Research On Religion

Posts Tagged ‘sin’

Jim Papandrea on Christology, Superheroes, and Science Fiction Films

Is Superman the representation of the Christ figure in the DC Comics universe? And “who” among science fiction characters most closely represents the orthodox view of Christ? And does anybody really understand what “2001: A Space Oddity” was about? Jim Papandrea, associate professor of Church history at the Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and frequent guest, answers these questions and more as we take a journey through superhero and science fiction cinema to survey how religion is portrayed on celluloid. This is a conversation that not only will enlighten you on popular movies, but will help you understand Christology and soteriology all the better!

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Marion Goldman on Martin Luther and Spiritual Virtuosity

Tags: 95 Theses, Abolitionist Movement, Diet of Worms, Erasmus, Human Potential Movement, indulgences, Jerry Garcia, Johann von Staupitz, Martin Luther, Prince Frederick, Protestant Reformation, sanctification, sin, social movements, Steve Jobs, virtuosity, virtuoso, Wittenberg University

With the quincentennial anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (dated from October 31, 1517), we begin an occasional series looking at the events and people that made up this historic event. We start with Prof. Marion Goldman (sociology, University of Oregon) who argues that Martin Luther had the characteristic of a “spiritual virtuoso” and that this factor was critical to the split that transpired between the Catholic Church and Protestants. Spiritual virtuosos are individuals who are concerned with personal sanctification, are reluctant leaders, but do acknowledge their role in inspiring social movements. Our conversation also covers other similar individuals such as leaders of the Abolitionist Movement and Steve Jobs of Apple fame.

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Steve Pfaff on Denominationalism, Sin & Other Stuff

Tags: brands, Christian Smith, civility, denominationalism, Gordon Melton, immigrant religion, James Wellman, Lutheranism, Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill, Pentecostalism, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, religious pluralism, Rodney Stark, secularization, sin, youth

Sit in on a collegial discussion with Tony and his good friend Prof. Steve Pfaff as they discuss a range of topics including denominationalism and whether churches today emphasize sin enough. These two topics lead us down several different paths taking a look at how and why churches create brands, the benefits of religious pluralism, youth religious practice and whether megachurches are really just soft-peddling Christianity. This open-ended discussion is a window into what Tony & Steve often talk about while hanging out at the University of Washington and is a great wrap around to several recent podcasts we’ve featured on the show.

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