Category: Christianity
Timothy Dalrymple on Religion and Sports
Being that it is Super Bowl week, the mid-point of the NBA season, and with the Winter Olympics just around the corner, we are re-running one of our favorite interviews featuring Timothy Dalrymple discussing the relationship between religion and sports. When athletes point their fingers skyward to thank the Lord following a great play, what are they really doing? Based on his own experience as a world-class gymnast sidelined by a traumatic neck injury, Timothy covers the life of an elite athlete and adds to the story his experience with basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin.
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Jeremy Lott on the Religious Newsmakers of 2013
Jeremy Lott of RealClearPolitcs joins us to discuss the top religious newsmakers of 2013. We cover a significant ground ranging from the Boston Marathon bombers to Pope Francis. Along the way, we engage in discussions about the new direction of the Southern Baptist Convention, the issues surrounding various megachurch pastors such as Mark Driscoll and Rob Bell, the controversy surrounding religious gratuities (or lack thereof) at restaurants, and the last sermon of Billy Graham. And, of course, we get Jeremy’s thoughts on the first year (roughly) of Pope Francis’s reign.
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Adam English on the Real Santa Claus
On Christmas Eve, what better time to explore the life and times of the “real Santa Claus,” St. Nicholas of Myra. Prof. Adam Engish (Campbell University) discusses his new book “The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus.” We learn about the true charitable bishop of Myra and his most famous act of charity, how that became transformed into our modern representation of Santa Claus, and many other details about this extraordinary individual who lived during an important era of Christian history. This podcast also includes a link to a cookie recipe provided by Prof. English.
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Tracy McKenzie on the First Thanksgiving
Just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States, Prof. Tracy McKenzie (Wheaton College) takes us on a tour of the world of the Pilgrims who landed in Plymouth. We discover who they were, how they worshipped and the interesting (not commonly known) history of The “First” Thanksgiving. More than just a “grade school” understanding of this American tradition, Prof. McKenzie challenges Christians to engage in a deeper understanding of their own history. This interview will make for great conversational tidbits around the dinner table!
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Micah Watson on C.S. Lewis
On the 50th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s death, we visit with Micah Watson, a professor of political philosophy at Union University, to talk about the life, times, and thought of this influential fiction and nonfiction author. Known for his most famous books — “Mere Christianity” and the Chronicles of Narnia trilogy — we examine some of his lesser known works, how his religious and political thought developed, and his general life influences.
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Chris Gehrz on The Crisis of Chistian Colleges
Picking up on an earlier theme from two other interviews we’ve conducted over the past several months, Prof. Chris Gehrz of Bethel University (MN) shares his thoughts on the financial problems facing many small Christian colleges and universities, and how the changing pedagogical landscape may affect these institutions as well. Chiming a more pessimistic note than some of our previous guests, though echoing many similar points, we discuss what role the Christian university has to play in higher education and how these schools can continue to influence students and the mission of their denominations.
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David Cortman on Religious Liberty Updates
We take a look at several issues on the religious liberty landscape, from Christmas songs in public schools to prayers at city council meetings to health care mandates. David Cortman, of the Alliance Defending Freedom, provides a review of these cases and addresses some of the challenges that Tony puts before him. This is a wide-ranging discussion that covers some of the more well-known court cases as well as some lesser known issues.
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Sarah Bond on the Church and Funerals in Late Antiquity
How were the funerals for the dead managed in the period of “late antiquity,” roughly spanning the middle 3rd to late 6th century? Historian Sarah Bond of Marquette University surveys the “disreputable profession” of funeral workers prior to, and after, the Edict of Milan, noting how the change in church-state relations that occurred had a dramatic impact on the this critical industry. In the post-Constantinian era, funeral workers were often used as bodyguards and personal militaries for bishops, and the process of interring bodies opened the door to a great deal of corruption (rent-seeking) within the Church.
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Bradley Murg on Russian Orthodoxy after the Soviet Union
Whereas the Soviet Union was noted for being a state that sought to repress all forms of religious expression, the Russian Orthodox Church continued to exist in a weakened form throughout Russia’s communist era. Following the collapse of the Soviet regime in 1991, Rusian Orthodoxy has re-emerged from its slumber to reassert itself in the nation’s culture and institutional structure. How has it fared over the past two decades? Bradley Murg, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Washington, explores this question revealing much about the nature of religion in Russian society as well as a thing or two about its evolving political structure.
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Melissa Matthes on Sermons after Tragedies
With the 12th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks upon us, we examine how clergy respond to national tragedies in their sermons. Prof. Melissa Matthes — associate professor at the US Coast Guard Academy — talks about a research project she is conducting that involves reading hundreds of sermons from a variety of priests and pastors following such tragic events as the attack on Pearl Harbor, the JFK and MLK assassinations, and the events of 9/11/01. We explore the content of these sermons and how they have changed over time.
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