Both/And...Ouch My Head Hurts!

Notes for Season 5, Episode 3 – Both/And… Blowing Your Mind

Father Anthony, Doug, Perkins decided Jonathan did not have enough of the good ole’ Orthodox way (Ukrainian Orthodox to be specific) and joins us again as a guest host for this episode. They decided to take it slow and easy and to talk about the nature of the incarnation, i.e. how Jesus can be understood as both God and human. First off, we all need to remember that Doug and Jonathan are talking about a mystery of God and will never be able to fully explain or understand what it is that they are talking about. But that is not new.

They share views from two different schools of thoughts:

Alexandrian School

·      Focuses on the saving nature (soteriological character) of Christ through the incarnation

o   In order to be salvific the human is made divine and thus must be united with the divine nature of God

·      God becomes human so that humans might become (like) God

·      Cyril of Alexandria is one of the poster kids of this school of thought

·      Through this approach the ethical life is lifted up

Antiochine School

·      Concerned with the moral life

·      The Word (God) assumes a specific human being

·      Redemption is based on a new obedience of humanity

o   To get this there must be a unity of human and divine

·      Hypostatic union is one way of explaining/speaking about that union

·      Athanasius is one of the poster kids of this school of thought

With both we are called to consider the miracle of the incarnation and the implication that it has for us. I.e. through uniting with God we are brought into a new life/are lead to live an ethical life. Neither school is right and both are slightly confusing. If you learned Greek then it would only be slightly less confusing.

Here is the altar that Jonathan had to keep nervously avoiding eye-contact with throughout the whole conversation:

Scripture:

Acts 7:55-60 – the death of Stephen

Remember the martyrs of your faith tradition, the witness they gave to the person of Christ and his ministry. Be a martyr, but don’t look to die in doing it… just be a good witness.

Into:

Jonathan just read an interesting book about the Boston Molasses Flood in 1919 – Dark Tide by Stephen Puleo

Anthony is reading and working on the ideas of Jonathan Haidt’s work The Righteous Mind

Both need to get their noses out of the books and go outside and play. Nerds!

Thanks again for listening and don’t forget to leave a comment on iTunes or send a note to 12ecast@gmail.com

Educate Me!

12enough, Season 5,Episode 2

This week Jonathan is joined by the Rev. Paul Robeson Ford, the pastor of the historic Union Baptist Church of historic Cambridge in historic Massachusetts. Paul’s presence makes the whole episode historic.

            Paul is joining Jonathan to talk about education in the church context. Jonathan’s problem is that he has been reading Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. We should wonder if maybe he is seeing church work as analogous to prison work… hopefully not. If Jonathan really wants to know what prison is like he should be watching Orange is the New Black – it is a true-to-life depiction. Much more than Oz ever was.

            Foucault goes into great length and detail about how discipline can shape the body; forming it into the person, worker, etc. that you want it to be. Time and energy is spent on the minutia of movements, the most basic of thoughts in order to more greatly shape and influence the whole. Now a religious community is not a prison (in most cases), but the approach to discipline has some merit. In worship one is learning how to physically be religious through the repetition and imitation of others. If you are surrounded by others who raise their hands during songs then in time you very well may do the same. If you see everyone bow their heads when they pray you may do the same. You learn the words that are said, you learn a way of speaking that reflects faith.

            Even more happens in Bible studies, Sunday School, and in other aspects of the life of the church. In those instances more is spent on the sharing of information, but still a shaping of the body occurs. It is good and important to be aware of this and to be deliberate in shaping and helping to form people in good habits of faith. What that looks like will vary from community to community. It happens whether people are deliberate or not, so make it deliberate.

Railage

            Paul takes the high road and is angry about the over 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped in Nigeria. He is even more angry about the lack of political will in the United States to get involved. Since the recording of this episode we have seen some progress, but there is still much that can and should be done. Jonathan just jumps on the bandwagon – wuss.

Scripture

Job 14:7-9

 ‘For there is hope for a tree,

   if it is cut down, that it will sprout again,

   and that its shoots will not cease.

Though its root grows old in the earth,

   and its stump dies in the ground,

yet at the scent of water it will bud

   and put forth branches like a young plant.

Taken out of context this seems like a very nice and hopeful passage – not typical for Job. It is good to find a moment of hope when you are in a place of struggle and suffering. Make sure to read a little before and a little after to get a sense of the dissonance in Job’s experience.

Watcha’ Into?

Paul is watching the NBA playoffs. Apparently that is a basketball game that is played again and again and again.

Jonathan watched Les Miserables and found it long and plodding. What is his problem?

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Thanks for listening!

Nothing is Real?

These are the show notes for season 4, episode 10, DoesThis Episode Exist?

The topic of the day is Doubt, and Jonathan is joined by regular guest host Darin Collins, pastor of Berean Baptist Church in Burrillville, RI.

 Doubt can be a tricky topic in the area of faith; there is a popular notion that if someone has a strong sense of belief then there is no room for doubt. Hogwash says Jonathan! For him, doubt can be a corrective that can lead to a deeper, more mature faith. Doubt can challenge assumptions about God, Christ, and faith in general that may not hold up to the realities of life. This does not mean one should throw out all understandings and aspects of faith, but that things should be revisited pushed and perhaps changed. One need not reject the very existence of God because there are moments of questioning. Instead one can question the understanding and assumptions about the nature of God. Remember, whenever we are talking about God we are talking about something that we know nothing about so we are going to be wrong in one way or another. Doubt can be a good thing.

            Darin brought a number of theologians into the conversation, specifically John Caputo. In his book, The Weakness of God, Caputo offers a view of God where God is a part of the creative process of life. In this approach God is not in control of every little aspect and detail of life, but is still an all-knowing presence in every moment of our life. Darin also mentioned Peter Rollins’ book Insurrection and Leonardo Boff’s work Passion ofChrist, Passion of the World.

            Overall, doubt can be a scary thing because you are stepping into the unknown and perhaps uncharted territory of faith, but offers a rich and deep relationship with God.

Rialage –

Jonathan is complaining about people who are complainingabout being a pastor. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is tiring. So stop all the whining and get back to work (and look for the perks in your job because they are there)

Darin is tired of the creationists, especially on the heels of the debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham. Stop it creationists, you are making the rest of us look stupid!

Opening the Word

John 6:25-40. You really should read the entire chapter. Actually you should read the entire Gospel. Actually, you should read the entire Bible, but we will focus on John 6:25-40. In a brilliant exegetical move Darin shows how when Jesus walks on water he is at the same time walking all over the emperor of Rome and the political establishment. In a very real way following Jesus calls us to follow someone who is more than the political power of the day or to even give credence to the political structures. We really should put our faith in Christ over others.

Watcha’ Into

Be a nerd! Seriously, read comic books, watch True Detective, and read past issues of Wired. Be true to who you are, embrace your nerd self in whatever way that may emerge and don’t apologize for it.

Thanks for listening and don’t forget to give us your thoughts, comments, and ratings on Itunes!

In With the Out Crowd

These are the show notes for season 4, episode 9, Who AreYou With?

In this episode Jonathan is joined by guest host Father Jakob Thibault, rector and pastor of The Church of the Holy Paraclete – a Christian Catholic Church.

In many ways we are defined by the people we hang out with and those with whom we decide to associate. That is why your mother never liked it when you hung out with Johnny Badseed even though he was soooo dreamy, and smooth, and never had a problem with the law that merited a federal case. You wanted to hang out with Johnny Badseed because he was so cool and just by being with him elevated your coolness factor. But then you find out that J.B. (that is what he close friends call him) likes to listen to Lawrence Welk when he is working on cars. And the more you get to know him the more he insists that you listen to Lawrence Welk and is going to open a garage where everyone has to listen to Lawrence Welk. You love working on cars. You love being cool. You love being round Johnny Badseed. Lawrence Welk, on the other hand, makes you want peel off your own face. Yet because you are hanging out with Mr. Johnny Badseed (which is what his teachers call him) people are giving you recordings of Lawrence Welk because they assume that you must like him if you are friends with Badseed. Now you are defined as a Lawrence Welk devotee all because you hang out with Johnny Badseed.

            Do you see how your identity is shaped by those you are connected with? This is what Jakob Thibault and Jonathan talk about, without the Lawrence Welk bashing in this most recent episode. Jakob shares his story of how he wrestled with his identity as a Catholic, primarily through the presence of and participation with the sacraments, and at the same time as an openly gay man. The Roman Catholic Church has drawn the strict line excluding homosexuality leaving Jakob to have to decide to stay and be silent about who he is or to leave what has been his spiritual home all of his life. In finding and connecting with the Christian Catholic Church (Old Catholic Church), Jakob has found a place where he can connect with his Catholic identity and be honest about who he is as a gay man.

            With every group, gathering, and people that we associate boundaries and lines are drawn that shape our identity and we constantly negotiate and navigate those boundaries. In Jakob’s case we see someone who deliberately decided to go outside of the lines drawn by the Roman Catholic Church because he was not willing to let go of a key identifying part of who he is. In the religious context (as well as others) this is something that we should ask ourselves again and again. There is no such thing as a perfect church or a perfect group of people. We will always have to compromise to some degree in acts of conformity, but we must always be weary as to the degree. There may be a point in all of our lives when we have to decide to step outside the boundaries, to say “no” to the demands of identity if it goes against who we truly are.

            The book that Jonathan referenced at the beginning of this segment is Catholic Identity: Balancing Reason, Faith,and Power by Michele Dillon. It is another good look at the ways different groups of people navigate their identity with an institution that does not fully accept them.

Railage

            Jonathan gets a flat tire and gets upset at the fact that he is getting upset and wishes he could be a little calmer. Jakob agrees since he is only on his third contractor for their church building and who knows how many plumbers. Really, they both need to relax and stop sweating the small stuff.

Opening the Word

            Matthew 6:24-34 – remember the lilies and then sell them for profit. Not really, but remember that God is with you and will not leave you. This is a challenge calling us to trust God with the little and big things in our lives. Not an easy thing to do.

Watcha’ Into –

            Jonathan LOVES the Lego Movie – sorry, you are going to have to wait for it to come out on video to see it (or find a pirated copy)

            Jakob is reading Ayn Rand’s work The Virtue ofSelfishness – don’t knock it until you try it.

Thanks again for listening!