation are, "He who testifies to these things says, Yes, I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." Which does sound like a to-be-continued. I don't mean the Bible feels incomplete because it ends with Revelation. What I mean is, if we have continued to hear God and wrestle with him and his emissaries ever since the first overtures of the Christian faith sounded.Why do we not treat these encounters with the same reverence as the works assembled in the New Testament? Why have we let our holy text grow so antique and untouchable instead of allowing them to expand like a divine Wikipedia updated in perpetuity? That way, each angelic struggle and Damascene conversion that has ever occurred or one day will, would become part of its fabric.In this Borgesian Bible, we would have the Gospel of Mary, not a fictitious biography constructed by a man a century after her death, but her true words. We would have the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch on the road between Jerusalem and Gaza from Acts, but this time given in the first person. We would have descriptions from the Picts on Iona of the Irish Saint Columba appearing in a rowboat over the horizon.We would have the Gospels of those from the early Eastern Orthodox churches, Assyrian Gospels, Syriac Orthodox Gospels. We would have records of the crusades from the Christian soldiers sent out through Europe to Jerusalem in order to massacre those of other faiths, both Muslim and Jewish. In reading these accounts, we would be forced to confront the ways in which scripture can be interpreted

Author & professor Leah Payne and public theologian Ekemini Uwan talk about formative Christian music, podcast controversy, and doing theology in the public eye. As co-host of the Truth's Table podcast, Ekemini has faced a measure of resistance; Leah asks how she has faced backlash and continued in her work.Check out Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and LiberationEkemini is co-host of Truth's Table podcastGod Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian MusicEkemini Uwan is a public theologian and author.Dr. Leah Payne is an award-winning historian and Associate Professor of American Religious History at Portland Seminary.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Why is it so hard to write a novel about Jesus that reveres His deity while honestly reckoning with His humanity? Dr. Jay Miller & Dr. Jessica Hughes unpack some of the problems authors have faced while trying to portray Jesus through literature.Dr. Jay David Miller teaches English at George Fox University and serves as an associate editor for the journal Quaker Religious Thought.Dr. Jessica Ann Hughes teaches classes like Faith and Story, which asks how stories (and especially the Biblical story) might redeem the past and shape the future.Check out her book, Jesus in the Victorian Novel: Reimagining Christ.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Professor Brian Doak shares the brutal details of his severe shoulder fracture - and his long, trying path to recovery through surgery and physical therapy. Dr. Jaydee Romick offers some more-than-physical tips for reclaiming wellness after a major injury.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Love the show? Have any thoughts? Click here to let us know!This week, we have the best of both worlds from the Treasure State. First, Kenzie starts us off with a story of ghosts and ghouls haunting the Belton Chalet. The historic hotel is situated in West Glacier, Montana and is known for having a permanent ghostly guest. From missing reading glasses to blood curdling screams, there is no shortage of haunted hijinks roaming the halls of the Belton Chalet. Then, Lauren shares some murder and mayhem with the story of John and Nancy Bosco. Authorities use some unusual investigation techniques in order to catch the perpetrator of this brutal crime. Join us as we mix it all together and you know you'll get the best of both worlds!--Follow us on Social Media and find out how to support A Scary State by clicking on our Link Tree: https://instabio.cc/4050223uxWQAl--Have a scary tale or listener story of your own? Send us an email to ascarystatepodcast@gmail.com! We can't wait to read it!--Thinking of starting a podcast? Thinking about using Buzzsprout for that? Well use our link to let Buzzsprout know we sent you and get a $20 Amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan!https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1722892--Works cited!https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dq_0tJvFgEFuU1ZpZQ3E_LcuLc-RrTML8fSt9ILWb6k/edit?usp=sharing --Intro and outro music thanks to Kevin MacLeod. You can visit his site here: http://incompetech.com/. Which is where we found our music!

Adam Smith and Spencer Oliver hosted the latest edition of the Fight Night Daily Podcast as Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois launched their rematch at Wembley Stadium. They were joined by Don Charles and George Fox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Brian Doak talks with the Director of the Center for Study Abroad at George Fox University, David Martínez, about travel strategies: spontaneity or careful planning? Overpacking or minimalism? Frequent moving or putting down deep roots? David advocates for slowness in both travel and living, and Brian shares his most recent "travel miracle".Matthew 10:9-10“Don't take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don't carry a traveler's bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick."Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca SolnitWendell BerryA Philosophy of Walking by Frédéric GrosIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

====================================================SUSCRIBETEhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpffyr-7_zP1x1lS89ByaQ?sub_confirmation=1==================================================== DEVOCIÓN MATUTINA PARA JÓVENES 2025“HOY ES TENDENCIA”Narrado por: Daniel RamosDesde: Connecticut, USAUna cortesía de DR'Ministries y Canaan Seventh-Day Adventist Church===================|| www.drministries.org ||===================21 de AbrilLos que procuran la paz«Dichosos los que trabajan por la paz, porque Dios los llamará hijos suyos». Mateo 5:9A mediados del siglo XVII, George Fox fundó la Sociedad Religiosa de los Amigos, una comunidad cristiana protestante que se adhería a un estilo de vida sencillo y pacifista. En Estados Unidos, su principal representante fue William Penn, fundador de la colonia que lleva su nombre, Pensilvania, desde donde difundía los principios del cristianismo primitivo. La Sociedad Religiosa de los Amigos se conoció comúnmente como los «cuáqueros» o «tembladores» (del inglés quake, que significa temblar), ya que Fox instaba a sus seguidores a «temblar ante la Palabra del Señor», haciendo referencia a Isaías 66: 2.En 1756, la comunidad cuáquera de Pensilvania se negó a abonar un impuesto estatal destinado a financiar una guerra contra la población nativa de la región. Su decidido compromiso pacifista logró prevenir el conflicto armado, consolidando aún más su reputación como pacificadores dentro de la nación. Aquellos que «temblaban ante la Palabra del Señor» se distinguieron no solo por su dedicación a proporcionar una educación de calidad a sus hijos, sino también por sus esfuerzos en favor de la democracia y por ser pioneros en la lucha pacífica por la abolición de la esclavitud.Hoy, más que nunca, necesitamos adoptar la misma actitud pacifista que caracterizaba a los cuáqueros para transformar nuestro mundo en un lugar mejor. Nos encontramos en una sociedad que parece más fragmentada que nunca, por lo que desear la paz no es suficiente. Quizás por eso, en la séptima bienaventuranza del Sermón del Monte, Jesús empleó una palabra que implica una búsqueda activa de la paz, no simplemente un acto de amabilidad. Dado que en el mismo discurso Jesús nos mandó a amar a nuestros enemigos (Mateo 5: 44), «trabajar por la paz» no debe entenderse simplemente como llevar una vida armoniosa con los demás miembros de mi comunidad, sino que abarca a aquellos que se encuentran fuera de ella, incluyendo a nuestros enemigos.George Fox comprendió que ser un pacificador no surge de forma natural, pues nuestra naturaleza pecaminosa nos lleva a ser combativos y agresivos. Por eso la Sociedad Religiosa de los Amigos enfatizaba la relación personal con Cristo y «temblar ante la Palabra del Señor». Solo una relación estrecha con el «Príncipe de paz» (Isaías 9: 5) nos convertirá en los embajadores de la paz y la reconciliación que el mundo necesita (ver 2 Corintios 5:20). 

Former CEO of Intel Pat Gelsinger and Professor Brian Doak talk about our current technological moment. How does the advancement of generative AI compare to the arrival of the internet? What brand new possibilities does quantum computing unlock? Are Christians meeting the challenge of shaping these developments—as forces for good?Check out Gloo.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Why have the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis remained so relevant and present in Christian thought through the 20th century and well into the 21st? Old Testament scholar Brian Doak joins president Robin Baker, theology & literature professor Jason Lepojärvi, and English professor Gary Tandy to examine their friendship, their broad appeal, and the themes of their writings.C.S. Lewis on reading old books.Check out The Portland C.S. Lewis SocietyIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Scottish photographer Kieran Dodds and biblical scholar Brian Doak talk about the making and viewing of photographs. How do photos shape the narratives we hold about the world around us, and how can they be used to subvert those narratives? What does it mean to tell a story with a picture—and what would it mean to tell a lie with a camera?Kieran Dodds is a Scottish non-fiction photographer known for his research-driven photo stories and portraiture.Check out Kieran's Gingers photo series: https://www.kierandodds.com/work/gingers/Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Christian activist Jason Fileta and Biblical scholar Brian Doak talk about the state of Christianity in the United States in light of the Trump administration's emerging policies. How are Christians responding to the current political climate? What is it like to be a "DEI" professional in a Christian environment right now?Atlantic article: Is This What Cancel Culture Achieved?We Have Never Been Woke by Musa al-Gharbi.The February 14th Dear Colleague letter.More politics content with Jason:HOW Christians need to prepare for the new phase of American politicsDoes Trump Believe God actually SAVED him?If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Ekemini and Brian dig into the reparations conversation, advocating for a spiritual category for both racial evil and restitution. What is the formal definition of the term reparations? How can we know who the process of reparations might apply to? Can every person of a given color be considered either equally liable or equally entitled?The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi CoatesBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi CoatesReparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Transnational and Comparative History by Ana Lucia AraujoSix times victims have received reparations — including four in the US by Dylan MatthewsTruth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation By Ekemini Uwan, Christina Edmondson, and Michelle HigginsEkemini Uwan is a public theologian and author.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Debrianna and Ekemini talk singleness - what is it like to be a single black woman in the United States? Why does physical attractiveness so often turn out to be a scam? If you're single and lonely, should you be asking God for marriage?Ekemini Uwan is a public theologian and author.Check out Ekemini's book: Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and LiberationDebrianna DeBolt serves as University Pastor for Chapel and Creative Liturgies at George Fox University.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Do you feel the pressure to clearly know your own purpose, to identify your personal mission in this world? Ekemini and Brian discuss the anxiety many young people feel around this issue, placing the conversation in context of the volatile environment in which young people are growing up. Is the intense focus on the individual's unique purpose an artifact of our modern time, or does it run deeper than that? How are Christians to hold on to a sense of purpose when life seems out of control?“Millennials in Better Financial Condition Than Previous Generations”“The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and LiberationEkemini Uwan is a public theologian and author.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Substance abuse, mental health, lack of trauma-informed care - what is at the root of the homeless crisis in United States cities? Can changes in social policy fix the problem? Dr. Brian Doak and social worker Steffanie Altenbern discuss the barriers to overcoming poverty and the mindsets that tend to keep people stuck there.Check out Bridges out of Poverty.Steffanie Altenbern is a social worker in Portland, OR and teaches at George Fox University.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore concepts of spiritual optimism and pessimism while navigating turbulent times. The episode features Adrian Glamorgan, who suggests Quakers can stay grounded and act faithfully during difficult times by embracing devotion. Additionally, we highlight the life of Minerva Hoyt, a pioneering conservationist who played a pivotal role in establishing Joshua Tree National Park. Optimism and Pessimism: A Quaker elder shares lessons for staying steady in turmoil. Miche chats with Adrian Glamorgan, a longtime activist who, before becoming a Quaker, powered his work through anger.  He provides insights for young activists who face growing challenges. How do we stay strong and steady in the face of human cruelty and violence?  Glamorgan also talks about the Quaker concept of "New Creation," a vision of the world marked by human potential for good, cooperation, peace, and interconnectedness with the environment. While achieving New Creation might take time, it can serve as a compass, guiding Quakers toward a better future. He shares how, even in the nuts and bolts of serving on a committee or task force, we can find meaningful connections.  Adrian Glamorgan wrote the article “The Devoted Path: Holding Fast to the Promise of New Creation.” It appears in the December 2024 issue of Friends Journal and at FriendsJournal.org.  Adrian Glamorgan is a member of Western Australian Regional Meeting and Fremantle Recognised Meeting. He serves as the executive secretary of the Asia-West Pacific Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation, supporting the Section's diverse yearly meetings, groups, fellowships, and communities of interest, such as Quaker learning, peace, climate, and language inclusion.  The Quaker Simplicity of Talking to God Pradip Lamichhane from Bhaktapur Evangelical Friends Church in Nepal emphasizes that Quakers don't need elaborate rituals or intermediaries to connect with the divine. Talking to God can be as simple as expressing gratitude, a practice of thanking God upon waking up and before sleeping. George Fox's teaches that God resides within, Pradip encourages us to look inward for peace and blessings.  You will find the full video featuring Pradip Lamichhane and other QuakerSpeak videos at the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel, or visit Quakerspeak.com.  Book Review Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park, written by Lori Alexander and illustrated by Jenn Ely. Cactus Queen tells the story of Minerva Hoyt, a pioneering conservationist who played a crucial role in protecting the Mojave Desert's unique ecosystem; her efforts in 1936 led to the preservation of over 825,000 acres of desert. The book provides supplemental information about Minerva Hoyt's life, the various plants and animals of Joshua Tree National Park, and guidance for young environmental activists. Desert Cactus is recommended for readers aged 7 to 10 and is available as a hardcover or an eBook. Read Tom and Sandy Farley's Friends Journal review. Read more Friends Journal book reviews. Quotes “If someone's got a passion for ballet, F1, or being a horticulturist, a teacher, or an accountant, follow your passion. Better still, follow your leading as it arises because that will be part of the solution.” - Adrian Glamorgan  “I'm not advocating Quaker for health purposes, but actually, it's quite healthy to do.” - Adrian Glamorgan  “Silence is a power of many things. The silence will stop the war, silence will restart the joy, and the silence will restart the love.” - Pradip Lamichhane Question for next month: What are some unexpected ways you find yourself drawn to repair? How and when have you found joy and meaning in mending things?  In a world that often prioritizes the new, do you mend clothes, address debt, work toward restorative justice, or repair damaged relationships? What are some unexpected ways you find yourself drawn to repair? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's +1 317-782-5377.

Dr. Brian Doak talks with film critic and theology professor Dr. Joel Mayward about art, faith, incarnation, and the image of the Divine in humanity's creativity. Can the word “Christian” be used as an adjective to describe any kind of art? How should Christians discern what kind of films or music to engage with, and are there any that should be avoided outright? Is art necessary?Check out Francis Schaeffer's Art and the Bible.Dr. Joel Mayward is a film critic and theology professor.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.

What do you think of this podcast? I would very much appreciate a review from you!! Thank you!Original broadcast date March 21, 2022.  Discover how the realms of public relations and Christian values intertwine through the insights of Dr. Amanda Stagenborg from George Fox University and Reverend Brian Fessler of the Religion Communicators Council. Dr. Stagenborg elaborates on how integrating Christian ethics into PR education at George Fox shapes students to serve both community and vocation. Reverend Fessler unpacks the complexities of religious communication in today's saturated media landscape, stressing the power of storytelling and the importance of cultivating authentic media relationships.We move deeper into the world where PR meets religion, with Reverend Fessler sharing his triumphs in promoting community events, such as the Tennessee celebration of International Human Rights Day. This segment also explores the alignment between PR ethics and Christian principles, noting how values like honesty and advocacy are vital in both arenas. Our conversation addresses the challenges of public misconceptions about PR and its ethical maturation over time, drawing intriguing parallels with religious motivations and the necessity of crisis communication skills.The discussion shifts towards the critical role of internal communications within organizations, emphasizing how creating respectful and engaging workplace environments can spur morale and productivity. Dr. Stagenborg and Reverend Fessler highlight the importance of ongoing training and education in enriching religious communication, advocating for professional development that lifts individuals while staying true to core values. Finally, we touch upon a program with a global reach, examining its organic growth and its far-reaching impact, illustrating the power of strong foundational values in achieving widespread influence.XMAS 2024 PRE-ROLL Information on NEW podcast website.Support the show

“We, as to our own particulars, do utterly deny with all outward wars and strife, and fightings, with outward weapons for any end, or under any pretense whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world.”-George Fox

“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). How can Christian students and scholars reconcile statements like this with the earnest pursuit of understanding that is encouraged elsewhere in the Bible? Is it possible to openly engage with the honest exchange of ideas while adhering to doctrinal standards and remaining committed to faith? Dr. Brian Doak and  Dr. Joseph Clair weigh in on these questions while evaluating the purpose and value of a Christian university.Dr. Joseph Clair serves as the associate provost for the Division of Humanities, Honors, and Education at George Fox University. He is also a professor of theology and cultureDr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Has the average church-kid Christian college student actually read through the Bible? Brian talks with theologian and professor Lindsey Hankins about the University's role in catechizing young people toward a thoughtful and durable life of faith. How is the decline in church attendance affecting students' Biblical literacy and understanding of Church history? What should professors expect their freshmen to already know about the Bible and Christianity, and what counsel can they offer when students are struggling with faith?Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Dr. Lindsey Hankins is the Director of the School of Humanities and the Chair of the Department of Theology at George Fox University.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Why is there evil and suffering in a world governed by an omnipotent, benevolent God? Filmed live in an introductory theology class at George Fox University, Dr. Brian Doak defines the problem of suffering and examines the Bible's several responses to this question with which humanity has struggled from the beginning.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Brian talks with apologist Andrew del Rio about the experience of doubt in a life of faith. What are Christian parents supposed to do when their children begin to evaluate faith for themselves? What does the Bible say about doubt, and is it a sin? Is apologetics really about defending the faith, or is it about helping Christians to navigate their own questions? Dr. Andrew del Rio directs the Apologetics Initiative at George Fox University.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Check out Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk's book.

Old Testament scholar Dr. Brian Doak talks “sista-matic” theology with public theologian and author Ekemini Uwan. Why are ordinary Christians sometimes suspicious of trained theologians? How does racial identity affect the way people study and teach theology - particularly what is perceived as “normative” theology? How can we think about “whiteness” or “blackness” from a Biblical perspective?Check out Ekemini's book, Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and LiberationIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Show notes #14: 3rd Epistle of JohnVerses 1, 3, 4, 8In these verses the Greek word, “alethea”, (which appears frequently in all of John's writings) should instead be printed, “Truth” since it is not one truth out of many, but is instead synonymous with Christ Jesus. In addition, early Quakers also saw this word “alethea” as not just a truth, but as in John 14:6, a clear synonymous reference to Christ Jesus as the Truth. Verses 9-10It is somewhat difficult to ascertain from this epistle exactly what was happening in John's congregation regarding the challenge Diotrophes was presenting. Regardless, John says that he will deal with the issue when he is physically present with them. Henry goes on to discuss some of the issues concerning the authorship of the five works attributed to John: the Gospel of John, the three Epistles of John and the Revelation of John. While these five are usually attributed to the same John, it should be noted that the Greek in the Book of Revelation is somewhat rougher in grammar and usage than the Greek of the Gospel of John and the Epistles of John. Regarding the Book of Revelation, it is known that there was a Roman penal colony on the Island of Patmos, the place from which John indicates he has written the revelation he has been given. (Rev. 1:9)Regarding the Gospel of John, Henry discusses some possible disconnect between the last verses of Chapter 20, and Chapter 21. It is possible Chapter 21 was added some time later. Henry plans to discuss these issues in his upcoming study of the Gospel of John. Verses 11-14 Verse 11: Righteousness should always be the role of the Christian. Verse 12: the use of the word, “Truth” (since it is synonymous to Christ Himself) should, once again, be capitalized.               Henry mentions that it is remarkable these short, pithy epistles have been saved and kept to illuminate us today. Following the discussion of the two short Epistles of John there is a short discussion of the epistles of George Fox, 410 of which have been printed. Some of Fox's epistles have not yet been published. Finishing the podcast, Henry briefly revisits 1 John 5:21, “Dear friends, keep yourselves from idols.” It is Henry's opinion that John was not so much telling them to avoid actual idols in the Roman panoply of pagan idols, as that John was encouraging the congregation to keep away from anything in their lives they might make an idol, and thus become more important than Christ. Henry wonders if, perhaps, those in 1 John who are reported having left the congregation may have created idols of their own imaginations instead of trying to really seek Truth/Christ.    The advice in our introduction is from page 30 of the Ohio Yearly Meeting's Book of Discipline.A complete list of our podcasts, organized into topics, is available on our website.To learn more about Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative) of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), please visit ohioyearlymeeting.org. Any who might be interested in joining any of the Ohio Yearly Meeting Zoom online studies should check out the Online Study and Discussion Groups on our website. All are welcome!We welcome feedback on this and any of our other podcast episodes. Contact us through our website, or email us at OYMConservative@gmail.com.

Public theologian Ekemini Uwan and Christian activist Jason Fileta discuss the significance of this moment in United States history: a woman of color has been nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the Presidency. They discuss Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president in 1972, and the impact Kamala Harris' running in 2024 will have on young women of every demographic in our country. Could the historic nature of her candidacy be reason to celebrate for Americans on both sides of the aisle?Check out Ekemini's book, Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and LiberationIf you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Andy Scott and John Dennen are joined by Don Charles' son George Fox to react to the online rumours that the trainer has been sacked by Daniel Dubois. Plus we wrap up all the talking points from the press-conference. 

Brian talks with political advisor & author Michael Wear about the moral weight of the American vote. If the average American is really opposed to inflammatory campaign strategies and provocative public discourse, why do we keep seeing increasingly harsh political ads and growing polarization? Does moral knowledge have a place in our government? Where can a Christian find a home in our political environment?Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Michael Wear is the Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life.Check out Michael's book, The Spirit of Our Politics.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

The French Catholic Church has said it will open its files on Abbé Pierre, the priest regarded as something like a modern saint until allegations of sexual harrassment and assault were made against him. The Abbé, who died in 2007, was revered for his pioneering work in setting up Emmaus International which cared for homeless and poor people. Edward speaks to the Paris-based writer Andrew Hussey about reaction to the story in France, and Pat Jones, author of a recent report on the Catholic Church culture and clerical abuse.The Jewish campaign group Nahamu has produced a damning paper on the quality of education in some schools run by the ultra-orthodox Charedi community. Edward talks to its founder Yehudis Fletcher.The Quakers are celebrating 400 years since the birth of their co-founder George Fox. Edward visits his modest memorial in Bunhill Fields in East London and finds out about the other famous non-conformists buried in this part of the city.PRESENTER : Edward Stourton PRODUCERS: Dan Tierney and Catherine Murray STUDIO MANAGERS: Jack Morris and Kelly Young EDITOR: Chloe Walker

George Fox Talks brings you smart, Christian perspectives on our wild world and our place in it as people of faith. Politics and theology, ethics and big tech, loving God and loving your neighbor—tune in to hear professors, spiritual leaders, and faithful friends challenge and sharpen your thoughts on these topics and more.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Brylie Oxley, Web Master for Western Friend for over a decade, joins host Jon Stoll and a live audience for a conversation on new technologies, artificial intelligence, and spirituality. Brylie also shares about a new tool that he developed, georgefox.chat, a chat bot primed and eager to discuss about Quakerism, George Fox, or any queries you may have.You can access the chatbot here: georgefox.chat You can read Brylie's article in the latest issue of Western Friend here.Explore past episodes of the Western Friend Podcast here.

In this incendiary episode of History Rage, we're tearing down the meek image of Quakers and revealing their tumultuous origins with social historian Dr. Erica Canela. Buckle up as we explore the fiery zeal that fueled the early Quaker movement, a far cry from the pacifist reputation they hold today.The Quaker Conundrum:- Dr. Canela passionately debunks the myth of the docile Quaker, exposing their provocative beginnings amidst the chaos of the British Civil Wars.- Delve into the radical actions that defined the early Quakers - from attempts to perform miracles to outright defiance of the law.The Zealous and the Zany:- Experience the jaw-dropping tale of a Quaker's attempt to resurrect the dead, a story so bizarre it transcends centuries.- Witness the lengths to which these early activists went to spread their message, often finding themselves on the receiving end of public scorn and, quite literally, the target of less-than-savory projectiles.From Disruption to Discipline:- Discover how George Fox and other leaders steered the Quaker ship away from the rocks of radicalism, instilling a disciplined approach to ensure the movement's survival.- Learn about the declaration that laid the foundation for the Quaker peace testimony, and how it transformed their image in the eyes of the monarchy and the public.The Legacy of George Fox:- Unpack the complex figure of George Fox, whose guidance helped to temper the movement's extreme tendencies while maintaining its core values of peace and equality.Prepare to have your preconceptions of Quakerism thoroughly shattered as Dr. Canela brings to life the untold, rage-worthy history of a group once synonymous with social upheaval. And keep an eye out for her upcoming book, "Zealous: The Darker Side of the Quakers," set to hit shelves in autumn 2025.For a deeper dive into Dr. Canela's work and to join the ranks of the historically enraged, follow her on Twitter @ericanela and visit her website at ericanela.co.uk.If you're seething with historical curiosity, support us on Patreon at patreon.com/historyrage for exclusive content and the much-coveted History Rage mug.To catch up on all the rage from bygone times go to the website www.historyrage.comIf you want to get in touch with History Rage then email historyragepod@gmail.comFollow History Rage on Social MediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryRageTwitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryRageInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyrage/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/historyrage.bsky.socialStay informed, stay impassioned, and let the rage for historical truth burn on! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this reissue episode, Sho and Brian dig into theology and tech. AI is booming and we're on the verge of significant integration between our bodies and our technology (read: Neuralink). In response to this new era of consciousness, it's time for Christians to revisit the eternal values and principles found in scripture and allow our reactions to be shaped by the things that do not change.Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Sho Baraka is a polymath writer and hip hop artist.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

With the first female VPOTUS in history running in the US presidential race, Lindsey and Brian dig into the cultural implications of electing a woman as the executive head of our nation. Does competency speak louder than identity? Do thoughtful Christians need to step away from their moderate political posture and start picking sides? How can we avoid an anti-intellectual attitude in our faith?Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor. Dr. Lindsey Hankins is a theologian and the director of the School of Theology at George Fox University. If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Messianic hopefulness, substitutionary sacrifice, spiritual forces at work—Brian and Jason unpack the theological imagery being harnessed in the continually evolving presidential campaign rhetoric. As people with ultimate allegiance to Jesus Christ, what pitfalls should Christians look out for during this race and what is our counter-cultural social & political responsibility?Dr. Brian Doak is an Old Testament scholar and professor.Jason Fileta is a Christian activist.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In this episode of Quakers Today, we ask, “Who is a historical figure you admire but whose words or actions trouble you?” Co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) discuss the complex legacies of two notable Quakers: George Fox and Richard Nixon.  George Fox Johanna Jackson and Naveed Moeed are a part of this year's cohort of the Quaker Coalition for Uprooting Racism. They co-authored the Friends Journal article George Fox Was a Racist: How do Fox's writings on slavery impact Quakers today? to explore Fox's legacy on his 400th birthday.  Johanna and Naveed discuss how George Fox, a revered Quaker founder, held and expressed pro-slavery views. Fox's writings showed his alignment with the status quo of the time, defending the institution of slavery rather than challenging it. The authors explore how contemporary Quakers cannot undo the harm caused by historical figures like George Fox but can address it through acts of reparation. They also stress the importance of facing Quaker history honestly, recognizing the patterns of oppression that have persisted, and striving to transform behaviors and systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice today. Naveed says,  Kintsugi is the art of repairing something that is broken with a gold powder that is combined with an adhesive. And what it does is it doesn't repair in the way that we traditionally think of repair…What we need as Quakers is a form of Kintsugi, where we don't choose to paper the past, or repair it, or replace it or fix it so that it never happened. We need to acknowledge that it happened and how it happened, and where the break occurred, and then put some gold where the break was to bridge the gap. Johanna Jackson is a white Friend and member of Three Rivers Meeting (New England Yearly Meeting), a group reclaiming Quaker practice for today's time. Her ministry is Forward in Faithfulness.  Naveed Moeed is a British-born Pakistani and a Muslim-Quaker member of Chapel Hill (N.C.) Meeting. He is part of the American Theatre Critics Association and a semi-professional photographer. You can find his work at fractalsedge.net.  Richard Nixon Larry Ingle describes how Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, grew up in a Quaker household. However, Larry points out that Nixon's political career often contrasts these principles. Larry Ingle is the author of Nixon's First Cover-up: The Religious Life of a Quaker President, a biography of Nixon's religious ideologies and background, and First Among Friends: George Fox & the Creation of Quakerism. He retired from the History Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and now lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This discussion features an excerpt from the video Was Richard Nixon a Quaker? See more videos like this on the QuakerSpeak YouTube channel or at QuakerSpeak.org.  Reviews and Recommendations Quakers in Politics by Carl Abbott and Margery Post Abbott describes a Quaker approach to politics and encourages Friends to leverage our unique willingness to listen and seek common ground. The book is part of the Quaker Quicks, a series of short paperbacks useful for outreach and religious education.  Paul Buckley reviewed Quakers in Politics for the June/July 2024 issue of Friends Journal. You can read the review for free and hundreds of others at Friends Journal Book Reviews.  Question for next month Here's our question for next month: What does Quakerism have to offer society in 2024? Quakers Today seeks wisdom and understanding in a rapidly changing world. What do you think Quakerism has to offer society in 2024? Leave a voice memo with your name and the town where you live. The number to call is 317-QUAKERS, that's 317-782-5377. +1 if calling from outside the U.S. You can now follow Quakers Today on Instagram, TikTok, and the platform now known as X. Quakers Today is the companion podcast to Friends Journal and other Friends Publishing Corporation (FPC) content online. It is written, hosted, and produced by Peterson Toscano and Miche McCall. Season Three of Quakers Today is sponsored by American Friends Service Committee.  Do you want to challenge unjust systems and promote lasting peace? The American Friends Service Committee, or AFSC, works with communities worldwide to drive social change. Their website features meaningful steps you can take to make a difference. Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can connect your meeting or church with AFSC and their justice campaigns. Find out how you can become part of AFSC's global community of changemakers. Visit AFSC dot ORG.  Feel free to send comments, questions, and requests for our new show. Email us at podcast@friendsjournal.org, or call our listener voicemail line at 317-QUAKERS.Music from this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

On the heels of an unsettling presidential debate, Christian activist Jason Fileta and Old Testament scholar Dr. Brian Doak come to grips with the political state of our nation and ask the question on many hearts this election season: how should Christians faithfully engage & participate when we can't find a political home? They talk about lobbying, considering the marginalized, prioritizing prayer, and detaching from our political identities in order to realign with the way of Jesus.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

John Canzano talks to former Portland State QB legend and NFL Pro Bowler Neil Lomax about his desire to help high school athletes as well as what he's doing working with George Fox football, and what are the keys to success for a young athlete pursuing college football today. Subscribe for great content.

For the June 2024 episode we are celebrating George Fox's 400th birthday! George Fox was born in July of 1624 and was a founder of the Religious Society of Friends. Our guest this episode is Dr. Jim LeShana, the current Superintendent of Northwest Yearly Meeting and a history buff of the Friends Church. Jim joins co-hosts Austin and Jacob as they discuss the life of George Fox, what the early Friends movement was like in 1624, and how we can learn from him today in 2024. If you are a history nerd this episode is sure to be a good one for you!

Thank you for joining us during this third season of the George Fox Talks podcast!To receive your special George Fox Talks gift, send an email to production@georgefox.edu and tell us something about yourself, what you enjoy about the show, or feedback for next season. Be sure to include your mailing address!We look forward to what's coming and hope to hear from you soon.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Woolman scholar & GFU alum Dr. Jon Kershner sits down with Dr. Jay Miller to uncover the latest research on the life & works of John Woolman, the prominent 18th century Quaker. While Woolman's Journal has been extensively studied and admired for its strong abolitionist arguments, Jon & Jay seek to broaden & deepen our understanding of Woolman's greater life narrative and the development of his influential thought & resolute testimonies.Jon Kershner is a professor, instructional designer, and consultant near Seattle, Washington. He has written 25 peer-reviewed publications for publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Palgrave Macmillan Publishers, Brill Publishers, Routledge Publishers, and others. Check out his book John Woolman and the Government of Christ.Dr. Jay David Miller is a literary scholar who teaches in the George Fox University Honors Program. He also serves as an associate editor for the journal Quaker Religious Thought.Check out the open access article about John Woolman mentioned in the episode.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In this episode David Martínez hosts Todd Davidson (CEO of Travel Oregon) to lay out "The Case for Travel"! They unpack why everyone should consider traveling locally, nationally, and across the globe, and how travel can change us for the better!If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

With passionate honesty, Sho Baraka discusses the importance of authenticity and reconciliation within communities, emphasizing the need for hard conversations and introspection. Drawing from personal experiences and biblical principles, Sho highlights the transformative power of love and justice in building bridges and fostering genuine relationships.Don't miss out on this enlightening message that celebrates the beauty and strength of communities while challenging us to confront the realities of injustice and strive for meaningful reconciliation. Watch now and join the conversation on dignity, love, and reconciliation in our neighborhoods and beyond.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Join us for an insightful discussion on contemporary poetry techniques as we delve into the art of erasure with poet Alisha Dietzman. In this engaging conversation, Alicia shares her experiences and insights into the process of erasure, where existing texts are manipulated and distilled to create new poetic expressions.Beginning with an explanation of erasure as a common technique in contemporary poetry, Alicia walks us through the process, highlighting its flexibility and the artistic choices involved. She discusses the rules and interpretations of erasure, emphasizing its role in distilling essential elements from the original text.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

Join us for an engaging conversation filled with stories of unexpected encounters while traveling. From Japan's cultural festivals to Taiwan's bustling streets, and from emotional moments at Nagasaki's Peace Park to amusing mishaps in Paris, David and Todd share their unforgettable experiences. Discover how chance encounters with locals transformed their perspectives and enriched their journeys. Join us as we explore the beauty of human connections across different corners of the globe. Subscribe to our channel for more insightful travel conversations and inspiring stories.If you enjoy listening to the George Fox Talks podcast and would like to watch, too, check out our channel on YouTube! We also have a web page that features all of our podcasts, a sign-up for our weekly email update, and publications from the George Fox University community.

In this episode, Dominic has a conversation with Joseph Clair. Joseph serves as the executive dean of the Cultural Enterprise, which encompasses the humanities, theology, and education at George Fox University in Oregon. He is also dean of the College of Humanities and an associate professor of theology and culture.Before joining the George Fox faculty in 2013, he earned his PhD in the religion, ethics and politics program at Princeton University while also working as an assistant in instruction. His efforts were rewarded with a Department of Religion Teaching Award (2011-12) and a Graduate Prize Fellowship from Princeton's Center for Human Values (2012-13).Prior to Princeton, Clair earned an MPhil at the University of Cambridge as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He also holds master's degrees from Fordham and Duke University, as well as a bachelor's degree from Wheaton College.His research and teaching interests include Christian thought and ethics and the role of religion in public life. He is the author of Discerning the Good in the Letters and Sermons of Augustine (Oxford UP, 2016) and Reading Augustine: On Education, Formation, Citizenship, and the Lost Purpose of Learning (Bloomsbury, 2018).Clair lives on a hobby farm outside of Newberg with his wife, Nora, and their four children. Links:www.pursuingfaith.orgChristianity Today Article