Podcasts about Yale Divinity School

What happens when we stop treating the Bible as a sacred object and start paying attention to how we actually use it? In this conversation, theologian David Dault reflects on interpretation, responsibility, and the ethics of reading scripture in a fractured world. In this episode with Evan Rosa, Dault reflects on interpretation, responsibility, and how readers shape the meaning and moral impact of the Bible. Together they discuss the materiality of scripture, translation and betrayal, moral seriousness, scriptural reasoning across traditions, catastrophic love, and the ethical responsibility readers bear for how sacred texts are used. Episode Highlights “To assume that we know what a text is telling us is a matter of hubris.” “The Bible doesn't tell you to do anything. You as a reader decide what to do.” “Violence is always an act of interpretation.” “We never get to a place where everything is clean and everyone benefits.” “We have to take responsibility for the violence we involve ourselves in.” About David Dault David Dault is a theologian, journalist, and media producer whose work explores religion, culture, ethics, and interpretation. He is Executive Producer and host of Things Not Seen: Conversations About Culture and Faith, a nationally distributed public radio program. He teaches in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Dault's scholarship focuses on hermeneutics, religion and media, and the ethical implications of how sacred texts are interpreted and used in public life. His book The Accessorized Bible examines the material forms, cultural framing, and interpretive communities that shape how people encounter scripture. He holds degrees in theology and religious studies and frequently writes and lectures on religion, politics, and culture. Helpful Links And Resources The Accessorized Bible, by David Dault https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300153125/the-accessorized-bible/ Things Not Seen: Conversations About Culture and Faith https://thingsnotseenradio.com David Dault's personal website https://www.daviddault.com/ Show Notes The Accessorized Bible—material culture of scripture, design, marketing niches, and the ways the physical form of the Bible shapes how readers interpret and use it Bible as object, medium, and cultural artifact; Marshall McLuhan and media theory—the form of a book shaping how ideas move between minds Books as technologies of imagination and identity formation; reading as a kind of “magical” transfer of ideas from one mind into another “To assume that we know what a text is telling us is a matter of hubris.” Interpretation requires caution, humility, and the recognition that texts exceed our control Making the familiar strange again; recovering the power of scripture by refusing to domesticate it or assume we fully understand it Franz Rosenzweig on preserving the alienness of sacred texts; debate with Martin Buber on translation and clarity Translation as interpretation—translators inevitably carry values, ideologies, and cultural assumptions into the text Harold Bloom's Anxiety of Influence; interpreters “misread” texts in order to wrestle with their influence and generate new meaning Reading scripture in community; trust, vulnerability, and shared responsibility among interpreters Scriptural reasoning—Jews, Christians, and Muslims reading shared stories (Noah, Abraham, Moses) together without claiming mastery over the text Tikkun olam—Jewish ethical tradition of “repairing the world”; the world is wounded and humans participate in its healing Repentance and Repair—Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg on moral accountability, restitution, and the work of restoring relationships Violence embedded in interpretation; moral action always involves choices about attention, resources, and responsibility The “flashlight” metaphor—moral attention illuminating one suffering person while another need temporarily falls into shadow Jairus's daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage—competing moral urgencies in the Gospels “We never get to a place where everything is clean and everyone benefits.” Moral action always involves tragic limitation and competing responsibilities Levinas and infinite responsibility; the ethical demand arising from the face of the person before us Moral seriousness versus performative irony; resisting discourse driven by trolling, spectacle, and dopamine-driven outrage A Bible Is A Book—dismantling the assumption that sacred texts themselves command moral action Steve Martin's The Jerk and the phone book illustration; a sniper randomly selecting a name and deciding someone should die “The Bible doesn't tell you what to do.” Readers decide what moral actions follow from a text Reader responsibility; refusing the excuse “the Bible told me to,” recognizing moral agency belongs to interpreters Scripture as “accessory to a crime”—sacred texts used as cover for violence, exclusion, or cruelty The Bible as platform—modular text shaped by study notes, editorial commentary, illustrations, and devotional framing Study Bibles, children's Bibles, niche-market editions; publishing strategies shaping the interpretive experience Platform logic—similar to Facebook or Twitter; users curate meaning from a shared medium Proof-texting and selective quotation; constructing entire moral worlds from isolated passages Hannah Arendt on responsibility; loving the world enough to accept responsibility for it James Baldwin leaving Paris after the Little Rock crisis; refusing comfort while others bear injustice “Someone should have been there with her.” Baldwin's recognition that solidarity requires leaving safety and standing beside the vulnerable Catastrophic love—risking institutions, traditions, and comfort for the sake of vulnerable bodies Matthew 25 ethics; encountering Christ among the hungry, imprisoned, and marginalized Moral seriousness as daily practice; imperfect responsibility, persistent solidarity, doing what one can today and beginning again tomorrow #Bible #ChristianBible #BiblicalInterpretation #TheologyPodcast #ChristianEthics #Hermeneutics #Scripture #FaithAndCulture #DavidDault Production Notes This podcast featured David Dault Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa Hosted by Evan Rosa Production Assistance by Noah Senthil A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/about Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

What happens when a poet and a theologian decide to write letters to each other about faith? In this episode, I sit down with Christian Wiman and Miroslav Volf to discuss their book Glimmerings and talk about the language we use for God and why it so often falls short, the tension between God's presence and absence, what the Book of Job has to say about suffering, and whether faith can survive, even deepen, without easy answers. It's a conversation about holding paradox, paying attention, and what it looks like to keep believing in the middle of real life.Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. His books include Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, winner of the 2002 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. His Gifford Lectures (2025) are titled Amor Mundi: God and the Character of Our Relation to the World.Christian Wiman is the Clement-Muehl Professor of the Arts at Yale Divinity School. He is the author, editor, or translator of fifteen books, including Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair and Hammer Is the Prayer: Selected Poems. His work appears regularly in Harper's, The New Yorker, and Commonweal.Miroslav & Chris' Book:Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a TheologianChris' Recommendations:The Banquet YearsMiroslav's Recommendation:The Cost of DiscipleshipConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@shiftingculturepodcast.comGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowGet Your Sidekick Support the show

In this series we are exploring William Tyndale's life, Bible translation and legacy, including interviews experts in the sixteenth century. In this third episode, we explore William Tyndale's life after his publication of his translation of the New Testament into English in 1526.We're very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global History (Basic Books, 2024)Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham, and the author of The World's Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion (Yale University Press, to be published in 2026)Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology (Davenant Press, 2025)Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology Reformation Unbound: Protestant Visions of Reform in England, 1525–1590 (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Today we're bringing you an episode with Esau McCaulley, from the Lenten season of 2023. Esau sees Lent as a practice of collective generational wisdom, passed down through centuries of sacramental rhythms—but as a contemporary reality, Lent is a spiritual rebellion against mainstream American culture. He construes Lent as a season of repentance and grace; he points out the justice practices of Lent; he walks through a Christian understanding of death, and the beautiful practice of stripping the altars on Maundy Thursday; and he's emphatic about how it's a guided season of pursuing the grace to find (or perhaps return) to yourself as God has called you to be. In his classic text, Great Lent, Orthodox priest and theologian Alexander Schmemann calls this season one of “bright sadness”—an important paradox that represents both Christian realism and hope. Lent is not about gloom, self-loathing, performative penitence, or despair. Instead it brings us face to face with our human condition, reminding us that we did not bring ourselves into being and someday we will die, sober about the reality and banality of evil, and sorrowful in a way that leads back to joy. Esau McCaulley is The Jonathan Blanchard Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Theology at Wheaton College, a contributing writer for the New York Times, and is author of many books, including children's books. Notables are Reading While Black, a theology of Lent, and his latest: How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South. This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House Foundation. For more information, visit tyndale.foundation. About Esau McCaulley Esau McCaulley is The Jonathan Blanchard Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Theology at Wheaton College, a contributing writer for the New York Times, and is author of many books, including children's books. Notables are Reading While Black, a theology of Lent, and his latest: How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family's Story of Hope and Survival in the American South. Learn more at https://esaumccaulley.com/. Show Notes Lent: The Season of Repentance and Renewal — https://esaumccaulley.com/books/lent-book/ Commodifying our rebellion—the agency on offer is a thin, weakened agency. Repentance, grace, and finding (or returning to) yourself Examination of conscience The Great Litany: “For our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty. Except our repentance, Lord.” The beauty of Christianity “Liturgical spirituality is not safe. God can jump out and get you at any moment in the service.” “The great thing about the, the, the season of Blend in the liturgical calendar more broadly is it gives you a thousand different entry points into transformation.” Lent is bookended by death. Black death, Coronavirus death, War death. Jesus defeated death as our great enemy. “Everybody that I know and I care about are gonna die. Everybody.” “I, as a Christian, believe that because we're going to die. our lives are of infinite value and the decisions that we make and the kinds of people we become are the only testimony that we have and that I have chosen to, to, in light of my impending death, put my faith in the one who overcame death.” Two realities: We're going to die and Jesus defeated death. Stripping of the Altars on Maundy Thursday. Silent processional in black; Good Friday celebrates no eucharist. “I'm, like, the one Pauline scholar who doesn't like to argue about justification all of the time.” Good Friday's closing prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, we pray you to set your passion cross and death between your judgment and our souls.” “You end Lent with: Something has to come between God's judgement and our souls. And that thing is Jesus.” “Lent is God loving you enough to tell you the truth about yourself, but not condemning you for it, but actually saying that you can be better than that.” Production Notes This podcast featured Esau McCaulley Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa Hosted by Evan Rosa Production Assistance by Macie Bridge, Luke Stringer, and Kaylen Yun. A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/about Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give Acknowledgements This episode was made possible in part by the generous support of Blueprint 1543. For more information, visit http://blueprint1543.org/.

We're so excited to share a conversation that our friend and Executive Director, Zach Davis, had with Teresa Morgan, Professor at Yale Divinity School and a leading scholar of early Christian history.Teresa invites us to reconsider one of the most central words in Christianity: faith. She explains that for the first generations of Christians, “faith” didn't mean signing on to a list of beliefs. It meant something more like trust—faithfulness, trustworthiness, the act of entrusting your life to God. Faith was less about what you thought and more about the kind of relationship you were living: a daily, embodied trust in a faithful God.But over time, as outside pressures mounted, Christian leaders drew clearer boundaries around belief. Creeds became markers of belonging, and faith—once rooted primarily in trust and lived allegiance—was increasingly defined by agreement with specific doctrines. That shift has shaped the Christian imagination ever since.In this conversation, Zach and Teresa explore how that evolution happened, what may have been lost, and what it might look like to recover a richer, more relational vision of faith today. We also want to mention that this interview is featured in the upcoming Issue 7 of Wayfare, and that this is a special edition centering women's voices on the theme of trust—trust in God, in ourselves, and in our communities. It's a beautiful and thoughtful collection that we are really proud of. You can read this interview, and see the beautiful artwork that accompanies it, at WayfareMagazine.org.If you'd like to receive your own copy of Wayfare in the mail, you can become a Friend of Faith Matters or a paid Wayfare subscriber by March 31. Your support is what makes conversations like this possible, and we're so grateful.Join us March 6 in SLC for Interfaith REPAIR: a peacemaking workshop from Waymakers!

Work shapes identity, community, and meaning—but how should faith show up in professional life? Sociologist Elaine Ecklund discusses religion in the workplace, drawing on research conducted with co-author Denise Daniels.“I think our faith compels us to hope for and enact flourishing for everyone.”In this episode with Evan Rosa, Ecklund reflects on vocation, gender, authenticity, and principled pluralism in modern workplaces. Together they discuss workplace identity, gender discrimination, calling across occupations, boundaries around work, religion's public role, and pluralism in professional life.Episode Highlights“I think our faith compels us to hope for and enact flourishing for everyone.”“People use their religion to bring justice to their workplaces.”“They don't want to pretend they're someone different.”“There are ways in which our faith traditions can put needed boundaries around our work.”“I am being fully who I am and I am oriented toward the other.”About Elaine EcklundElaine Howard Ecklund is a sociologist of religion and professor at Rice University, where she directs the Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance. Her research focuses on religion in public life, science and faith, and workplace culture. She is the author or co-author of numerous books, including Religion in a Changing Workplace and Working for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work (with Denise Daniels). Her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and featured in major media outlets.Helpful Links And ResourcesWorking for Better: A New Approach to Faith at Work https://www.ivpress.com/working-for-betterReligion in a Changing Workplace https://academic.oup.com/book/58194Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance https://boniuk.rice.edu/Elaine Ecklund website https://elaineecklund.comShow NotesReligion and workplace lifeSociology of belief research backgroundStudying scientists and religionExpanding research beyond science workplacesCollaboration with Denise DanielsAcademic and practical faith-at-work booksDefining work as paid laborHonoring caregiving and volunteer labor“People don't want to pretend they're someone different.”Bringing whole selves to workCalling across occupational sectorsWorkplace autonomy and meaning“People use their religion to bring justice to their workplaces.”Faith creating boundaries around workGender dynamics in workplacesStory of hiding motherhood in academiaFragmentation and identity performance“There are ways in which our faith traditions can put needed boundaries around our work.”Church gender expectationsBilly Graham rule implicationsWork skills serving congregationsLiving in pluralistic societyPrincipled pluralism explained“I am being fully who I am and I am oriented toward the other.”Embrace, dignity, and learning from difference#FaithAndWork #ElaineEcklund #PrincipledPluralism #ReligionAndWorkplace #Vocation #GenderAndWork #HumanFlourishingProduction NotesThis podcast featured Elaine EcklundEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Send a textREPRISE - Ken welcomes pastor, historian, and special advisor to the President at Baylor University, Dr. Malcolm Foley. Just this month, his new book - The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money Is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward - has just been released. Dr. Foley shares something of his faith and spiritual journey. As an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, he majored in Finance and the Classics. After earning an M. Div. at Yale Divinity School, he completed his Ph.D. at Baylor. His dissertation focussed on the history of lynching in America, and the responses of African American Protestants to the horror of it all. Ken and Malcolm unpack the thesis of his new book: that racism is rooted in greed. They talk about his concept of racialized capitalism, the dominance of white supremacy, the witness of the “Church Fathers” and the biblical passages that deal with greed and wealth. In the 1987 movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) declares, “Greed is good!” Dr. Foley disagrees. He takes a deep dive into the reality of lynching and the use of violence and terror to subjugate black folks. It's a hard look at history. They talk about Malcolm's heroes in the movement: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X (for whom he was named), and Ida B. Wells among many others. Toward the end of their lively conversation, Ken asks Dr. Foley about the current weaponization of phrases like DEI, Woke, and CRT which do not appear in the book. Don't miss Malcolm's response. SHOW NOTES (see links to the book and more about Dr. Foley)Support the showBecome a Patron - Click on the link to learn how you can become a Patron of the show. Thank you! Ken's Substack Page The Podcast Official Site: TheBeachedWhiteMale.com

This is the second episode in our series exploring William Tyndale's life, Bible translation, and legacy. In this episode, Tony Watkins interviews experts in the sixteenth century and the history of the Bible to explore William Tyndale's life leading up to the publication of his New Testament in 1526. This was the first to be translated directly from Greek into English, and the first New Testament to be printed in English.We're very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global History (Basic Books, 2024)Alec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Durham, and the author of The World's Reformation: How Protestantism Became a Global Religion (Yale University Press, to be published in 2026)Simon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology (Davenant Press, 2025)Karl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of Florida, and author of ‌ Participation & Covenant in Puritan Theology Reformation Unbound: Protestant Visions of Reform in England, 1525–1590 (Cambridge University Press, 2014)Listen to our Principal, Peter J. Williams, talking about Robert Barnes' sermon at St Edward King and Martyr Church in Cambridge. https://youtube.com/shorts/zdCvIdDhlZ0?feature=shareSupport the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Preaching for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Betsy Cahill offers a reflection on Jesus' invitation to follow him, not merely the law: "In the reign of God, true righteousness transcends outward practice and demands of us a radical interior openness to knowing and doing God's will. Jesus calls us unflinchingly to embark on an open-ended journey towards holiness. Do not follow the law mindlessly and meticulously, he proclaims: follow me."Betsy Cahill is a wife and mother, a writer, and civic volunteer with deep experience in biblical studies, historic preservation, and secondary education. Having earned degrees in Classics (Harvard) and English Literature (Oxford), in 2010 she achieved a long-time dream when she graduated from Yale Divinity School with an M.A. in Hebrew Bible. Using her knowledge of biblical languages, she has taught classes and lectured on spirituality and Scripture.Visit www.catholicwomenpreach.org/preaching/02152026 to learn more about Betsy, to read her preaching text, and for more preaching from Catholic women.

What happens when our obsession with being better than everyone else destroys both who we are and how we relate to each other? Dr. Miroslav Volf joins us to talk about his new book The Cost of Ambition and why America's comparison culture, achievement addiction, and hardening tribal identities are setting us up for something dangerous. Volf witnessed neighbors turn on neighbors during the Yugoslav wars, and he's seeing the warning signs again—right here, right now. We dive into how striving for superiority traps us in an unstable cycle of pride and inferiority, why our worth can't be based on achievement, and what it means to trust in our naked humanity as the site of God's gift rather than our endless performance metrics. From social media's algorithmic comparison engines to the terror of trusting Jesus to raise our kids, this conversation cuts deep into the spiritual crisis of modern life and points toward a different way—one grounded in the self-giving love of Christ rather than the desperate scramble to stay on top. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Born in Croatia, he lived through the Yugoslav wars—an experience that profoundly shaped his theological work on reconciliation, identity, and belonging. He is the author of numerous influential books including Exclusion and Embrace, Free of Charge, and his newest works The Cost of Ambition and Glimmerings (co-authored with poet Christian Wiman). Widely recognized as one of the world's most respected theologians, Volf's work bridges the academy and the church, helping Christians reflect on faith, public life, and what it means to follow Christ in fractured times. You can listen to our previous conversation on the podcast here: Faith in the Public Square in the Era of Trump. UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here.⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the first episode in our new series exploring William Tyndale's life, Bible translation, and legacy. Tony Watkins interviews experts in the sixteenth century and the history of the Bible. In this first episode, they explore the history of Bible translation prior to William Tyndale and the cultural context in which he lived and worked.We're very grateful for contributions from:Bruce Gordon, the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Divinity School, and author of The Bible a Global HistoryAlec Ryrie, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of DurhamSimon Burton, John Laing Senior Lecturer in Reformation History at the School of Divinity at the University of EdinburghKarl Gunther, historian of the Reformation from the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education in the University of FloridaLink to Season 5 of the Tyndale House Podcast on New Testament manuscripts: https://tyndalehouse.com/2025/01/16/s5e1-what-is-a-manuscript-and-why-should-we-study-them/Support the showEdited by Tyndale House Music – Acoustic Happy Background used with a standard license from Adobe Stock.Follow us on: X | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Air Date - 22 January 2026How may the healing messages of Edgar Cayce, combined with Naturopathy, Holistic Health, and spirituality, be channeled into an amazing healing practice? My guest this week on Vox Novus, Dr. Pearl Maria Wilkinson, is a third-generation custodian of the Cayce health principles, a Board-Certified Traditional Naturopath, Colon Hydrotherapist, Certified Holistic Health Coach, Detox Specialist, and the visionary Founder of Pearl Wellness & Detox and The Well & The Way, a (501c3) Healing and Spiritual Organization. A lifelong learner, Dr. Pearl Wilkinson completed her Master of Divinity (MDiv) at Yale Divinity School, where her work explored spiritual formation, pastoral care, and integrative wellness leadership. Her holistic medical training includes certification in Nutritional Coaching through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), a professional certificate in Colon Hydrotherapy from the International School for Colon Hydrotherapy, and Board Certification with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.Her website is https://www.pearlwellnessdetox.com/, and she joins me this week to share her path and mission.#PearlMariaWilkinson #VoxNovus #VictorFuhrman #InterviewsVisit the Vox Novus Show Page https://omtimes.com/iom/shows/vox-novus/Connect with Victor Fuhrman at http://victorthevoice.com/Subscribe to our Newsletter https://omtimes.com/subscribe-omtimes-magazine/Connect with OMTimes on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Omtimes.Magazine/ and OMTimes Radio https://www.facebook.com/ConsciousRadiowebtv.OMTimes/Twitter: https://twitter.com/OmTimes/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omtimes/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2798417/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/omtimes/

Can faith sustain courage and openness in a polarized democracy? Former Ohio governor and presidential candidate John Kasich reflects on faith, fear, character, and public life amid deep political polarization and religious tension in America.“There is a certain comfort in knowing you have somebody who's always in your corner.”In this conversation with Evan Rosa, Kasich reflects on personal faith shaped by tragedy, the search for purpose, and why character matters more than ideology in leadership. Together they discuss religious faith in American life, his experience running in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, voting on character over beliefs, firm political commitments, open-minded perspective taking, his vision of a life worth living, and before the end of this conversation, you'll find out his favorite Metallica song.Episode Highlights“There is a certain comfort in knowing you have somebody who's always in your corner.”“You can be firm while at the same time looking at a point of view of somebody who's diametrically opposed to you.”“I look for character. I don't look for what somebody thinks about the Book of Revelation.”“Faith informs the way I think about things, but it doesn't spell out what I'm going to do.”“If you begin to work together to solve a problem locally, it can actually create friendship.”About John KasichJohn Kasich is a former U.S. congressman, two-term governor of Ohio, and presidential candidate with more than four decades of experience in public service, media, and civic leadership. First elected to the Ohio State Senate at age 26, he later served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming governor in 2011. Kasich has authored six books exploring politics, faith, leadership, and civic responsibility, including his most recent, Heaven Help Us: How Faith Communities Inspire Hope, Strengthen Neighborhoods, and Build the Future. He is known for emphasizing character, dignity, and community-based solutions over ideological rigidity. Kasich frequently speaks on leadership, faith in public life, and democratic renewal, and continues to engage across political and cultural divides in pursuit of common purpose. Learn more and follow at https://johnkasich.com and https://twitter.com/JohnKasichShow NotesGrowing up Catholic, altar service, early religious formationTragedy in 1987, parents killed by drunk driver“Where do you stand vis-à-vis your eternal destiny?”Faith as ongoing window of questioning, not certaintyGod's existence, care, and personal relationship“Faith itself is a gift. God has to act first.”Fear, loss, and the backstop of divine presence“You've got the most powerful being in all of history kind of got your back.”Faith shared as gift, not coercion or argumentVoting based on character, not doctrinal alignmentScripture informing decisions, not dictating policyRespect for the poor as moral baselineChristian nationalism and the question of objective truthPolitics and faith distinct, neither hostile nor coerciveSingles win games, local action over grand crusadesFaith communities as clubhouses for moral actionWorking locally dissolves partisan hostilityLife worth living as purpose, gifts, and contributionCharacter, integrity, and not taking advantage of othersFreedom from fear, boxes, and rigid identitiesKindness versus niceness as moral distinctionOpen-mindedness as antidote to boredom and fearCampaigning as test of endurance, character, and empathy“People wanted to know who you were more than your ideas.”Pursuing convictions while staying rooted in faith communitiesProduction NotesThis podcast featured John KasichEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give#FaithAndPolitics#CharacterMatters#PublicFaith#CivicLife#CommonGood#JohnKasich

Mortality, fragility, forgiveness, and peace. Journalist and author Stan Grant offers a genre-bending work of prayer, memory, and theology shaped by fatherhood, Aboriginal inheritance, masculinity, and mortality.“I see this as a gift from God, a creator that allows us to find each other again.”In this conversation with Evan Rosa, Grant reflects on his 2025 book, Murriyang: Song of Time—his philosophical and spiritual exploration of the human place in the world and faith as lived experience rather than abstraction. He looks closely at his father's life in order to come to terms with his own, the meaning of fatherhood and how to understand and forgive our fathers, masculinity and vulnerability, Aboriginal history and identity, masculinity and vulnerability, forgiveness and sacrifice, prayer and poetry, and the whole human experience of time and eternity.Episode Highlights“We inherit our father's cups.”“We must forgive our fathers. It is the only way that we can forgive ourselves.”“We cannot survive without each other.”“Man is not made for history. History is made for man.”“ … to confront the beauty of that mortality—my father's final gift to me is his death.”About Stan GrantStan Grant is an Australian journalist, author, and public intellectual of Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi, and Dharawal heritage. A former international correspondent and broadcaster, he has written widely on Indigenous identity, history, faith, and moral responsibility. Grant is the author of several acclaimed books, including Talking to My Country and Murriyang: Song of Time, which blends prayer, memoir, poetry, and theology. His work consistently resists abstraction in favor of embodied human experience, emphasizing forgiveness, attention, and the dignity of the human person. Grant has received national honors for journalism and cultural leadership and remains a leading voice in conversations about history, masculinity, faith, and what it means to live lives worthy of our shared humanity.Helpful Links and ResourcesMurriyang: Song of Time https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460763827/murriyang/Talking to My Country https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9781460752210/talking-to-my-country/Stan Grant official website https://www.stangrant.com.auShow NotesFathers and sons; inherited burden, sacrifice, and responsibility“We inherit our father's cups”Christ in Gethsemane as archetype of father-son sufferingMasculinity as physical burden, scars, toughness“We must forgive our fathers. It is the only way that we can forgive ourselves and live in a world of forgiveness with the other.”Yindyamarra: respect, gentleness, quietness, forgivenessImprovisation and rehearsal; jazz as spiritual and artistic model“I have never written a second draft.”Second thought as artifice, hiding, dishonestyForgiveness of self before speaking; imperfection and risk“If silence is violence, then we have redefined the very nature of violence itself.”Giftedness of life; what is given and receivedGift exchange versus transaction in modern society“We offer the gift of ourselves to each other.”Murriyang as Psalter, prayer, song, contemplation of time and GodReading slowly; opening anywhere; shelter from modern noise“We cannot survive without each other.”One-person performance; no script, immediacy, intimacyMusic, poetry, time, mortality woven togetherFather's body as history; sawmills, injuries, exhaustionChildhood memory of bath; “the water is stained black with blood”Mother's touch; tenderness amid survivalLate-life renaissance; language recovery, teaching, honorsMurriyang (heaven) and Babiin (father) liturgical, prayerful, dialogical alternation throughout the textSt. Augustine: “What was God doing before he made time? He was making hell for the over-curious.”Is God in time? Or out of time?Speaking of eternity or timelessness still imputes the concept of time.“ The imaginative space of time itself, it reaches to an horizon. But what is beyond the horizon? For modernity, of course, time is the big story. To be modern is to reinvent time. It's to be new. Modernity and technology is all about taming time.”“Man is not made for history. History is made for man.”Attention, affliction, abstraction, and the loss of human touch“My father's gift to me is his death.”Mortality as meaning; resisting transhumanismTime, modernity, instant life, collapsing spaceFragility, love, forgiveness, and beginning againEnding where we began#StanGrant#Murriyang#Fatherhood#Masculinity#Forgiveness#TimeAndFaith#HumanFlourishing#AustraliaProduction NotesThis podcast featured Stan GrantEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

MinistryWatch has published more than 30,000 words about ACNA in the past five years, and many of those words have come from Kathryn Post. Kathryn Post is a reporter for RNS and she has done a great job covering a number of controversies in the young and growing denomination. Her words have appeared in outlets including The Washington Post, Sojourners, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, and – of course – MinistryWatch. Post joined RNS full-time in 2021. She holds a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale Divinity School and bachelor’s degrees in writing and political science from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

Slavery did not end in the nineteenth century—it persists today, hidden in global supply chains, religious justifications, and systems of power. Kevin Bales and Michael Rota join Evan Rosa to explore modern slavery through history, psychology, and theology, asking why it remains so difficult to see and confront.“It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)“There are millions of slaves in the world today.” (Kevin Bales, 2025)In this episode, they consider how conscience, power, and religious belief can either sustain enslavement or become forces for abolition. Together they discuss the psychology of slaveholding, faith's complicity and resistance, Quaker abolitionism, modern debt bondage, ISIS and Yazidi slavery, and what meaningful action looks like today.https://freetheslaves.net/––––––––––––––––––Episode Highlights“There are millions of slaves in the world today.”“Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things.”“They have sexual control. They can do what they like.”“Slavery is flowing into our lives hidden in the things we buy.”“We have to widen our sphere of concern.”––––––––––––––––––About Kevin BalesKevin Bales is a leading scholar and activist in the global fight against modern slavery. He is Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the University of Nottingham and co-founder of Free the Slaves, an international NGO dedicated to ending slavery worldwide. Bales has spent more than three decades researching forced labor, debt bondage, and human trafficking, combining academic rigor with on-the-ground investigation. His work has shaped international policy, influenced anti-slavery legislation, and brought global attention to forms of enslavement often dismissed as historical. He is the author of several influential books, including Disposable People and Friends of God, Slaves of Men, which examines the complex relationship between religion and slavery across history and into the present. Learn more and follow at https://www.kevinbales.org and https://www.freetheslaves.netAbout Michael RotaMichael Rota is Professor of Philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, where he teaches and researches in the philosophy of religion, moral psychology, and the history of slavery and religion. His work spans scholarly articles on the definition of slavery, the moral psychology underlying social change and abolition, and the relevance of theological concepts to ethical life. Rota is co-author with Kevin Bales of Friends of God, Slaves of Men: Religion and Slavery, Past and Present, a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of how religions have both justified and resisted systems of enslaving human beings from antiquity to the present day. He is also the author of Taking Pascal's Wager: Faith, Evidence, and the Abundant Life, an extended argument for the reasonableness and desirability of Christian commitment. In addition to his academic writing, he co-leads projects in philosophy and education and is co-founder of Personify, a platform exploring AI and student learning. Learn more and follow at his faculty profile and personal website https://mikerota.wordpress.com and on X/Twitter @mikerota.––––––––––––––––––Helpful Links And ResourcesDisposable People by Kevin Baleshttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520281820/disposable-peopleFriends of God, Slaves of Men by Kevin Bales and Michael Rotahttps://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520383265/friends-of-god-slaves-of-menFree the Slaveshttps://www.freetheslaves.netVoices for Freedomhttps://voicesforfreedom.orgInternational Justice Missionhttps://www.ijm.orgTalitha Kumhttps://www.talithakum.info––––––––––––––––––Show Notes– Slavery named as a contemporary moral crisis obscured by twentieth-century abolition narratives– Kevin Bales's encounter with anti-slavery leaflet in London, mid-1990s– “There are millions of slaves in the world today … I thought, look, that can't be true because I don't know that. I'm a professor. I should know that.”– Stories disrupting moral distance more powerfully than statistics– “There were three little stories inside, about three different types of enslavement … it put a hook in me like a fish and pulled me.”– United Nations documentation mostly ignored despite vast evidence– Decades of investigation into contemporary slavery– Fieldwork across five regions, five forms of enslavement– Kevin Bales's book, Disposable People as embodied witness with concrete stories– “Statistics isn't gonna do it. I need to actually show people things. There's gonna be something that breaks hearts the way it did me when I was in the field.”– Psychological resistance to believing slavery touches ordinary life– Anti-Slavery International as original human rights organization founded in U.K. in 1839– Quaker and Anglican foundations of abolitionist movements– Religion as both justification for slavery and engine of resistance– Call for renewed faith-based abolition today– Slavery and religion intertwined from early human cultures– Colonial expansion intensifying moral ambiguity– Columbus, Genoa, and enslavement following failed gold extraction– Spanish royal hesitation over legitimacy of slavery– Las Casas's moral conversion after refusal of absolution– “He eventually realized this is totally wrong. What we are doing, we are destroying these people. And this is not what God wants us to be doing.”– Sepúlveda's Aristotelian defense of hierarchy and profit– Moral debate without effective structural enforcement– Power described as intoxicating and deforming conscience– Hereditary debt bondage in Indian villages– Caste, ethnicity, and generational domination– Sexual violence as mechanism of absolute control– “They have sexual control. They can beat up the men, rape the women, steal the children. They can do pretty much what they like.”– Three-year liberation process rooted in trust, education, and collective refusal– Former slaves returning as teachers and organizers– Liberation compared to Plato's allegory of the cave– Post-liberation vulnerability and risk of recapture– Power inverted in Christian teaching– “The disciples are arguing about who's the greatest, and Jesus says, the greatest among you will be the slave of all… don't use power to help yourself. Use it to serve.”– Psychological explanations for delayed abolition– The psychological phenomenon of “motivated reasoning” that shapes moral conclusions– “The conclusions we reach aren't just shaped by the objective evidence the world provides. They're shaped also by the internal desires and goals and motivations people have.”– Economic self-interest and social consensus sustaining injustice– Quaker abolition through relational, conscience-driven confrontation– First major religious body to forbid slaveholding– Boycotts of slave-produced goods and naval blockade of slave trade– Modern slavery as organized criminal enterprise– ISIS enslavement of Yazidi women– Religious reasoning weaponized for genocide– “They said, for religious reasons, we just need to eradicate this entire outfit.”– Online slave auctions and cultural eradication– Internal Islamic arguments for abolition– Restricting the permissible for the common good– Informing conscience as first step toward action– Community sustaining long-term resistance– Catholic religious sisters as leading global abolitionists– Hidden slavery embedded in everyday consumer goods– “There's so much slavery flowing into our lives which is hidden… in our homes, our watches, our computers, the minerals, all this.”– Expanding moral imagination beyond immediate needs– “Your sphere of concern has to be wider… how do I start caring about something that I don't see?”– “It's time some person should see these calamities to their end.” (Thomas Clarkson, 1785)––––––––––––––––––#ModernSlavery#FaithAndJustice#HumanDignity#Abolition#FreeTheSlavesProduction NotesThis podcast featured Kevin Bales and Michael RotaEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Noah SenthilA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

After accomplished stints as a journalist, author and diplomat, and studying theology at Yale Divinity School, Krista Tippett was struck by a significant gap in the media landscape—a lack of deep, intelligent conversations to explore the spiritual, ethical and moral aspects of human life. What began as a national public radio show in 2003 evolved into the multiple award-winning podcast “⁠On Being⁠” (“wisdom to replenish and orient in a tender, tumultuous time to be alive.”) Gifted with insatiable curiosity, profound relational intelligence, a poetic sensibility, and an ability to unearth revelatory ideas to live by, Krista creates spaces where wisdom can emerge. With her interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral whole systems overview, she's hosted luminaries as disparate as Mary Oliver, Thich Nhat Hahn, Isabel Wilkerson and Desmond Tutu, among many more. Listen to this rare intimate, live interview with her friend, insightful strategist, philanthropist and activist Azita Ardakani. This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the ⁠radio and podcast homepage⁠ to learn more.

Christmas is a magical, busy season of joy and celebration. It's so easy to get caught up in all the festivities and excitement that we don't pause long enough to consider what the Christmas story is actually about.  Because if you look closely, the story of Christ's birth challenges our assumptions about power, generosity, status, and what it actually means to reflect the heart of God.  The nativity isn't merely a sentimental moment; it is God intentionally choosing the margins, stepping into human vulnerability, and redefining what greatness looks like.  And if we let it, that truth forces us to ask harder questions about the way we show up for others, especially the overlooked, the lonely, and the forgotten. The first Christmas wasn't designed around abundance, convenience, or comfort. It unfolded in obscurity, among shepherds no one valued, in a manger no one wanted, to a young woman no one expected.  And the people who recognized Jesus first weren't the powerful. They were the poor, the humble, the ones most longing for God to break into their story.  Christmas, then, isn't about what we receive; it's about what we can give. How do we let the generosity of God shape the generosity we extend? Beyond celebrating Emmanuel, how do we embody Emmanuel for others?  In this episode, I'm joined by Rev. Dr. Emily Gierer, a pastor, educator, and spiritual leader who has spent nearly two decades guiding students, families, and faith communities.  Together, we explore why the true meaning of Christmas has far less to do with tradition…and far more to do with transformation.   Things You'll Learn In This Episode  God's Upside-Down Kingdom God chooses shepherds, not kings, to receive the first announcement of Christ's birth. What does that tell us about the kind of people God notices first? Generosity Was Never Meant to Be Comfortable The incarnation is the ultimate act of sacrificial giving. How does Jesus' costly example redefine the way we think about giving our time, resources, and talents? Why Loneliness Intensifies During Christmas "God with us" is not poetic language; it's God stepping into human fear, abandonment, and suffering. What would it look like to embody that same presence for someone who feels unseen this season? How to Teach Children a Different Kind of Christmas Kids are shaped more by what we model than what we say. How do families train children to value compassion over accumulation in a culture obsessed with getting?   About the Guest Rev. Dr. Emily Gierer serves as the co-Lead Pastor of St. Timothy's Church in Storrs, Connecticut, where she guides worship, preaches regularly, disciples students, and develops spiritual formation initiatives. With a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Emily has almost two decades of pastoral leadership and campus ministry experience at the University of Connecticut. In addition to her pastoral work, Emily teaches in the English Department at the University of Connecticut, offering courses in American literature, women's literature, and Biblical literature.  Together with Dr. Jana Holiday, she will also launch and co-lead Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's new Doctor of Ministry track, Women in Leadership, beginning in July 2027. Emily and her husband, Vince, live and minister in Connecticut with their two young daughters. Ways to give this Christmas  https://www.st-timothys-storrs.org/  https://www.gordonconwell.edu/doctor-ministry/tracks/  https://worldrelief.org/gift-guide/  https://www.compassion.com/catalog/   About Your Host Hosted by Dr. Deepa Grandon, MD, MBA, a triple board-certified physician with over 23 years of experience working as a Physician Consultant for influential organizations worldwide. Dr. Grandon is the founder of Transformational Life Consulting (TLC) and an outspoken faith-based leader in evidence-based lifestyle medicine.   Disclaimer  ​​TLC is presenting this podcast as a form of information sharing only. It is not medical advice or intended to replace the judgment of a licensed physician. TLC is not responsible for any claims related to procedures, professionals, products, or methods discussed in the podcast, and it does not approve or endorse any products, professionals, services, or methods that might be referenced.   Podcast CTA Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

Poet and essayist Carol Ann Davis (Fairfield University) joins Evan Rosa for a searching conversation on violence, childhood, and the moral discipline of attention in the aftermath of Sandy Hook. Reflecting on trauma, parenting, childhood, poetry, and faith, Davis resists tidy narratives and invites listeners to dwell with grief, healing, beauty, and pain without resolution.“I don't believe life feels like beginnings, middles, and ends.”In this episode, Davis reflects on how lived trauma narrows attention, reshapes language, and unsettles conventional storytelling. Together they discuss poetry as dwelling rather than explanation, childhood and formation amid violence, image versus narrative, moral imagination, and the challenge of staying present to suffering.Episode Highlights“Nothing has happened at Hawley School. Please hear me. I have opened every door and seen your children.”“And that was what it is not to suffer. This is the not-suffering, happy-ending story.”“I'm always narrowing focus.”“I think stories lie to us sometimes.”“I think of the shooting as a nail driven into the tree.”“I'm capable of anything. I'm afraid I'm capable of anything.”“I tried to love and out of me came poison.”About Carol Ann DavisCarol Ann Davis is a poet, essayist, and professor of English at Fairfield University. She is the author of the poetry collections Psalm and Atlas Hour, and the essay collection The Nail in the Tree: Essays on Art, Violence, and Childhood. A former longtime editor of the literary journal Crazyhorse, she directs Fairfield University's Low-Residency MFA and founded Poetry in Communities, an initiative bringing poetry to communities affected by violence. An NEA Fellow in Poetry, Davis's work has appeared in The Atlantic, The American Poetry Review, Image, Agni, The Georgia Review, and elsewhere. Learn more and follow at https://www.carolanndavis.orgHelpful Links and ResourcesThe Nail in the Tree: Essays on Art, Violence, and Childhood https://www.tupelopress.org/bookstore/p/the-nail-in-the-tree-essays-on-art-violence-and-childhoodSongbird https://www.weslpress.org/9780819502223/songbird/Psalm https://www.tupelopress.org/bookstore/p/psalmAtlas Hour https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Hour-Carol-Ann-Davis/dp/1936797003Carol Ann Davis official website https://www.carolanndavis.orgShow NotesCarol Ann Davis recounts moving to Newtown, Connecticut just months before Sandy Hook, teaching a course at Fairfield University when news of the shooting first breaksHer young children attended a local elementary schoolConfusion, delay, and the unbearable seconds of not knowing which school was attackedA colleague's embrace as the reality of the shooting becomes clearParenting under threat and the visceral fear of losing one's children“Nothing has happened at Hawley School. Please hear me. I have opened every door and seen your children.” (Hawley School's Principal sends this message to parents, including Carol Ann)Living inside the tension where nothing happened and everything changedWriters allowing mystery, unknowing, and time to remain unresolvedNaming “directly affected families” and later “families of loss”Ethical care for proximity without flattening grief into universalityThe moral value of being useful within an affected communityNarrowing attention as survival, parenting, and poetic disciplineChoosing writing, presence, and community over national policy debatesChildhood formation under the long shadow of gun violence“I think of the shooting as a nail driven into the tree. And I'm the tree.” (Carol Ann quotes her older son, then in 4th grade)Growth as accommodation rather than healing or resolutionIntegration without erasure as a model for living with traumaRefusing happy-ending narratives after mass violence“I don't believe life feels like beginnings, middles, and ends.”Poetry as dwelling inside experience rather than extracting meaningResisting stories that turn suffering into takeawaysCrucifixion imagery, nails, trees, and the violence of embodiment“I'm capable of anything. I'm afraid I'm capable of anything.”Violence as elemental, human, animal, and morally unsettlingDistinguishing intellectual mastery from dwelling in lived experienceA poem's turn toward fear: loving children and fearing harm“I tried to love and out of me came poison.”Childhood memory, danger, sweetness, and oceanic smallnessBeing comforted by smallness inside something vast and terrifyingEnding without closure, choosing remembrance over resolution#CarolAnnDavis#PoetryAndViolence#TraumaAndAttention#SandyHook#SandyHookPromise#FaithAndWriting#Poetry#ChildhoodAndMemoryProduction NotesThis podcast featured Carol Ann DavisEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Macie Bridge, Alexa Rollow, Zoë Halaban, Kacie Barrett & Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Dr. Willie James Jennings, author and Yale Divinity School professor, takes us inside Yale Divinity School's new “eco-theological” residence hall and marks 15 years since the release of his seminal text, “The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race.”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tavis-smiley--6286410/support.

“Our longings are much more powerful than our logic, and our desires are stronger than our reason.” (Graham Tomlin on the thought of Blaise Pascal)The Rt. Rev. Dr. Graham Tomlin (St. Mellitus College, the Centre for Cultural Witness) joins Evan Rosa for a sweeping exploration of Blaise Pascal—the 17th-century mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and theologian whose insights into human nature remain strikingly relevant. Tomlin traces Pascal's life of brilliance and illness, his tension between scientific acclaim and radical devotion, and his deep engagement with Descartes, Montaigne, and Augustine. The conversation moves through Pascal's analysis of self-deception, his critique of rationalism and skepticism, the transformative Night of Fire, his compassion for the poor, and the wager's misunderstood meaning. Tomlin presents Pascal as a thinker who speaks directly to our distracted age, revealing a humanity marked by greatness, misery, and a desperate longing only grace can satisfy.Episode Highlights“Our longings are much more powerful than our logic, and our desires are stronger than our reason.”“The greatness and the refuse of the universe—that's what we are. We're the greatest thing and also the worst thing.”“If everybody knew what everybody else said about them, there would not be four friends left in the world.”“Only grace can begin to turn that self-oriented nature around and implant in us a desire for God.”“The reason you cannot believe is not because of your reason; it's because of your passions.”Show NotesGraham Tomlin introduces the Night of Fire and Pascal's meditation on “the greatness of the human soul”Evan Rosa frames Pascal as a figure of mystery, mechanics, faith, and modern technological influence.Tomlin contrasts Pascal with Descartes and Montaigne—rationalism vs. skepticism—locating Pascal between their poles.Pascal's awareness of distraction, competition, and “all men naturally hate each other” surfaces early as a key anthropological insight.Evan notes Nietzsche's striking admiration: “his blood runs through my veins.”Tomlin elaborates on Pascal's lifelong tension between scientific achievement and spiritual devotion.The story of the servant discovering the hidden Night of Fire parchment in Pascal's coat lining is recounted.Tomlin reads the core text: “Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy… Let me never be separated from him.”Pascal's distinction: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers.”Discussion of Jansenism, Augustinian anthropology, and the gravity of human fallenness.Tomlin sets the philosophical context: Pascal as a counter to both rationalist optimism and skeptical relativism.Pascal's core tension—grandeur and misery—is presented as the interpretive key to human nature.Quote emerges: “the greatness and the refuse of the universe—that's what we are.”Tomlin describes Pascal's political skepticism and the idea that politics offers only “rules for a madhouse.”Pascal's diagnosis of self-deception: “If everybody knew what everybody else said about them, there would not be four friends left in the world.”Evan raises questions about social hope; Tomlin answers with Pascal's belief that only grace can break self-love.They explore Pascal's critique of distraction and the famous line: “the sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.”Tomlin ties this to contemporary digital distraction—“weapons of mass distraction”.The conversation turns to the wager, reframed not as coercion but exposure: unbelief is driven by passions more than reasons.Closing reflections highlight the apologetic project of the Pensées, Pascal's brilliance, and his ongoing relevance.Helpful Links and ReferencesSpecial thanks to the Center for Christian Witness and Seen and Unseen https://www.seenandunseen.com/Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World, by Graham Tomlin https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/graham-tomlin/blaise-pascal/9781399807661/Pensées, by Blaise Pascal https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18269Provincial Letters, by Blaise Pascal https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2407Why Being Yourself Is a Bad Idea, by Graham Tomlinhttps://www.amazon.com/Why-Being-Yourself-Bad-Idea/dp/0281087097Montaigne's Essays https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3600Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23306Augustine's Confessions https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3296About Graham TomlinGraham Tomlin is a British theologian, writer, and church leader. He is the former Bishop of Kensington (2015-2022) in the Church of England and now serves as Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and President of St Mellitus College in London. He is widely known for connecting theology with cultural life and public imagination. Tomlin is the author of several books, including Looking Through the Cross, The Widening Circle, and Why Being Yourself Is a Bad Idea: And Other Countercultural Notions. His latest book is an intellectual and spiritual biography, Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World.Production NotesThis episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House FoundationThis podcast featured Graham TomlinProduction Assistance by Emily Brookfield and Alexa RollowEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaA production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

While God has made us to be ambitious, there can be a deep spiritual cost for striving to be better than others. Miroslav Volf is one of the leading public theologians. In this episode, based on his book "The Cost of Ambition," Dr. Volf explains how the teachings of Jesus and Paul offer a means for how we can aim for excellence without being plagued by our own sense of inferiority. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and several other outlets, including NPR's Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett) and Public Television's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. ========== PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a Weekly Cultural Update airing this Friday. Please join us next week when a regular episode will air on Tuesday. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We're especially thankful for your support of the Think Biblically podcast.==========Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically. Watch video episodes at: https://bit.ly/think-biblically-video. To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu.

Loneliness seems to be part of what it means to be a relational being. Does that mean loneliness can never really be “solved”? Here's one way to think about loneliness: As a gap between relational expectation and social reality—something that signals our essentially relational, reciprocal nature as human beings.This episode is part 6 of a series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.In this reflective conclusion to the series, Macie Bridge and Ryan McAnnally-Linz explore loneliness not as a pathology to solve but as a universal, creaturely experience that reveals our longing for relationship. Drawing on insights from conversations throughout the series, they consider how loneliness emerges in the gap between what we desire relationally and what we actually have, and why this gap might be intrinsic to being human. They discuss solitude as a vital space for discernment, self-understanding, and listening for God; how risk is inherent to relationships; why the church holds unique potential for embodied community; and how even small interactions with neighbors and strangers can meet real needs. Together they reflect on grief, social isolation, resentment, vulnerability, and the invitation to turn loneliness into attentiveness—to God, to ourselves, and to our neighbors, human and non-human alike.Episode Highlights“Loneliness is just baked into our creaturely lives.”“There really is no solution to loneliness—and also that's okay.”“We invite a certain level of risk because we invite another person closer to our own human limits.”“There's no blanket solution. We are all experiencing this thing, but we are all experiencing it differently.”“I realized I could be a gift to her, and she could be a gift to me, even in that small moment.”About Macie BridgeMacie Bridge is Operations Coordinator for the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. Macie is originally from the small town of Groton, Massachusetts, where she was raised in the United Church of Christ. As an undergraduate at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, Macie studied English literature, creative writing, and religious studies. She spent a year in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with the Episcopal Service Corps after receiving her B.A. There, she served as Events & Communications Coordinator for L'Arche North Carolina—an emerging L'Arche community, and therefore an incredible “crash course” into the nonprofit world.About Ryan McAnnally-LinzRyan McAnnally-Linz is Associate Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture and a theologian focusing on flourishing, meaning, and the moral life. He is co-author of Public Faith in Action and The Home of God with Miroslav Volf, and Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most with Miroslav Volf and Matt Croasmun.Show NotesLoneliness as Creaturely ConditionLoneliness as “baked into our creaturely lives,” not a sign of brokenness or failureThe “gap between what we want and what we have” in relationshipsLoneliness as a universal human experience across ages and contextsSolitude and DiscernmentSolitude as a place to listen more clearly to God and oneselfTime alone clarifies intuition, vocation, and identity.Solitude shapes self-knowledge outside societal expectations.Community, Church, and EmbodimentChurches can be embodied spaces of connection yet still feel lonely.Hospitality requires more than “hi”; it requires digging deeper into personal encounter.Embodied church life resists technological comforts that reduce vulnerability.Grief, Risk, and VulnerabilityDistinguishing grief-loneliness from social-isolation lonelinessRelationships inherently involve risk, limits, and potential hurt.Opening oneself to others requires relinquishing entitlement.Everyday Encounters and Ecological AttentionSmall moments with neighbors (like taking a stranger's photo) can be meaningful.Loneliness can signal attention toward creaturely neighbors—birds, bugs, landscapes.Turning loneliness outward can widen our capacity for care.Production NotesThis podcast featured Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Hope ChunA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Living alone may be difficult, but what about dying alone? Physicians and nurses are the new priests accompanying people as they face death. But the experience of nursing homes, assisted living, and palliative wards are often some of the loneliest spaces in human culture.“He said, ‘Someone finally saw me. I've been in this hospital for 20 years and I didn't think anyone ever saw me.'”This episode is part 5 of a series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.In this episode, Columbia physician and medical ethicist Lydia Dugdale joins Macie Bridge to reflect on loneliness, solitude, and what it means to die—and live—well. Drawing from her clinical work in New York City and the years of research and experience that went into her book The Lost Art of Dying, Dugdale exposes a crisis of unrepresented patients dying alone, the loss of communal care, and medicine's discomfort with mortality.She recalls the medieval Ars Moriendi tradition, where dying was intentionally communal, and explores how virtue and community sustain a good death. Together they discuss solitude as restorative rather than fearful, loneliness as a modern epidemic, and the sacred responsibility of seeing one another deeply. With stories from her patients and her own reflections on family, COVID isolation, and faith, Dugdale illuminates how medicine, mortality, and moral imagination converge on one truth: to die well, we must learn to live well … together.Helpful Links and ResourcesThe Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom by Lydia S. DugdalePew Research Center Study on Loneliness (2025)Harvard Study of Adult Development on LonelinessEpisode Highlights“If you want to die well, you have to live well.”“Community doesn't appear out of nowhere at the bedside.”“He said, ‘Someone finally saw me. I've been in this hospital for 20 years and I didn't think anyone ever saw me.'”“We are social creatures. Human beings are meant to be in relationship.”“Solitude, just like rest or Sabbath, is something all of us need.”About Lydia DugdaleLydia S. Dugdale, MD, MAR is a physician and medical ethicist at Columbia University, where she serves as Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. She is the author of The Lost Art of Dying: Reviving Forgotten Wisdom and a leading voice on virtue ethics, mortality, and human flourishing in medicine.Show NotesLoneliness, Solitude, and the CityNew York's “unrepresented” patients—those who have no one to make decisions for them.The phenomenon of people “surrounded but unseen” in urban life.“I have a loving family … but I never see them.”Medicine and the PandemicLoneliness intensified during COVID-19: patients dying alone under strict hospital restrictions.Dugdale's reflections on balancing social responsibility with human connection.“We are social creatures. Human beings are meant to be in relationship.”Technology, Fear, and the Online Shadow CommunityPost-pandemic isolation worsened by online echo chambers.One in five adults reports loneliness—back to pre-pandemic levels.The Lost Art of DyingMedieval Ars Moriendi: learning to die well by living well.Virtue and community as the foundation for a good death.“If you don't want to die an impatient, bitter, despairing old fool, then you need to practice hope and patience and joy.”Modern Medicine's Fear of DeathPhysicians unpracticed—and afraid—to talk about mortality.“Doctors themselves are afraid to talk about death.”How palliative care both helps and distances doctors from mortality.Community and MortalityThe man who reconnected with his estranged children after reading The Lost Art of Dying.“He said, ‘I want my kids there when I die.'”Living well so that dying isn't lonely.Programs of Connection and the Body of ChristVolunteer models, day programs, and mutual care as small restorations of community.“The more we commit to others, the more others commit back to us.”Solitude and the Human SpiritDistinguishing solitude, loneliness, and social isolation.Solitude as restorative and necessary: “All of us need solitude. It's a kind of rest.”The contemplative life as vital for engagement with the world.Death, Autonomy, and CommunityThe limits of “my death, my choice.”The communal role in death: “We should have folks at our deathbeds.”Medieval parish customs of accompanying the dying.Seeing and Being SeenA patient long thought impossible to care for says, “Someone finally saw me.”Seeing others deeply as moral and spiritual work.“How can we see each other and connect in a meaningful way?”Production NotesThis podcast featured Lydia DugdaleInterview by Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Hope ChunA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Willie James Jennings believes that belonging is the goal of education, which is pursued at the intersections of the world's contradictions and our own social and moral sensibilities. Willie is a public theologian and professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale Divinity School. In this conversation, he reflects on the influence of mentors and role models while also highlighting the racialized and unjust structures within Western educational systems. He encourages educators to listen to, learn from, and (above all) pay attention to their students as part of a shared vocational process. He also shares his commitment for challenging antisemitism as well as drawing attention to the plight of Palestinians.  

Spiritual Pathways for Environmental Restoration Guest Rev. Rachel Field, Program Manager, An Episcopal Path Spending time in nature, one sees God's creativity all around us, and so develops an appreciation for the divine intelligence behind the beauty, functionality and mystery of Nature. The Creation Story in the Book of Genesis tells of God creating the heavens, the earth, the fish, the birds, all the other creatures and, finally, man and woman. Children of the Cherokee Nation hear the story of Grandmother Spider, who, they are told, embodies the creative force of the universe, having woven the network that interconnects all living beings and symbolizes the importance of ecosystems, community and relationships. There is something to be learned from these and other creation stories. Reverend Rachel Field joins us to talk about our role in Creation Care. She is the Program Manager for An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice, an initiative equipping church communities to grow in knowledge and skills as they progress along the four-fold path: Prayer, Learning, Action, and Advocacy. Rachel explains these four pillars in detail and draws on diverse approaches for diverse contexts. Those walking an Episcopal Path commit to form and restore a loving, liberating, life-giving relationship with all of Creation, and they collaborate with other faith organizations. Rachel shares her deep wisdom and shines a light by framing our environmental degradation as a “spiritual crisis” and showing us the power of spiritually enlightened engagement. Rachel has more than 15 years of experience leading creation-centered retreats in the Episcopal Church. She is also Owner/Director of Heartberry Hollow Farm & Forest, which is a regenerative farm and retreat center in central Vermont. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a certificate in Contemplative Leadership from the Shalem Institute. She is a member of the Clergy at Parish of St. Mary in Northfield, VT. INFORMATION RESOURCES View my fabulous spider web photos https://substack.com/home/post/p-174923967 Learn more about “An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice” https://www.episcopalcreationpath.org/ Engage with the BTS Center - Cultivating and Nourishing Spiritual Leadership for a Climate-Changed World https://thebtscenter.org/ Read about the Creation Care curriculum: Love God, Love God's World https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/love-god-love-gods-world-curriculum/ Join Rachel on a Walking Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hHCViU1YFo Visit Heartberry Hollow Farm and Forest heartberryhollowfarmandforest@gmail.com Purchase Wendy's book, The Angel Heart - https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Heart-Wendy-Nadherny-Fachon/dp/1967270279/ref=sr_1_1 Read about DIPG: Eternal Hope Versus Terminal Corruption by Dean Fachon begin to uncover the truth about cancer - https://dipgbook.com/ Learn more at https://netwalkri.com email storywalkerwendy@gmail.com or call 401 529-6830. Connect with Wendy to order copies of Fiddlesticks, The Angel Heart or Storywalker Wild Plant Magic Cards. Subscribe to Wendy's blog Writing with Wendy at www.wendyfachon.blog. Join Wendy on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/StoryWalkingRadio

What is the role of solitude in Christian history? Medievalist Hetta Howes comments on the allure of enclosure, how seeking solitude supports community, and what these ancient lives reveal about our modern search for connection.“Even those moments of solitude that she's carving for herself are surprisingly sociable.”This episode is part 1 of a 5-part series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.Medieval Anchoresses and Women Mystics sought a life of solitude with and for God—what about their vocation might illuminate our perspectives on loneliness, isolation, and solitude today?In this episode, Hetta Howes joins Macie Bridge to explore the extraordinary lives of medieval women mystics, including Julian of Norwich and Marjorie Kempee. Drawing from her book Poet Mystic Widow Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women, Howes illuminates how these women lived in literal and spiritual solitude—sometimes sealed in stone anchorages, sometimes carving sacred space in the midst of family and community. Together they consider the physical and spiritual demands of enclosure, the sociable windows of anchorages, and the simultaneous human longing for both solitude and companionship. Across the centuries, these women invite us to think anew about loneliness, vocation, and the need for community—even in devotion to God.Helpful Links and ResourcesPoet Mystic Widow Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women – Hetta HowesJulian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love (Penguin Classics)The Book of Margery Kempe (Oxford World's Classics)Episode Highlights“An anchorage is a small cell, usually joined to a church… and the idea was that you would never leave that place alive again.”“Sometimes you do come across these things and you're like, oh, maybe the cultural consciousness was so different that they had a different language for loneliness.”“Marjorie frames herself as a figure who is constantly looking for connection—sometimes finding it, but often being rejected in really painful ways.”“Even those moments of solitude that she's carving for herself are surprisingly sociable.”“What I've learned from them is the importance of community—that even solitary professions absolutely rely on other people.”About Hetta HowesHetta Howes is a Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern Literature at City St. George's, University of London. She specializes in the literature of the Middle Ages, with particular focus on medieval women writers, mysticism, and representations of gender and devotion. Her most recent book is Poet Mystic Widow Wife: The Extraordinary Lives of Medieval Women (2024).Show NotesSolitude and SanctityHowes introduces her research on medieval women mystics and writers (Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, Christine de Pizan, Marie de France).Exploration of the anchoritic life—cells built into church walls where women lived sealed from the world.The paradox of solitude: enclosure for God that still required connection for survival.The Anchorite's WorldAnchorages included small windows—to the church, the street, and for food—balancing isolation with limited engagement.Guidebooks warned women against gossip and temptation, revealing anxiety about sociability and holiness.“Why have a window to the world if you're not ever going to converse with it?”Loneliness and BoredomLoneliness rarely appears in medieval texts; boredom and idleness were greater concerns.“Boredom comes up as a concept much more often than loneliness.”Modern readers project our loneliness onto them; their silence might reveal difference, not absence.Julian and MarjorieJulian's quiet solitude contrasts with Marjorie's noisy, emotional piety.Marjorie Kempe's “roarings” and unconventional piety challenged norms; she lived in the world but sought holiness.“I wish you were enclosed in a house of stone”—a critique of her refusal to conform.Solitude and CommunityEven in seclusion, anchorites served others—praying, advising, maintaining windows to the world.Julian's writings reveal care for all Christians; her solitude was intercessory, not selfish.Howes connects medieval community to our modern digital and emotional isolation.Modern ReflectionsHowes parallels her own experience of digital overload and motherhood with the medieval longing for quiet focus.“As amazing as the digital can be, it's eroding so much.”She cautions against idolizing solitude but affirms its value for clarity and grounding.Production NotesThis podcast featured Hetta HowesInterview by Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Hope ChunA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

The Nicene Creed is *the* definitive statement of faith for what Christianity is for most Christians, around the world, throughout most of time. Love it or hate it, the Creed binds us together. And since our entire project at And Also With You is reclaiming an ancient Christian faith for modern Christian life, we thought it time to dive deep into this Creed -- to show how this 1700 year old prayer holds up and how we are following it still today. But the fact that we HAVE a creed (other religions don't really do this) and that is came from these series of big ol' committee meetings is actually a really fascinating thing to unpack, for for our first of twelve episodes exploring the Creed, we're delighted to welcome Dr. Hannah Black, Ph.D. to orient us to the Creed as a historical and spiritual document. More about Dr. Hannah Black, Ph.D.: Dr. Hannah Black earned her PhD in Divinity from the University of Cambridge in 2023, with her doctoral dissertation entitled “Gregory of Nyssa's Soteriological Imaginary as a Resource for Nonviolent Soteriology.” Dr. Black's doctoral research will be published as a book in the near future, which will focus on how Gregory of Nyssa's use of biblical imagery can be used to build upon feminist and womanist critiques of violent atonement theology. Dr. Black is also contracted with St. Vladimir's Press to produce a Popular Patristics Series translation of seven short works by Gregory of Nyssa surrounding the theme of the life of virtue.At the University of Cambridge, Dr. Black was the Decani Scholar of Clare College Chapel, where she served as a lay leader in the Church of England. She was also editor of the divinity graduate journal Noesis and founder Women in Divinity. She currently serves on the leadership teams of Theologia and the Feminist Theology Network.Dr. Black has taught at the University of Cambridge, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and Yale Divinity School. Her teaching has included the subjects of early Christianity, theology and literature, systematic theology, Greek, and Anglican and Episcopalian history. While at Yale, Dr. Black hosted The Leader's Way podcast for two years, convening conversations about theology, spirituality, and leadership with church leaders and scholars.Beyond teaching and writing, Dr. Black enjoys hiking with her husband Griffin and their dog Nellie and learning new crafts, like knitting. Dr. Hannah Black article for Earth & Altar “Scripture scrapbook”Athanasius' On the Incarnation (Popular Patrictics Series, 44b)https://www.christianbook.com/on-the-incarnation-saint-athanasis/9780881414271/pd/414276?en=google&event=SHOP&kw=academic-0-20%7C414276&p=1179710&utm_source=google&p=1237749&dv=c&cb_src=google&cb_typ=shopping&cb_cmp=21328467087&cb_adg=164336762792&cb_kyw=&utm_medium=shopping&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21328467087&gbraid=0AAAAAD_dTHbGl-v2rkxnnGf4RH6r_V_dy&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnovFBhDnARIsAO4V7mDCyrTi3xWqIAhN5Y8vNVHAvydf9SVCSKz83-WiZNx3zEuQCYWh02MaArrAEALw_wcBBiblical Time Machine episode with Sara Parvis https://www.biblicaltimemachine.com/listen-to-episodes/tnrzrx5darp7hnj-lz388-cw5dc-5zr8e-c98pn-7cd82-3dw4w-pk39b-krhb4-dmpzj-9chdk-ff3f4-rrjnw-wx4zs-2pkb4-6yyxm-saw97-ytnrg-y5w99-brayd-fhhce-f7tc6-7grnw-bmbcl-njl3f-79gbr+++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Is technology the source or salve of social isolation? Given the realities of increasing division, the epidemic of loneliness, and unwanted isolation today, how should we think about the theological, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of the human experience of aloneness?“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”This episode is part 3 of a 5-part series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.In this episode, sociologist Felicia Wu Song joins Macie Bridge to discuss the sociology of solitude, loneliness, and isolation, framed by today's most pressing technological challenges.Drawing from her work on digital culture and AI, Song distinguishes between isolation, loneliness, and generative solitude—what she calls “positive aloneness.” She explores how technology both connects and disconnects us, what's lost when care becomes automated, and why the human face-to-face encounter remains vital for grace and dignity. Together they consider the allure of AI companionship, the “better-than-nothing” argument, and the church's local, embodied role in a digitized age. Song invites listeners to rediscover curiosity, self-reflection, and the spiritual discipline of solitude as essential practices for recovering our humanity amid the noise of the crowd.Helpful Links and ResourcesFelicia Wu Song, Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age — https://www.ivpress.com/restless-devicesAllison Pugh, The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World — https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691240817/the-last-human-jobDavid Whyte, “Solace: The Art of Asking the Beautiful Question” — https://www.amazon.com/Solace-Art-Asking-Beautiful-Question/dp/1932887377Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other — https://www.sherryturkle.com/alone-togetherEpisode Highlights“Even though I study technology, I'm really interested in what it means to be human.”“What happens when we have technologies that always bring the crowd? The crowd is always with us all the time.”“Loneliness is the gap between what I think I should have and what I actually have.”“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”“We should cut ourselves a lot of slack. Feeling lonely is very human. It doesn't mean something's wrong with me.”About Felicia Wu SongFelicia Wu Song is a sociologist, writer, and speaker, and was Professor of Sociology at Westmont College for many years. She is author of Restless Devices: Recovering Personhood, Presence, and Place in the Digital Age. Her research examines digital technology, culture, and Christian formation, exploring how contemporary media ecosystems shape our social and spiritual lives. Learn more about her work at https://feliciawusong.com/Show NotesTechnology, Humanity, and SolitudeSong describes her sociological work at the intersection of culture, technology, and spirituality.She reflects on how technology reshapes our sense of identity, community, and human meaning.“Even though I study technology, I'm really interested in what it means to be human.”The question of loneliness emerges from the expectation of constant accessibility and permanent connection.The Crowd Is Always With Us“What happens when we have technologies that always bring the crowd?”Song critiques how digital connectivity erases silence and solitude, making stillness feel uncomfortable.Explores the challenge of practicing ancient spiritual disciplines like silence in the digital age.Connection and DisconnectionSong traces the historical celebration of communication technology's power to transcend time and space.Notes the danger of normalizing constant connectivity: “If you can do it, you should do it.”Examines how connection can become a cultural norm that stigmatizes solitude.Defining Loneliness, Isolation, and Solitude“Social isolation is objective; loneliness is subjective; solitude is generative.”Distinguishes “positive aloneness” as a space for self-conversation and divine encounter.References David Whyte and the Desert Fathers and Mothers as guides to solitude.Youth, Boredom, and the Portal of LonelinessDiscusses the value of “episodic loneliness” as a portal to self-discovery and spiritual growth.Connects solitude to creativity and reflection through the “boredom literature.”AI, Care, and the Better-Than-Nothing ArgumentExamines the emergence of AI chatbots and companionship tools.Engages Allison Pugh's critique of “the better-than-nothing argument.”“It sounds altruistic, but it actually leads to deeper and deeper inequality.”Raises justice and resource questions around replacing human teachers and therapists with chatbots.The Limits of Machine Grace“AI technologies aren't capable of creating conditions in which grace can happen—it's endemic to personhood.”Explores embodiment, dignity, and the irreplaceable value of human presence.Critiques the assumption that “being seen” by a machine equates to being known by a person.AI, Divinity, and ProjectionNotes human tendency to attribute divine or human qualities to machines.References Sherry Turkle's early studies on human-computer relationships.“We are so relational that we'll even take a clunky computer program and give it human-like qualities.”Faith, Solitude, and Social ConditionsSong emphasizes the sociological dimension: environments shape human flourishing.“Let's not make it so hard for people to experience solitude.”Advocates for embodied, place-based communities as antidotes to digital disembodiment.Loneliness, Curiosity, and GraceEncourages gentleness toward oneself in moments of loneliness.“Feeling lonely is very human. It doesn't mean something's wrong with me.”Promotes curiosity and acceptance as pathways to spiritual and personal growth.Production NotesThis podcast featured Felicia Wu SongEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Hope Chun, Alexa Rollow and Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Consider human ecological loneliness and our longing for reconnection with all creation. What healing is available in an era defined by environmental loss and exploitation? Can we strengthen the fragile connection between modern society and the space we inhabit?“Loneliness is the symptom that desires its cure.”In this episode Macie Bridge welcomes writer, translator, and poet Laura Marris to reflect on her essay collection The Age of Loneliness, a meditation on solitude, grief, and the ecology of attention. Marris considers what it means to live through an era defined by environmental loss and human disconnection, yet still filled with wonder. She shares stories of tardigrades that endure extreme conditions, how airports reveal our attitudes toward birds, and the personal loss of her father that awakened her to “noticing absence.” Together, they explore how ecological loneliness might transform into longing for reconnection—not only among humans, but with the creatures and landscapes that share our world. Marris suggests that paying attention, naming, and noticing are acts of restoration. “Loneliness,” she writes, “is the symptom that desires its cure.”Episode Highlights“Loneliness is the symptom that desires its cure.”“There are ways, even very simple ones, that individuals can do to make the landscape around them more hospitable.”“I don't believe that humans are hardwired to exploit. There have been many societies with long traditions of mutual benefit and coexistence.”“It's really hard to notice an absence sometimes. There's something curative about noticing absences that have been around but not acknowledged.”“Ecological concerns are not a luxury. It's actually really important to hold the line on them.”Helpful Links and ResourcesThe Age of Loneliness by Laura Marris — https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/age-lonelinessUnderland by Robert Macfarlane — https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393242140E.O. Wilson on “Beware the Age of Loneliness” — https://www.economist.com/news/2013/11/18/beware-the-age-of-lonelinessAbout Laura MarrisLaura Marris is a writer and translator whose work spans poetry, essays, and literary translation. She is the author of The Age of Loneliness and has translated Albert Camus's The Plague for Vintage Classics. She teaches creative writing and translation at the University at Buffalo.Show NotesThe Ecology of Loneliness and LongingLaura Marris discusses The Age of Loneliness—“Eremocene”—a term coined by E.O. Wilson to describe a speculative future of environmental isolation.Fascination with poetic form and environmental prose emerging during the pandemic.Ecological loneliness arises from biodiversity loss, but also offers the chance to reimagine more hospitable human landscapes.Extreme Tolerance and the Human ConditionMarris describes tardigrades as metaphors for endurance without thriving—organisms that survive extremes by pausing metabolism.“How extremely tolerant are humans, and what are our ways of trying to be more tolerant to extreme conditions?”Air conditioning becomes an emblem of “extreme tolerance,” mirroring human adaptation to a destabilized environment.Birds, Airports, and the Language of BlameMarris explores how modern air travel enforces ecological loneliness by eradicating other species from its space.She reveals hidden networks of wildlife managers and the Smithsonian's Feather Identification Lab.Reflects on the “Miracle on the Hudson,” where language wrongly cast geese as antagonists—“as if the birds wanted to hit the plane.”Loneliness, Solitude, and Longing“Loneliness is solitude attached to longing that feels painful.”Marris distinguishes solitude's generativity from loneliness's ache, suggesting longing can be a moral compass toward reconnection.Personal stories of her father's bird lists intertwine grief and ecological noticing.Ground Truthing and Community ScienceMarris introduces “ground truthing”—people verifying ecological data firsthand.She celebrates local volunteers counting birds, horseshoe crabs, and plants as acts of hope.“Community care applies to human and more-than-human communities alike.”Toxic Landscapes and Ecological AftermathMarris recounts Buffalo's industrial scars and ongoing restoration along the Niagara River.“Toxins don't stop at the edge of the landfill—they keep going.”She reflects on beauty, resilience, and the return of eagles to post-industrial lands.Attention and Wonder as Advocacy“A lot of advocacy stems from paying local attention.”Small, attentive acts—like watching sparrows dust bathe—are forms of resistance against despair.Cure, Absence, and Continuing the ConversationMarris resists the idea of a final “cure” for loneliness.“Cure could be something ongoing, a process, a change in your life.”Her annual bird counts become a continuing dialogue with her late father.Wisdom for the Lonely“Take the time to notice what it is you're lonely for.”She calls for transforming loneliness into longing for a more hospitable, interdependent world.Production NotesThis podcast featured Laura MarrisInterview by Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Hope ChunA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Theologian Miroslav Volf reflects on solitude, loneliness, and how being alone can reveal our humanity, selfhood, and relationship with God.This episode is part 1 of a 5-part series, SOLO, which explores the theological, moral, and psychological dimensions of loneliness, solitude, and being alone.“Solitude brings one back in touch with who one is—it's how we stabilize ourselves so we know how to be ourselves with others.”Macie Bridge welcomes Miroslav for a conversation on solitude and being oneself—probing the difference between loneliness and aloneness, and the essential role of solitude in a flourishing Christian life. Reflecting on Genesis, the Incarnation, and the sensory life of faith, Volf considers how we can both embrace solitude and attend to the loneliness of others.He shares personal reflections on his mother's daily prayer practice and how solitude grounded her in divine presence. Volf describes how solitude restores the self before God and others: “Nobody can be me instead of me.” It is possible, he suggests, that we can we rediscover the presence of God in every relationship—solitary or shared.Helpful Links and ResourcesThe Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us WorseFyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and PunishmentRainer Maria Rilke, Book of Hours (Buch der Stunden)Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Creation and FallEpisode Highlights“Nobody can be me instead of me. And since I must be me, to be me well, I need times with myself.”“It's not good, in almost a metaphysical sense, for us to be alone. We aren't ourselves when we are simply alone.”“Solitude brings one back in touch with who one is—it's how we stabilize ourselves so we know how to be ourselves with others.”“Our relationship to God is mediated by our relationships to others. To honor another is to honor God.”“When we attend to the loneliness of others, in some ways we tend to our own loneliness.”Solitude, Loneliness, and FlourishingThe difference between solitude (constructive aloneness) and loneliness (diminishment of self).COVID-19 as an amplifier of solitude and loneliness.Volf's experience of being alone at Yale—productive solitude without loneliness.Loneliness as “the absence of an affirming glance.”Aloneness as essential for self-reflection and renewal before others.Humanity, Creation, and RelationshipAdam's solitude in Genesis as an incomplete creation—“It is not good for man to be alone.”Human beings as fundamentally social and political.A newborn cannot flourish without touch and gaze—relational presence is constitutive of personhood.Solitude and communion exist in dynamic tension; both must be rightly measured.Jesus's Solitude and Human ResponsibilityJesus withdrawing to pray as a model of sacred solitude.Solitude allows one to “return to oneself,” guarding against being lost in the crowd.The danger of losing selfhood in relationships, “becoming echoes of the crowd.”God, Limits, and OthersEvery other person as a God-given limit—“To honor another is to honor God.”Violating others as transgressing divine boundaries.True spirituality as respecting the space, limit, and presence of the other.Touch, Senses, and the ChurchThe sensory dimension of faith—seeing, touching, being seen.Mary's anointing of Jesus as embodied gospel.Rilke's “ripe seeing”: vision as invitation and affirmation.The church as a site of embodied presence—touch, seeing, listening as acts of communion.The Fear of Violation and the Gift of RespectLoneliness often born from fear of being violated rather than from lack of company.Loving another includes honoring their limit and respecting their freedom.Practical Reflections on LonelinessQuestions Volf asks himself: “Do I dare to be alone? How do I draw strength when I feel lonely?”The paradox of social connection in a digital age—teenagers side by side, “completely disconnected.”Love as sheer presence—“By sheer being, having a loving attitude, I relieve another's loneliness.”The Spiritual Discipline of SolitudeVolf's mother's daily hour of morning prayer—learning to hear God's voice like Samuel.Solitude as the ground for transformation: narrating oneself before God.“Nobody can die in my place… nobody can live my life in my place.”Solitude as preparation for love and life in community.About Miroslav VolfMiroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. He is the author of Exclusion and Embrace, Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World, and numerous works on theology, culture, and human flourishing—most recently The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse.Production NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfInterview by Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow, Emily Brookfield, and Hope ChunA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

From bipartisan cooperation to prayerful gratitude, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joins Drew Collins to reflect on joy, wisdom, and love of enemy in a divided nation—offering a vision of public service grounded in the way of Jesus.“Jesus defied expectations—he welcomed the stranger, he fed the hungry, he loved his enemies.”Together they discuss the role of faith in public life amid deep division. Reflecting on Jesus's call to love our enemies and the Apostle Paul's exhortation to “rejoice always,” she describes how Scripture, prayer, and gratitude sustain her work in the U.S. Senate.From bipartisan collaboration to the challenges of resisting an authoritarian executive branch, Gillibrand speaks candidly about the challenges of embodying gentleness and compassion in politics, consistently seeking spiritual solidarity with colleagues across the aisle. Drawing on Philippians 4, she testifies to the peace of God that transcends understanding, revealing a vision of political life animated by faith, courage, and joy—all in the spirit of hope, humility, and the enduring call to love in public service.Episode Highlights“Faith is the greatest gift you could have. It grounds me; it reminds me why I'm here and what my life is supposed to be about.”“We can disagree about public policy, but we don't have to be in disagreement as people.”“Jesus defied expectations—he welcomed the stranger, he fed the hungry, he loved his enemies.”“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice… let your gentleness be evident to all.”“I pray for wisdom every day. Scripture tells us if you ask for it, you will receive it—and boy do I need it.”About Kirsten GillibrandKirsten Gillibrand is the U.S. Senator from New York, serving since 2009. A graduate of Dartmouth College and UCLA Law School, she has focused her legislative career on ethics reform, national security, and family policy. Grounded in her Christian faith, she seeks to model bipartisan leadership and compassionate public service. For more information, visit gillibrand.senate.gov.Helpful Links and ResourcesPhilippians 4:4–9 (Bible Gateway)Redeemer Presbyterian Church (Tim Keller)Gospel in Life Podcast (Tim Keller)Chaplain Barry C. Black – U.S. Senate ChaplainKirsten Gillibrand, Official Senate PageFaith and DivisionGillibrand describes America's current political and social moment as deeply divided, weakened by retreat into ideological corners.“We're stronger when we work together—when people love their neighbors and care as if they were their own family.”Faith offers grounding amid chaos; social media and tribalism breed extremism and hate.Following Jesus in Public LifeFaith clarifies her purpose and sustains her in political life.“It makes everything make sense to me.”Living “out of step with what's cool, trendy, or powerful” defines Christian vocation in public office.Bipartisanship and Common GroundWorks with Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) on crypto regulation, Ted Cruz (R-TX) on first responder support, and Josh Hawley (R-MO) on stock trading bans.“If I can restore some healthcare or Meals on Wheels, I'll go that extra mile to do that good thing.”Collaboration as moral practice—faith expressed through policy partnership.Loving Enemies and Welcoming StrangersDraws parallels between Jesus's ministry and bipartisan cooperation.“He would sooner convert a Roman soldier than go to war with him.”“If I went to a Democratic rally and said, ‘love your enemy,' I don't know how that would go over.”Testifying to FaithWeekly Bible study with Senate Chaplain Barry C. Black.“He told us: Testify to your blessings. Share what God is doing in your life.”Posts daily blessings on social media, mixing joy and public witness.The Faith of DemocratsCounters perception that Democrats lack faith: “There are more ordained ministers and theology degrees on our side than people realize.”Mentions Senators Tim Kaine, Chris Coons, Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, and Lisa Blunt Rochester, all of whom regularly meet and discuss their faith and its impact on public office.Faith and Policy DifferencesOn reproductive rights and LGBTQ equality: “It's not the government's job to discriminate.”Frames Matthew 25 as central to Democratic faith—feeding, caring, welcoming.Compares differing theological interpretations of government's role in justice.Joy and GratitudePhilippians 4 as daily anchor: “Rejoice in the Lord always… let your gentleness be evident to all.”Keeps a five-year daily gratitude journal: “You rewire your brain to look for what is praiseworthy.”Rejoicing doesn't deny suffering; it transforms it into solidarity.Prayer and WisdomPrays constantly for family, colleagues, nation, and reconciliation.“Wisdom's usually the one thing I ask for myself.”Prayer as discernment: deciding “where to put my voice, effort, and relationships.”Production NotesThis podcast featured Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.Edited and Produced by Evan Rosa.Hosted by Evan Rosa.Production Assistance by Alexa Rollow and Emily Brookfield.A Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School (faith.yale.edu/about)Support For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: faith.yale.edu/give

This conversation was a wild ride through some of the most challenging questions facing progressive Christians today. Malcolm Foley—reverend, scholar, and all-around theology nerd—walked us through his journey from studying Greek church fathers to researching lynching and the Black church's witness to America. We dug into his book's central thesis that greed (not just ignorance or hate) is the root of racism, explored why Christians keep trying to serve both God and Mammon despite Jesus being pretty clear about that either/or situation, and wrestled with what it means to pursue justice with moral clarity, fierce perseverance, and nonviolent love. Malcolm challenged us on everything from our electoral anxieties to our tendency to spiritualize away material commitments, reminding us that the church is supposed to be an alternative political-economic community, not just a gathering of people who think the same things. We talked about David Walker's abolitionist fire, Ida B. Wells' relentless anti-lynching work, and MLK's theological commitment to enemy love—and why progressive Christians especially struggle with that last piece. It's the kind of conversation that makes you simultaneously want to holler "amen" and also maybe go hide because actually following Jesus is way harder than voting for the right candidate. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Rev. Dr. Malcolm Foley earned a PhD in religion from Baylor University in December 2021. His dissertation investigated Black Protestants responding to lynching from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Before coming to Baylor, Dr. Foley earned a BA in religious studies with a second major in finance and a minor in classics from Washington University in St. Louis. He subsequently completed a Master of Divinity at Yale Divinity School, focusing on the theology of the early and medieval church. Malcolm also serves as a co-pastor at an intentionally multicultural, nondenominational church, Mosaic Waco. He is the author of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why The Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create A New Way Forward . ONLINE CLASS - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The God of Justice: Where Ancient Wisdom Meets Contemporary Longing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This transformative online class brings together distinguished scholars from biblical studies, theology, history, and faith leadership to offer exactly what our moment demands: the rich, textured wisdom of multiple academic disciplines speaking into our contemporary quest for justice. Guests this year include John Dominic Crossan, Kelly Brown Douglas, Philip Clayton, Stacey Floyd-Thomas, Jeffery Pugh, Juan Floyd-Thomas, Andy Root, Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Noreen Herzfeld, Reggie Williams, Casper ter Kuile, and more! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get info and tickets here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. _____________________ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Homebrewed Christianity⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Theology Nerd Throwdown⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Rise of Bonhoeffer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ podcasts for more theological goodness for your earbuds. Join over 75,000 other people by joining our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Substack - Process This!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get instant access to over 50 classes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.TheologyClass.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the podcast, drop a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, send ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠feedback/questions⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or become a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠member of the HBC Community⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Theologian R. Kendall Soulen joins Drew Collins to discuss supersessionism, the name of God (tetragrammaton), the irrevocable covenant between God and the Jews, and the enduring significance of Judaism for Christian theology.Together they explore religious and ethnic heritage, cultural identity, community, covenant, interfaith dialogue, and the ongoing implications for Christian theology and practice.They also reflect on how the Holocaust forced Christians to confront theological assumptions, how Vatican II and subsequent church statements reshaped doctrine, and why the gifts and calling of God remain irrevocable. Soulen challenges traditional readings of Scripture that erase Israel, insisting instead on a post-supersessionist framework where Jews and Gentiles bear distinct but inseparable witness to God's faithfulness.Image Credit: Marc Chagall, ”Moses with the Burning Bush”, 1966Episode Highlights“The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”“Supersessionism is the Christian belief that the Jews are no longer God's people.”“The Lord is God—those words preserve God's identity and resist erasure.”“Israel sinned. They are still Israel. That identity is irrevocable.”“The gospel doesn't erase the distinction between Jews and Gentiles; it reconfigures it.”About R. Kendall SoulenR. Kendall Soulen is Professor of Systematic Theology at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. A leading voice in post-supersessionist Christian theology, he has written extensively on the relationship between Christianity and Judaism, including The God of Israel and Christian Theology and Irrevocable: The Name of God and the Christian Bible.Helpful Links and ResourcesR. Kendall Soulen, Irrevocable: The Name of God and the Christian BibleR. Kendall Soulen, The God of Israel and Christian TheologyVatican II, Nostra Aetate — Vatican.vaMichael Wyschogrod, The Body of Faith: God in the People IsraelDrew Collins, The Unique and Universal ChristShow NotesR. Kendall Soulen's formative encounters with Judaism at Yale and influence of Hans Frei and Michael WyschogrodRomans 9–11 as central to understanding Christianity's relationship with JudaismSupersessionism defined as denying Israel's ongoing covenant with GodImpact of the Holocaust and World War II on Christian theologyVatican II's Nostra Aetate affirming God's covenant with Israel remains intactOver a billion Christians now belong to churches rejecting supersessionismSoulen's early work The God of Israel and Christian Theology diagnosing supersessionism in canonical narrativeDiscovery of the divine name's centrality in Scripture and its neglect in Christian interpretationJesus's reverence for God's name shaping Christian prayer and theologyProper names as resistance to instrumentalization and fungibilityJewish and Gentile identities as distinct yet united in ChristDialogue with Judaism as essential for Christian self-understandingPost-supersessionist theology reshaping interfaith relations and Christian identityImplications for law observance, Christian Seders, and Jewish-Gentile church lifeAbrahamic faiths and typology: getting Christianity and Judaism right as foundation for interreligious dialogueProduction NotesThis episode was made possible by the generous support of the Tyndale House FoundationThis podcast featured R. Kendall SoulenEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow and Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

An Interview with The Reverend Benjamin Wyatt This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, a turning point in Christian history. In this episode, Rev. Benjamin Wyatt, Episcopal priest and author of Christ and the Council, joins Shirley Paulson to explore the controversies that led to the Nicene Creed, Constantine's role in enforcing unity, and why debates about Christ's divinity mattered so deeply. Their conversation sheds light on the messy, human realities behind doctrines still shaping Christianity today. The Reverend Benjamin Wyatt is an Episcopal priest, serving as the Priest-in-Charge at the Church of the Nativity in Indianapolis. He has run two podcasts on ancient Christianity, “The Road to Nicaea” and “In Simeon's Wake.” Just in time for Nicaea's 1700th anniversary celebration, Ben's new book, titled Christ and the Council, published by Wipf and Stock, is forthcoming. He holds an M.Div. and S.T.M. from Yale Divinity School. Visit the podcast show notes page on the Early Christian Texts website for a complete transcript. https://earlychristiantexts.com/council-of-nicaea/

Dr Lucas Schulte, Director of Education and Outreach at Tri-Faith, was raised on a Nebraska farm, tutored in college and divinity schools, seasoned on archaeological digs, and blends grit and thoughtful reflection. As well as deep religious scholarship, he has spent decades asking how people of different faiths live well together. We talk about all that in the show, as well as Indiana-Jones moments, religious identity, and why interfaith engagement matters in a polarized era.Dr. Schulte leads efforts to promote Religious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through community education and engagement. A Nebraska native, he earned degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Yale Divinity School, and Claremont Graduate University, specializing in the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, and the ancient Near East. His career includes teaching at universities and seminaries nationwide, archaeological work in Israel, and published scholarship, including a book on the Book of Nehemiah and a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to the Book of Isaiah. Today, he brings both academic expertise and practical creativity to advancing interfaith understanding, while also enjoying life with his wife, two children, and passions ranging from biking and cooking to Star Trek and K-dramas.____Today's show and others are supported by the generous membership of Amy and Tom Trenolone.

Dr Lucas Schulte, Director of Education and Outreach at Tri-Faith, was raised on a Nebraska farm, tutored in college and divinity schools, seasoned on archaeological digs, and blends grit and thoughtful reflection. As well as deep religious scholarship, he has spent decades asking how people of different faiths live well together. We talk about all that in the show, as well as Indiana-Jones moments, religious identity, and why interfaith engagement matters in a polarized era.Dr. Schulte leads efforts to promote Religious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion through community education and engagement. A Nebraska native, he earned degrees from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Yale Divinity School, and Claremont Graduate University, specializing in the Hebrew Bible, Second Temple Judaism, and the ancient Near East. His career includes teaching at universities and seminaries nationwide, archaeological work in Israel, and published scholarship, including a book on the Book of Nehemiah and a chapter in The Cambridge Companion to the Book of Isaiah. Today, he brings both academic expertise and practical creativity to advancing interfaith understanding, while also enjoying life with his wife, two children, and passions ranging from biking and cooking to Star Trek and K-dramas.____Today's show and others are supported by the generous membership of Amy and Tom Trenolone.

Clinical psychologist Alexis Abernethy explores burnout, Sabbath rest, and resilience—reframing rest as spiritual practice for individuals and communities.“For me, it's knowing that the Lord has made me as much to work as much to be and to be still and know that he is God.”On this episode, clinical psychologist Alexis Abernethy (Fuller Seminary) joins Macie Bridge to discuss burnout, Sabbath, worship, mental health, and resilience in the life of the church. Defining burnout through its dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of accomplishment, Abernethy reflects on how church life can intensify these dynamics even as it seeks to heal them. Drawing from scripture, theology, psychology, and her own experience in the Black church and academic worlds, she reorients us to Sabbath as more than self-care: a sacred practice of being still before God. Sabbath, she argues, is not a quick fix but a preventive rhythm that sustains resilience in leaders and congregations alike. Along the way, she points to the necessity of modeling rest, the impact of daily and weekly spiritual rhythms, and the communal posture that makes Sabbath transformative.Episode Highlights“For me, it's knowing that the Lord has made me as much to work as much to be and to be still and know that he is God.”“Often people have overextended themselves in face of crises, other circumstances over a period of time, and it's just not really sustainable, frankly, for anyone.”“We act as if working hard and excessively is dutiful and really what the Lord wants—but that's not what He wants.”“When you are still with the Lord, you look different when you're active.”“Sabbath rest allows you to literally catch your own breath, but also then be able to see what the congregation needs.”Helpful Links and ResourcesThat Their Work Will Be a Joy, Kurt Frederickson & Cameron LeeHoward Thurman, Meditations of the HeartEmily Dickinson, “Some Keep the Sabbath” (Poetry Foundation)About Alexis AbernethyAlexis Abernethy is a clinical psychologist and professor in the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary. Her research explores the intersection of spirituality and health, with particular focus on Christian spirituality, church leadership, and group therapy models.Topics and ThemesBurnout in Church Leadership and Congregational LifeDefining Burnout: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Reduced AccomplishmentSpiritual Misconceptions of Work and DutySabbath as Sacred Rest, Not Just Self-CareSilence, Stillness, and the Presence of GodScriptural Foundations for Sabbath: Psalm 23, Psalm 46, John 15The Role of Pastors in Modeling RestPandemic Lessons for Church Rhythms and ParticipationEmily Dickinson and Creative Visions of SabbathResilience Through Sabbath: Lessons from New Orleans PastorsPractical Practices for Sabbath in Everyday LifeShow NotesExodus 20:8-11: 8 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.Opening framing on burnout, Sabbath, and confusion about self-careIntroduction of Alexis Abernethy, her background as psychologist and professorChildhood in a lineage of Methodist pastors and formative worship experiencesEarly academic path: Howard University, UC Berkeley, affirmation from her fatherDefining burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced accomplishment“I'm just stuck. I used to enjoy my job.”The church as both source of fulfillment and site of burnoutMisconceptions of spirituality equating overwork with dutyReference: That Their Work Will Be a Joy (Frederickson & Lee)Scriptural reflections: Psalm 23, Psalm 46, John 15Stillness, quiet, and Howard Thurman on solitude“When you are still with the Lord, you look different when you're active.”Sabbath as sacred rest, not a quick fix or pillPastors modeling Sabbath for congregations, including personal family timeCOVID reshaping church rhythms and recalculating commitment costsEmily Dickinson's poem “Some Keep the Sabbath”Lessons from New Orleans pastors after Hurricane KatrinaSabbath as resilience for leaders and congregationsPractical steps: scripture meditation, playlists, Lectio Divina, cultivating quietClosing invitation: Sabbath as both individual discipline and community postureProduction NotesThis podcast featured Alexis AbernethyInterview by Macie BridgeEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Alexa Rollow and Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

What do engineering, entrepreneurship, and divinity have to do with each other? Apparently, more than you think. In this episode, Erik Garcia, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, sits down with Tulane professors Rob Lalka, who teaches entrepreneurship, and Matt Escarra, a professor of engineering, to talk about a course that challenges students to ask the big questions. They discuss technology, ethics, purpose, and yes, even money. Inspired by a curriculum from Yale Divinity School, the class invites students to wrestle with questions like: What is the good life? What should we hope for? And how do we shape a future worth building? Together, they explore how innovations like AI, gene editing, climate tech, and social media are not just technical challenges. They are deeply human ones. This conversation will make you think differently about how we define progress, what we value, and how we prepare the next generation of leaders. If you enjoy the episode, follow the show, share it with a friend, and keep asking the questions that really matter, the ones that go way beyond the bottom line. Episode Highlights: Rob explains how entrepreneurship education can prepare students to build mission-driven companies that shape the future. (03:00) Matt describes how a conversation with a visiting AI expert led to the course's inspiration and partnership with Yale's Life Worth Living program. (05:00) Erik asks how Matt integrates the technical side of engineering with questions about ethics and social impact. (06:00) Rob discusses his book The Venture Alchemists and how founders' values influence technology's role in society. (09:00) Matt outlines how the course delays tech discussion to first explore ancient wisdom, values, and views of the good life. (15:00) Rob shares how classroom conversations mimic the deep late-night college discussions that shape students' thinking. (19:00) Erik connects course themes to financial advising, noting how values influence money decisions. (22:00) Rob describes how student projects will pair deep research with direct conversations with top industry leaders. (30:00) Rob and Matt explore how suffering shapes a meaningful life and why students should reflect on this before entering leadership. (37:00) Rob and Matt reflect on the long-term impact they hope this course will have on their students' personal and professional lives. (51:00) Key Quotes: “We are equipping you to be great critical thinkers, great empathetic leaders, people who are able to go into tough conversations and be really great listeners. And not just trying to argue your point.” - Rob Lalka “I'd love to see them developing thoughtful careers where they can feel like they made some recognition in our class about what their values are and then followed through on their values, whatever that looks like for them.” - Matt Escarra “The dimensions by which you can achieve efficiencies are really mind blowing when we think about the future of technology.” - Matt Escarra Resources Mentioned: Rob Lalka Matthew Escarra Book: The Venture Alchemists Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors

What do engineering, entrepreneurship, and divinity have to do with each other? Apparently, more than you think. In this episode, ⁠Erik Garcia⁠, CFP®, ChFC®, BFA™, sits down with Tulane professors ⁠Rob Lalka⁠, who teaches entrepreneurship, and ⁠Matt Escarra⁠, a professor of engineering, to talk about a course that challenges students to ask the big questions. They discuss technology, ethics, purpose, and yes, even money. Inspired by a curriculum from Yale Divinity School, the class invites students to wrestle with questions like: What is the good life? What should we hope for? And how do we shape a future worth building? Together, they explore how innovations like AI, gene editing, climate tech, and social media are not just technical challenges. They are deeply human ones. This conversation will make you think differently about how we define progress, what we value, and how we prepare the next generation of leaders. If you enjoy the episode, follow the show, share it with a friend, and keep asking the questions that really matter, the ones that go way beyond the bottom line. Episode Highlights: Rob explains how entrepreneurship education can prepare students to build mission-driven companies that shape the future. (03:00) Matt describes how a conversation with a visiting AI expert led to the course's inspiration and partnership with Yale's Life Worth Living program. (05:00) Erik asks how Matt integrates the technical side of engineering with questions about ethics and social impact. (06:00) Rob discusses his book ⁠The Venture Alchemists⁠ and how founders' values influence technology's role in society. (09:00) Matt outlines how the course delays tech discussion to first explore ancient wisdom, values, and views of the good life. (15:00) Rob shares how classroom conversations mimic the deep late-night college discussions that shape students' thinking. (19:00) Erik connects course themes to financial advising, noting how values influence money decisions. (22:00) Rob describes how student projects will pair deep research with direct conversations with top industry leaders. (30:00) Rob and Matt explore how suffering shapes a meaningful life and why students should reflect on this before entering leadership. (37:00) Rob and Matt reflect on the long-term impact they hope this course will have on their students' personal and professional lives. (51:00) Key Quotes: “We are equipping you to be great critical thinkers, great empathetic leaders, people who are able to go into tough conversations and be really great listeners. And not just trying to argue your point.” - Rob Lalka “I'd love to see them developing thoughtful careers where they can feel like they made some recognition in our class about what their values are and then followed through on their values, whatever that looks like for them.” - Matt Escarra “The dimensions by which you can achieve efficiencies are really mind blowing when we think about the future of technology.” - Matt Escarra Resources Mentioned: ⁠Rob Lalka⁠ ⁠Matthew Escarra⁠ Book: ⁠The Venture Alchemists⁠ ⁠Erik Garcia, CFP®, BFA⁠ ⁠Xavier Angel, CFP®, ChFC, CLTC⁠ ⁠Plan Wisely Wealth Advisors⁠

The Gospel of John is a gospel of superabundance. The cosmic Christ made incarnate would of course yield an absolute superabundance of grace, love, and unity.What makes John's Gospel so distinct from the Synoptics? Why does it continue to draw readers into inexhaustible depths of meaning? In this conversation, theologian David Ford reflects on his two-decade journey writing a commentary on John. Together with Drew Collins, he explores John's unique blend of theology, history, and literary artistry, describing it as a “gospel of superabundance” that continually invites readers to trust, to reread, and to enter into deeper life with Christ. Together they explore themes of individuality and community; friendship and love; truth, reconciliation, and unity; the tandem vision of Jesus as both cosmic and intimate; Jesus's climactic prayer for unity in chapter 17. And ultimately the astonishing superabundance available in the person of Christ. Along the way, Ford reflects on his interfaith reading practices, his theological friendships, and the vital role of truth and love for Christian witness today.“There's always more in John's gospel … these big images of light and life in all its abundance.”Episode Highlights“It is a gospel for beginners. But also it's endlessly rich, endlessly deep.”“There's always more in John's gospel and he has these big images of light and, life in all its abundance.”“It all culminates in love. Father, I desire that those also you, whom you have given me, may be with me.”“On the cross, evil, suffering, sin, death happened to Jesus. But Jesus happens to evil, suffering, sin, death.”“We have to go deeper into God and Jesus, deeper into community, and deeper into the world.”Show NotesDavid Ford on writing a commentary on John over two decadesJohn's Gospel compared to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke)John as theological history writing (Rudolf Schnackenburg)John's purpose statement in chapter 20: written so that you may trust“A gospel for beginners” with simple language and cosmic depthJohn as a gospel of superabundance: light, life, Spirit without measureJohn's focus on individuals: Nicodemus, Samaritan woman, man born blind, Martha, Mary, LazarusThe Beloved Disciple and John's communal authorshipFriendship, love, and unity in the Farewell Discourses (John 13–17)John 17 as the most profound chapter in ScriptureThe crisis of rewriting: scrapping 15 years of writing to begin anewScriptural reasoning with Jews, Muslims, and Christians on John's GospelWrestling with John 8 and the polemics against “the Jews”Reconciliation across divisionsJohn's vision of discipleship: learning, loving, praying, and living truthHelpful Links and ResourcesDavid Ford, The Gospel of John: A Theological CommentaryRudolf Schnackenburg, The Gospel According to St. JohnAbout David FordDavid F. Ford is Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus at the University of Cambridge. He has written extensively on Christian theology, interfaith engagement, and scriptural reasoning. His most recent work is The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Baker Academic, 2021). Ford is co-founder of the Cambridge Interfaith Programme and the Rose Castle Foundation.Production NotesThis podcast featured David FordInterview by Drew CollinsEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Macie Bridge, Alexa Rollow, and Emily BrookfieldA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/giveThis episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House Foundation. For more information visit Tyndale.foundation.

Show Notes:Rev. Dr. Javier Viera is the President of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. A long-time friend of Eddie's, Javier served in multiple roles in a congregational setting before becoming the Dean of Drew Theological School at Drew University. He earned his master of divinity from Duke Divinity School, a master of sacred theology from Yale Divinity School, and his doctor of education from Columbia University.Javier's experience gives him a deep understanding of how important diversity is in theological education. Including voices with varying backgrounds will only strengthen the formation of Christ-centered leaders who courageously cultivate communities of justice, compassion, and Gospel hope.Resources:Learn more about Garrett-Evangelical 

Miroslav Volf critiques ambition, love of status, and superiority, offering a Christ-shaped vision of agapic love and humble glory.“'And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?' If you received everything you have as a gift and if your existence as the recipient is also a gift, all ground for boasting is gone. Correspondingly, striving for superiority over others, seeking to make oneself better than others and glorying in that achievement, is possible only as an existential lie. It is not just a lie that all strivers and boasters tell themselves. More troublingly, that lie is part of the ideology that is the wisdom of a certain twisted and world-negating form of the world.”In Lecture 5, the final of his Gifford Lectures, Miroslav Volf offers a theological and moral vision that critiques the dominant culture of ambition, superiority, and status. Tracing the destructive consequences of Epithumic desire and the relentless “race of honors,” Volf contrasts them with agapic love—God's self-giving, unconditional love. Drawing from Paul's Christ hymn in Philippians 2 and philosophical insights from Rousseau, Nietzsche, and Max Scheler, Volf reveals the radical claim that striving for superiority is not merely harmful but fundamentally false. Through Christ's self-emptying, even to the point of death, we glimpse a redefinition of glory that subverts all worldly hierarchies. The love that saves is the love that descends. In a world ravaged by competition, inequality, and devastation, Volf calls for fierce, humble, and world-affirming love—a love that mends what can be mended, and makes the world home again.Episode Highlights“Striving for superiority over others… is possible only as an existential lie.”“Jesus Christ was no less God and no less glorious at his lowest point.”“To the extent that I'm striving for superiority, I cannot love myself unless I am the GOAT.”“God cancels the standards of the kind of aspiration whose goal is superiority.”“This is neither self-denial nor denial of the world. This is love for the world at work.”Show NotesAgapic love vs. Epithemic desire and self-centered striving“Striving for superiority… is possible only as an existential lie.”Paul's hymn in Philippians 2 and the “race of shame”Rousseau: striving for superiority gives us “a multitude of bad things”Nietzsche's critique of Christianity and pursuit of powerMax Scheler: downward love, not upward striving“Jesus Christ was no less God and no less glorious at his lowest point.”Self-love as agapic: “I am entirely a gift to myself.”Raphael's Transfiguration and the chaos belowDemon possession as symbolic of systemic and spiritual powerlessness“To the extent that I'm striving for superiority, I cannot love myself unless I am the GOAT.”“The world is the home of God and humans together.”God's love affirms the dignity of even the most unlovable creatureLove as spontaneous overflow, not moral condescension“Mending what can be mended… mourning with those who mourn and dancing with those who rejoice.”Production NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Taylor Craig and Macie BridgeA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/giveSpecial thanks to Dr. Paul Nimmo, Paula Duncan, and the media team at the University of Aberdeen. Thanks also to the Templeton Religion Trust for their support of the University of Aberdeen's 2025 Gifford Lectures and to the McDonald Agape Foundation for supporting Miroslav's research towards the lectureship.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously stated, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." And there are numerous notable figures in our country's fight toward this justice, and then there is Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II.rnrnFor decades, Rev. Barber has served as a powerful voice in movements that combined faith, morality, and activism. As the Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call For Moral Revival, Rev. Barber has launched a new movement that aims to address the same issues that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke against in the original 1960s campaign.rnrnRev. Barber is also President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, and a Professor in the Practice of Public Theology and Public Policy and Founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. The author of five books, including We Are Called To Be A Movement, his most recent book White Poverty: How Exposing Myths About Race and Class Can Reconstruct American Democracy explores how we can join together to take on poverty and economic injustice.rnrnIn a moment when the strength of democracy is tested, and our country's bend toward justice is questioned, join us as we hear from Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II on how we can build social justice movements that uplift our deepest moral and constitutional values.

Miroslav Volf explores agapic love, creation's goodness, and God's grief—an alternative to despair, power, and world rejection.“When a wanted child is born, the immense joy of many parents often renders them mute, but their radiant faces speak of surprised delight: ‘Just look at you! It is so very good that you are here!' This delight precedes any judgment about the beauty, functionality, or moral rectitude of the child. The child's sheer existence, the mere fact of it, is ‘very good.' That's what I propose God, too, exclaimed, looking at the new-born world. And that unconditional love grounds creation's existence.”In this fourth Gifford Lecture, Miroslav Volf contrasts the selective and self-centered love of Ivan Karamazov with the radically inclusive, unconditional love of Father Zosima. Drawing deeply from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Genesis's creation and flood narratives, and Hannah Arendt's concept of amor mundi, Volf explores a theology of agapic love: unearned, universal, and enduring. This is the love by which God sees creation as “very good”—not because it is perfect, but because it exists. It's the love that grieves corruption without destroying it, that sees responsibility as mutual, and that offers the only hope for life in a deeply flawed world. With references to Luther, Nietzsche, and modern visions of power and desire, Volf challenges us to ask what kind of love makes a world, sustains it, and might one day save it. “Love the world,” he insists, “or lose your soul.”Episode Highlights“The world will either be loved with unconditional love, or it'll not be loved at all.”“Unconditional love abides. If the object of love is in a state that can be celebrated, love rejoices. If it is not, love mourns and takes time to help bring it back to itself.”“Each is responsible for all. Each is guilty for all. Each needs forgiveness from all. Each must forgive all.”“Creation is not primarily sacramental or iconic. It is an object of delight both for humans and for God.”“Agapic love demands nothing from the beloved, though it cares and hopes much for them and for the shared world with them.”Show NotesSchopenhauer and Nietzsche's visions of happiness: pleasure and power as substitutes for love“Love as hunger”: the devouring nature of epithemic desireIvan Karamazov's tragic love for life—selective, gut-level, and self-focused“There is still… this wild and perhaps indecent thirst for life in me”Father Zosima's universal love for “every leaf and every ray of God's light”“Love man also in his sin… Love all God's creation”Sonya and Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment: love as restoration“She loved him and stayed with him—not although he murdered, but because he murdered”God's declaration in Genesis: “And look—it was very good”Hannah Arendt's amor mundi—“I want you to be” as pure affirmationCreation as gift: “Each is itself by being more than itself”Martin Luther on marriage, sex, and delight as godly pleasuresThe flood as hypothetical: divine grief replaces divine destruction“It grieved God to his heart”—grief as a form of agapic love“Each is responsible for all. Each is guilty for all.”Agape over erotic love: not reward and punishment, but faithful presence and care“Agapic love demands nothing… It is free, sovereign to love, humble.”Closing invitation: to live the life of love, under whatever circumstancesProduction NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Taylor Craig and Macie BridgeA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/giveSpecial thanks to Dr. Paul Nimmo, Paula Duncan, and the media team at the University of Aberdeen. Thanks also to the Templeton Religion Trust for their support of the University of Aberdeen's 2025 Gifford Lectures and to the McDonald Agape Foundation for supporting Miroslav's research towards the lectureship.

Miroslav Volf confronts Schopenhauer's pessimism and unquenchable thirst with a vision of love that affirms the world.“Unquenchable thirst makes for ceaseless pain. This befits our nature as objectification of the ceaseless and aimless will at the heart of reality. ... For Schopenhauer, the pleasure of satisfaction are the lights of fireflies in the night of life's suffering. These four claims taken together make pain the primordial, universal, and unalterable state of human lives.”In the second installment of his 2025 Gifford Lectures, Miroslav Volf examines the 19th-century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer's radical rejection of the world. Through Schopenhauer's metaphysics of blind will and insatiable desire, Volf draws out the philosopher's haunting pessimism and hatred for existence itself. But Schopenhauer's rejection of the world—rooted in disappointed love—is not just a historical curiosity; Volf shows how our modern consumerist cravings mirror Schopenhauer's vision of unquenchable thirst and fleeting satisfaction. In response, Volf offers a theological and philosophical critique grounded in three kinds of love—epithumic (appetitive), erotic (appreciative), and agapic (self-giving)—arguing that agape love must be central in our relationship to the world. “Everything is a means, but nothing satisfies,” Volf warns, unless we reorder our loves. This second lecture challenges listeners to reconsider what it means to live in and love a world full of suffering—without abandoning its goodness.Episode Highlights“Unquenchable thirst makes for ceaseless pain. This befits our nature as objectification of the ceaseless and aimless will at the heart of reality.”“Whether we love ice cream or sex or God, we are often merely seeking to slake our thirst.”“If we long for what we have, what we have never ceases to satisfy.”“A better version is available—for whatever reason, it is not good enough. And we discard it. This is micro-rejection of the world.”“Those who love agape refuse to act as if they were the midpoint of their world.”Helpful Links and ResourcesThe World as Will and Representation by Arthur SchopenhauerParadiso by Dante AlighieriVictor Hugo's Les MisérablesA Brief for the Defense by Jack GilbertShow NotesSchopenhauer's pessimism as rooted in disappointed love of the worldGod's declaration in Genesis—“very good”—contrasted with Schopenhauer's “nothing is good”Job's suffering as a theological counterpoint to Schopenhauer's metaphysical despairHuman desire framed as unquenchable thirst: pain, boredom, and fleeting satisfactionSchopenhauer's diagnosis: we swing endlessly between pain and boredomThree kinds of love introduced: epithumic (appetite), erotic (appreciation), agapic (affirmation)Schopenhauer's exclusive emphasis on appetite—no place for appreciation or unconditional loveModern consumer culture mirrors Schopenhauer's account: desiring to desire, never satisfiedFast fashion, disposability, and market-induced obsolescence as symptoms of world-negation“We long for what we have” vs. “we discard the world”Luther's critique: “suck God's blood”—epithumic relation to GodAgape love: affirming the other, even when undeserving or diminishedErotic love: savoring the intrinsic worth of things, not just their utilityThe fleetingness of joy and comparison's corrosion of valueModern desire as invasive, subliminally shaped by market competitionDenigration of what is in favor of what could be—a pathology of dissatisfactionConsumerism as massive “micro-rejection” of the worldVolf's call to reorder our loves toward appreciation and unconditional affirmationTheology and metaphysics reframe suffering not as a reason to curse the world, but to love it betterPreview of next lecture: Nietzsche, joy, and the affirmation of all existenceProduction NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Taylor Craig and Macie BridgeA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/giveSpecial thanks to Dr. Paul Nimmo, Paula Duncan, and the media team at the University of Aberdeen. Thanks also to the Templeton Religion Trust for their support of the University of Aberdeen's 2025 Gifford Lectures and to the McDonald Agape Foundation for supporting Miroslav's research towards the lectureship.

Miroslav Volf on how to rightly love a radically ambivalent world.“The world, our planetary home, certainly needs to be changed, improved. But what it needs even more is to be rightly loved.”Miroslav Volf begins his 2025 Gifford Lectures at the University of Aberdeen with a provocative theological inquiry: What difference does belief in God make for our relationship to the world? Drawing deeply from Nietzsche's “death of God,” Schopenhauer's despair, and Hannah Arendt's vision of amor mundi, Volf explores the ambivalence of modern life—its beauty and horror, its resonance and alienation. Can we truly love the world, even amidst its chaos and collapse? Can a belief in the God of Jesus Christ provide motivation to love—not as appetite or utility, but as radical, unconditional affirmation? Volf suggests that faith offers not a retreat from reality, but an anchor amid its disorder—a trust that enables us to hope, even when the world's goodness seems impossible. This first lecture challenges us to consider the character of our relationship to the world, between atheism and theism, critique and love.Episode Highlights“The world, our planetary home, certainly needs to be changed, improved. But what it needs even more is to be rightly loved.”“Resonance seems both indispensable and insufficient. But what should supplement it? What should underpin it?”“Our love for that lived world is what these lectures are about.”“We can reject and hate one form of the world because we love the world as such.”“Though God is fully alive… we often find the same God asleep when our boats are about to capsize.”Helpful Links and ReferencesResonance by Hartmut RosaThe Human Condition by Hannah ArendtThis Life by Martin HägglundThe Home of God by Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-LinzThe City of God by AugustineDivine Comedy by DanteShow NotesPaul Nimmo introduces the Gifford Lectures and Miroslav Volf's themeVolf begins with gratitude and scope: belief in God and our worldIntroduces Nietzsche's “death of God” as cultural metaphorFrames plausibility vs. desirability of God's existenceIntroduces Hartmut Rosa's theory of resonanceProblem: resonance is not enough; what underpins motivation to care?Introduces amor mundi as thematic direction of the lecturesContrasts Marx's atheism and human liberation with Nietzsche's nihilismAnalyzes Dante and Beatrice in Hägglund's This LifeDistinguishes between “world” and “form of the world”Uses cruise ship metaphor to critique modern life's ambivalenceDiscusses Augustine, Hannah Arendt, and The Home of GodReflections on divine providence and theodicyBiblical images: flood, exile, and the sleeping GodEnds with preview of next lectures on Schopenhauer and NietzscheLet me know if you'd like episode-specific artwork prompts, promotional copy for social media, or a transcript excerpt formatted for publication.Production NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Taylor Craig and Macie BridgeA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/giveSpecial thanks to Dr. Paul Nimmo, Paula Duncan, and the media team at the University of Aberdeen. Thanks also to the Templeton Religion Trust for their support of the University of Aberdeen's 2025 Gifford Lectures and to the McDonald Agape Foundation for supporting Miroslav's research towards the lectureship.

What if our relentless drive to be better than others is quietly breaking us?Miroslav Volf unpacks the core themes of his 2025 book, The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse. In this book, Volf offers a penetrating critique of comparison culture, diagnosing the hidden moral and spiritual wounds caused by competition and superiority.Drawing on Scripture, theology, philosophy, literature, and our culture's obsession with competition and superiority, Volf challenges our assumptions about ambition and identity—and presents a deeply humanizing vision of life rooted not in being “the best,” but in receiving ourselves as creatures made and loved by God.From Milton's depiction of Satan to Jesus' descent in Philippians 2, from the architectural rivalry of ancient Byzantium to modern Olympic anxieties, Volf invites us to imagine a new foundation for personal and social flourishing: a life free from striving, rooted in love and grace.Highlights“The key here is for us to come to appreciate, affirm, and—importantly—love ourselves. Love ourselves unconditionally.”“Striving for superiority devalues everything we have, if it doesn't contribute to us being better than someone else.”“The inverse of striving for superiority is internal plague by inferiority.”“In Jesus, we see that God's glory is not to dominate but to lift up what is low.”“We constantly compare to feel good about ourselves, and end up unsure of who we are.”“We have been given to ourselves by God—our very existence is a gift, not a merit.”Helpful Links and ResourcesVisit faith.yale.edu/ambition to get a 40-page PDF Discussion Guide and Full Access to 7 videosThe Cost of Ambition by Miroslav Volf (Baker Academic, May 2025)Philippians 2:5–11 (NIV) – Christ's Humility and Exaltation – BibleGatewayRomans 12:10 – “Outdo one another in showing honor” – BibleHubParadise Lost by John Milton – Project GutenbergParadise Regained by John Milton – Project GutenbergShow NotesOpening Reflections on CompetitionThe conversation begins with Volf recalling a talk he gave at the Global Congress on Christianity & Sports.He uses athletic competition—highlighting Lionel Messi—as a lens for questioning the moral value of striving to be better than others.“Sure, competition pulls people up—but it also familiarizes us with inferiority.”“We compare ourselves to feel good… but end up feeling worse.”Introduces the story of Justinian and Hagia Sophia: “Oh Solomon, I have outdone you.”Rivalry, Power, and InsecurityShares the backstory of Juliana's competing church and the gold-ceiling arms race with Justinian.“Religious architecture became a battlefield of status.”Draws insight from these historic rivalries as examples of how ambition pervades religious life—not just secular.Modern Parallels: Yale Students's & the Rat RaceVolf notes how even Yale undergrads—once top of their class—feel insecure in comparison to peers.“They arrive and suddenly their worth plummets. That's insane.”The performance-driven culture makes stable identity nearly impossible.Biblical Illustration: Kierkegaard's LilyVolf recounts Kierkegaard's retelling of Jesus's lily parable.A bird whispers to the little lily that it's not beautiful enough, prompting the lily to uproot itself—and wither.“The lesson: we are destined to lose ourselves when our value depends on comparison.”Intrinsic Value and the Image of God“We need to discover the intrinsic value of who we are as creatures made in the image of God.”Kierkegaard and Jesus both show us the beauty of ‘mere humanity.'“You are more glorious in your humanity than Solomon in his robes.”Theological Anthropology and Grace“We have been given to ourselves by God—our lives are a gift.”“We owe so much to luck, to others, to God. So how can we boast?”Paul's challenge in 1 Corinthians: “What do you have that you have not received?”Milton and Satan's AmbitionShifts to Paradise Lost: Satan rebels because he can't bear not being top.“Even what is beautiful becomes devalued if it doesn't prove superiority.”In Paradise Regained, Satan tempts Jesus to be the greatest—but Jesus refuses.Christ's Humility and Downward GloryHighlights Philippians 2: Jesus “emptied himself… took the form of a servant.”“God's glory is not domination—it's lifting up the lowly.”“Salvation comes not through seizing status, but through relinquishing it.”Paul's Vision of Communal HonorRomans 12:10: “Outdo one another in showing honor.”“True honor comes not from climbing over others, but from lifting them up.”Connects this ethic to Paul's vision of church as an egalitarian body.God's Care for Creation and HumanityLuther's observation: God calls Earth good but not Heaven—“God cares more for our home than his own.”“We are called to emulate God's loving attention to the least.”Striving vs. AcceptanceVolf contrasts ambition with love: “The inverse of striving for superiority is the plague of inferiority.”Encourages unconditional self-love as a reflection of God's love.Uses image of a parent greeting a newborn: “You've arrived.”A Vision for Healed Culture“We wreck others in our pursuit of superiority—and we leave them wounded in our wake.”The gospel reveals a better way: not performance, but grace.“Our salvation and our culture's healing lie in the humility of Jesus.”“We must rediscover the beauty of our mere humanity.”About Miroslav VolfMiroslav Volf is the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture and the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School. One of the leading public theologians of our time, he is the author of numerous books including Exclusion and Embrace, Flourishing, A Public Faith, Life Worth Living, and most recently, The Cost of Ambition. His work explores themes of identity, reconciliation, human dignity, and the role of faith in a pluralistic society. He is a frequent speaker around the world and has advised both religious and civic leaders on matters of peace and justice.Production NotesThis podcast featured Miroslav VolfEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaProduction Assistance by Macie Bridge and Taylor CraigA Production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World podcast by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Rev. Dr. Barber II is objecting to Republicans' budget bill on the grounds of morality as much as politics—which is why he's been praying, protesting, and getting arrested to stick up for those who will be affected by it.  Guest: Reverend Doctor William J. Barber II, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro, North Carolina, professor at Yale Divinity School, and founder of the Forward Together Moral Movement. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rev. Dr. Barber II is objecting to Republicans' budget bill on the grounds of morality as much as politics—which is why he's been praying, protesting, and getting arrested to stick up for those who will be affected by it.  Guest: Reverend Doctor William J. Barber II, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Goldsboro, North Carolina, professor at Yale Divinity School, and founder of the Forward Together Moral Movement. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices